Bengali Fish 128
Chris Domino
What an awesome post! Love the details. My google search for bengali fish in dubai bought me here. We have just moved to Dubai. Stay in Bur Dubai area. Could you please guide us on where to buy these bengali fish . Any market or supermarket that you know of..thanks in advance
Bengali fish curry is also made with tomato and onions, but this one is a basic mustard curry with a strong flavour of mustard. The curry is cream-like, sometimes this dish reminds me of the French fish preparation mustard.
Honestly, you can make this dish with any fish of your choice. Even Rui or Katla goes well with this gravy, I have tried the exact same recipe with Rui and it turned out perfect. The magic is in the curry so fry any fish of your choice and add it to the curry.
Hi! I am Khushboo. I am gluten intolerant and this is my Gluten-Free food diary. My recipes are not necessarily fancy, they are practical and simple. Journey with me on my exciting food discoveries as I am on a mission to make gluten-free food enjoyable, fun & affordable. If they can make it with gluten, we can make it without.
Do you have a dish that you absolutely need in your life to comfort you? The kind that makes you happy when skies are grey? This Bengali fish curry comes pretty close in my world. It is a very simple thin broth like stew, or in Bengali what we call patla jhol. Seasoned with a mlange of a few key spices, this curry is packed with loads of vegetables and chunks of firm white fish. This instant pot version took a little trial and error. But, now I think I have it down pat.
Cooking fish needs a subtle and gentle hand. This just needs 2 minutes of pressure cooking. The stove top variation is in the Bengali Five Spice chronicles. Essential vegetables for this are potatoes and cauliflower, the rest vary depending on the season. I add chunks of bright purple eggplant in summer and golden cubes of squash in winter. Peas are never a bad idea. Honestly, the possibilities are endless.
A splash of coconut milk to finish add some richness but not essential. It is ideally served with hot steaming rice. In my kitchen, this is a hot item particularly in the winter months right alongside khichuri. In particular, this is a Friday night special. A full-fledged Bonafide fish curry that I can whip up in about 20 minutes,
This week turned out to be an action-packed week with all kinds of things unexpecting coming together. Not to mention the unexpected winter storm. This patla macher jhol is what I turn to when I need to brace and cope with life. I might get some thanksgiving recipes in before the week is up, but one way or the other enjoy yourself on turkey day.
If you like this recipe and want more ideas, do join my Indian Instant Pot Facebook group and Legume Love Group. Of course Instant Indian is ready for order, joining its siblings The Bengali Five Spice Chronicles and Spices and Seasons.
This site is a personal effort at chronicling the recipes that I created. It also showcases our small commitment towards reducing our family carbon food print. There is more about me and how the family fits into the equation on this page and all about our little curry garden, here. Like most of the good cooks in my life, most notably my grandmother and mother, my cooking is very practical and approachable.
The eight and most important day of the Durga Puja is Ashtami. There are very Bengalis few who do not go out to offer Anjali or an offering. They might go on their own volition or to appease, mom, mom-in-law, grandmom, girlfriend, boyfriend, well you get the idea. Think of it as a Yom Kipur for Bengalis. Ashtami is also the day of ultimate feasting after the prayers.
The morning of Ashtami or on the eight day, begins with an interesting ritual called Kumari puja. Kumari puja entails praying to little girls. This is to symbolize the purity of womanhood. Moving on to the evening an evening ceremony called Sandhi Puja is done. This puja merges Ashtami and Navami or the ninth day of the puja. The goddess Durga who is also the slayer of the demons Chanda and Munda. This results in her acquiring the name Chamundi. Getting to the head honcho Mahishashur, entails kiiling other deamons. Each killing brings new accolades for the goddess. The intrinsic message of Durga Puja is one that is relevant and important at all times. A message about the triumph of good over evil.
There are layers of food restrictions for Ashtami, depending on the household, we tended to keep it simple on all days of the Puja, vegetarian on Saptami and fasting broken with bhog in the mornings on other days and all you can eat in the evenings.
There are two variations to this, one is a batter coated variety often called fish orly, the recipe for which I share in the Bengali Five Spice Chronicles. Now, I typically do not suggest baked variations to fried dishes because I do not necessarily think that they are up to snuff, this is an exception for two reasons, firstly the baked version is pretty good secondly mom herself has approved it, she created it for my very health conscious brother.
