Meen Paruppu Usili - Fish Dal Usili

This dish is specially done for my Dad.

My mom and dad have entered the stage where they have to eat healthy ,

low fat food to keep a check on their cholestrol level.

This might be easy for those who have already developed love for vegetables.

My family thrives on non-veg.... I came up with dish as it is healthy , requires very very little oil and is healthy as well.

Before going to the recipe , i would like to write a few lines about my dad..

He came to Chennai , then it was Madras , as a 15 year old boy with just 5 Rs.From there on his life had some twist and turns. He managed to get PUC seat in chennai , did his engineering in the most respectable university "Anna University".

Got a job abroad. Now most people will stop here. My dad did not... he came back to india when i was 3 years old , started a business of his own.

My mom learnt screen printing so that we can print catalogs for his business at home. He did not have the luxury to get his catalogs done from professionals.

My mom used to print the catalogs , me and my sis would take it carefully and arrange it for drying :-) ... Those were the days....

I've seen how much he had to work to develop his company and get to where we are now...

Not only did he take care of his business , he took utmost care of his wife and three daughters...

He used to drop and pick us from school , at time even to my collge which is 20 kms from my house....

Though he had to concentrate full time on his business he always made time for us ..

which makes him special...

here after i would be writing at least one recipe a week for my daddy..

Here we go

This dish twists the traditional paruppu usili , by using mashed fish instead

of vegatables..

Recipe:

For the paruppu usili:

soak 1/2 a cup each of tur dal and chana dal in warm water overnight.Grind to a paste with 3 dry red chillies , salt , a pinch of hing and turmeric powder.Steam it for 10 minutes.Cool and crumble it to small grains.Heat 1 tsp oil in a pan , splutter mustard seeds , curry leaves. Add crumbled dal and fry till it becomeslight brown.

Putting it together with fish:

I used anchovy fish as i dont have o bother much about its bones...

If you are using any other fish , take the flesh part alone ( by cooking it )

Mix 1/4 tsp chilly pwdr , turmeric pwdr , corriander pwdr , salt as required to the

fish. Heat a tsp of oil ( preferable mustard oil ) , add the fish and mash it well.

Let it fry for a minute. Add the paruppu usili we prepared in the previous step...

Fry for few seconds. Serve.