fish curry in a tomato gravy | tamatar wali machhli

Tomatoes lend a wonderful flavour to fish steaks when simmered for some time. I usually like fish with bones and skin for my curries as the skin and bones bring all the flavours of fish alive. I wouldn't ever use fish fillet for curries unless I am serving it to fussy guests. But trust me this simple tomato fish curry would floor some of those fussy eaters too.

A tomato based fish curry, as simple as it can be. I mean no overpowering spices, very nominal cooking oil used and very few steps to make the curry. A mild whiff of nigella seeds and a tangy taste of tomatoes complimented well by a bit of garlic is somewhat describes this curry totally, of course the red chilli balances the act. And that's about it. No other flavours spoiling the tomato fun.

Most of my Indian style fish curries are inspired by Bengali fish curries and this is one of them. I started eating fish influenced by some Bengali friends and I owe it to them the way I can handle my fish. And note that this tomato fish curry has to be cooked in mustard oil, else you will get something else, you may like it but not you will miss some magic that mustard oil lends to this curry.

ingredients 
(2 servings)

2 large fish steaks about 120-150 gm each
2 tsp besan (chickpea flour)
generous pinch of salt and turmeric to smear the fish steaks
400 gm tomatoes (desi tart and sweet variety please)
3 cloves of garlic
1 green chilli broken
1/2 tsp red chilly powder
1.5 tbsp mustard oil
1/4 tsp kalonji or nigella seeds
handful of chopped coriander greens
salt to taste

procedure..

Smear the salt and turmeric over the fish steaks and dredge very lightly over a very thin layer of chickpea flour.

Heat mustard oil in a cast iron pan and shallow fry the prepared fish steaks.

In the meanwhile chop the tomatoes roughly and make a paste along with garlic cloves. Keep aside.

In the remaining oil after shallow frying the fish steaks, add the nigella seeds and green chilli pieces. Wait till nigella seeds get fragrant and pour the tomato paste over it. Add salt, red chilly powder, half of the coriander greens (preferably the stem parts) and let it come to a soft boil.

Slide the fried fish steaks in the simmering tomato gravy, add a little hot water if you want the curry thinner and simmer for about 5-6 minutes.

Adjust seasoning, add a little sugar ( I needed 1/4 tsp) if the tomatoes are too tart.

Serve hot with plain boiled rice, garnished with the remaining coriander greens.

Rustic, simple, clean flavours that make everyday food so much more desirable. You can serve some vegetable stir fry with this meal of some raw salads too. We had a lavish fish meal with these fish cakes along with this tomato fish curry.

Here is another tomato based fish curry where I have used Bombil or Bombay duck. One more tomato based fish curry is a bit complex with some spices used and a little rich too. You can see I love using tomatoes in my fish curry, but this one is the simplest of all tomato fish curries I make.

Do let me know whenever you try this. It will be good to mention that this curry tastes great with just some lightly fried boiled potatoes or even paneer. Or use the besan ki katli or patode to make this curry. So there are many vegetarian versions too.

shallow fry to make fish fry | recipe of curry patta infused fish fry

This fish fry with prominent flavour of curry patta is a party in the mouth. Tingling mix of heat and tartness, intense flavour of curry patta seeped deep into the fish makes it a real treat.

I first tasted it when a Malyali friend had invited us home and due to some emergency we had to cancel the dinner that day. She just sent me a dabba of marinated fish that she had planned to fry that evening because she wanted us to taste her special recipe. She just instructed me to shallow fry these fish steaks in sesame oil and enjoy with some cucumbers.

When I opened that dabba ( a steel box) lined with banana leaves, I was in for a surprise as the fat fish steaks were covered with a coarse paste of curry patta, lot of chilly flakes, crushed peppercorns  and bits of tamarind was also visible. I immediately understood why she categorically told me to have it with cucumbers. Yes cucumbers and some buttermilk blended with fresh coconut and more curry patta were the things that saved our palate that day, the fish fry was so hot that our noses turned red and we kept eating unperturbed, with sips of the buttermilk and bites of cucumber in between.

I have cooked this recipe several times since then, about a decade to be precise. And somehow I end up using a similar steel dabba to marinate this fish. Food is often more about pleasant memories than the other things.

