The giant bengali fish thread

jyotirmoy

I have set my eyes on the high quality Rohu fish(a local variety of Carp) available now. During the winter these fish grow fat & tastes damn good. So tonight it will be Rohu cooked in a yogurt based gravy.
Here is how:

500 gms carp or similar fish, de-scaled and cleaned & cut in to pieces. Don’t use thin fillets.
100 gms of mustard oil or any other cooking oil
4 cloves
4 small cardamoms,
2 inch pieces cinnamon
2 bay leaves
2 onions,
1 inch ginger
1 small clove of garlic
2 tsp turmeric powder
1 tsp red chili powder
100 grams of sour curds/yogurt
salt and sugar to taste
a few green chillies
2 tsp. clarified butter(ghee)




Apply 1 tsp. turmeric and a little salt to the pieces. Set aside.

Grind the onion, garlic, and ginger to a smooth paste. Set aside.

Beat the sour curds/yogurt with half cup of water till smooth and set aside.

Heat oil to smoking, lightly fry the fish pieces and set aside.

In the oil now, add the sugar, cloves, cardamom, and cinnamon. Then add the ground paste of onion, garlic, and ginger. Fry lightly till the spices are browned.

Now mix the remaining one teaspoon of turmeric powder and the red chili powder with three teaspoons of water and add to the frying paste. Fry again. Keep stirring to prevent the spices from sticking to the pan.

Now add to this the beaten sour curds. Stir the mixture. The water required will depend on how much water does your yogurt contain. The end product shoud not be too watery.
Now add salt to taste. Add the green chilies and cook a while till the excess water begins to dry up and till the gravy comes to a boil.

Now gently add the fried fish pieces and let it cook on high heat till the oil separates and floats on top. Before taking off from the fire add the clarified butter.

Serve with rice.
Wine suggestion: Light rose.

jyotirmoy

Thank you Sadhuji for reminding me of Bela di. I think she authored a few books too.
Here is Fish Head preparation:
Ingredients
1 Big Size of Fish Head ( large carp fish) needed to be cut into “manageable pieces” as Sadhuji has said. He is very much right & wise.
50gms of beaten rice.
1 tbsp of Garlic paste
1 tbsp Onion Paste
1 tsp of Ginger Paste,
1 teaspoon Chillie powder
4-5 Bay Leaves
! inch piece of Cinnamon,
4 Cloves
4 Green Cardamom.
4-5 Tablespoon of Mustard Oil.
2-3 Medium sized potatoes peeled and cut into pieces.
Method of Cooking:
Clean the fish head pat it dr & rub it with 1 tsp of salt and turmeric powder.
Heat oil in a kadai when about to smoke add the fish heads, Fry them & keep it aside.
Fry the potatoes in it and saute the beaten rice. Keep these aside.
Add the bay leaves, cinnamon, cloves & the cardamoms, fry for a while.
Add the rest of the spices
Fry it in slow flame till the oil leaves the masala.
Put 2 cups of hot water and let it start boiling add the potatoes.
Mix in the fried fish heads.
Keep it with covered lid for sometime on slow flame till the head pieces are done..
Add garam masala & the beaten rice.
Serve it with rice.

lonelywanderer

Quote:

The fish head preparation

I think this is popularly known as MURI GHONTO

jyotirmoy

Friday is normally fish. So this fish fry this evening:
Ingredients:
8 fish fillet
200 gms gram flour
1 tbsp garlic paste
1 tbsp ginger paste
1 tsp ajwain
1 tbsp red chili powder
1 tbsp lemon juice
1 egg
100 gms curd
oil for deep frying
Salt To Taste

Metode :
Clean, wash and cut fish into one and a half inch size cubes.
Apply salt, lime juice, ginger paste, garlic paste and red chilli powder.
Keep aside for 20 minutes.
Make a batter of gram flour, curd, egg, ajwain, salt and water.
Keep marinated fish pieces dipped in this batter for 15 minutes.
Heat oil in a kadai and deep fry the fish till golden brown and crisp.
Serve this hot sprinkled with chaat masala and lemon wedges.

jyotirmoy

ddutt,
Here it is, but dont forget to give me a feed back, it helps me to optimise & perfectionise.

Pabda mach

Ingredients :

300 gms Fresh Pabda Fish
20 grams Freshly Ground Mustard
2-3 Green Chilli, pasted , quantity depends on what is the potency
1 teaspoonful Garlic paste
1 teaspoonful Ginger paste
1/2 teaspoonful red Chilli powder , or to taste
1/2 teaspoonful Turmeric
1/2 teaspoonful black Cumin Seeds
100 gms. Mustard Oil
Salt - to taste
Procedure

Wash and clean the fish apply a bit of turmeric powder and fry lightly in mustard oil.

