Pabda Maacher Jhol (pabda fish curry)

Posted by: Mala D

It's a very popular fish preparation which is very easy to cook & at the same time tastes so good!

Ingredients:
Pabda fish: 500gms
Dal bodis: 10-12
Mustard oil: 4-5 tbsp
Red chilli powder: 2 tsp
Turmeric powder: 2 tsp
Cumin powder: 1 tsp
Salt: to taste
Green chillies: 5-6nos
Corriander leaves: 1/4 bunch
Nigella seeds: 1/2 tsp

Method:
Wash the fish properly, apply salt & 1 tsp turmeric powder & keep aside.
Heat oil to smoking point & then lower the flame & gently put the fish in the pan. Make sure the pan is really hot or this fish tends to stick & break.
Fry lightly on both sides & take out.
Fry bodis in the same oil & keep aside. In a small bowl mix salt & spices together with 3 tbsp water.
Temper oil with nigella seeds & sliced green chillies & add the masala paste. Quickly mix & add 1/2cup water. Now add the fish & gently toss it all. Put 1 glass of water & bring to boil. Add the bodis, lower flame. Cover & cook for about 5-7 minutes. Add chopped dhania patti & close flame. Serve hot with rice.


Note: this recipe tastes best with fresh fish, if it's kept in the freezer for long, then maacher jhal will be a better idea.

Chingri Tomator Jhol (Prawn tomato curry)

Posted by: Mala D

This recipe is an example of my Father-inlaw's experimental cooking & how they often turned out delicious! A'grade prawns (golda chingri) are frightfully expensive in India, but paying  in different currencies, we tend to forget that. Understandably, my mom-inlaw was upset:she wanted to make the classic Chingri Bhapa...but none of us regretted dad's experiment, rather we all, including the venerable Guruji here, loved this recipe. Surprisingly it's so simple,having such few ingredients that one would wonder what's all the fuss about! My reply to that is just try this:-))



Ingredients:
Prawns: 450 gms
Tomato: 400 gms
Redchilli powder: 2 tsp
Turmeric powder: 1-1/2 tsp
Salt: to taste
Sugar: 1 tsp
Green chillies: 4-5
Mustard oil: 4-5 tbsp
Fresh cream: 2 tbsp(optional)
Mustard seeds: 1 tsp

Method:
Peel & devein the prawns & wash thoroughly. Apply 1/2 tsp haldi & 1 tsp red chilli powder & a little salt & keep aside.
Chop a few tomatoes into small pieces & puree the rest of them. My father-inlaw, being a bangaal, uses only chopped tomato which gives a somewhat watery jhol,while i coming from a ghoti family, prefer it a bit thick.
Heat oil in a wok/deep pan & toss the prawns in it for about a minute. Quickly take them out.
Temper the same oil with mustard seeds & sliced green chillies. When they crackle, add the chopped tomatoes. Fry till they are a bit soft then add the pureed tomato. Add salt, sugar & the spices. Mix well. When the oil leaves side of the masala, add 2 glass of water. Cover with lid & put on simmer. When the gravy looks almost ready (3-5 minutes), add the prawns. Bring to a boil then lower the flame & cook for about two minutes. Close the heat. You can add fresh cream to jazz up this dish/to soften the spiciness.

Garnish with a swirl of fresh cream. Serve hot with rice.

Aar Maacher Jhol (Aiyer fish curry)

Posted by: Mala D

The purists may look down upon Aar maach as a fish fit only for kids but it has many takers, including my husband & my son. True, it's really easy to feed it to children as it has less bones still adult supervision is always necessary when feeding fish to little children.

