Chepa Vepudu (Fish Fry) Recipe (2024)

Sounds delicious! I was wondering if it might make sense to put spice mix on first before dredging it in flour because I would think that since the spice mix includes raw garlic and ginger it might have a burned flavor if it wasn't at least a bit protected from oil by flour. Any thoughts?

Since I'm from Kerala in South India what we refer to as chili powder is actually available in all Indian grocery stores & it is not chile as it appears in the recipe. Yes it is a kind of cayenne pepper powder & much hotter than paprika but almost the same color. They do come in mild, medium & hot and I use medium as that is hot enough for me.

I'm alwsys a bit puzzled when a recipe, no matter what cuisine, calls for "Chili Powder".Off hand, I can think of at least a half dozen spices labeled that. The heat they provide can go from unnoticeable to unforgettable.

I always wonder if the recipe writer is paying attention to the difference between "chili powder" and "chile powder". Does this call for powdered red chiles of some kind (cayenne??) or a more generic "chili powder" blend?

Spreading wet spices (with fingers) over the fish, after having rolled it in flour, defies the physics and evolutionary wisdom of cooking. The reason for rolling fish in flour after having marinated it is to seal the meat, absorb its moisture, and protect the spices from being burnt and the cook from the toxic fumes of burnt spices..

At first, I thought, "oh great, another exotic Indian dish I'd kill to eat, but which way beyond my old white guy skills." Then a revelation that this is a lot like my normal fried fish, just with a different set of spices, most of which I already have. I used Wondra and cod. Very tasty.

Hello Michael, you are absolutely correct in saying that the paste should be applied first, and let it marinade the fish, then roll it in flour. This will help form a crust and prevent the fish as well as the paste being burnt by the oil. This is my experience. However, each to their own methods.

Oh my. Excellent. Half the fish (Cod) but same amount of spices and a slightly longer marinade. Served with Coconut rice (added spring onions and cilantro) and sautéed eggplant and zucchini with curry and cumin spices. Make this!

The chili powder in a lot of Indian recipes is Kashmiri chili powder (Kashmiri Mirch) which has a mild flavor but gives the food a nice red color.

Excellent! It's on on our list of dishes for guests. I put in extra ginger, which I wouldn't do again, as it had a tad too much of a kick, but it was still delicious. Following the suggestions of others, I put the marinade on first, then rolled in the flour, which absorbed the marinade nicely. After the marinade and flouring, I let it rest while I made the cocoanut rice, then rolled it in the flour once more and fried it. Crispy on the outside, moist in the center, and wonderful!

Made this with halibut, increased the turmeric and chili powder, and subbed in ginger powder as no fresh ginger in hand, outcome was delicious. Served with sauteed broccolini (garlic, a pinch turmeric, salt,cumin) and roast thin sliced new potatoes with olive oil, salt, and pepper. Will def make this again

Reduce salt! Recipe calls for too much.

That is a very keen observation. I would add some oil to the spice rub mixture so that the garlic doesn’t burn. America’s Test Kitchen authors recommend doing this( got the tip when I was making beef stir fry from a America’s Test Kitchen cookbook)

There is big difference in the saltiness in Kosher Salts: Morton is much saltier then Diamond (about 2x). So adjust accordingly...

The Chile powder referred to in this recipe is what you would call cayenne pepper in Anglophone terms. Indians call it chilli powder, the American spelling has been standardized to chile. This is also to differentiate it from the chili powder you are talking about, which is a mix of allspice, cayenne, cumin, oregano and other things to put into a pot of western chili.

Has anyone tried this with an air fryer? And if yes, how did that work out?

Can you use gluten free breadcrumbs or GF flour instead of regular flour?

Could you bake this instead or does it absolutely have to be pan fried in oil? Or maybe air fry it?

Careful with the Salt, maybe half what the Recipe asks for. Also as mentioned there wasn't enough paste so double that. I used Tilapia cut into three slices and a cast iron skillet with grapeseed oil. I think I overdid the coriander or the ginger, so watch the amount of those. Not too bad, will make it again with adjustments (Hotter Skillet, Less Salt/Coriander/Ginger). 2 Mins on each side for the delicate fish is enough. Served with long-grain wild rice.

I wonder if this would work in an air fryer? And if so for how long and what temp?

What started out as a simple fish fry in India has morphed into an ingredient list of 13 items?Does simple always have to become complicated?

I am from Mangalore, a region of India also famous for its coastal cuisine. The fish is rinsed and the residual water is left on the fish. This amount of moisture is enough to make the "paste". The spice mix is applied to just rinsed and drained fish. This is left to marinate for just 15-30 min (no lemon) for us. It is then dredged in flour, rice flour or semolina before the pan fry. Lemon added just at the time of eating so that the fish is crispy. I agree with the comments.

YUM! Hate to admit this but my garlic was dried out and ginger rotting to an unusable state, so I used garlic powder and dried ginger. I feel shame but my fish had to be used and no time to go to the store. It was still delicious and I will make again with proper ingredients, which I'm sure will be even better.I agree with other notes about salt. Even though I cut it in half, I'm going to omit more.

Apply paste first, marinade, then flour

This would be delicious with cilantro-mint chutney.

put spice mix on fish before dipping in flour

Omg this is soooo good. Even my seafood hating husband liked it!!! I’ve made this several times now and the only change I’ve made is to double the marinade/paste...going to triple it next time. Soooo tasty!

Followed the recipe (flour first then paste). Very good but was a little too salty though (even as someone who likes salty food). Maybe it was made with Diamond Crystal and they should have specified?

Made this with Spanish Mackerel steaks and worked a charm! Was non-plussed by the flouring before spicing instructions, but that worked - blackened on my cast iron pan like Cajun - though the spices did not penetrate the fish.Will use mackerel again - should work well with a Tandoori marinade on the barbecue.

Ooh, this was very good. I cut the recipe in half, but frankly I would have liked more spice mix in proportion to the amount of fish I prepared. I really hate frying things though, so I might try broiling this or grilling in a fish basket next time. Semolina flour gave a nice crunch. Oh, and I served it with some yogurt on the side, very nice. As for the "chili/chile" question to be honest I used some Hatch ground red chile powder that I had on hand, medium heat, thought it turned out well.