I truly believe what Sandip exclaims – maache bhaate Bangali (Fish and rice makes a Bengali). The smell of sautéed onions in macher jhol or sound of spluttering kalo jeera – will surely drive any fish lover crazy.

I still miss the sabji diye macher jhol. Even though I prepare it in my Bangalore home with Andhra rohu, there is no match to the fresh catch from the nearby pond in Kolkata. I miss the freshness of the local pond fishes. The fishes are mostly cold stored and comes to the market almost after 7 days after being caught. Any idea where to get fresh catch in Bangalore?

The not-so-fresh fishes do not add any taste to non-spicy curries, the only way of cooking such fishes is to make a curry with onions, garlic and ginger. I figured out, another way – fish fritters. I have fried the macher vada. If you are calorie conscious, you can also bake it after painting each fritter with little oil or fat. You can use this mix also to make patol-er korma or use it as a stuffing for sandwiches and burgers.

Ingredients:

200 gms rohu or any other fresh water fish
1 large potato, boiled and mashed
1 tablespoon rice flour
1 tablespoon semolina
1 medium size onion, chopped
½ teaspoon turmeric powder
1 teaspoon chili powder
A few sprigs of coriander leaves (optional), chopped
3-4 green chilies
Salt to taste
Oil for frying

Preparation:

• Boil the fish pieces and carefully take out the bones
• Mix with the mashed potato and all other ingredients except the oil
• Make 1” balls with both your palms
• Press the balls from either side to make a flattened shape of half-inch width
• Heat oil in a frying pan
• As the oil gets piping hot, set the fritters to fry one side at a time
• Turn over as one side becomes almost brown in color
• Take out of flame and drain the excess oil patting with a kitchen towel
• Serve hot with tomato sauce and drinks of your choice

Hot Tips – If you want to make it as a burger filling, then prepare the balls larger in size. For making a fish bhurji, fry the onions first then add all other ingredients.

Monsoon has set sail in almost all parts of India, and hilsa, the monsoon queen has arrived in truck loads in the fish markets. But, this fish doesn’t come cheap, a kilogram ranges from 300 INR to 800 INR in India and almost 3-6$ for a pound in US. In spite of that hilsa makes it to the lunch plate in Bengali home.

While eating hilsa during monsoon is almost like a ritual among Bengali, another fish has its stand all through the year. Ask any Biologist, he’ll say its not a fish but a mere insect belonging to the same class as cockroaches and milipedes.  Oops, did you ever thing about that while having prawns/shrimps. I hope not.

Chingri maach (prawn fish) is one of the most loved “fishes” among all fish eaters. Fried or curried shrimps and prawns has its own place among the fish lovers. Whether, you put it in a gourd curry or steamed with mustard paste, shrimps/prawns are just unique to taste. And, when talking about chingri, how can we forget the irresistible authentic Bengali recipe – the chingrir malaikari.

Debjani Chaudhuri, our todays guest has sent a rather different recipe for preparing prawns. The tangy and tasty preparation has loads of mustard paste and raw mangoes to get that familiar yet so different taste of the prawns. Try Debjani’s achari murgh.

Ingredients:

• 250 gms Prawns (washed and deveined).
• 1 ½ tablespoon of yellow and black mustard seeds
• 1 raw mango
• 4-5 Green chilies
• 3 tablespoon mustard oil
• ½ teaspoon chili powder (optional)
• A pinch of turmeric powder
• Salt to taste
• A pinch sugar

Preparation:

• Grind the mustard seeds with 1-2 green chilies, coconut (if adding), and a pinch of salt and little water. Keep aside.
• Smear the prawns with little salt and turmeric and keep covered.
• Heat the oil and add 1-2 green chilies, when splutter, add the prawns.
• Sauté on low for a couple of minutes or till the prawns turn a little coral in color.
• Add the raw mango and a pinch of salt.
• Keep mixing with a very light hand till the raw smell of the mangoes is gone.
• Add the mustard paste and turmeric.
• Give it a good mix and cook on low heat, till it coats the prawns.
• Add 1 cup water.
• Mix, add sugar and salt and if required chili powder.
• Cover and let it simmer on low till all the water evaporates and the gravy coats the prawns.
• Turn off the gas and pour in a serving bowl before it become too thick.
• Treat your taste buds with hot and tangy Chingri Aam Kashundi.

