Fish In Tomato Gravy - Bong Style

 

            This is my version of a simple fish curry in tomato gravy, to be enjoyed with hot steamed rice. Mustard oil is the medium of cooking to give a traditional Bong flavor to this dish. A tsp of ghee to the end product enhances the flavor. The gravy is light on the tummy and a great lunch menu, especially on weekends. There is nothing like having this comfort food along with hot steamed rice. So check out the step by step pictorial recipe to prepare this regional fish curry. 

• 3 pieces of Rohu fish 
• 3-4 tbsp. mustard oil
• 1/2 tsp. cumin seeds
• 2 bay leaves
• 2 dry red chilies
• 2 green cardamoms
• 1 inch cinnamon stick
• 3-4 cloves
• 1 onion, chopped
• 1 tsp. ginger-garlic paste
• 1 tbsp. coriander-cumin powder
• 1/2 tsp. turmeric powder
• 1 tsp. salt or to taste
• 1/2 tsp. garam masala powder
• 2 tomatoes, pureed
• 2 green chilies, slit
• 1 tsp. ghee
• 1 tbsp. coriander leaves, chopped

           Marinate the fish with a pinch of salt and turmeric for 10 minutes. Heat oil in a pan and shallow fry the fish till light brown on both sides. Drain and keep aside.

          Temper the same oil with dry red chilies, cumin seeds, bay leaves, cinnamon, cardamoms and cloves. Sauté for a few seconds.

          Add the onion and fry till light brown. Add the ginger-garlic paste and all the dry spices mixed with 1/4 cup water. Sauté till the oil separates from the sides of the pan.

          Now add the pureed tomatoes and continue to sauté till the moisture has evaporated. 

          Add 1 & 1/2 cups water and bring it to a boil. Add the fried fish and green chilies into the gravy.  Cover and cook on a low flame for 4-5 minutes.

          When done, switch off the flame. Add the ghee and coriander leaves. Enjoy with hot steamed rice. 

Marinate the fish with a pinch of salt & turmeric for 10 minutes. Heat oil in a pan & shallow fry the fish till light brown on both sides. Drain and keep aside.

Temper the same oil with dry red chilies, cumin seeds, bay leaves, cinnamon, cardamoms & cloves. Sauté for a few seconds.

Add the onion and fry till they turn light brown. 

Add the ginger-garlic paste & all the dry spices mixed with 1/4 cup water. Sauté till the oil separates from the sides of the pan.

Now add the pureed tomatoes & continue to sauté till the moisture has evaporated. 

                   Add 1 & 1/2 cups water & bring it to a boil. 

Gently add the fried fish & green chilies into the gravy. Cover & cook on a low flame for 4-5 minutes.

         When done, switch off the flame. Add the ghee & coriander leaves.

                       Serve with hot steamed rice. 

Rui Macher Bhorta (Fish Bharta / Mashed Rohu Fish Curry)

 

          Bharta / Bhorta or mashed curry, be they of any veggie, lentil, fish, chicken or egg is very popular, particularly in Bangladesh and in West Bengal too. This is a great comfort food and goes best with hot steamed rice and with a drizzle of some raw mustard oil. The end product is just so divine and yummy. You may also relish it as a side dish with chapatti. 

          So check out this Rohu Fish Bhorta recipe that is so simple and takes very little time to dish out. It is a very easy recipe as very few ingredients are required to prepare it. This traditional dish is almost a lost recipe now and can be found in only few Bengali homes. Do give it a try by following a step by step pictorial recipe to prepare this amazing classic dish.

          In this recipe, fried fish is deboned and mashed along with sautéed dry red chilies, onion and garlic. This is then mixed along with salt to taste, mustard oil and chopped coriander leaves. Apart from Rohu fish, any other fish of your choice can be used. So when time is a constraint, this dish is the best option.

          However, there is another variation where the de boned and mashed fried fish is mixed with sliced raw onion, chopped green chilies, coriander leaves and mustard oil. Sometimes tomato, lime juice or / and kasundi are also used. Both ways it tastes just divine and is served with hot steamed rice. My choice would be the latter one.

