Doi Maachh .... Fish in Yogurt Gravy

Fresh Sweet water fish, minimum spices, awesome to eat....that's the perfect recipe for Doi Maachh, as cooked by my Ma. 

Having received Peti pieces (belly pieces which are buttery soft and oh so delicious) of Fresh Katla of 3 kg above size, I decided there and then that Doi Machh it will be,,,  

In this particular recipe of my Ma, the fish are not fried prior to dunking in the gravy, as is done in most Rui Katla preparations. The preparation is a blend of sweet and hot.

Ingredients :

Katla fish - 5 pieces (about 300 gms)

Curd - 1 medium sized bowl

Ginger paste - 1 tsp

Sugar - 1.5 tsp for marination + extra as required

Salt  -  2 tsp for marination + extra as required

Garlic Paste - 1 tsp

Tej Pata / Bay Leaf - 2

Whole Garam Masala - Cardamom, Cinnamon sticks, cloves 

Onion chopped - 1 medium sized

Onion paste - 1 medium sized

Oil (mustard / Rice bran) - 2 tbsp

Ghee - 1 tbspn + 1 tspn for garnishing

Kashmiri Mirch - 1 tspn

Red Chili Powder - 1 tspn

Coriander leaves - chopped ... for garnishing

Procedure :

1. Wash the fish .

2. For marination : Mix a bowl of curd + ginger paste+sugar+salt. 

3. Marinate the fish in this slurry for minimum 1/2 hour.

4. In a kadhai, heat a mix of Oil + Ghee.

5. Temper with Tej Pata and whole garam masala.

6. Now add the chopped onion and fry till pink. 

7. While frying the chopped onion, add garlic paste and then add onion paste and fry well till browned to eliminate the raw smell. 

8. Add kashmiri mirch and red chili powder and fry well on medium heat till the onion and masala paste are well fried. 

9. Now lower the heat and add the curd slurry of the marination. Mix well with the onion-masala paste.

10. Now raise the heat and place the fish pieces in the kadhai and gently turn them around to coat them well with the masala and curd mix.

11. Add a cup of warm water. Lower the flame, Cover the kadhai and bring to a boil. Check the salt and sugar. The gravy should be sweet-tangy-midly hot.

12. Garnish with ghee and chopped coriander leaves.

Serve with steaming hot rice.

Sheddho Mushirir Dal...comfort food

Boiled Red Lentil 

 

Lunch (or Dinner) can't get simpler than this....

Phyana Bhaat (soft , runny, aromatic rice), ce), Sheddho Daal (boiled dal), Dim Sheddho (boiled Egg), Alu Sheddho (boiled potato)...

It's a Bong's comfort food that transports him/her to food nirvana 😋.

Ingredients : 

Masoor Dal.... 75 -100gm

Garlic pods...8-10

Tomato...1 large...roughly diced

Green chili...as many as per heat tolerance

Butter ...2 cubes of 1cm each (can be replaced with mustard oil or ghee)

Diced Onions can also be used which I avoided today. Add diced onions if using, alongside the tomatoes.

For the Phyana Bhaat (soft runny aromatic rice), I used the traditional Gobindobhog Rice...due to an extra whistle of the pressure cooker, it wasnt as runny as I wanted...but the divine aroma enhanced with dollops of ghee made my day.

Procedure :

1. Wash the dal. 

2. In a pressure cooker, place the washed dal, garlic pods, salt, a pinch of turmeric, chopped tomatoes, diced onions (I avoided), 2-3 green chilies, 2 cubes of butter / garlic butter / 1 tsp of ghee or mustard oil 

3. Add 400ml of water. Pressure cook till 3 whistles go off.

4. Let the pressure release naturally. Open the pressure cooker and give the dal a swirl to enhance its creamy consistency. Add water if required, but this boiled dal is had a bit thicker than your normal everyday Masoor Dal (Patla mushurir dal).

5. Best served with steaming hot phyana bhaat, Alu Sheddho/Chokha , Dim Sheddho with further (optional) dollops of butter or ghee for extra indulgence.

 
This Dal tastes awesome as a Lentil Soup...warm, buttery, creamy, with or without a crisp buttered bread toast

Dimer Dalna (Poached Egg Curry) Shakshouka Style

Shakshouka ...Bengalified !

That the easy peasy Poached Egg curry was a dish with a fancy name (Shashouka), was something I learnt during random cookery reels on social media.

In my kitchen this simple poached egg curry was born around 27 years back when I had started living on my own and more importantly started cooking without Ma's supervision. No need to boil the eggs...Easy, Quick, dinner ready in minutes.

Much much later, came to know that it's a dish on its own merit with a fancy name too.