Hot Tips – I personally like to keep the head for more flavors. One can omit according to wish. On un-availability of mustard paste, you can add kashundi. Add 3tsp of kashundi. I have cut it into small cubes, you can use it grated. You can add 3 tablespoon of grated coconut to balance the pungency of mustard n tart of green mango.

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I have never gone to any Fish market (macher bajar) other than in Kolkata (in Bangalore I like shopping my kitchen requirements at Spencer’s), and so am not aware of the non-Kolkata Macher Bajar scene. The mud-spattered floors of the fish market,  big chunks of ice being crushed in gunny bags, the fishy smell (which is actually a mix of smells of 20 different fish types) hovering all over and the shouts and calls from all the vendors gives the fish market its distinct feel. Bengalis love fish and to top it, Bongs love buying fish from those dirty fish markets.

I am sure there aren’t any fish markets in any part of India that can compete with the variety of fishes sold in fish stalls in Bengal. Fishes from the nearby ponds, fishes from rivers, fishes from seas – you name it and it will sure be available there. There are different seasons where some fishes are available predominantly; monsoon brings one such fish that you can call the “Queen of fishes”, the quintessential Ilish, or Hilsa. This sea fish comes to the river for laying eggs, their flesh gets sweetened by the fresh water of the river and that’s the best catch. Hilsa from the Ganges and Padma are world famous.

Hilsa costs a fortune so to say, the last time I went to the market a couple of days back it was 500INR per kilogram. But, price doesn’t make the fish lovers stay away from this silver delicacy. The shiny silvery colors with a pinkish tinge on its dorsal side make this fish a discrete item among all other fishes. Other than fish Bengalis have another obsession, its football, and nothing can better the fish football combo. It has almost become a custom for the fans of East Bengal Club (a county football club in Kolkata, for the uninitiated) to celebrate the team’s wins with a platter of Ilish. I’m not sure of the origin of this combo. If you know about the relationship, I request you to comment about the connection between East Bengal’s wins and hilsa.

The softness of its flesh and its awesome taste has made it the queen among all fishes. But, some people who are not so much efficient on taking out bones from fishes like to stay away from hilsa. So, to end this problem Marco Polo, a fine dining restaurant in Kolkata and now nationwide popular restaurant Oh! Calcutta had been hosting festival for Boneless Hilsa, not sure though how it will taste.

Fish is indispensable in any Bengali celebration, and if the festival / celebration is in the monsoons, Hilsa is always present at the dinner table. There are scores of different dishes prepared with Ilish –  Ilish Bhapa, Ilish pulao, Ilish macher  jhol, and many others. But the most quick and easy one is the fried hilsa. A tablespoon of the oil in which the fish was fried with warm rice and a piece of the fried fish - I’m sure any Bengali would give up his tooth and eyes to have such a platter.

I had seen my mom frying fish in the same old wok since the time I used to peek into her kitchen. This time I thought of trying out something new. I fried the hilsa in microwave. It turned out to be a success, the quantity of oil for frying was also less and was hassle free, that’s the best part of microwave cooking, I believe.

What’s your Ilish memory?

