I remember monsoon evenings at my grandmother’s home when my mind would always be on the market as she would be preparing the delicious macher dimer bora from fresh Rui roe. I have followed her recipe almost exactly but made some minor modifications and yet the results are always crispy, golden and perfect.
The Basics:
- To me, the pakoras taste earthy with a gentle touch of sweetness and slightly salty at the same time.
- I normally have these when hot with a bit of chutney, but even ketchup goes very well with it.
- Generally, after the mixing to the end of the frying, it does not take more than half an hour.
- I recommend you also try vegetable pakoras, chicken pakoras, paneer pakoras, vegetable fritters and egg pakoras for distinctive flavors and a different texture altogether.
The Ingredients:
- Fresh Rui Fish Eggs: 200 gms
- Besan or Gram Flour: 50 gms
- Rice Flour: 3 tablespoons
- I Big Sized Onion (Sliced)
- Chili & Garlic Paste: Paste of 1 green chili and 3 cloves of garlic
- Green Chilies- 2 pieces, finely chopped
- Turmeric Powder
- Roasted Cumin Powder: ½ Tbsp
- Refined Oil – As required
- Green Chutney – prepared with coriander leaves, ginger, garlic, lemon, and green chili.
- Salt to Taste
How to Make Fish Egg Pakora (Step by Step Images)?
1. Mix cleaned Rohu fish eggs with chopped onion, green chilies, a small amount of turmeric powder.
2. Next, I have added gram flour, rice flour and roasted cumin powder to mashed roe or fish eggs. Next it is time to add some salt.
3. Use it up to your taste. With the help of a spoon, mix all the ingredients thoroughly.
4. Make sure not to use water as after you are done with mixing, it will get a thick liquid texture. Leave the batter for 15 mins.
5. Put a pan on the gas stove. Pour oil into the pan. Once the oil starts smoking, take a spoonful of the batter and add it to hot oil.
(Pro Tip: I test with a drop of batter first. If it sizzles, it is ready.)
6. You can also use your hand for the purpose. Reduce the flame; otherwise, the pakora will not be properly fried inside.
7. After one side gets brown, turn them to the other side and let them fry for a minute.
(Pro Tip: I keep the flame medium after flipping so the egg cooks through evenly.)
8. Put an oil absorbing tissue paper on a plate, take the fried fish egg pokoras out of the pan and place them on the plate.
9. Repeat the process until the batter is finished. Serve the pokoras hot with green chutney and tomato ketchup.
Variations to Try
- If rui is not fresh I sometimes use hilsa or Katla roe instead, when available.
- To eliminate the fishy smell, sometimes I add some garam masala.
- I do not do it always, but I add ginger paste for a twist in the taste.
- If you like heat, unlike me, you may skip the chili paste and add some chopped green chilies.
- In the rare occasion, for a softer texture I omit the rice flour altogether and use besan only.
Fish Egg Pakora Recipe Quick Fixes
Q: My batter turned out too runny. I did not add any water. What went wrong?
A: I would say that the roe simply released moisture on its own. I would fix it by adding more gram flour, one tbsp at a time, in Step 2.
Q: My pakoras are falling apart in the oil. Why?
A: In my experience, it means that you need to add more rice flour in Step 2.
Q: The batter is too thick to shape after it has rested. Is there a fix?
A: I would fix it by adding one beaten egg into the batter in Step 4. The egg would make it less thick, but not affect the flavor.
Recipe Card:
Fish Egg Pakora (Macher Dimer Bora)
Ingredients
- 200 grams Fresh Rui Fish Eggs
- 50 grams Besan
- 3 tablespoons Rice Flour
- 1 piece Onion (chopped)
- 1 tablespoon Chili & Garlic Paste
- 1 tablespoon Turmeric Powder
- 2 pieces Green Chilies (finely chopped)
- ½ tablespoon Roasted Cumin Powder
- 2 tablespoon Refined OilÂ
- Salt to Taste
Accompaniment
- 2 tablespoon Green Chutney (prepared with coriander leaves, ginger, garlic, lemon, and green chili)
Instructions
- Mix cleaned Rohu fish eggs with chopped onion, green chilies, a small amount of turmeric powder.
- Next, I have added gram flour, rice flour and roasted cumin powder to mashed roe or fish eggs. Next it is time to add some salt.
- Use it up to your taste. With the help of a spoon, mix all the ingredients thoroughly.
- Make sure not to use water as after you are done with mixing, it will get a thick liquid texture. Leave the batter for 15 mins.
- Put a pan on the gas stove. Pour oil into the pan. Once the oil starts smoking, take a spoonful of the batter and add it to hot oil. (Pro Tip: I test with a drop of batter first. If it sizzles, it is ready.)
- You can also use your hand for the purpose. Reduce the flame; otherwise, the pakora will not be properly fried inside.
- After one side gets brown, turn them to the other side and let them fry for a minute. (Pro Tip: I keep the flame medium after flipping so the egg cooks through evenly.)
- Put an oil absorbing tissue paper on a plate, take the fried fish egg pakoras out of the pan and place them on the plate.
- Repeat the process until the batter is finished. Serve the pakoras hot with green chutney and tomato ketchup.