• 4-5 Rohu fish pieces
• pinch of salt & turmeric powder
• 3 tbsp. + 1 tbsp. mustard oil
• 3 dry red chilies
• 1 tbsp. garlic, chopped
• 1 onion, sliced
• salt to taste
• 2-3 tbsp. coriander leaves, chopped
• 1 green chili to garnish (opt)

          Marinate the fish with a pinch of salt and turmeric powder for 5-10 minutes. 

          Heat oil in a kadai / pan and fry the fish till golden. Keep aside to cool. Then debone them and mash well. keep aside. 

          In the same oil, fry the dry red chilies, garlic and onion separately. 

          Mix together the deboned fish, fried onion, garlic, dry red chilies, salt to taste, chopped coriander leaves and mustard oil. 

          Serve with hot steamed rice with a drizzle of remaining mustard oil for a great comfort meal. It tastes divine. 

                   Marinate the fish with a pinch of salt & turmeric powder for 5-10 minutes. 

     Heat oil & fry the fish till golden. 

                             Keep aside to cool. Then debone them and mash well. keep aside. 

                                    In the same oil, fry the dry red chilies, 

                                    garlic

                                    and onion separately. 

                      Mix together the deboned fish, fried onion, garlic, dry red chilies, salt to

                      taste, chopped coriander leaves ....

                                  and mustard oil. 

                                   Form into round balls if preferred. 

                       Serve with hot steamed rice with a drizzle of the remaining mustard oil.

Meen Pollichathu (Kerala Fish Curry)

          For my 1601 post - I tried Meen Pollichathu, a yummy Kerala fish curry cooked in banana leaf. It is both spicy and tangy, but you can adjust the seasonings accordingly. I have used one of my favorite fish - Pomfret, but this recipe is generally done with Pearl Spot fish. 

          It is one of the most popular item in a Kerala non-veg. menu platter and is truly a connoisseurs delight. It is a must try recipe for all the fish lovers. Goes best with hot steamed rice. So check out the step by step pictorial recipe to prepare this regional delicacy.

Ingredients - 

• 2 pomfret fish
• 3 tbsp. coconut oil
• 1 tsp. coriander leaves, chopped
• 1 banana leaf cut into half

Marination - 

• 1 tsp. ginger-garlic paste
• 1/2 tsp. salt or to taste
• 1/2 tsp. turmeric powder
• 1 tsp. coriander powder
• 1 tsp. red chili powder
• 1/2 tsp. pepper powder
• 1 tbsp. lemon juice
• 1 tbsp. coconut oil 

Curry - 

• 1 tbsp. coconut oil
• 1/2 tsp. mustard seeds
• 1-2 onions, chopped
• 1 tsp. ginger, chopped
• 1 tsp. garlic, chopped
• 1-2 green chilies, chopped
• 1 sprig curry leaves
• 1 tomato, chopped
• 1/2 tsp. salt or to taste
• 1 tsp. coriander powder
• 1 tsp. red chili powder
• 1/2 tsp. turmeric powder
• 1/4 tsp. pepper powder
• 1/4 cup tamarind juice
• 2 tbsp. fresh grated coconut 

          Clean the fish and make few slits on both the sides. Keep aside. In a small bowl, mix all the above mentioned ingredients for the marination. 

          Apply the marination on both sides of the fish and keep aside for 25-30 minutes. Heat 2 tbsp. oil in a pan and fry the marinated fish on both sides till done. Keep aside.

          For the curry, add 1 tbsp. oil in another pan and temper with mustard seeds. After it stops spluttering, add the chopped onion, ginger, garlic, green chilies and curry leaves. Sauté till light brown. 

          Add the tomatoes and sauté till it is nicely mashed. Now add all the dry spices and mix well. Then add the coconut and the tamarind juice. Give it a stir and sauté till dry. Keep aside. 

          Pass the banana leaf over the fire for a few seconds to make it soft and pliable. Grease the leaf with a few drops of oil and then spread some of the onion mix, followed by the fried fish. 

          Spread some more of the mix over the other side of the fish. (this way both the sides of the fish should be well coated with the masala.

          Wrap the fish with the banana leaf and tie with a string. Make a similar parcel with the other fish and the remaining masala.