• 4 pieces hilsa/ilish fillets
  
• 1/2 teaspoon Turmeric powder
  
• 2 tablespoon Mustard Oil
  
• Salt to taste

Preparation:

• Wash the fish pieces and put it in an open microwave safe bowl
• Coat the hilsa pieces with turmeric powder and salt
• Add the mustard oil over the fish
• Put the bowl in microwave oven and microwave high (800watts) for 7 – 8mins
• Serve hot with warm rice

Hot Tips – You can also cook it in an wok, take a little more oil than mentioned here and heat it in a wok. Gently slide the fish into the wok and fry one side at a time turning it once the side has become brown and cooked.

Further Reading – Bengal-Hilsa, Ilish Curry

Some years back, I had gone to Shimla with my parents and younger sister, who had just got promoted to first standard. 3 days we stayed at the Hotel Oberoi Cecil in Shimla. The gorgeous hotel with its lavish spread, I was in love with the hotel. But, from the second day onwards my kid sister started craving for ma-er macher jhol (fish curry – mom’s style). So much so that on the second day she entered the kitchen and went to the chef asking to prepare a fish curry with potatoes. And, there from the Oberoi kitchen came out, which nobody expected – a fish curry similar to what mom always cooks at home.

I later reasoned that she asked for that non spicy fish curry which was familiar. This happens to almost all of us. A Bengali staying in New York will surely know the address of the nearest Bengali restaurant.

At home, back in Kolkata, a summer lunch always consist of shukto, dal and fries, a vegetable curry and of course a non vegetarian gravy dish that might include fish, egg or meat, but preferably fish. The fish in most days is prepared with the minimum amount of spices keeping in mind the hot and humid weather of the Tropics.

The mom made fish curry is something that can’t be matched with anything on earth. Whether you visit one of the finest fine-dining or the neighborhood restaurant, I have never found any restaurant providing with the typical daily meals.

I have visited Bengali restaurants in Bangalore from Oh! Calcutta, St. Mark’s Road to Bangaliana, Koramangala just in search of that typical rui mahcer jhol (rohu curry) with lots of vegetables. But, never did I find it. So, here am back to my kitchen trying to reproduce mom’s style fish curry. Click on this link for more such authentic Bengali recipe.

Ingredients:

• 4 fillets of rohu or catla (fresh water fishes)
• 1 six-inch ridge gourd
• 1 medium potato
• 4-5 florets of cauliflower
• 2-3 pointed gourd
• 1 teaspoon nigella/kalonji
• 1 teaspoon turmeric powder
• 1 teaspoon cumin powder
• 1/2 bay leaves
• Salt to taste
• Few sprigs of coriander leaves (optional)

Preparation:

• Cut all the vegetables longitudinally, wash, mix with little turmeric powder and salt
• Heat about 2 tablespoon of oil in a wok and toss the vegetables till lightly fried, keep aside
• Wash the fish fillets well, and mix them with turmeric and salt. Drain out the extra water
• Pour in another 2 tablespoon of oil in the wok and as the oil get piping hot fry the fish fillets till the fish is soft and tender
• Add all the spices except nigella in a bowl and mix with water to make a smooth mixture
• Take in 1 tablespoon of fresh mustard oil in the wok, throw in the nigella and bay leaves
• As the spices start sputtering pour in the spice mixture and little water
• Stir well till the oil separates
• Add the vegetables and mix with the spices
• Toss for a little while (1-2 mins) and pour in about 2 cups of water
• As the vegetables get almost cooked add the fried fishes and  cook till the gravy sips inside the fish
• Serve garnished with coriander with warm white rice

Hot Tips – You can use bhetki instead of rohu or catla for the same preparation. The shape of vegetables has a good percentage in deciding the taste and texture of this fish curry. So, while chopping the veggies keep in mind to slice them to almost same sizes.

I have used four different vegetables in this rohu curry, if you don’t get all of these you can just use a combination of any of the four.

