Thursday, January 15, 2009

Bengali Fish Curry

Servings: 4 - 6

Ingredients:

  • Ruhi/Carp fish - 6 steaks, (6 pieces cut off the whole fish)*
  • Eggplant - 1 cup, cut into finger length wedges
  • Idaho Potato - 2 med, cut into finger length wedges
  • Roma Tomato - 2 lrg, cut into finger length wedges
  • Green chili - 2 - 3, sliced lengthwise (seeds removed if you don't like the heat)
  • Onion - 1 med, thinly sliced
  • Garlic paste - 1 tsp
  • Chili powder - 1 tsp
  • Coriander powder - 1 tsp
  • Cumin powder - 1/2 tsp
  • Turmeric powder - 1/4 tsp
  • Salt - to taste
  • Fresh Cilantro - 1/2 cup, coarsely chopped
  • For the spice rub:
  • Salt - 1/2 tsp
  • Turmeric powder - 1/2 tsp
  • Chili powder - 1/2 tsp
  • Cumin powder - 1/2 tsp
  • Coriander powder - 1/2 tsp
Methods:
  • 1. First wash and drain the fish steaks. In a bowl mix in the spices for the rub. Coat the fish steaks with the spice rub evenly, rubbing all over the flesh. Let it rest for 1/2 hour.
  • 2. In a non-stick pan, heat 4 tbsp oil, pan fry the steaks for 2-3 min on each side. Remove from the pan and set aside.
  • 3. Add the onions and salt to the oil, saute till they turn translucent. Add the garlic, saute for a minute. Add 1/2 cup of hot water and all the dry spices (chili, cumin, turmeric, coriander) and stir combine. Simmer till the added water evaporates and creates a thick spice mixture. Return the fish steaks to the spice mixture and gently flip over to combine overall.
  • 4. After few min, remove the fish from the spice, add all the vegetables to the pan and stir to combine. Make sure to coat all the vegetables. Saute for 4-5 min. Carefully lay the fish steaks over the vegetables. Add 3 cups of hot water to the pan, to make sure to soak the fish and veg properly. Simmer on med heat for about 30 min, covered.
  • 5. After 30 min, uncover the lid, carefully stir to rearrange the veg and the fish, simmer for 5 more min uncovered to reduce the gravy to a thick consistency. Turn the heat off and sprinkle the chopped cilantro on top before serving. Serve with rice.
Hints:
*You can use any type of fish for this curry. You can also use fillets rather than steak cut fish, however for the big fishes like Ruhi/ Buffalo Carp/Silver carp, etc, steak cut is more tasty for this type of curry.

10 comments:

  1. I think the website looks quite good! I am sure the recepies are as good and will reflect Bengali traditional food as well as 'remixed' versions suitable for those living abroad :) Keep it up!

    ReplyDelete
  2. Excellent and authentic tasting fish curry recipe. I've seen so many recipes online but yours is one of the best.

    ReplyDelete
  3. Thanks heaps to both of you .. :) the reason that you like it makes my efforts worthwhile :D

    ReplyDelete
  4. Hi Zulfia,
    Your recipe seems to be a mouth watering one.....by the way, whenever I go n try preparing fish,the most common challenge i face everytime is that,I am unable to fry the fish intact(it breaks down).....do you have any remedies for this??????

    Aranya Das

    ReplyDelete
  5. Hi
    its a good recipe....I have a doubt is it necessary to remove the fish from the spice mix for adding the vegettables?
    thanks
    pranith

    ReplyDelete
  6. @Aranya,
    First of all I apologise for the late reply...well... I heat up the oil high before I add the raw fish to it. this seals the outer side and creates a coating. And after I add the fish I lower the heat so that I dont have to move or flip the fish too soon. Try not to poke at it. Once one side is nice and brown then flip and cook the other side. Also, try using a non-stick frying pan and a fish spatula( they are very thin, flat and long), this will help you flip the whole fish without breaking it. However, I haven't yet faced this problem, except with Flounder fillets, which trends to break no matter what I do.. :)

    ReplyDelete
  7. @ Pranith....
    I do that, so that my fish steaks do not break. as I like to stir in the veggies with the spice mix, and saute it a bit before adding water and if I keep the fishes in the pot while I stir...well the result won't be too appetizing.. :P

    ReplyDelete
  8. i tried it...one of the best macher jhol i have ever made! keep up the good work..

    ReplyDelete
  9. This is a mouth watering dish!...I also love cooking the fish with tomatoes and dhaniya patha, which I learnt from my mom.

    ReplyDelete
  10. Where do you get bengali fish like hilsa and rohu in Melbourne?

    ReplyDelete