I have toned down the heat of this fish fry to suit my preference.

ingredients 
(2 servings as a meal with some salad and stir fry on the side)

large fat steaks of fish ( I used Catla) about 400 gm : fish fillet would also work
curry patta 20 springs or more
garlic cloves 2-3
fresh ginger root chopped 2 tsp
dry red chillies 2-3 or as per taste
black pepper corns 1 tsp
chopped bits of dry tamarind 1 tbsp or a bit more
salt to taste
sesame oil to shallow fry about 2 tbsp or even less

procedure..

blend everything together coarsely except the fish. Do not add water, taste and adjust the heat and sourness in the marinade.

Smear over the fish and refrigerate overnight.

At the time of serving, heat a skillet ( I used cast iron skillet) with sesame oil brushed over it. Spread the fish pieces along with a coating of marination over it and let it cook each side for about 5-6 minutes. Test by pricking the fish and serve hot with cucumbers, other salads or whatever you feel like.

**I generally cover the shallow frying fish with a dome lid and let it cook on medium flame, flip it after a while and then cook uncovered. This ensure even cooking in very less oil.

You can even deep fry these fish, I have done it for larger gatherings and it has turned out perfectly well. Just make sure you dust the marinated fish with a very thin layer of besan (chickpea flour) just before dipping the fish steaks into hot oil. Fry till light brown, drain on kitchen paper and serve as required.

We had a nice alu palak with this meal because there has been so much great tasting home grown spinach that I cannot just ignore the goodness for anything else. This alu palak was made with some yogurt blended with steamed spinach and it was wonderfully delicious.

The curry patta infused fish fry tastes great with just about any fish, but I end up making it with firm and fat steaks just as my friend had made. The extra marinade gets nicely browned and you would look for all the crumbs in the skillet, every last crumb will be mopped off trust me.

Do let me know whenever you make this curry patta infused fish fry. I am sure you would remember my friend that way too!!!

methi wali machhli | fish curry with fenugreek greens

I have had methi wali machhli cooked by a friend's mother and had been planning to cook fish the same way since then. It is a mildly spiced fish curry in yogurt gravy and a lot of fresh fenugreek leaves. The fish suitable for this curry is large steaks with bones and skin and I decided to cook methi wali machhli as soon as I found good large fish steaks. This fish curry is similar to Machhli ka salan that doesn't use so much methi leaves o skips using them altogether.

Most people cook this recipe with a lot of oil in it but my recipe doesn't have oil floating on top. You can use oil generously to get more glaze (or roghan) in this curry.

Having fish at home has been an occasional treat lately, as we don't get good fish around our place. The skinned de-boned fillets don't count as fish which of course is available abundantly. I do cook some Basa sometimes but it doesn't feel like eating fish honestly. I want a fishy fish when I want fish, I know you understand what I mean. Although this methi wali machhli is not too fishy I must add. If you cook it with Basa fillet or large Pomfret fillets, it wont be even remotely fishy.

We have a few nice fish markets in Delhi and we do get our fish from those places whenever we are around. We generally get a large Rohu or Catla or a Betki nicely cut into steaks to be frozen in portions and sometimes we get some Mackerel or Bombil which we cook the same day. The steaks I cooked in this curry were from the belly part but any bony steaks will be suitable, just take care the pieces should be sturdy enough to handle in a curry.

This methi wali machhli is loosely based on a recipe I  saw here but my recipe has fresh fenugreek leaves as the star ingredient, exactly the way I had loved it. This is a slightly tart curry as the curds I use for this is a little sour, the way I prefer it, the flavors of fenugreek complements really well with the tartness of curds (dahi).

ingredients
fish steaks (Rohu. Catla any firm fish, preferably river fish) 500 gm approximately
fresh yogurt 1 cup
roughly chopped onion 1/4 cup
garlic cloves 3-4
dry red chillies 2-3 or to taste (keep it more than you think enough as yogurt neutralises chilies)
coriander powder2 tsp
turmeric powder 1 tsp
finely chopped fenugreek leaves 1.5 cup packed (or lesser)
salt to taste
mustard oil 2-3 tbsp
fenugreek seeds about a dozen

procedure

Make a paste of the onion, garlic, red chillies and 1/4 cup of yogurt along with coriander powder and turmeric powder. Add salt to it and dump this paste over the fish steaks in a mixing bowl. Add the chopped fenugreek leaves to this mixture, mix well and refrigerate for 2 hours.

