Warwickshire Avon - Ram-Raids and Rapprochements

Now the dopiaza is a classic Indian dish dating back at least to Moghul times. The name dopiaza broadly translates as "2 onions" or "double onions". Some traditional versions of the dopiaza use twice the weight of onions compared to the weight of meat but a classic Indian dopiaza is more likely to use the onions in 2 different ways.

I suppose the most unique aspect of dopiaza is that a large amount of onions are added at two different points in the cooking process, with each batch of onions prepared differently so they create layers of flavour. One common way to do this which is my preferred way to be honest is to chop half of the onions very coarsely and the other half very finely.

The coarse onions are only cooked in the pan until they are translucent while the finely diced onions are fried until they have caramelized and turned brown. 

Another method involves chopping some of the onions and frying them until translucent, while the other half is placed in a food processor and ground down until it forms a paste that is fried until golden brown. The problem was for some reason my interpretation eaten the evening before was playing with my digestive system no end 12 hours afterwards. 

Before then no problem in-fact the post prior to this was the evening I had consumed it without any issue whatsoever. Maybe having sat in ones stomach overnight it decided to reek its havoc or the birds eye chilli deciding to reveal itself again. 

Cramps, trapped wind, you name it, it started to repeat on me big time....

....lucky working from home and with the aid of the Jabra's mute button ones predicament largely went unnoticed but coming up to lunchtime I just had to get myself moving from my pit to try and help with the situation. 

So for this quick smash and grab session I hotfooted it to the banks of the Warwickshire Avon where wading is the key to try and winkle out the bigger chub that reside here.

It was overcast as well so ok, I only had half an hour max, yes HALF AN HOUR you heard right before I had to head back home before my coworkers worked out where'd I'd gone, but heck hopefully enough time to winkle at least one fish out and anyway it would have been my lunch hour anyway.  

There are three swims here that can be fished in close proximity so ten minutes in each swim then I'd be off. The thought came to be honest from an article from the Angling Times where a guy fishing the River Lea (I think) had 3 Chub over 7lb during a lunchtime session and a lowly 6lber 😲which succumbed to the same tactics I've been using of late. 

The chub here last time preferred the slow sinking bread approach you see because I could see the fish coming up to the floating offering, inspecting the bait diligently and then let it drift down the river without even going for a tactical nudge or two.

 Now sadly despite seeing 6lbers here I've never actually caught one, but then these bigger wise old fish and have seen it all haven't they and chub being chub they can be a tricky quarry at the best of times. 

With the river low and tap water clear fishing can be very tough indeed but of late I've done quite well on this method when I know for certain others methods would have failed. 

A quick nose from over the bridge there were chub in the first swim with one approaching 5lb or even more. That fish was properly tucked up out of the way watching the others going about their business waiting to intercept anything that came their way.

The group was about 6 to 8 strong and there are always chub here in these conditions because the well there is so many snags and reeds and the like they can run to cover with any sense of danger. 

Anyway to the fishing well it was inevitable the first chuck of the slow sinking bread a fish took it straight away.  They wouldn't take it off the surface at all but get the bread drifting down the water column in to the deeper areas that highly visible bread luckily was intercepted without caution.

Catch one though generally you won't catch another, so three swims and 3 fish, all within 20 minutes or so. The biggest was a good 4lber the smallest a couple of pounds I suppose but they certainly lifted my mood as well being a much needed change of scenery.

I do love this style of fishing and in these summer conditions its a great way to bank a few fish where other techniques wouldn't be as rewarding and as successful I'd imagine.