Begun diye Tangra Macher Jhaal (Fresh River Water Fish cooked with Eggplants - Bong style)

 

          Check out this traditional homemade style Bengali fish curry prepared along with eggplants. However, you can also cook it with potatoes, green papaya or parwal (pointed gourd). It goes best with hot steamed rice and is a common dish found on a Bengali platter. 

          The fish used in this recipe is Tangra which is a fresh river water fish. It is prepared in a thin gravy with minimum of spices. A tsp. of raw mustard oil can be drizzled on the end product to enhance the flavour and for some pungency. So check out the step by step pictorial recipe to prepare this simple regional recipe.

• 10-12 tangra fish, cleaned, washed & drained
• 1 long eggplant, cut lengthwise
• 3 tbsp. mustard oil
• 1-2 green chilies, slit
• 1/2 tsp. nigella seeds (kalonji)
• 1/2 tsp. turmeric powder
• 1 tsp. cumin powder powder
• 1 tsp. red chili powder
• salt to taste
• 1 tsp. coriander leaves, chopped

          Marinate the fish with a pinch of salt and turmeric powder for 5-10 minutes. Make a paste with turmeric powder, red chili powder and cumin powder along with some water and keep aside.

          Heat oil in a pan and stir fry the eggplants and the marinated fish separately till light golden in colour. Drain and keep aside.

          Temper the same oil with kalonji and green chilies. Sauté for a few seconds. Add the spice paste and sauté till the oil separates. 

           Add 1 & 1/2 cups water and salt. Bring to a boil and gently drop in the fried fish and eggplant. Cover and simmer on a medium flame for 2-3 minutes.

          When done, garnish with coriander leaves and serve with hot steamed rice.

                                       Heat oil in a pan and stir fry the eggplants.......

                       & the marinated fish separately till light golden in colour. Keep aside.

                        Temper the same oil with kalonji & green chilies. Sauté for a few seconds. 

Add the spice paste and sauté till the oil separates. 

Add 1 & 1/2 cups water and salt. Bring to a boil.

Gently drop in the fried fish & eggplant. Cover & simmer for 2-3 min.

When done, garnish with coriander leaves.

                                 Serve with hot steamed rice.

                                     

Lau Ilish (Hilsa Fish cooked with Bottle Gourd - Bengali Style)

           Hilsa, being a very popular fish among the Bengali crowd, is made into many types of delectable dishes. So here is a very traditional delicacy where bottle gourd is cooked along with the fish. Minimum of spices are required and it is then relished only with steamed rice. In the absence of Hilsa, you can go ahead and try it with any other fresh river water fish. Fish head too can be made use of instead. So check out for a step by step pictorial recipe to prepare it.

• 2-3 pieces of Hilsa fish 
• 250 gms. bottle gourd, sliced
• 1 potato, cut lengthwise
• 2-3 tbsp. mustard oil
• 1 tsp. nigella seeds (kalonji)
• salt to taste
• 1/2 tsp. turmeric powder
• 1 tsp. roasted cumin powder 
• 2 green chilies, slit
• 1 tsp. raw mustard oil
• 1 tsp. coriander leaves, chopped

          Marinate the fish pieces with a pinch of salt and turmeric powder for 5 minutes. Heat oil in a pan and fry the fish till light golden in colour. Drain and keep aside. 

          Temper the same oil with nigella seeds. Add the potatoes and fry till light brown. Then add the sliced bottle gourd, green chilies, salt, turmeric powder and cumin powder. 

          Mix everything well and cook, covered on a low flame for 2-3 minutes. Add 1 cup water and continue to simmer till the gourd turns soft. 

          Now add the fried fish and raw mustard oil. Mix well and simmer for a minute more. 

          Switch off the flame and garnish with coriander leaves. Serve with hot steamed rice for a sumptuous lunch. 

                     Temper the oil with nigella seeds. Add the potatoes and fry till light brown.

                                 Then add the sliced bottle gourd, 

                     green chilies, salt, turmeric powder and cumin powder. Mix everything well 
                     and cook, covered on a low flame for 2-3 minutes. 

                           Add 1 cup water and continue to simmer till the gourd turns soft. 

                    Add the fried fish & raw mustard oil. Mix well & simmer for a minute more

                                  Switch off the flame and garnish with coriander leaves. 

                                 Serve with hot steamed rice for a sumptuous lunch. 

Ilish Macher Tomato Shorshe Jhaal (Fish in Tomato-Mustard Gravy - Bengali Style)

          This is a very popular and a favourite fish among most of the Bengali crowd, including me. It is a fresh river water fish and can be prepared in many ways. It is a must in the menu of any Bengali platter. So here is a traditional Bengali Fish in Tomato-Mustard gravy. 

          It is prepared with minimum of ingredients. So less effort but the end result is extremely yummy. It is best relished with plain steamed rice. You can cook any other fish, too, in the same way. A little bit of raw mustard oil and coriander leaves added to the end product gives an authentic touch and a very nice flavour to the dish.

• 2-3 pieces of Hilsa fish (fresh river water fish)
• 1-2 tomatoes, blended into a puree
• 2-3 tbsp. mustard oil
• 1/2 tsp. nigella seeds
• 1-2 green chilies, slit
• salt to taste
• 1/2 tsp. turmeric powder
• 1 tbsp. kasundi / mustard paste
• 1 tsp. raw mustard oil
• 1 tsp. coriander leaves, chopped

          Marinate the fish pieces with a pinch of salt and turmeric powder for 5-10 minutes. Heat oil in a pan and fry the fish till light golden in colour. Drain and keep aside.

          Temper the same oil with nigella seeds and green chilies. Add the tomato puree, kasundi and turmeric powder. Saute till the oil separates.