Blend the remaining 1/4 cup yogurt in the same mixie jar and keep aside.

Heat mustard oil in a pan and add the fenugreek seeds in it. Wait till they become fragrant but take care not to brown them. drain the fish steaks form the marinade and fry in this hot oil both sides lightly. Drain and keep in a plate.

In the remaining oil add all the marinade and bhuno till the oil separates. It takes about 4-5 minutes and the mixture get aromatic.

As you see the oil separating form this cooking mixture, add the remaining yogurt, mix well and add about 1.5 cups of water. Let it come to a soft boil before adding the fried fish steaks.

Cover and simmer for about 5-7 minutes or till the oil floats on top.

Serve hot with plain boiled rice.

These steak were large about 6 inches long with 2-3 long bones in it. The flesh acquires a nice yogurt and fenugreek taste while the gravy is absolutely yummy with all the flavors. I am planning to cook paneer exactly the same way next. Will let you know if I do.

Better you cook and let me know if you are a vegetarian..

Malwani fish curry...

If you have been reading my blogs for some time you would know how much I like coconut. Both for desserts and for curries. Most north Indian curries and UP style curries never use coconut and the gravies are darn brown to, light brown to creamy white or red in color, owing to various degrees of bhunoeing the masala, caremalising the onions and quantity of tomatoes. And then I see those curries of many of our southern states where you just stew the vegetables or meats with a coconut based spice paste. Believe me, I did not grow up eating them but those coconut based curries ahve become my comfort food since I started cooking them at home. This Malwani fish curry is one of those stewed curries where you don't have to bhuno the masala and deglaze it till it releases oil. And there are no exotic ingredients involved.

But yes, since I had some Tirphal that Rekha had gifted me some time ago when she brought it from Goa. This peppery spics has a nice depth to it's flavor and adds a unique touch to this Malwani fish curry. My recipe is based on this description of Goan fish curry where there is no use of Tirphal.

Ingredients...

4 large steaks of any seafish or alarge Pomfret cut in convenient sized pieces (about 500-600 gm)

to make a paste..
half a fresh coconut chopped into bits or scraped
an inch piece of garlic chopped roughly
5 cloves of garlic
2 tsp coriander seeds
1 tsp cumin seeds
4-5 Tirphal peppers
10 black pepper corns
4-5 fenugreek seeds
3-4 whole kashmiri red chilies
salt to taste

one large green chilly ( Jalapeno or any sweeter variety)
curry patta and coriander greens for garnish

1/2 cup of finely chopped onion and 1 tbsp of coconut oil to saute the onions if required
1/2 cup coconut milk is you want a richer flavor 

procedure...

Make a paste of the above ingredients just like the picture collage and pout the paste in a pan. Add the chopped green chilly to this paste and let it simmer for about 5 minutes. If you want the gravy thick and smooth you can sautee the above mentioned chopped onions and then add this past and simmer. Some coconut milk can also be added to enrich the flavors.

Add the fish steaks in the simmering mixture and coat them all well. Simmer again for 8-10 minutes with cover , add the curry patta and coriander greens and take the curry off the stove.

Do not add the fish steaks before cooking the coconut and spice mix as this can cause splitting of the gravy. Though it does not alter the taste but he curry might look a bit curdled.

Serve hot with plain boiled rice.

Bombil curry in a tomato gravy | Bombay duck in curried tomatoes

Bombil or Bombay duck is a delicate fleshed fish with just one central bone. The bones are very delicate too and can be chewed on when the fish is fried crisp.Not to mention that the fish turns to a melt in the mouth texture when fried crisp with a coating of seasoned rice powder. It would be the best fish fry for you if you love a crisp exterior and melt in the mouth inner parts. The reason why the fish is liked in the fried form mostly. But I love a simply seasoned tomato based curry with this fish too. The fish is poached in a chunky tomato gravy and turns buttery after cooking. You can poach a few Bombils in a ready to use tomato garlic sauce too, especially if the sauce is not too spicy.

ingredients...