Here's my Bangali Shashouka or Poached Dimer Dalna :

Ingredients : (Serves 4)

1. Eggs - 4

2. Chopped Onions - 2 

3. Pureed Tomatoes - I used 4. .... The more the merrier...completely a personal choice

4. Whole Garam Masala - Cinnamon. Cardamom (green), Cloves

5. Whole dry Red Chili - 1 or 2

6. Bay Leaf / Tej Pata - 1 or 2

7. Ginger Garlic Paste

8. Whole garlic cloves - because I love fried garlic...may be skipped

9. Masala Paste - Turmeric+Cumin+Coriander+Red Chili+ Kashmiri Chili

10. Salt to taste

11. Milk Cream (Accumulated Malai) - a bowl...again completely optional...I had  a bowl ...hence used

12. Chopped Coriander Leaves

13. Green Chilies-As per heat tolerance 

14. Mustard Oil  - 3 tbspn

Procedure :

1. Heat mustard oil until it reaches smoking point. Add whole garam masala, red chilies, and bay leaves to temper.

2. Add garlic cloves (if using) until lightly browned. Then add onions, ginger-garlic paste, and a pinch of sugar. Sauté until golden.

3. Stir in tomato puree. Cover and cook for 2–3 minutes until softened.

4. Now add the masala paste mentioned at Sl.9 of Ingredients followed by the malai / milk cream..Cook on high for 3–4 minutes to eliminate raw flavors.

5. Now make four (or as many eggs you have) circular hollows on the bed of the gravy. (Picture 5).  Break the eggs one at a time into the hollows. I break the eggs , one at a time into a small bowl and slide each egg into the hollow gently. Lower the flame. Cover and cook till the eggs solidify. If you like runny yolks, the cooking time at this stage will be lower. This is a personal choice.

6. Garnish with chopped coriander, slit green chilies. Serve with rice, bread or just as it is. .... 

We had our shakshouka style easy Bengali egg curry for dinner with steamed rice.

Kanch Kolar Kofta

Curry made of Raw Banana Dumplings 

Kanch Kolar Kofta is a pure vegetarian delicacy of Bengal, often cooked sans onion & garlic.

However today's preparation was prepared with Onions but sans garlic.

When a colleague distributed fresh home grown Raw Bananas from his "kheti", I ditched the idea of making crispy shallow fried banana chips and decided to make the slightly more elaborate Kanch Kolar Kofta Curry.

Ingredients :

• For the Koftas

  *      kachkola (unripe, green bananas) - 2 

  *      boiled potato - 1 large sized

  *      onion paste – 1 small onion (can be skipped if totally sattvik vegetarian)

  *      ginger paste – 1 tsp

  *      green chillies (finely chopped) – 2 small

  *      cumin powder - ¾-1 tsp 

  *      coriander powder - ¾ -1 tsp 

  *      turmeric – a pinch

  *      Roasted Cumin powder or roasted garam masala powder – ½ tsp

  *      Salt to taste

  *      Sugar as per taste

  *      Maida (refined flour for binding)- 1-1.5 tbsp

•         For the Gravy

• *Cubed potatoes- 2 medium sized                                                                                                      *Finely chopped onions- 1 (optional and to be avoided in case if pure vegetarian)

• ·    *Tomato pureed- 2 small

  ·    *ginger paste-1tsp

  ·    *cumin powder – 1 tsp

  ·    *Coriander powder-1/2 tsp

  ·    *turmeric powder – 1tsp

  ·    *Kashmiri red chilli powder-1 tsp

  ·    *slit green chillies – 3-4

  ·    *mustard oil – 1.5-2 tbsp

  ·    *dried red chillies - 3

  ·    *bay leaves – 1-2

  ·    *green cardamom-2

  ·    *cinnamon- 1-2 one inch pieces

  ·    *cloves-1 or 2

  ·    *salt as per taste

  ·    *sugar

  ·    *ghee-1 tbspn

  ·    *home made Garam masala - ¼ tsp (dry roasted green cardamom, cinnamon, clove and powdered in a pestle mortar)

  *2 cups of warm water
  
  
  

  Procedure :

  Kanch Kolar Kofta (Raw Banana Dumpling) 

  
  
  1. 1. Cut kachkola (raw bananas) into 2-3 pieces depending on their length. Also take one large or two small potatoes , cut in half and place in the pressure cooker. Boil in a pressure cooker with salt, pinch of turmeric, ¾ litre (or till the raw banana pieces & potatoes are immersed) of water. Cook on medium heat till one whistle .
• 
  
• 2. After release of pressure, remove the boiled bananas & potatoes from the water and peel their skin. Mash the Kanch Kola and boiled potato till smooth. 


• 3. Add onion paste/grated, ginger paste,  chopped green chillies, cumin powder, coriander powder, turmeric, pinch of Bengali garam masala or roasted cumin powder, salt, sugar and maida. Mix everything uniformly. 
• 
  
• 3. Divide the mashed mix into balls and press the spheres gently into discs .


‍

• 4. Shallow fry the koftas in a frying plan till they are uniformly brown in colour. 