When the British came to rule our country, they brought this Anglo-Indian fish fry with them. It is the Indian version of their fish and chips. First fish pieces are marinated and seasoned with onion, ginger, garlic and mint. Then they are dipped in egg and battered with breadcrumbs. Finally, they are deep fried until golden brown. They are crispy and hard from outside and soft, spicy and juicy from the inside.
1. In a food processor, combine onion, ginger and garlic. Work the mixture until it is a paste. Transfer it to a bowl. In the same food processor, without washing add mint leaves, cilantro and green chili. Work the mixture until it is smooth. With a rubber spatula, transfer to the same bowl. Add chili powder, salt and vinegar. Stir to mix well.
2. In a big mixing bowl, add the fish pieces. Add the marinade mixture and coat the fish well. Cover with cling wrap and set it aside for 15 minutes to 1 hour at room temperature. If you are making them ahead of time, you can store them in the refrigerator overnight.
3. In a bowl, crack eggs. Add flour, salt and black pepper. Stir to mix it well. In a shallow plate, spread the breadcrumbs. Dip the fish pieces in breadcrumb first. Then dip them in egg mixture. After that, coat them again with breadcrumbs. Double dipping makes them really crunchy. Set it aside on a plate.
Dolphia started this blog to document her mum Pratima's recipes. However, she stopped blog in 2017. After her parents shifted to the States Dolphia decided to open the blog again in 2021. You will find helpful articles and Pratima's recipes here.
I had a warm welcome and the ladies in the Unit tried to make me feel at home. The senior officers and wives sent us lunch and dinner and mind you, that is something. That's how I had my first Bengali Fish Curry aka Maccher Jhol.
Hailing from the South, I wasn't accustomed to the strong flavor of mustard and my husband had warned me before taking the first bite. Yes, it was different but I had loved it. It was new and my palette had welcomed the refreshingly variant taste.
Just like Keralites, Bengalis are also extremely fond of fish. Okay. Excluding the vegetarians. Deny us our staple of fish for lunch, and face the wrath forever! Ever since that first jolt and bang of the Bong curry, I had been wanting to try cooking it. But I never got that perfect recipe or the courage to make. Until...
It has few ingredients and they play a crucial role. The strong flavor of mustard and the hotness of green chilies makes the dish delicious and unique from other fish curries. You might find it spicy, but oh yeah, you can't stop eating! Use fishes like Rohu (a kind of freshwater carp), Sea Bass, Catfish, Mullet or Tilapia for preparing this dish.
While cooking with mustard oil, the oil is heated to a smoking point and then cooled down, before using it. This is because mustard oil contains erucic acid which gives a strong pungent smell. Heating to smoking point reduces the pungency.
There are many different ways of making this dish. I had tried a few before which in the end turned out to be a catastrophe. Yeah, I have one of those days as well. But then I mastered this curry and believe me, it is so effing good.
Namaste! I'm Shalini, the blogger behind Something's Cooking(since 2014). I share only our best, family approved recipes with YOU because I've tried and tested every recipe published on this blog. You can find easy Keto, low-carb recipes, and authentic Indian recipes including South Indian (Kerala) foods. You can rest assured that Indian cooking will be made easy. Thanks for stopping by! I'm so happy you're here.
Kill me now! I cannot believe that I'll never be able to make this thanks to being married to a vegetarian. But I'll take this recipe with me to my mom's place and try it there fir sure. The pictures looks so damn yummy!
Oh, that's sad. And I understand. But please do try when you can. And thank you so much. I am trying to improve the photographs.
I will include step by step pictures from now one. Trying to bring some variations. Glad you noticed
I love fish too Shalz, I was just wondering how this curry tastes. You know here in South we don't use any masalas, particularly garam masalas with fish. Its the flavor of fish wholely, so how did you find it? want to hear about this first hand - does it have the mustard oil flavor in it
This is so yummy. I feel like eating the pictures. ? I also love the mustard curry. Recently perfected the recipe after a few tries. Like you mentioned, it takes a little getting used to for non-Bengalis.
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