Tilapia Maacher Jhaal

Tilapia is the common name for the Cichlid fish. It is a fresh water fish and one ugly geezer!!LOL!!! But it is one tasty fish. But beware of the numerous fish bones. I love chewing on the middle bone of fishes but even I find it difficult to chew on the bones of this one. But yet I manage. The way I chew fish bones will put a cat to shame.
The basic criteria behind any fish dish is the freshness of the fish. If it is fresh you can simply have them fried. And god forbid if you land up with the not so fresh ones you can get to know them by the very smell while frying. In Bangla wee say that a fresh fish is “mishti” which also means sweet . In the fish sense it means it is absolutely fresh. Whatever kind of gravy you make, the actual taste comes once you put the fish in the gravy and simmer for some time.
The jhal is a spicy yet light mustard based gravy. I have mentioned this a number of times and am reiterating it again : whenever you are grinding mustard always add a pinch of salt to avoid the paste becoming bitter.


Ingredients

4 Tilapia fish (tossed in some salt and turmeric)
1 small tomato, sliced
Salt to taste
½ tsp turmeric powder
For the paste
4 tbsp black mustard, soaked
Pinch of salt
3 green chillies
For the tempering
¼ tsp kalonji/nigella
2 green chillies, slit

Toss the fish in salt and turmeric and keep aside for half hour. Make the mustard paste with a little water.
Heat some mustard oil. Fry the fish lightly and keep aside. In the same oil add the kalonji and chillies. Add the sliced tomato and saute till the tomato is soft. Add the mustard paste, salt and turmeric powder and fry till oil starts leaving the sides. Add ½ cup of water and bring to a boil. Add fish pieces and simmer for 10 minutes. Drizzle some raw mustard oil on top.

Maacher Dimer Boda/Fish Egg Fritters

Maacher Dimer Boda/Fish Egg Fritters

Maacher dimer boda or fish egg fritters are another Bengali delicacy. During the monsoon season the fresh water fish start breeding. 

Those who know their fish can simply look at the fish and tell whether it has eggs or not. Some less knowledgeable might need to poke the fish’s tummy. 

It is said that when a fish is with eggs its taste deteriorates. The fish might look plump and weigh a lot but when you clean it you end up with almost half a kg of fish eggs.

 Now fish eggs are available only for a month or so during the breeding season. So even though the fish might not be as tasty yet the egg is highly valued. 

You can cook the fish slices with the eggs attached to them and make the usual gravies. 

You can make a fish egg gravy. 

And best of all you can have these fish egg fritters.

Ingredients

½ kg fish eggs, washed and cleaned

5 tbsp wheat flour

2 green chillies chopped

1 onion, chopped

Sal to taste

Mustard oil to fry

Wash and drain the fish eggs. Add the chopped green chillies, onion and wheat flour. Add salt according to taste. It will make a messy, gooey batter.

Heat the mustard oil to smoking point. Lower heat. Now add spoonful of the batter to the hot oil and deep fry.

Sorse Ilish

Sorse Ilish

Do you know what is the reaction of a Bengali when he/she is presented with an Ilish dish?

Ufffff!!!

Ahhhhhhh!!!

Drool!!!!

This king of fish brings out the gastronomical connoisseur in us.  This is a feeling that cannot be expressed in words. 

When we cook Ilish for some guests it conveys what a great esteem we hold them in. When someone buys Ilish at the fish market he is looked upon with great respect and affection by people standing around him. And when the fish is cooked at home it is said that all the neighbourhood cats get into a frenzy because of the aroma. 

However this fish is not for the faint hearted. Only one born or bred in the Bengali way of life can tackle Ilish. This is because it is full of “kaanta”. And it is very easy to get one stuck in your throat. But if you get the trick of overcoming this obstacle then this is one of the most delicious fish you can ever eat.

Ilish is cooked in various ways. The Sorse Ilish or mustard preparation is one of the commonest and simplest preparations. I personally feel that it is the best way to bring out the actual flavour of the fish.

Ingredients

4 Ilish pieces

3 tbsp mustard seeds

2 tbsp khus khus

2 green chilies

1 potato, cut into wedges

½ tsp Nigella seeds/kalonji

1 small tomato, sliced

1 tsp turmeric powder

Salt to taste

½ cup mustard oil

Apply some salt and turmeric to the fish and keep aside for half an hour. Soak the mustard seds and khus khus in warm water for some time. Make a paste with some salt and green chillies.

Heat the mustard oil to smoking point and then reduce flame. Lightly fry the fish pieces.

In the same oil add the Nigella seeds. Add the potato wedges and fry till the potatoes are golden brown. 

Add the sliced tomato and cook till it is mushy. 

Add the mustard paste and cook till oil starts leaving the sides. Add salt and turmeric and cook some more. 

Now add a cup of water and bring to a boil. 

Add the fish pieces, cover and simmer till the oil floats on top. Garnish with sliced green chillies. 