Bombil fish 500 gm cut to about 3 inch pieces if the fish is big
tomatoes diced 500 gm
chopped garlic 1 tbsp or more
chopped (diced) red onion 1 cup or about 100-120 gm
chopped green chilly (jalapeno) 2 tbsp
pinch of red chilly powder or paprika if you like
salt to taste
mustard oil 2 tbsp

preparation...

Heat the oil in a wide bottomed pan and tip in the garlic and fry just for 30 seconds or so. Do not brown the garlic. Add the onions and green chilies, mix well and keep cooking after adding salt.

Once the onion is softened and lightly pink, add the tomatoes and the red chilly and turmeric powder too. Stir and cook till the tomatoes are mushy. Add about 3/4 cup of water and let it boil once.

Add the cut fish as soon as the tomato mixture starts boiling. Cover and simmer the mixture for about five to seven minutes. Check if the fish is done and the sauce has thickened well. It will be a chun ky sauce with melt in the mouth texture of fish.

If you want a smooth gravy, just blend the sauce after it gets a boil, pour back into the pan, add water and simmer with added fish till done.

No herb is required in this curry but curry patta, coriander greens or a hint of thyme can be a good thing to add when you feel like.

The buttery melt in your moth texture of fish with this mildly flavored soupy sauce can be a meal in itself. Or just have a little plain boiled rice with it.

tamatar waali macchli | fish in a tomato gravy...

Tomato based curries are very common in north Indian homes and probably the easiest to pull off as a tomato based curry is quite forgiving. Very very versatile as well. There can be a butter/makhni gravy with tomato base and there can be a spicy gravy too. And there can be a bong style tomato based curry that I learned from my friend Rita Sinha almost a decade ago. I had started eating fish recently and would ask for new ways to cook fish to each and everyone known. This one was one such fish curry I learned during the time that is repeated quite frequently till date. Especially when I have the best quality tomatoes and fresh green coriander leaves in the fridge. Slightly tangy and aromatic with fresh coriander greens, a thick gravy that is mildly hot. My addition to the curry is chopped stems of coriander greens during the final simmering, adding a really fresh dimension to the flavors.

This tomato gravy fish is best enjoyed with rice and tastes best when the fish steaks are big. A fatty fish with skin and bone is what you are looking for. Large fillet would also work.

ingredients...

fish steaks 3-4 (150-200 gm each)
quartered potatoes 1-2
coarse onion paste 3/4 cup
fine paste of ginger garlic and red chilies 2 tbsp
coarse paste of fresh red ripe tomatoes 1.5 cup
coriander powder 2 tsp
cumin powder 2 tsp
black pepper powder 2 tsp
turmeric powder 1 tsp
mustard oil 1/4 cup
chopped coriander greens 1/2 cup (stems and leaves separately cut)
salt to taste

procedure...

Heat the mustard oil in a large kadhai. Fry the fish steaks lightly in mustard oil and place the quartered potatoes on the side too so they get browned as the fish steaks get fried. Drain and transfer the fried fish and potatoes to a flat base frying pan, or another kadhai.

Pour the onion paste into the remaining oil first and fry for a while. Till the mixtures starts getting pinkish in color. Add the salt and ginger-garlic-chilly paste. Fry till the oil separates or the mixtures gets glazed.

Add the powdered spices and mix well. Cook (bhuno) tll the spices get lightly aromatic. Add the tomato paste and again bhuno till the tomatoes change color and get glazed again.

Pour this cooked spice paste over the fried fish steaks in the other pan. Sprinkle the chopped stem parts of the coriander greens.

Now pour a cup of water into the pan and keep it back to the burner...

Cover and let it simmer on low flame slowly for about 20-15 minutes. The oils will float atop the gravy and the coriander stems will be cooked and aromatic, lending the curry a nice flavor. This final simmer is the essence of this curry, all the flavors are evoked in the presence of this fresh coriander stems tha are added in this step. So don't skip it.