Ingredients:
Aar fish: 5-6 pieces,about 750gms
Potato: 2 medium-sized
Tomato: 1 medium
Onion: 1 large
Ginger: 2 inches
Green chillies: 2-3 sliced
Cumin seeds: 1/2 tsp
Bayleaf: 2 nos
Mustard oil: 4-5 tbsp
Salt: to taste
Turmeric powder: 2 tsp
Red chilli powder: 2 tsp
Cumin powder: 1/2 tsp

Method:
Wash fish pieces properly, apply salt & turmeric & keep aside.
Peel & chop potatoes into small cubes. Roughly chop onion & ginger & grind them into a paste. Finely chop tomato.
Heat oil in a deep & wide pan & when it smokes, lower flame & fry the fish pieces well. Take out with a slotted spoon & keep aside. In the same oil fry the potato pieces well & take them out. Now add jeera & bay leaves to the oil & when they splutter, add the onion-ginger paste. Add a little salt & keep mixing & turning from time to time, so they don't stick to the pan. Add tomato & fry well. Now mix in the potato cubes & saute for a while. Add more salt & the spices & keep stirring. Add about 2 glass of water,mix well & now add the fish. Bring to a boil , then lower flame, cover & cook till done. Garnish with chopped corriander leaves.

Note: you can also make this curry without onion using tomato-ginger paste, if you cook the fish the same day as it's bought otherwise always make it with onion & other masala as stated in the recipe.

Kochoor jhol (colacasia curry)

Posted by: Mala D

In Bengali households, I have come across three kinds of kochoos (arvi)- the thick,dirty-skinned ol kochoo, the small ghanthi kochoo (featured here) & the thick ,lognish one(called banda in hindi) which is exellent for making kochoo bata. People usually don't take to this vegetable easily but bongs have many arvi preparations to choose from. This curry always finds favour with people.

Ingredients:
Arvi small: 500 gms
Onion: 1 nos,big-sized,finely chopped
Tomato: 1 medium-sized,chopped
Carrom seeds (ajwain): 1 tsp
Refined oil: 4-5 tbsp
Salt: to taste
Red chilli powder: 2 tsp
Turmeric powder: 1/2 tsp
Corriander powder: 2 heaped tsp
Sugar: a pinch
Water: for the gravy




Method:
Peel the arvis & cut into two. Soak in water with a little salt for some time. Rub & wash them properly in running water. Dry them in a sieve.
Heat oil in a pressure cooker. Fry the arvi in batches till light golden in colour. Take out with a slotted spoon. Temper the same oil with carrom seeds, add chopped onion & fry well till it changes colour. Add tomato & toss awhile. Add all the spices,salt & sugar. Fry till oil floats to the top. Now add fried arvis, mix well & add 1-1/2 glass of water. Close the pressure cooker & put on the whistle. Cook till one whistle. Close the flame. Serve hot with rice.

Illish Maach aar kaanch kaular jhol (hilsa fish with green bananas)

Posted by: Mala D

As a rule of thumb, vegetables are added to fish dishes when the fish is a small-sized one because large, oily fishes don't require veggi sidekicks! Vegetables such as brinjal, broad/flat beans, cauliflower & raw bananas increase the volume of the dish & also enhance it's visual appeal.

This jhol is a Bangaal (bongs from east Bengal) version,which,despite minimal spices & almost watery broth, scores high on taste because of it's insistence on using absolutely fresh ingredients (read that as fresh catch of fish!).


Ingredients:
Illish(hilsa fish): 500 gms, about 5-6 pieces
Raw banana: 3 nos, medium-sized
Mustard oil: 4 tbsp
Green chillies: 3-4
Nigella(kalonji): 1/2 tsp
Turmeric powder: 1-1/2 tsp
Red chilli powder: 1-1/2 tsp
Cumin powder: 1 tsp
Salt: to taste
Wheat flour: 2 tsp


Method:
Wash the fish thoroughly (only once, or hilsa will lose it's flavour). Apply 1/2 tsp turmeric & some salt & marinate for about 15 minutes.
Peel & cut the bananas into two inch pieces,apply wheat flour on them & rub vigorously. This removes their sticky feel & also doesn't let them turn black. Wash them properly after some time. Keep aside.
Heat oil in a thick bottomed pan, let it smoke, then lower the flame & fry the fish pieces till lightly done. Remove.
Temper the same oil with nigella seeds & sliced green chillies & add the banana pieces. Toss them for some time. Mix all the spices with a little water & add to the pan. Stir & fry it till well mixed. Now add about 2 glass of water & bring to a boil. When the banana is half-done, add the fish. Cover & cook for another 5 minutes. Close the flame. Serve hot with rice.

