Fish and chips are deeply embedded in our culinary identity, an inheritance from our historical ties to the UK. It’s no secret the British consider fish and chips their own – as quintessentially British as the Royals, Rolls Royce and James Bond. Scratch the surface, and as with most things, this great tradition traces its origins further afield.
Fried fish was brought to the UK in the early 1800s by Spanish and Portuguese immigrants. As for the chips, the Belgians and French have disputed the right to claim them as their own.
While it’s no secret that classic fish and chips, done right, is true perfection, wisdom dictates you shouldn’t mess with perfection – but sometimes a little riff on a classic is a good thing. In homage to the notion that good things are born from shared knowledge and experience, we give you fish and chips with a kiss of Indian spice.
Ingredients
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Russet potatoes for super shoestring fries
For the batter
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120g plain flour
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120g rice flour, plus extra to dredge
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2 teaspoons baking powder
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2 tablespoons Vadouvan spice
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1/2 teaspoons ground turmeric
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2 lemons, finely zested
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360ml cold soda water
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3-4 large ice cubes
Chat masala aioli
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3 egg yolks
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1 teaspoon chaat masala spice
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1 head of roast garlic , mashed to a paste (smoked garlic would work in here, too)
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2 limes – juice and finely grated zest
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500ml sunflower/vegetable oil
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Salt
Gunpowder cucumbers
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500g baby cucumbers
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30ml rice vinegar
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30ml lemon juice
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20ml roasted hazelnut oil
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Gunpowder spice to taste
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Black salt
Method
1. To make the batter
Whisk the dry ingredients to combine and season with a little salt. Add the soda water and ice cubes to a large bowl, then add the flours and mix. You’re not after perfection here; the batter should still be a little lumpy.
2. To prepare the aioli
Whisk the egg yolks with the chaat masala, garlic paste and lime zest. Continue whisking while slowly adding the oil in a thin stream. Whisk until all the oil has been added and you have a thick, glossy aioli. Add lime juice and salt to taste.
3. Super shoestring fries
For shoestring fries, you’ll want potatoes that are high in starch and low in moisture. Russet potatoes are typically the best choice because their high starch content helps them become crispy. They also hold up well during frying.
4. Gunpowder cucumbers
Smash the cucumbers, toss them with the remaining ingredients and set aside for about 20 minutes for the flavours to mingle.
Dredge the fillets in rice flour, lightly coat them in batter and deep fry at 180 C until golden. Drain on a wire rack. Salt and serve immediately with chaat masala aioli, super shoestring fries and gunpowder cucumbers.
Chef's notes
Vadouvan is a fresh Indian spice blend, inspired by the French colonial influence. It’s made by slowly cooking onions, shallots, garlic, turmeric, curry leaves, cumin, mustard seeds, curry powder, fenugreek and other spices. Once the ingredients are caramelised, the spice mix is dehydrated (traditionally outdoors) until it resembles dried figs. It will need to be stored refrigerated.
Chaat masala is a loud and proud, transformative spice blend that turns almost anything into a chaat dish. At the heart of Southern Indian street food, this unique and complex spice blend is a masterful combination of black salt, sour green mango and tamarind, cumin, coriander, fennel, ajwain, asafoetida, fenugreek and mint, finishing with a serenade of heat from chilli, ginger and black pepper. There are no hard and fast rules to this intriguing spice mix; it’s about personal interpretation. And while it can be bought premade, there is great satisfaction in creating your own.
Gunpowder spice (milagai podi) is actually not a spice but a popular Southern Indian dry chutney used to sprinkle on dosa and idli. At its simplest, it’s a combination of lentils, dried chillies, sesame seeds, curry leaves and salt that has been toasted and ground. Let your creativity loose by embellishing the mix with peanuts, mustard seeds, asafoetida, rice, black peppercorns, coconut, brown sugar, cinnamon and cumin.