Heat 1-2 tablespoon oil in a saucepan, and add black cumin seeds. Once these begin to splutter add ginger paste.
Stir till ginger paste becomes a bit reddish and then add green chili paste, Red chili powder and turmeric.
Add water 2 to 3 table spoons.
After a few seconds add fish. Stir very carefully to coat the fishes with the masala. Add a tea spoon or two of water to the mustard paste & add. Add salt at this stage. Now reduce heat & cook till gravy thickens.
Serve hot with rice.

jyotirmoy

Rui / Bhetki kaalia

Ingredients

Fish-4 Thick Steakes of any sweet water fish (preferably Bhetki or Rohu)
Garlic-6-7 thick cloves (crushed)
Ginger paste-1 Tsp
Sour cream or thick yogurt-1 cup (beaten)
Crriander leaves-1 bunch
Green Chili-5-6
Turmeric powder-1 Tsp.
Whole Garam Massala:
(green cardamom [2], cloves [4], cinnamon [1"], black pepper corn[8-9])
Mustard oil-as needed (could be substituted with any other edible oil as well)
Salt-to taste

Method

Smear salt and turmeric powder over the steakes and leave them for 30
minutes. Heat oil in a wok, when it stars smoking lower the heat and
fry the fish, fry lightly till they are light golden. Soak them on absorbent
paper. Pound the Garam Massala coarsely and add to the oil, when it
starts spluttering add ginger and garlic. Sauté till they turn golden, turn the
heat low and add sour cream, cook it over very low heat. Grind the
coriander leaves with two cloves of Garlic and 4-5 chilies. Add a little water
to the sour cream if necessary. When oil leaves the side add the
stakes and adjust seasoning. cook for 3-4 minutes. Add the coriander leaf
paste. Cook over low heat for 5 minute. Slit the remaining chilies add
to the curry and cover. Serve hot with steamed rice.

cyberhippie

I'll just get my coat Jyoti!

MMmmmm!!!

jyotirmoy

Dear CH,
Is it that bad??????

cyberhippie

No no just your dinner plans sound better than mine

gianni66

It sounds great, Jyoti!
Where does this recipe come from? I can guess... Orissa?

jyotirmoy

Dear gianni66,
Thanks for ur compliments. I doubt you will get fish sauce with the bengali community.... I had been to a road called Via Bengali in Rome... went to a restaurant where every one spoke to us in Bengali.... chatted with the chefs.. they refused to take money for the food ... was driven back to the hotel by a bEngali cab driver who again came to take us to Vatican city next day... of course this time we paid for the cab...

gianni66

I found fish sauce in a Chinese food store near "Via Bengali" (I suppose this name is a nickname given by the Bengali people living in that street, it's real name is Via Principe Amedeo!).
Almost every "esotic" ingredient can be found in the food stores and the big morning market near Piazza Vittorio in Rome, it's a great place similar to London Soho or Paris Pigalle, i love it!
Bye: Gianni

jyotirmoy

gianni66,
The cards these people gave me have the address as Via Bengali indeed !!!!
Here is a simple but very delicious fish preparation:
Ingredients
fish – 1Kg, Snapper would do…
Tomato - 2 nos,
Whole chilli(red) - 10 nos,
Onion - 1 big,
Garlic - 5 cloves,
Turmeric powder - ¼ tsp,
Green chilly - 5 nos,
Coconut milk - 1 cup,
Salt To taste,
Lemon juice - 3 tsp or for taste,
Curry leaves - 2 stems,
Ginger - 1 inch piece,
Oil - 2 tbp

Preparation
Clean the fish and cut into 1 inch pieces. Crush the red chili with garlic and keep aside. Slice the onion thinly. Cut the green chilly lengthwise. Chop the ginger.

Put the oil in a cooking pan and sauté the onion and green chilies for five minutes. Then add the crushed pepper, garlic and ginger. Fry for 3 minutes until the smell of chili comes out. Add the coconut milk, turmeric powder and let it boil. Then add the fish and salt. Cook well and add the tomato pieces. Cook for 5 minutes. Add the lemon juice and curry leaves.

jyotirmoy

This is a popular Bengali fish preparation, pretty easy to cook.

500 gms carp
100 gms of mustard oil or any other cooking oil
4 cloves
4 small cardamoms,
2 inch pieces cinnamon
2 bay leaves
2 onions,
1 inch ginger
1 small clove garlic
2 tsp turmeric powder
1 tsp red chili powder
100 grams of curd
salt and sugar to taste
a few green chillies
2 tsp. ghee



Clean and wash the fish pieces thoroughly. Wipe dry.

Apply 1 tsp. turmeric and a little salt to the pieces. Set aside.

Grind the onion, garlic, and ginger to a smooth paste. Set aside.

Beat the curd with a little water till smooth and set aside.

Heat oil to smoking, lightly fry the fish pieces and set aside.

In the oil now, add the cloves, cardamom, and cinnamon. Then add the ground paste of onion, garlic, and ginger. Fry lightly till the spices are browned.

Now mix the remaining one teaspoon of turmeric powder and the red chili powder with three teaspoons of water and add to the frying paste. Fry again. Keep stirring to prevent the spices from sticking to the pan.

Now add to this the beaten sour curds. Stir the mixture, might need to add some more water.
Now add salt to taste and a teaspoon of sugar or less if you want but the sugar is important. Add the green chilies and cook a while till the excess water begins to dry up and till the gravy comes to a boil.

Now gently add the fried fish pieces and let it cook on high heat till the oil separates and floats on top. Before taking off from the fire add the ghee.

brishti

dada

shubho nobo borsho [ happy new year ]
preeti shubhechcha [ best wishes ] and happy cooking
wishing somnath, chief and all else in the kolkata forum too!


:brishti