Paila Baisakh, the first day of the Bengali New Year is just a week to go. Its definitely a big day for all Bongs all over the world. It’s a day to celebrate the joy of being a Bengali – food, new clothes and of course Rabindra Sangeet. The way of celebrating may have changed over time, but you just can’t find a Bengali who doesn’t want to celebrate this day. The Chaitra sale in Gariahat market is just something indispensable. If you are in Kolkata at this time of the year, you should definitely make it a point to visit Gariahat – from big shops to the street vendors, everybody has the “SALE” tag hanging.  The essence of Poila baisakh is being a Bengali in heart. You may celebrate it in a club with friends over a peg of JohnnyWalker, but your heart still beats to the rhythm of “esho hain Baisakh esho esho”.

We at Cook Like a Bong wanted to share our joy with you all, and so we have planned to share one recipe everyday till Paila Baisakh. Starting from today, the menu starts with the Bong favourite – fish. Tel koi is an authentic Bengali recipe, and a must have with warm rice for lunch.

Ingredients:

• 8 koi fish

• 2 tablespoon cumin seeds
• 2 teaspoon red chilli powder
• 2 teaspoon turmeric powder
• ½ teaspoon garam masala
• ½ teaspoon clarifies butter
• 3 tablespoon mustard oil
• Salt to taste

Preparation:

• Grind 1 ½ tablespoon cumin seeds, and mix with the chilli and turmeric powder

• Strain with a chakni, and mix with water
• Heat the oil in a wok and add the extra cumin seeds
• Put in the koi fish and the spice mixture
• Pour in water and cook covered till the fish is soft
• Sprinkle the garam masala and ghee
• Serve hot with rice

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Yes, we bled blue. After 28 years of wait, at last the world cup came back once again to India. The excitement and thrill was at its peak. Just as Dhoni played the shot the last 6, the dream for Sri Lanka was over. The entire country rejoiced. Just before the match, the roads seemed to be deserted like in during strikes, but the scene changed just after that last shot. It seemed the entire city has come out – age no bar – every body was on the road sharing their bit of joy. Here’s one click from the roads, for more click on to Chak De India album.

To share this joy here’s a simple recipe from us – ilish paturi in microwave. Paturi literally means cooking something wrapped in fresh leaves, generally plantain. The mkicrowave recipe is a simple and quick one without any hassle. Click for more hilsa recipe.

Ingredients:

• 8 pieces of ilish/hilsa
• 8 pieces of 6” square plantain leaves
• ½ cup mustard seed paste
• 1 teaspoon turmeric powder
• 8 green chillies
• 4 tablespoon mustard oil
• Salt to taste
• Kitchen thread for wrapping

Preparation:

• Clean the fish, mix all the spices; season with salt
• Pour the oil generously over the fish
• Wrap each piece with plantain leaf and tie with the kitchen thread
• Place the pieces on a microwave safe plate
• Micro high (100% /  800 watts) for 6-8min
• Serve hot with warm rice

Hot Tips – Before wrapping, roast the leaves for a minute to make them soft and easier to fold. The fresh leaves tend to break along the veins. While wrapping make sure that no part of the fish is outside the leaf, which will make it very dry.

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We at Cook Like a Bong love to see that our readers are so eager to share our recipes and so every month you try to include a couple of guest posts to our blog. This guest post is shared by a very nice Bengali couple – Anindita and Shantanu.

Asked to describe their passion for food, they said – “Both of us love to eat and also share the passion of cooking. We spent some good quality time in the kitchen, experimenting and trying many different recipes. Our blog name ‘Bhalo Khabo’ says it all ‘Let’s cook something good to eat‘.

