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......

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.