Maacher Jhaal

Maacher Jhaal

There are so many ways that fish is cooked in a Bengali household. Every family has a variation of the same dish. In the days of the zamindari the family used to own “pukur” or ponds. Some of these ponds were meant only for bathing or washing clothes. And certain ponds were meant only for fishing. Those waters were never polluted by doing household chores.

 I remember, as a child, going to our ancestral village. It was a novelty to experience the luxury of having a fish pond in your own backyard. The fresh fish caught and cooked within the hour had such an amazing taste which is simply not there in the fish we get today.

Maccher Jhaal has many variations and every family has its own way of cooking it. This is my favorite version of the dish. It is a very mustardy preparation, cooked in mustard oil and simmered in a mustard gravy. It is tangy and spicy without the use of any masalas. So enjoy!!

Ingredients

250 gms fish fillets ( you can use rahu/bhetki. I have used Basa fillets)

4 tbsp mustard seds

2 tbso poppy seeds

3 green chillies

1 tsp salt

1 tsp Nigella seeds

1 tomato, pureed

½ tsp turmeric powder

Salt to taste

4 tbsp mustard oil

If you are using Basa fillets then they don’t need to be fried. However if you are using Rahu/Basa then you need to fry them once beforehand. Apply some salt and turmeric powder and then fry them well.

Soak the mustard seeds and poppy seeds in hot water for 20 minutes. Grind them to a fine paste along with salt and green chillies. It is very important that while grinding mustard seeds you add some salt to it otherwise the paste will turn bitter.

Heat some oil. Add the Nigella seeds. Then add the pureed tomato and fry well. Once the oil starts separating add the mustard-poppy seeds paste, salt and turmeric. Fry on slow heat till the paste is cooked properly. Add a cup of water and bring to a boil. Now add the raw Basa/fried rahu/bhetki. Lower heat and simmer till the fish is cooked.

This dish is best eaten with hot steaming rice.

Sorse Tel Koi/Climbing Perch Fish in Mustard

Sorse Tel Koi/Climbing Perch Fish in Mustard 

Koi !!
Koi kaun?
Koi !!
Koi kya??

This is a conversation I had with a Hindi speaking friend of mine. We were stuck on the word “koi”, which in Hindi means “someone”. In Bengali it refers to a fish named Koi or the Climbing Perch fish which belongs to the carp family. 

Its is usually found in the eastern states of India. Its natural habitat is ponds, ditches and swamps. In the villages of West Bengal the “pukur” or ponds are teeming with this fish. It is supposed to be eaten fresh , ie, when you are cutting and prepping the fish it should be alive. 

In older times it was easily available in the villages which used to have at least 4-5 “pukur” each. With the population shifting to urban areas the availability of the fish has gone down. Even if you can lay your hands on it, it is not going to be alive.

I remember a childhood visit to our ancestral village. This was about 25 years ago when there were no proper roads to the village. I remember going in a bullock cart. Being from the zamindar family we owed all the ponds in the village. There were two ponds in our backyard. One was meant for bathing and washing clothes. And the other one had these Koi fish in hundreds. That pond was not used for anything else other than fishing. 

All that now seems like a lifetime ago. So when I got the chance to eat Koi maach again I was reminded of those simpler times.

There are many ways to cook the fish. Each family has its own recipes. 

Ingredients

4 Koi maach+1/2 tsp turmeric powder+1/2 tsp salt
½ cup mustard seeds
2 green chilies
1 potato, cut into wedges
1 tsp nigella seeds
1 tomato, sliced
1 tsp turmeric powder
1 tsp salt
½  cup mustard oil

Wash the Koi and apply salt and turmeric on them. Keep aside for 15 minutes. Heat the mustard oil and shallow fry them on both sides.
Make a smooth paste of the mustard seeds along with green chillies and a pinch of salt. 
Add the nigella seeds to the hot oil. Add the potato wedges and fry for some time. Add the sliced tomato, cover and cook till the tomato is soft. 
Add the mustard paste, salt and turmeric powder. Fry till oil starts leaving the sides. Add a cup of water and bring to a boil. Add the fish, cover and simmer till done. 
Once the fish is done, switch off the heat and add 1 tbsp of raw mustard oil for that special fragrance. 

Sorse Pabda/Pabo Catfish in Mustard Sauce

Sorse Pabda

What is the one food that you cant live without? For me it is fish.

 Growing up we used to have fish every single day..all kinds and varieties. Naturally if something is available to you so easily you lose its value. 

Once I got married and moved out I realised what I was missing. Roaming the far corners of our country because of my husband’s service life I could not get my hands on good quality fish most of the times. 

The commonest one available used to be Rahu and that too not river fresh. That was when that Bengali fish loving gene kicked inside me and I started missing the various kinds and multiple preparations that were a common feature in my childhood.

Among the top five favourite fish is the Pabda which is also known as Pabo Catfish in English. It is a very soft and delicate fish with the most amazing flavour. There are many ways of cooking the Pabda but my favourite is the Sorse Pabda. Even writing about it makes my mouth water. So before I lose track and head for the fish market let me give you the recipe.