Garnish with coriander leaves when cooked and serve hot with plain boiled rice.

Boiled rice is the only accompaniment that this curry needs, that too in minimal amounts. The gravy is thick and rich with flavors of tomatoes and coriander greens. The spices are subdued and mild but he chilly and peppers shine through, complementing the tang of the tomatoes well.

This is the fish curry you would like with minimal rice, just the soupy gravy and the fish steaks make you meal filling and satiating. My kind of meals when rice or roti is incidental.

Tamatar waali machhli it is, but the coriander greens are as essential for the flavor of this particular curry. The same gravy works well for paneer and eggs as well. The fried wedges of potatoes are treated well in this curry too. Actually anything that cooks within 10 minutes when this curry simmers after bhunoeing the masala paste. Those 10 minutes of simmering give this curry all the flavor.

I am sure it will be one of the most frequented at your table too...

Cheers.

Hot and garlicky fish steak

This is an old picture of fish steaks fried for dinner some 2 years back. I have been meaning to make this again for some time now and thought of sharing it here instead of dictating the recipe over phone to someone. Waiting for better pictures is not worth if I end up giving every detail and replay the instructions every now and then.

Interestingly, this is the very first recipe of a fish fry I tried on my own. That is when I started eating fish after Mithi was born. I wanted it to be hot and tangy and garlicky all at the same time. Being moi it means the recipe should be quick as well.

It was.

And it kept repeating many times over the years. It's only now for a couple of years that we don't get good fish that easily in the neighborhood and whenever we bring some fish after ages, we want other things to be experimented upon.

This recipe is simple. And it's not a cliche anymore on my blogs. Most of the recipes really are.

The hitch with simple recipes is, you have to follow it to the T. Fewer the ingredients, lesser the chances of any replacements or adjustments.

You know what I mean. If the fish is flavored only with three ingredients, what would you replace?

So the flavors are...Garlic, dry red chillies and preserved raw mangoes.

The good news is, you can use a ready made paste of garlic (if you must), powdered red chilly and a powdered dry mango too (amchoor).

So in this case all three ingredients have suitable replacements :-)

I contradict myself sometimes :-)

I would tell you some more about this salt preserved raw mangoes. In the peak of summers when there are too many raw mangoes around, I pick up a few(say a dozen) peel them and chop them in longish pieces, discarding the stone. Then the pieces are weighed and 20% of the total weight of the raw mango slices is calculated and that is the quantity of salt to be added.


Both the raw mango slices and the salt are mixed together in a glass jar , tightly lidded and kept behind the most used jars on the kitchen shelf. Forgotten till they are needed. Yes, this preserve doesn't need any care till it is required.

So the above three ingredients are made into a paste. about 25 cloves of garlic, 8-10 dry red chillies and 1/3 cup of this raw ,mango preserved in salt. Add salt if using amchoor.

Rub this paste liberally over the fish steaks. Rest for minimum 15 minutes or about an hour in the fridge.

Then heat a pan with oil (I used mustard oil for this one, you can use Olive oil or sesame or even Peanut oil) and shallow fry the steaks both sides till done.

About 5 minutes each side if the steaks are this big. These were about 250 gm each.

A nice crisp crust and soft interiors. This is how a bigger fish steak would result. The same spice mix would result in a crisp fillet or steak if a smaller and thinner piece is used. Tasty any which way.

This recipe is helpful more when you have to work on a few other side dishes too. Doesn't need much preparation and gets fried in a flash.

The ingredients in one place...
fish steaks 4-5 steaks weighing 250 gm each
(these were Rohu steaks)
garlic 25 cloves 
(peeled or with skin, it gets homogenised in the blending process)
dry red chillies 8-10 or to taste 
(use more than you think will be enough, the raw mango preserve nutralises the chilly to an extent) 
salt preserved raw mangoes 1/2 cup or amchoor 1.5 tbsp
(see the details above)

Blend everything in a mixie jar till a smooth paste is formed. No need to use water if using the preserve. Little water will be required wen you use the amchoor.

Some of the paste may be left over and can be used for a similar fry with either potatoes, Colocacia or bitter guards. Can be frozen too till the next time you make this fish again.