          Now add 1 & 1/2 cup water and salt. Bring it to boil. Then gently drop in the fried fish and simmer, covered for 2-3 minutes on a low flame. 

          Switch off the flame and add the mustard oil. Garnish with coriander leaves and serve with plain steamed rice. 

Tangra Macher Jhol (Bengali Fish Curry)

          As a seafood lover, I love any small fish too, besides prawns. So Here is a simple, easy and a traditional homemade fish curry which is only relished with hot steamed rice. The fish used is Tangra fish which is a fresh river water fish. The recipe that I am sharing is a thin gravy made out of minimum of spices. Vegetables of your choice can also be added.

          It is one of the favorite fish among the smaller varieties, for most of the Bengalis. A little bit of raw mustard oil to the end product enhances the flavour and I like to have my macher jhol bhaat (Fish curry & rice) with a dash of lime.

• 5-6 tangra fish, cleaned, washed & drained
• salt to taste
• 1/2 tsp. turmeric powder
• 3 tbsp. mustard oil
• 1/2 tsp. kalonji (nigella seeds)
• 1 tsp. ginger paste
• 1 tsp. cumin powder powder
• 2 green chilies, slit
• 1 tsp. coriander leaves, chopped
• 1 tsp. raw mustard oil

          Marinate the fish with a pinch of salt and turmeric powder for 5-10 minutes. Heat oil in a pan and fry the marinated fish on both sides till light golden in colour. Drain and keep aside.

          Temper the same oil with kalonji and green chilies. Sauté for a few seconds. Add the ginger paste, cumin powder and turmeric powder mixed with 1/4 cup water.

          Sauté till dry. Add 1 & 1/2 cups water and salt. Bring it to a boil and gently drop in the fried fish. Cover and simmer on a medium flame for 2-3 minutes.

          When done, add the raw mustard oil and switch off the flame. Garnish with coriander leaves and serve with plain steamed rice.

Doodh Ilish (Hilsa Fish in Milk Gravy - Bengali Style)

          This extremely flavourful Hilsa fish is very popular among most of the Bengalis, including me. Protein rich with omega 3 fatty acids, it is prepared in many ways. This is one way where it is cooked in milk which is very light on the tummy. 

          Extremely yummy, it is best had with hot steamed rice. The addition of  raw mustard oil to the end product makes it more appetizing. If Ilish (river water fish) is not available, it can be prepared with prawns. This recipe is apt for any special occasions. So give it a try by checking out the step by step pictorial recipe to prepare it.

• 2 pieces of Ilish Mach (Hilsa Fish)
• 1 tsp. nigella seeds(kalonji)
• 1 tsp. cumin seeds
• 1" ginger
• 1-2 green chilies
• 2-3 tbsp. mustard oil
• 1/2 tsp. panch phoron (equal quantities of fennel, fenugreek, mustard, cumin & nigella seeds)
• salt to taste
• 1/2 tsp. turmeric powder
• 1 cup milk
• 2 green chilies, slit
• 1-2 tsp. raw mustard oil to drizzle
• 1 tsp. coriander leaves, chopped

          Grind together nigella seeds, cumin seeds, ginger and green chilies to a fine paste. Keep aside. 

          Marinate the fish with a pinch of salt and turmeric powder for 5-10 minutes. Heat oil in a pan and shallow fry the marinated fish till they are slightly brown. Drain and keep aside.

          Temper the same oil with panch phoron. Saute for a few seconds and then add the ground paste along with turmeric powder. Fry on a medium flame till it leaves the sides of the pan. 

          Add the milk, slit green chilies and salt. Bring it to a boil and then add the fried fish. Simmer for 2-3 minutes. 

          When done, add the coriander leaves and switch off the flame. While serving, drizzle some raw mustard oil and enjoy with hot steamed rice.

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

                     Heat oil & shallow fry marinated fish till light brown. Drain & keep aside.

                      Temper the same oil with panch phoron. Saute for a few seconds.

                     Add ground paste & turmeric powder. Fry on a med. flame till it leaves
                     the sides of the pan. 

                      Add milk, slit green chilies & salt. Bring to a boil.

                      Add fried fish & simmer for 2-3 minutes. 

                      Add coriander leaves & switch off the flame. 

                   While serving, drizzle some raw mustard oil & enjoy with hot steamed rice.

                      

Tangra Macher Jhaal (Cat Fish Curry - Bengali Style)

          This simple yet delicious fish curry is a favourite one with most of the Bengali crowd. Tangra Maach or Cat Fish is a small variety of river water fish. It is prepared in many ways, either with mustard paste, tomato puree or just a simple thin gravy. It is relished with plain steamed rice for a satisfying meal any day of the week.

• 250 gms. Tangra Fish (Cat Fish), cleaned & rinsed
• salt to taste
• 1/2 tsp. turmeric powder
• 2-3 tbsp. mustard oil
• 1/2 tsp. kalonji (nigella seeds)
• 1-2 green chilies, slit
• 1 onion, chopped
• 1 tsp. ginger-garlic paste
• 1 tsp. coriander-cumin powder
• 1 tsp. red chili powder
• 1 tsp. coriander leaves, chopped

          Marinate the fish with a pinch of salt and turmeric powder for 10-15 minutes. Heat oil in a pan and fry them till light golden in colour. Drain and keep aside.

          Temper the same oil with kalonji and green chilies. Add the onion and saute till light brown. Now add the ginger-garlic paste and all the dry spices mixed with a little water.

          Fry on a low flame till the oil separates. Add 1 1/2 cups water and bring it to a boil. Gently drop in the fried fish pieces and simmer for 2-3 minutes or till you get the desired consistency. 

          When done, add the coriander leaves and relish along with plain steamed rice.