Ingredients:

• Ilish or Hilsa
• ½  cup Yogurt
• 2-3 tbsp Mustard Paste
• ½  tsp Turmeric Powder
• Mustard Oil  (Preferred, otherwise any other oil would even do)
• ½  tsp Kalo Jeera (Kalonji Seeds)
• 3-4 Green Chillies
• Chopped Cilantro

Preparation:

• Clean the hilsa pieces and pat dry them. Season them with salt and turmeric powder.
• Now heat Mustard Oil in a wok, and slowly put the fish pieces one by one and fry them lightly
• In a bowl mix the yogurt and the mustard paste, add the turmeric powder. Remove the fish pieces after they are fried and keep the oil aside. (We Bengali’s love this oil with plain rice.)
• Add some fresh oil to the wok and temper with the Kalo Jeera seeds and let them splutter.
• Turn the heat to low and add the yogurt and mustard paste and  the green chillies.
• As the oil starts separating, add the fish, salt and a cup of water, cover and cook for sometime. Serve with hot Basmati Rice.
• Garnish with a few drops of fresh mustard oil and chopped cilantro and enjoy the Bengali Delicacy.

Further Reading – Ilish Bhapa

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The availability of a particular food builds up its niche in the local cuisine. So, has been the case with shrimps and prawns in Eastern Indian cuisine, especially in Bengali recipes. There are many rivers flowing through Bengal and that makes the fresh catch so popular in all Bengali cookings. Be it the simple rohu curry or the much coveted steamed Hilsa, it seems we Bengalis cannot complete a meal without fish. And, if that fish spells shrimps there can’t be a happier fellow.

While cooking fish seems to be a rather difficult task for those who are new to the kitchen techniques, the veteran ladies find it comforting to get hold of a simple fish curry, which will tickle the senses when served. This shrimp recipe in microwave is definitely for all (read the newcomers and pros in kitchen). While the chingri bhapa or steamed shrimp takes much longer to cook on your stoves it’s just a matter of six to eight minutes in the microwave. I assure you, anybody can cook this one.

Ingredients:

• 250gms deshelled and deveined shrimps
• 6 tablespoon of mustard seeds paste
• ½ cup fresh and thick coconut milk
• 1 teaspoon turmeric powder
• 4 /5 green chili, slit from middle
• 4 tablespoon mustard oil
• Salt to taste

Preparation:

• Clean the shrimps thoroughly and put in a microwave safe bowl with alid
• Put in all the ingredients and  mix well
• Place the bowl in a microwave oven and cook covered on microwave high (100%) for 6 -8 min or till the shrimps turn a little hard
• Serve hot with warm white rice

Hot Tips – Instead of putting the shrimps in a bowl you can also use a pulpy green coconut, put everything inside and cook on microwave medium for 8 – 10mins.

If you are health conscious then you can just cut down the amount of oil and also take out the husk from the mustard seeds paste.

This microwave preparation goes to MEC: Gravies and Curries hosted by Srivalli of Cooking 4 All Seasons. And also to Anyone Can Cook hosted at Taste of Pearl City.

5 Spices, 50 Dishes: Simple Indian Recipes Using Five Common Spices

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Bengal had always been the land of invasions. Dutch, Portuguese, Muslims and the British – everybody had ruled over this state at one point of time or the other. These invasions had a great impact in the social and economic arena of the state. The culinary field was not left behind. The indigenous Bengali cuisine had been influenced by these invaders. In spite of these influences there are some recipes which can always be called as authentic Bengali recipe. One such is the pui-er dana diye chingri maach (Malabar spinach seeds with shrimps).

This recipe is a typical Bangal style recipe and is cooked with a concoction of few spices to retain the green and fresh smell of the seeds. I have used fresh shrimps to prepare this recipe, but you can also use chingri shutki (dried shrimps) too. While using the dried shrimps, fry it similarly as when using the fresh shrimps.