Now friends, don't call this blog a ghaas phoos vegetarian blog.

Banaras people eat every thing edible and the Ganges is generous to bless them with fresh fish all the time. Those sitting in Delhi are not that lucky though :(

paturi maachh .... mustard flavored fish wrapped in banana leaf

I promised more non vegetarian recipes and here i am with a healthy fish recipe . We love fish in mustard seasoning and whenever i have a few fresh and clean banana leaves i make this paaturi . A bengali specialty i learnt from my bong friends . I like the hilsa fish made this way too , hilsa has a very different flavor but rohu is the most easily available here around my place so i used rohu this time .

This recipe is a quick one but if you count the time taken in priming the banana leaf and making the paste it may sound a bit intimidating . Believe me , it is fun to wrap the fish in parcels and steam them or microwave them , as i did .

Make a paste of mustard seeds , turmeric powder , green chillies and a few cloves of garlic , add salt and some mustard oil to the paste and pour it over the fish pieces...

For 4 large pieces of fish ( 400 gm) 2 tbsp of yellow mustard seeds , 3 green chillies , 3 cloves of garlic , 2 tsp of turmeric powder , salt to taste and 2 tsp of raw mustard oil. A table spoon of lemon juice makes the seasoning well balanced.

I prefer large fillet or the portions with less bones for this recipe , any parts of any fish will be suitable though...larger fish are better suited.

Some freshly grated coconut is a nice addition if you are wary of the piquancy the mustard provides to this dish... 

 Coat the pieces well and wrap them individually into the banana leaf pieces . Place a slit green chilly inside each parcel and place all the parcels in a microwave safe bowl with lid.

You need to prime the banana leaves to wrap them conveniently. They get torn otherwise. Heating them over gas flame is one of the things traditionally done. I just cut them in convenient sized pieces and microwave them for 30 seconds . The edges shrink a bit and the leaves are warmed , this way they can be wrapped around the fish without getting torn.

For a single parcel , a ceramic bowl will be alright with a plastic lid to cover it...I make individual servings in the bowls and serve them as it is.....

The parcel opens to release a nice piquant aroma of mustard . This paste of mustard and other seasonings does some kind of magic to the fish....

Many people believe in the magic of mustard to the fish . I am not the lone admirer of the marriage of mustard with fish.. Although i like the coconut milk magic to the fish too and many more seasonings ....this is not the only one i like as a fish seasoning.... oh .... but i am not undermining my own preparation . The recipe is a bengali classic ....

Just wanted to say that this is one of the many favorites i have in my repertoire ...a true blue foodies dilemma you know :)

Every bit of that mustard seasoning is worthy of finger licking... The banana leaves impart a subtle flavor to it and it has to be eaten to believe .

Addition of some coconut paste along with the mustard paste will mellow down the piquancy of mustard if you are one of those whose face turns red and forehead sweats with exposure to this much quantity of mustard... I was one of those some years ago....now i am a convert to mustard.....

fish in mustard gravy / sorshe macchh

Some people seriously believe that mustard does something special to the fish....though i am not amongst those as i like fish cooked in any way which retains the softness of fish and adds to it's original flavor....this version of mustard gravy or sauce is one of those which does complete justice to the fish....and served with boiled rice , it is one of the simplest and yummiest way to enjoy fish......

Mustard gravy is made in two ways ( or many?) , one is   the mustard masala gravy made the Uttar Pradesh way and the other is this one......made the way bengalis like it...i have learnt eating fish with my bengali friends and i like this sorshe macchh for it's delicate flavors along with a pungent mustard kick..........i have tweeked the original recipe to suit my taste a little bit by adding amchoor powder .......

Ingredients 
 fish cut in big chunks 400 gms.
yellow mustard seeds 1/4 cup
hot green chillies 3 nos.
garlic cloves ( small indian ones) 5-6 nos.
turmeri powder 1 tsp
salt to taste
everyday curry masala 1 tsp ( a mix of coriander , cumin , black pepper and bay leaves)
green coriander leaves.. a generous handful
mustard oil 1-2 tbsp
amchoor powder 1 -2 tsp 

procedure

Rub the fish pieces with salt and turmeric powder and keep aside till you prepare for the sauce....
it can be kept in the freezer in separate ziplock bags to be used whenever needed........