Ingredients

4-5 Pabda fish

Salt and turmeric to apply to the fish

1 potato, cubed

1 large tomato, sliced

2 green chillies

1 tsp Nigella seeds/onion seeds/kalonji

5 tbsp mustard seeds

2 tbsp khus khus seeds( thisis optional ..i add it because I like the taste)

1 green chiily

1 tsp salt

1 tsp turmeric powder

½ cup mustard oil                                                                                                                                

Apply salt and turmeric to the fish and keep aside for half an hour.

Soak the mustard seeds and khus khus for half an hour. Grind to a smooth paste along with 1 green chilly and some salt. It is important that while grinding you add some salt as it cuts down the bitter taste of mustard.

Heat the mustard oil and fry the fish. Remember this is a very delicate fish and it breaks easily. The oil has to be smoking hot and fry at high flame so that the skin gets fried quickly. Keep aside.

Now add the kalonji and 2 green chillies to the oil. Add the cubed potatoes and fry well. Add the sliced tomato and cook till the tomato becomes soft. 

Now add the mustard paste, turmeric powder and salt. Saute till the oil separates. Add one cup of water and bring to a boil. Simmer for some time and then add the fish. Cover and cook for 8 minutes. Check the salt once. Your Sorse Pabda is ready.

Chital Maacher Jhol/Clown Knife fish gravy

Chital Maacher Jhol

It is that time of the year..the month of January, harvest festival going on all over the country which we know variously as Shakranti, Pongal, Lohri. Uttarayna, etc. Festivals in our country are just another excuse to cook different kinds of food and meet family and friends. 

This is also the right season to have that king of all fishes, the mighty Chital, which is known as the Clown Knife fish in English. Somehow the translation robs the fish of its glory. 

Coming home after ages I have been hogging on fish so much that my mother commented that it was as if her son-in-law had come home and not her daughter. 
And why did she say that? Because fish like Chital are served to ‘kutumb’ or honoured guests, mostly related through marriage. When such guests come over grandfatherly figures grab their ‘jhola’ and go to the nearest fish market. They pick out the choicest fish pieces and spend a good amount of time haggling over the prices. Being the costlier variety of fish they are meant only for the guests. The pieces are so big that they don’t fit into a quarter plate. So you bring out those massive thalas/plates that take up half the table. 

With so much thought and consideration going into the process you can understand why my mother commented that I was acting like a guest. 

I have made a very simple jhol or gravy because this fish is so awesome that it doesn’t need to be drowned in a lot of spices and condiments. 

Ingredients

4 chital maacher peti
1 tbsp turmeric
1 tbsp salt
½ tsp jeera
1 large tomato, chopped
2 potatoes, cubed
1 tbsp ginger paste
1 tbsp coriander powder
1 tsp cumin powder
1 tsp garam masala
1 tsp turmeric powder
 1 tsp red chilli powder
Salt to taste
½ cup mustard oil

Apply salt and turmeric to the fish and keep aside for half an hour.
Heat the mustard oil to smoking point. Reduce flame and fry the fish pieces.

In the same oil add the jeera. Add the cubed potatoes and fry well. Add half the ginger paste and chopped tomato.
 Cover and cook till the tomato becomes soft. 
Add the cumin powder, coriander powder, garam masala powder, salt, turmeric powder and red chilli powder. Fry till the oil separates. 
Add one cup of water and bring to a boil. Now add the fish pieces, cover and cook for 10 minutes. Add the rest of the ginger paste, simmer for a minute and take off the heat. Garnish with ginger juliennes and fresh coriander leaves. 

Goan Fish Curry

Goan Fish Curry

Goan Fsih Curry is mostly made with sea fish because of its easy availability. I have made the dish using Basa fish and moderating the sour element a little. Most fish cook very easily in a matter of minutes and so you don’t have to necessarily fry them. Here too I have added raw Basa to the gravy and let it simmer for a while.
 Being a Bengali I don’t prefer having the sour taste overpower the dish. So I have not used any tamarind or kokum. In case you want the authentic Goan taste you can add tamarind as per your taste.

Ingredients

1 kg Basa fish, cubed
3 tbsp coriander seeds
2 tbsp cumin seeds
4 red chillies
1 tbsp malt vinegar
½ cup grated coconut
6 garlic pods
1” ginger
2 onions
2 tomatoes
2 green chillies
1 tsp garam masala
1 tsp turmeric powder
 1 tsp red chilli powder
Salt to taste

Dry roast the coriander seeds, cumin seeds and dry red chillies. 

Grind them together with ginger, garlic, coconut and malt vinegar to a smooth paste. You can add some water to make the paste smooth. 

Make a puree of the onions and tomatoes. 
Heat some oil. Add the green chillies. 
Add the tomato-onion puree and saute till the oil separates. Add the coconut paste and fry for some time. 
Add the turmeric powder, red chili powder, garam masala and salt. Saute till the masalas are well cooked. 
Add a cup of water and bring to a boil. Add the fish pieces, cover and cook for some time till the fish is cooked.