Weekend Special

Think of Bengali Cuisine and Fish comes right at the top. Its true......Bengali cuisine is incomplete without Fish. In the eastern part of the country, states like Orissa, West Bengal, Assam and Tripura have a large Bengali population and these states share the liking for fish. Rice and fish is a staple diet in these parts, as all know. 

Weekend Shopping- Mourala Maach,Boal Maach and  Bata Maach

A Bengali can't do without fish. I love fish but I don't think anyone is as loyal to fish as 
Mr Hubby. Bongs love fresh water fishes and among the salt water fishes the Ilish and Pomfret has gained entry into most Bengali kitchens. There are many different ways of cooking one particular fish. It could be fried, roasted, made into ginger-cumin gravy (Jhol) or cooked with vegetables, cooked in tomato gravy or yoghurt (doi) gravy or just steamed. It's said that Ilish can be cooked in 108 different ways !! Bengali cuisine has subtle flavours. It has remained authentic inspite of a large number of influences. 

Boal Maacher Jhal :

Boal Maach............................................... 850 gms (cut into large size pieces)

Onion ..........................................................1,large

Ginger.........................................................1 inch piece

Garlic..........................................................5-6 pods

Tomato.......................................................1, large

Green Chilly,slit.........................................4

Green Chilly................................................2

Turmeric powder......................................1/2 tsp

Salt...............................................................1/2 tsp

Sugar (optional)........................................1/4 tsp

Kashmiri Red chily Powder.....................1tsp

Nigella seeds(Kalo Jeere)........................a pinch

Bay Leaves.................................................2

Mustard Oil................................................for cooking

Salt&Turmeric..........................................to sprinkle on fish pieces

 How I prepared this fish:

I washed the fish pieces and then marinated the pieces with salt and turmeric powder.

Then I grinded the onion , ginger, garlic, green chillies as well as the tomato separately in a food processer .You can grind them together as well.

Then I heated mustard oil in a wok. We prefer using a wok to other utensils here but you go right ahead and use a pan. Fry the fish pieces carefully and set them aside.

I used the same oil in which I fried the fish pieces to make the gravy as the flavour is in it.
Add a pinch of kalo jeere and 2 Bay leaves  to the oil and then add the onion paste. 

Don't brown the onion but when the onion paste turns light golden, add the ginger paste, garlic paste and the green chilly pastes and stir cook for 2- 3 minutes.

Next, I add the tomato paste and  stir fry well to remove the raw smell and cook  it. 
Mixing a little water to the spice powders help. So I make a paste with a little water and then  add to the gravy and cook.

Adding salt and sugar(optional) at this stage with the spices and cooking till oil rises to the top ,gives  a right colour and texture. 

Fish pieces go in after this along with the slit whole green chillies . After adding them , add a dash of water , cover and let the fish pieces cook for 2-3 minutes. 
This is not a soupy gravy fish curry.  Jhal is usually a dry type dish.

After that the dish is ready to serve....

I would serve this jhal with plain rice.

Mourala Maach bhaaja :

Mourala Maacher jhal, Mourala maacher tok, Mourala maacher bati chachari , Mourala maach Bhaja are a few ways we have this fish in our family. All types of fishes are cooked in various different ways in every Bengali household. 

Mourala Maach or White Bait is a very tiny variety of fish and like all other fishes is a good sourse of Omega 3 fatty acids thats very good for health.I fry this fish with different ingredients  and have already given you ,my readers , one such recipe earlier. Here's Mourala Maach Bhaaja  prepared my moms style for you......

Mourala fish Fry :

Mourala Fish...........................250 grams

Turmeric Powder.....................1 tsp

Salt...........................................1tsp

Red Chilly Powder...................1 tsp

Green Chillies...........................2

Cornflour..................................1 tbsp

                                                      Mustard oil...............................for deep frying

How I Prepared this maach this time :

As our fish monger had already cleaned out the insides of the fish I washed and dried them on a kitchen napkin and sprinkled 1 tsp turmeric powder and 1 tsp  salt over 

the fishes .

Kept it aside for 10 minutes and then mixed 1 tsp red chilly powder, 2 minced  green chillies and 1 tbsp cornflour. This should coat the fishes. If the cornflour is not sticking to the fish wet your hand and use hand to mix all ingredients with fish.

Heat enough mustard oil for deep frying the fish and fry in small batches till crispy.

Remove to a serving dish/bowl and serve delicious crispy fried mourala maach . It is very crispy when fried and is eaten whole with head and bones.

Mourala Maach Bhaaja is served with 1 tbsp ghee, green chilly and plain rice or with daal and plain rice.

My Tip : If you fry in a hurry ,on high heat, the fish will be crisp in the beginning but soon they will soften. So take your time and fry on low heat

 Mourala Maacher Jhaal :

Mourala Maach....................250 grams

Tomato,chopped...................1 medium size

Spring Onion Greens.............1 bundle

Green Chillies ,chopped.........2

Green chilly,slit........................2

Nigella seeds...........................a pinch

Ginger paste...........................1/4 tsp

Garlic paste.............................1/2 tsp

Red chilly powder...................1/2 tsp

Turmeric .................................1/2 tsp

Salt..........................................as per taste

Sugar......................................as per taste

How I Prepared Mourala Maacher Jhaal Peyaj Koli Diye :

Chop the spring onion bunch , tomato, green chillies and slit 2 whole green chillies. 

In a pan, heat oil and fry the fishes till crispy and remove.

Then add a pinch of kalo jeere  (Nigella) to the oil and chopped tomatoes and green chillies. 

Stir fry till the raw taste of tomato has gone and then add ginger and garlic pastes and fry well.

Next add the  spring onions and stir fry. Also add the powdered spices with 1/2 cup of water.Cover and cook.

Add the fish,Give it a mix in the pan and again cover for a few minutes .

This is a dry sauteyed dish and so no gravy is required. Serve with plain rice.

Bata Maacher Jhaal Sorshe Diye :

How I Prepared this fish curry:


 I grinded 2 table spoon of mustard seeds with a pinch of salt and 2 green chillies to a smooth paste with the help of a little water.

I washed and dried the 5 fish pieces and smeared some turmeric and salt on them and left it aside to marinate for a few minutes while I heated some mustard oil in a pan.

Once hot, add the fish pieces one by one carefully to the pan and fry both sides for a minute or two. Remove.

Now add a pinch of nigella seeds, kalo jeere in Bengali and 3-4 slit green chillies to the pan along with the mustard paste.

You may also mix 1 small tomato finely chopped  for colour and a pinch of red chilly powder but I prefer not to .

Next, I added 1/4 tsp salt, 1/4 tsp turmeric powder and sugar to taste.

Add the fish and cover for a couple of minutes and then turn the flame off. There needs to be a little gravy in this fish curry, so check.

Some ladies add 1 tbsp of finely chopped  fresh coriander in the very end and leave the curry in the pan for a standing time of 5 minutes before dishing it out.

Enjoy !!!!! Happy Cooking!!!!!


               We in India are pampered by the fish mongers, who do all the cleaning and we get fish fresh .....within a few hours  of being caught and many a variety is still moving when it come home...
My mother in law would never eat a dead koi or Magur Or singhi fish....She wants these  cleaned in front of her eyes !!!