Grind the mustard seeds first dry in the mixie and then add some water to make a smooth paste.........

and pass this paste through a sieve and separate the husk.....

a creamy pale yellow liquid is obtained which is used to make the gravy.....and the husk is discarded....

 Tip: the husk can be used as a good body scrub mixed with some powder milk .
 Reserve the filtrate...........and add a bit of salt and turmeric powder to it...

Now heat oil in a deep kadai ....shallow fry the fish pieces into the oil turning it once so that both sides get lightly browned...take care not to break the pieces..

 Make space between the pieces and pop in the slit green chillies to fry ......then throw in the everyday curry powder and stir for a few seconds to cook the masala...

Pour the mustard filtrate into the kadai and rotate the pieces of fish lightly so that it cooks submerged in the sauce.......

Cover and let it boil for 2-3 minutes....open the lid and throw in the amchoor powder and lightly stir the gravy to mix, being careful not to break the fish pieces, sprinkle chopped green coriander leaves and put off the heat and cover the lid and let it stand for 2 minutes before serving.....it allows the coriander to release it's aroma into the gravy.....

 Serve hot with boiled rice and some salad on the side....

this is just awesome...enjoy......

mirchi waali machhli...easy, quick and oh so delicious

It has been more than a month since I posted anything here even though I cooked a lot of things and took photographs too but there were so many things which kept me away from writing for my blogs. All those things can wait but I must tell you all that I kept visiting all the wonderful blogs and discovered some more wonderful blogs. One of them is by Ushnish Ghosh where I found so many interesting things.

This recipe was there with a cute story behind it and I decided to make the fish immediately after reading it. It has happened for the first time that I am so quick in trying out a recipe.

He had used large cubical pieces of cheetal fish but I had only 3 large steaks left in the freezer, of a huge rohu we brought and made many delicacies in the last fortnight (recipes of patraani macchhi and sarson wali machhli is coming soon).

I got going immediately after commenting on his blog and was thinking it might well be a torture for Arvind who cannot tolerate much red chilli and thinking ki aaj to baarah bajne waale hai mere (he would complaint). The recipe was quick as I had expected AND Arvind was eating it faster than me to my utter surprise, note that I am supposed to be the big mirchi lover. But tables turn sometimes.

So this recipe brought me back with my recipe sharing, the original recipe can be seen here...

This recipe can well be taken as achaari machhli by north Indians especially punjabis and you can be tempted to add lemon juice or amchoor to it.
Please don't.
You'd love the way it is, without the  sourness too it can be called achaari machhli as it has the aroma and spiciness of a pickle.

ingredients
pieces of any muscular fish cut into large chunks (I used what I had)3-4 pieces of 100-150 gm each
turmeric powder 1 tsp
red chilli powder 2 tsp or as much as you can tolerate, good to have more
nigella (kalonji) seeds 1/2 tsp or a little more
mustard oil 1 tbsp + 1/2 tsp
besan or chickpea flour 1/2 tbsp (not used in original recipe)
salt to taste
procedure

Rub the fish pieces with salt and turmeric powder and let them rest for a while, mine were lying this way into the freezer already.

I used a light dusting of besan over the pieces to fry to prevent  it from sticking to the kadai I was using. If using less oil for frying in a metal kadai the fish sticks and breaks, so besan or atta helps.

Also make a slurry of turmeric powder and chilly powder with 3/4 cup of water and keep aside for about 10 minutes.

Heat 1 tbsp oil and fry the fish lightly and keep aside..

Now add the nigella seeds to the remaining oil, let splutter and pour in the chilli turmeric slurry directly into the oil. It might make you sneeze so keep your face away from the pan.

Let it boil for a minute and slip in the fried pieces and cook for another minute coating it well with the watery liquid.. Add the 1/2 tsp mustard oil which I have mentioned in the ingredient list separately. It gives a nice mustard taste which is like by bengalis and UP people, you can add some more water during cooking but it should just coat the fish and not be runny.

