4 Best BENGALI Fish recipes

   We Bengalis believe that every day is a fish day. We need fish for any occasion, we need fish for any mundane day. We need fish when we are on the top of our health, we need fish when we are down with illness. 

To cut the long story short, we need fish for life to live .

1 .RuI MACHER JHOL : 

Ingredients:

• 6 piece Rui Mach 
• 2 standard size potato, peel and cut vertical pieces
• 1 tomato, chopped
• 5 green chilli, slitted from middle
• 2 dried red chilli
• 1/2 tea-spoon nigella seed
• 1/2 tea-spoon grated ginger
• 1.5 tea-spoon turmeric powder (1/2 + 1/2 + 1/2)
• 1 tea-spoon cumin powder
• 1 tea-spoon coriander powder
• 1/2 tea-spoon kashmiri red chilli powder
• 2 table-spoon mustard oil for cooking + some more to shallow fry fish and potato
• 1.5 cup warm water
• salt, according to taste
• 1 handful chopped coriander leaves

Method:

• Rub fish pieces and potato pieces separately with 1/2 and 1/2 tea-spoon turmeric powder and some salt respectively. Keep aside.
• Heat required oil in a pan and fry the fish pieces on both the sides until they turn brownish golden. Remove and keep aside.
• In the same pan and in the same oil (heat some more oil if required) shallow fry the potato pieces for 3-4 minutes. Remove and keep aside.
• Now, heat 2 table-spoon oil in the same pan and temper with dried red chilli and nigella seed. Allow them to splutter.
• Add grated ginger and stir for few seconds.
• Add remaining turmeric powder, coriander powder, cumin powder and red chilli powder. Sprinkle some water and stir for a minute or so. Keep the flame low as we can’t burn the spices.
• Now, add tomato and salt. Stir until the tomato becomes mushy.
• Add potato pieces and green chilli. Give a nice mix.
• Add water and give a mix again. How much water you should give depends on how much gravy you want. 1.5 to 2 cup should be reasonably enough.
• Cover the lid, lower the flame and cook for 10 minutes or until the potato pieces are nicely done.
• Now, add fish pieces and mix properly with a light hand. Cover the lid again and over medium flame cook for 5-7 minutes.
• Once done, sprinkle coriander leaves from above and turn off the flame. Cover and let the curry rest for 5 minutes.
• Your Rui Macher Jhol is ready to be served now.

2 . KATLA MACHER KALIA : 

Macher Kalia is a famous curry based Bengali dish prepared with fish chunks and potato.

INGREDIENTS : 

• Katla Fish Chunk: 6 
• Potato: 4
• Onion:3
• Ginger Paste: 1 Tbsp.
• Garlic Paste: 1.5 Tbsp.
• Tomato Paste: 2 Tbsp.
• Hung Curd: 100g
• Poppy Seed Paste: 1 Tbsp.
• Raisin Paste: 1 Tbsp.
• Whole Raisin: 10
• Mustard Oil: 4 Tbsp.
• Ghee: 1 Tbsp.

• Bay Leaf:1
• Dry Red chili: 1
• Cinnamon Stick: 1"
• Clove:4
• Black Cardamom: 1
• Green Cardamom: 4
• Cumin Seed: 1/4 Tsp.
• Asafoetida: 1/4 Tsp.

• Spices:

• Turmeric Powder: 1 Tsp.
• Cumin Powder: 1 Tsp.
• Coriander Powder: 1 Tsp.
• Garam Masala Powder: 1tsp.
• Kashmiri Red Chili Powder: 1 Tsp.
• Red Chili Powder: 1/2 Tsp.

• Sugar: 1 Tsp.
• Salt: To taste

METHOD : 

1.  1.Wash fish chunks and marinade with half of the turmeric powder and salt.
2. 2. Peel the skin of the potatoes and cut into halves.
3. 3. Cut thin slices of 2 Onion and make a paste of one onion.
4. 4. Heat oil in a pan until the oil changes the color.
5. Now fry fish chunks in medium flame from both sides.
6. Strain fish chunks from the oil.
7. 5. Now sprinkle some turmeric powder and salt over the Potato chunks and fry those in medium flame.
8. 6 .Once potatoes are properly fried strain from the oil.
9. 7 .Temper remaining oil with Bay Leaf, Dry Red chili, Cinnamon Stick, Clove, Black Cardamom, Green Cardamom, Cumin Seed and Asafoetida.

