Grilled fish and rice

Spices have zero calories and they enhance or add flavour to food. So they are a handy tool for those tired of healthy meals with no oil or fat content! Most Bengalis (people living in the State of West Bengal, India and those in Bangladesh) crave for fish and rice, even when they are dieting. Although fish is always good, rice isn’t. So how do you negate the extra calories that rice might add? Since balance in our lives (read health) is what we are after, while training to be fit, I came up with a foolproof fish and rice recipe, grilled mackerel Bengali style.

Pick an oily fish, the ones that are rich in omega 3, these have good fats which are good for you in sickness and in health! Then, rub the fish with salt, pepper and lemon juice. Give it 5- 10 minutes time and grill it on a non-stick pan without oil, skin side down if it is a fillet. Ensure that your pan has retained its non-stickiness and is not an ex-non-stick pan!

While you are grilling the fish on low heat, finely chop tomatoes, spring onions, ginger and coriander (like you would for a chaat ) . By now the fish should be ready to turn. So, turn them and move them to the side of the pan. You will notice that there are some juices in the pan, put in a tea spoon of olive oil or any vegetable oil and pour in the onion and tomato medley. season it with salt, turmeric and chillies if you like. Tomatoes increase metabolism rate, ginger, turmeric and onions have antiseptic properties, which also aid digestion and improve your immunity. As the vegetables start to soften they’ll take up a mushy appearance, now smear it on the fish and serve it with rice. (Measure: 75 gm of rice per person before you cook it) Add some fresh salad to the side if you want to. This meal should be around 300 calories with the adequate amount of nutrients and the mental satisfaction of having eaten rice and fish!

This recipe was an entry for the Shut up and Train Contest found on Random House India’s blog. Unfortunately they are very secretive about results so, I have no idea what happened.

Written by Amrita Dasgupta - Visit my blog for more food and travel stories
I love to travel, discover new things, experience new cultures and then I get back home and experiment with the new food and recipes I discovered on my travels. My blog is about all those life experiences. If you’ve enjoyed this post, keep in touch with Drifting Traveller on Twitter and Facebook or by adding my blog to your RSS feed. Follow my blog with Bloglovin or Networked Blogs! If you really like reading the Drifting Traveller why not share it with people you know who'd like to read it too.