It's ready to savor the taste, we had it with chapattis though any self respecting bengali will shudder at the thought of having it this way. This mirchi wali machhli can be enjoyed whatever way you like but roti or paratha will help you mop the sauce well as you wont want to miss those bits of this dish.

It is not a fish fry but can become a fry if you dry it completely. We like it a bit saucy, the sauce actually is quite delicious.

pabda fish fry / mackerel fry

I got to eat this fish in Calcutta for the first time , and that was the first time i was eating any fish for that matter.......i liked the fish so much that started eating and cooking fish too..........this is a simple fry recipe which a favorite of my husband and i make this with muscular fish too ( big sized rohu fillets mostly).....

ingredients
( for 3 medium sized fish weighing about 700 gms)

garlic cloves 6-7 nos.
whole red chillies 10-12 nos. ( to taste)
amchoor powder or dry mango powder 2 tbsp
salt to taste

procedure

grind all these together in a spice grinder with just a tbsp of water .

make gashes in the fish as desired.

rub on the paste on the skin of fish and keep in the fridge for 1 hr.

heat 2 tbsp of oil in a cast iron pan( any thick , flat bottomed pan) and place the fish in it.

let it fry till one side is brown ( takes about 5 minutes), turn gently as the fish is very tender and fry on the other side similarly.

remove gently from the pan and serve hot with daal chawal, khichri or as an appetizer especially when you make it with small fish or smaller fillets.

for me it is good by itself with some green salad on the side.

sarson wali machhli | fish cooked in mustard seeds gravy...

 Sarson wali machhli or any mustard seeds gravy is something synonymous with Bengali food but it is an integral part of UP food too. There is difference between the way it is cooked in Bengal and in UP though, in a Bengali sorshe jhol the taste of the mustard is prominent and the curry is a bit milky in appearance  but in UP it becomes infused with garam masala and amchoor and the curry becomes brown n rich in color. I like it both ways. Both the curries are very distinctly different in the final bouquet of flavors.

Actually I started eating fish much later in life and learned to cook fish from Bengali friends of mine, and that was my first preference for a long time, but then I learned the way my mom and grandmother used to cook it too. I love this curry both ways now.

you need for this preparation I used a large fish, cooking process differs with the size of the fish. I used 4 large pieces (steaks) of fish weighing about 500 gm total. 

Any fish will be fine but Rohu or Catla (river fish) are more suitable for this curry. Rub some salt and turmeric powder to the pieces and let it rest for half an hour.

masalas needed are

mustard seeds 2 tbsp
turmeric powder 1 tsp
curry powder 1 tbsp
garam masala powder 1 tsp
ginger garlic n green chilly paste 3 tbsp
paste of one big tomato
cumin seeds 1 tsp
salt to taste
and oil to fry
amchoor powder 1 tsp or more
green coriander leaves to garnish

to proceed

Heat oil in a shallow pan and fry the fish pieces both sides until golden brown and keep aside.

Make a fine paste of mustard seeds with some water using the chutney jar of your mixie. Add some water to the paste and decant it for a while, pour the paste in a cup discarding the skins (which settles down in the jar) alternatively the paste can be passed through a  sieve, keep aside...

Now empty the pan just keeping 2 tbsp of oil into it, throw in the cumin seeds and let it splutter, add the ginger garlic green chilly paste and fry till oil separates, throw in the powder masalas, fry for a minute and add the mustard paste.

Mix well and cook for a while, then add the tomato paste to the pan. Add salt and cook covered on medium heat till oil separates again.

Now add about 1.5 cup of water to it. More or less depending how thin or thick gravy you want. Let it boil and drop in the fried fish pieces.

Cook covered till oil separates and the fish is done. Throw in coriander leaves and put off the flame and keep the pan covered for 5 minuted so that the coriander leaves infuse their flavor into the curry.

Serve hot with boiled rice, with some salad n papad on the side....

Machhli chawal was a comfort food in our household but now I make it rarely as fish is not readily available in our locality. I miss the days when a machhli wali used to come to my doorstep when we were in Dhanbad, Arvind's previous posting. Small towns have their own charm and fresh produce is one of those lovely things that you get without any extra effort.