1. 8 .Add chopped onion and onion paste and fry till both turns brown in color.
2. Now add Ginger paste and also garlic paste and cook for a minute.
3. 9. At this point add Tomato paste followed by the poppy seed paste and Raisin  paste and cook till oil comes out from the mixture.
4. Also, add whole raisins.
5. 10 . Now add hung curd and cook over the low flame and stir vigorously.
6. Add Turmeric Powder, Cumin Powder, Coriander Powder, Kashmiri Red Chili Powder, Red Chili Powder, Sugar, and Salt and cook for a minute.
7. 11.Now add 3 cups of water followed by fried fish and fried potatoes.
8. 12 .Cover the pan with a lid and cook over low flame for around 7-10 minutes.
9. Once done, add Bengali garam masala powder followed by Ghee and mix properly

1. Serve Macher Kalia (the Biyebari version) with steamed hot rice.

3 . DOI RUI : 

INGREDIENTS : 

• 750 gm rui  fish
• 4 green chilies
• 2 cup yoghurt (curd)

• 2 1/2 tablespoon onion paste
• 1 teaspoon garam masala powder
• 2 teaspoon ginger paste
• 1 tablespoon sugar
• 1 1/2 teaspoon turmeric
• 1/2 teaspoon Kashmiri red chilli

• 2 teaspoon garlic paste
• salt as required
• 3 tablespoon mustard oil
• 
  
• 
  
• METHOD :
• Wash the fish pieces and keep them in a large glass bowl.

• • Add salt, turmeric, ginger paste, sugar, garlic paste, garam masala powder, kashmiri chilli powder, onion paste and curd in it

  • Mix well and cover with a lid or plate. Then, let the fish marinate in the mixture for 20 minutes

  • Heat mustard oil in a kadhai over medium flame and add chopped green chillies in it

  • Once the chillies turn brownish in colour, add the prepared marinade and fish pieces slowly in the kadhai

  • Put the flame to low setting and let it cook for 30 minutes. Stir occasionally.

  • Then, turn off the flame and cover with a lid and let the flavours soak in the dish for 10 minutes. Serve hot with steamed rice.

  • 4 . PABDA JHAL : 

  

  
  

  
  
  • Pabda Mach/ Cat Fish: 5-6 (I've used whole fishes, however, cut into halves if the fishes are of large size)
  • Onion Paste: 5 Tbsp.
  • Black Mustard Seed for paste: 2 Tsp. (it should be soaked in lukewarm water before making the paste)
  • Tomato paste: 3 Tbsp.
  • Nigella Seed/ Kalojire / Kalonji: 2 Tsp.
  • Salt: to taste
  • Turmeric powder: 1 Tsp.
  • Red Chili Powder: 1/2 Tsp.
  • Garam Masala Powder: 2 Tsp.
  • Green Chili: 5-6(slit)
  • Mustard Oil: 4-5 Tbsp.

  METHOD : 

• 
  

• 1. 1. Prepare a paste of mustard either in a grinder or with the help of “Silnora/ Shilbatta” by adding 2 Green chilies and 1 Tsp. of salt and keep it aside.
     2. Cut fishes into halves if they are large in size or use whole fishes if small in size and clean properly.
     3. Rub fish pieces with 1 Tsp. salt and ½ Tsp. turmeric powder and keep them aside.
     4. Heat oil in a pan and fry pieces of fish.
     5. Heat 3 Tbsp. of Mustered oil in a deep pan (preferably Karai) till the oil changes color.
     6. Add Nigella Seed/ Kalojire /Kalonji to the oil to temper and also add onion paste and fry till onion changes color in medium flame.
     7. Add tomato paste and cook in medium flame till oil comes from the mixture.
     8. Pour mustard paste, turmeric powder, slit green chilies, red chili powder and water to the mixture and boil it in medium flame.
     9. Now add fried Fish pieces slowly to the mixture and cook it in a low flame for at least 10 minutes (Pan should be covered with a lid in this stage) till water soaked.
     10. Pabda Macher Tel Jhal is ready to serve with steamed rice. 

Photo source : social media