Ingredients:

• 1 cup Malabar spinach (Pui) seeds
• ½ cup small shrimps
• ½ cup thinly sliced potatoes
• ½ cup thinly sliced pumpkin
• 1 medium sized onion, julienne
• 1 teaspoon turmeric powder
• 1 teaspoon chilli powder
• 1 tablespoon garlic paste
• 4 tablespoon mustard oil
• Salt to taste

Preparation

• De-vein and clean the shrimps
• Heat 1 ½ tablespoon of mustard oil in a wok, as it turns piping hot, add the shrimps and stir fry till they turn a little hard, keep aside
• Pour in the extra oil and sauté onions, add the garlic paste
• Drop in the potatoes and pumpkin as the onions turn translucent, cook for sometime
• Season with the spices and salt
• Add the pui seeds and cook till they soften
• Add the shrimps and cook for 2-3 minutes more
• Take out of flame and serve hot with warm white rice

Hot Tips – It is very essential to clean the shrimps properly. While frying the shrimps, just don’t let the shrimps turn too hard, else the shrimps will turn chewy.

Further Reading – Chanchra, Lutiya Shutki

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The Ghoti Bangal rivalry dates back probably from the day the partition of India, or probably even before that. The competition extends cuisine to sports. The chingri bhalo na ilish bhalo (whether prawns are better than hilsa or vice versa) fight will probably never end.

For the uninitiated, here is a little background. If you know about Ghoti-Bangal bonhomie (or rather, the lack of it) already, skip the next two paras. Those who originally hailed from present Bangladesh are the Bangal brigade, while those who lived in West Bengal belong to the Ghoti section. Bengalis take the Ghoti-Bangal fight so seriously that the price of hilsa or prawns depends on the winning of East Bengal (representing Bangals) or Mohun Bagan (the Ghoti team) football clubs on the day of match. Imagine the irony being, at present several team members in both the teams are not even of Indian origin.

When we talk about Ghoti and Bangal, we just can’t stop without bringing into account the style they cook. I am a Bangal, and so I am generally biased towards the Eastern sideJ, ok, at least for the cooking part of it. The richness of spices among the Bangal cuisine is somehow missed in the Ghoti style, which rely on mainly the sweet taste of the curry. While frying and gravies are the main essence of the Eastern style of cooking, boiling, roasting demands the attention from the Ghoti brigade.

All said and heard, there is one particular dish which even many Bangals fear to consume, leave apart the Ghotis – it’s none other than the Shutki, the dry fish curry. This dry fish curry is mainly had by the Bangals who originally hailed from Chittagong, a coastal district of Bangladesh. Many fishes are cleaned and dried in the sun, but the most popular being the Bombay duck or loitta.

Once while browsing through one of the very popular Bengali restaurants in Bangalore, I came over a Shutki preparation, but just below it was a little phrase written in bold and italics – “Not for the weak at heart” – yes of course this very preparation is not for the faint hearted. The pungent smell of the dry fish along with the hot and spicy gravy makes this typical Bengali recipe a class of its own.

Ingredients:

• 200 gms of Dry Bombay Duck (Shutki)
• 1 cup potato, peeled and chopped into 1 inch square
• 1 cup pumpkin, peeled and chopped into 1 inch square
• ½ cup julienned onion
• 1 teaspoon turmeric powder
• 1 teaspoon chilli powder
• 10 -12 cloves of garlic
• 1 tablespoon ginger garlic paste
• 4 tablespoon of mustard oil
• Salt to taste

Preparation:

• Roast the dry fish for a minute or two to get rid off the sand
• Keep the roasted fish in lukewarm water with ½ teaspoon salt for about 15min
• Cut the fish into 2 inch long pieces, discard the head and tail
• Heat the mustard oil in a wok
• Sauté the julienned onions, garlic cloves till the onions turn transparent
• Throw in the ginger-garlic paste
• Add the potatoes, pumpkin and fish along with the powdered spices and salt
• Cook till the vegetables soften
• Serve hot with warm rice and enjoy this Chittagong specialty

Hot Tips – If you roast the fish for long the flesh will come out of the fish. So, just roast it for a minute or two. Don’t pour hot water to the roasted fish; it will make the pieces gooey.

Further Reading – Bombay Duck Fritters, Chanchchra

This post goes to Sujana’s first blog event “Celebrating Regional Cuisine”

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