          Heat remaining oil in a pan and place the wrapped banana parcels on it. Cover and cook one side for 3-4 minutes, before flipping it over to cook the other side too. 

          Transfer to a serving plate. While serving, open the wrap and garnish with coriander leaves. Enjoy with hot steamed rice for an exotic meal.





Note - 

1.  You can substitute banana leaf with aluminum foil if the former is unavailable.

2.  Besides Pomfret fish, you can try with any other fish and following the same method. 

                                  Mix the ingredients for the marination. 

                                  Clean the fish & make few slits on both the sides.

                      Apply marination on both sides of the fish & keep aside for 25-30 min.

                                 Heat 2 tbsp. oil & fry marinated fish on both sides till done.

                                   Drain and keep aside. 

                   Add 1 tbsp. oil in another pan & temper with mustard seeds. Then add 
                   onion, ginger, garlic, green chilies & curry leaves. Sauté till light brown. 

                                  Add tomatoes & sauté till it is nicely mashed. 

                                 Add all dry spices & mix well. 

                                 Then add coconut & tamarind juice. Give it a stir.

                                Sauté till dry. Keep aside. 

                          Grease the leaf with a few drops of oil & spread some onion mix.

                       Place the fish over it. Spread some more of the mix over other side of 
                       the fish. (both sides of the fish should be well coated with the masala.

                                 Wrap the fish with banana leaf & tie with a string. 

                                Heat remaining oil & place wrapped banana parcels on it. 

                    Cover & cook one side for 3-4 minutes, before flipping it over to cook the
                     other side too. 

                               While serving, open the wrap & garnish with coriander leaves 

                               & enjoy with hot steamed rice.

Masor Tenga (Assamese Style Fish Curry)

          This is a very popular and a signature dish of Assam, where fish is cooked in a tomato based gravy. 'Masor Tenga' is basically fish in a tangy gravy, where either lime juice or dried mango is also used, besides tomato, to give a tartness to the dish. Veggies like potato, bottle gourd or ridge gourd too are sometimes added to the gravy. 

           There are obviously many versions where every household has their own recipe. The gravy is simple, light and mild. Minimum of spices goes into cooking this dish and it is best relished with hot steamed rice. So check the step by step pictorial recipe to prepare Assam's favourite delicacy.

• 4-5 pieces of Rohu Fish
• 3 tbsp. mustard oil
• 1/2 tsp. fenugreek seeds 
• 1 onion, chopped 
• 1 tsp. ginger-garlic paste
• 2 tomatoes, pureed
• salt to taste
• 1/2 tsp. turmeric powder
• 2 green chilies, slit
• 1 tsp. lime juice
• 1 tbsp. coriander leaves, chopped

          Marinate the fish pieces with a pinch of salt and turmeric powder for 10 minutes. Heat oil in a pan and fry the fish till golden in colour. Drain and keep aside.

          Temper the same oil with fenugreek seeds. Saute for a few seconds and then add the onion. Stir fry till light brown.

          Add the ginger-garlic paste, turmeric powder and green chilies. Saute for a minute and then add the tomato puree and salt. Cover and simmer for a minute more. 

          Add 1 cup water and bring it to a boil. Then add the fried fish. Cover and simmer on a medium flame for 3-4 minutes. 

           When done, add the coriander leaves and lime juice. Switch off the flame and transfer to a serving dish. Serve with hot steamed rice.

                      Marinate fish pieces with a pinch of salt & turmeric powder for 10 min. 

                      Heat oil & fry the fish till golden in colour. Drain a& keep aside.

                     Temper same oil with fenugreek seeds. Saute few seconds & add onion. 
                     Stir fry till light brown. 

                      Add ginger-garlic paste, turmeric powder & green chilies. Saute for
                      a minute. 

                      Add tomato puree & salt. Cover & simmer for a minute more. 

                     Add 1 cup water & bring it to a boil. Add fried fish & simmer, covered 
                     on a medium flame for 3-4 minutes. 

                       When done, add the coriander leaves......

                       .......and lime juice. Switch off flame & transfer to a serving dish. 

                      Serve this Assamese delicacy with hot steamed rice.