Deem Makha Makha (Egg Masala)

Posted by: Priyaka A

This is an improvised and dry version of the Bengali deemer jhol. Ingredients for the main masala: Hard boiled eggs - 6 Onions - 3 medium sized, cut into long thin slices  Tomato (paste) - 2 medium sized Refined / Mustard Oil - 3 tbsp Ginger (grated) - 1 Inch long  Green Chilli (chopped) - 4 Red Chilli (dry & whole) - 2 Tejpata (Indian Bay-leaf) - 1 leaf Laung / Clove - 2 pieces Black pepper – 4 Green Elaichi / Cardamom (slightly crushed) - 3 Hing / Asafotida - 1/4 tbsp Haldi / Turmeric Powder - 1/2 tbsp Red Chilli powder - 1/2 tbsp Coriander / Dhania powder - 1/4 tbsp Salt - to taste Serves – 3 to 4 people Method:  Marinate the boiled eggs (de-shelled) in little salt, haldi and red chili powder for 10 - 15 minutes. Take 3 tbsp of oil, heat the oil and fry the boiled eggs till they have a golden brown coating. Take them out and keep aside. (Poke holes with a fork on the egg for the masala to penetrate before marinating.) Use the remaining oil for making the main masala. Add hing, laung, elaichi, tejpata, green chillies, whole pepper , sliced onions and ginger and fry until dark brown in colour. Then add the tomato paste, haldi, whole dry red chilies, salt and continue to fry by adding little water to avoid the masala from getting burnt. Fry till the masala is well cooked and you can see the oil separate. Lastly, add the shallow fried eggs along with the red chili powder and dhania powder. Mix well and let it cook for another 5 minutes. You may garnish it with fresh coriander leaves and serve with hot rice or paranthas.

Aloo bodir jhol (potato & lentil dumplings curry)

Posted by: Mala D

It's one of my comfort foods from early childhood. Bengali curries make a lot of use of dried lentil balls (dal vadis) but they are not often available to people residing out of kolkata/India. I was thus forced to improvise it with freshly made lentil balls. The result was just as good if not better:-))


Ingredients:
Potatoes: 2 big-sized one,abt 400 gms
Fresh lentil balls: 12-15
Tomatoes: 2 medium
Ginger: 3 inches(or as per choice)
Oil: 3tbsp
Red chilly powder: 2tsp
Turmeric powder: 1tsp
Cumin powder: 2tsp
Salt: to taste
Sugar: 1tsp
Bay leaves: 2 nos
Cumin seeds: 1/2 tsp
Corriander leaves:  handful for garnish

Method:
For making lentil balls: wash & soak 200 gms split black gram in water overnite. Next day grind with 2-3 green chilles & 1 inch ginger, adding little water (1-2 tbsp) to make a soft  batter. Now take it out in a steel vessel & add 1/2 tsp of baking soda. Mix well & keep aside for few hours. Add salt to taste (1tsp), whip it well & fry cherry-sized balls in batches. Dry on paper towels. Leftover batter from vadas/dahi vadas can be easily used to make these. Can be kept for about a week in air tight container in the fridge.

Curry:
Peel potatoes & cut into 3 inch pieces. Wash & drain the water. Remove the seeds from tomatoes & puree them along with peeled & chopped ginger. Heat oil & temper with cumin seeds & bay leaves. Add potatoes & fry them well. Now add the tomato puree & fry till oil floats to the top. Now add all the spices,salt & sugar. Mix well. Add 1/2 litre of water. Cover & cook till potatoes are half-done. Now add the vadis & bring the gravy to boil. As the balls tend to soak up the gravy & puff up, ensure that the consistency of the gravy is thin by adding hot water from time to time. Put the flame at simmer point. The balls should be soft but not squishy. Don't overcook. Keep the lid on & the potatoes will turn soft in the heat. Garnish with chopped corriander leaves. Serve hot with rice.