5. Drain from the oil and keep aside.



• 
  

• The dalna or the Gravy

• 1. Take 2-3 potatoes and cut them into cubes, smear them with salt and turmeric and shallow fry them till 80% cooked. 
• 
  

2. Mix the spices - ginger paste, cumin powder, coriander powder, turmeric, and kashmiri red chilli powder with water.

  

• 3. In a kadai, heat mustard oil. Season with dried red chillies, bay leaves, cardamom, cinnamon, cloves, and cumin seeds.
• 
  

4. Add chopped onions and tomato puree. Allow the rawness of tomato to be cooked into a mushy paste and add the spice mix prepared at sl2. Cook well while sprinkling some water from time to time to avoid burning of spices.  Add the salt  &  sugar. Keep cooking the spices till oil separates and now add the fried potato cubes. Add warm/hot water to make the gravy. Cover the kadhai till it comes to a boil.

• 
  
• 5. Slide in the fried koftas into the boiling gravy. Lower the flame till the gravy thickens.  
• 
  
• 6. Garnish with ghee,  garam masala , slit green chillies (as per heat tolerance).  
• 
  
• 7. Take it off the flame and serve with steamed rice.

Kolai Dal with Chingri Maachh

Roasted Urad Dal with Prawns

Ingredients:

Dry Roasted Urad Dal 200gm

Ginger Garlic paste

Tej Pata

Whole Garam Masala

Onion paste

Onion chopped

Tomato

Turmeric

 Salt

Fennel seed (mouri)

Dry Whole red chili

Procedure

1) dry roast dal and wash

2) in a pressure cooker, add whole garam masala, ginger garlic paste, Tej Pata,  Onion paste, Haldi, Salt, sugar.  Pressure cook for 3-4 whistles. 

3) In a wok, pour 3 tbsp of oil. Season with fennel seeds when hot,  followed  by chopped garlic and chopped Onion. Fry till golden.

4) add the Prawns into the woke after  smearing with Salt, haldi, chili powder. Fry till golden.

5) pour the pressure cooked Dal into the wok. Let it come to a boil. 

6) garnish with ghee, green chilies and coriander leaves (chopped)

Note: The photograph was clicked as an afterthought,  much after the dal was relished by us all and doesn't do justice to its taste 😀 

Lau Chingri

Bottle Gourd with Shrimps

The addition of Shrimps (Kucho Chingri) to the humble Lau (Bottle Gourd) has elevated this dish to  an exalted position in the world of Bong gastronomy. The 'Lau Chingri' didnt stop at conquering the heart of the Bong gourmet, but inspired the cult folk song from Opar Bangla "Saadher Lau banailo more Boiragi" !

Coming to the recipe, here it goes :

Ingredients : 

Lau / Bottle Gourd- chopped into small pieces

Pumpkin julienne-a small qty ..about 1/3 the quantity of Lau

Shrimps-de-veined and washed

Panch phoron-1 tsp

Tej pata -1

Shukno lonka / whole dry red chili

Grated/paste of ginger

Holud/turmeric

Jeera powder

Green chili

Dhonepata / Coriander leaves-chopped

Ata (whole wheat flour)- 1 tbsp

Ghee

Salt

Sugar

Procedure :

1.Steam the chopped lau + julienned pumpkin

2. In a Kadhai, heat oil and season with Panch Phoron.

3. When the phoron is crackling, throw in Tej pata, Shukno lonka followed by the washed and de-veined shrimps.

4. After frying the shrimps add ginger, turmeric, jeera powder followed by salt and a pinch of sugar.

5. Now add the steamed chopped lau + julienned pumpkin into the spice mix in the kadhai.         

6. Stir it around..no water is to be added as white gourd gives out water.                                  

7.Keep it covered for a few minutes till the vegetables are cooked. Remove the cover...let the moisture evaporate.

8. Once the veggie-shrimp is done, sprinkle a spoonful of Ata to help dry up excess moisture and make the dish 'maakha-maakha'.

9. Finish of with dhonepata, slit green chilies and a dash of ghee.

10. Serve with steamed rice

. 

KORAISHUTIR KOCHURI

Koraishutir Kochuris  are an almost indispensable part of a Bong's Winter cuisine. The first glimpse bright green pea pods are irresistible....and the first thing that comes to mind is Koraishutir Kochuri, of course with Alur Dum or Chholar Dal.

Ingredients :

Shelled Peas 

Ginger - 1" piece

Green Chili

Asafoetida or Hing - a pinch

Cumin or Jeera

Fennel or Mouri powder - coarsely ground (after dry roasting)

Salt

Sugar

Ghee

Procedure :

Filling

Make a paste of Green Peas,Ginger (ginger can be added while cooking the paste too), Green Chili, a pinch of sugar and salt

Heat ghee in a kadhai. Temper with Jeera and Hing. 

Add the Green Paste followed by Ginger paste if not already added while blending

Turn it around in kadhai to cook or give 'paak' while ensuring the colour does not change to a dirty dull green. 

Add fennel powder and red chili(optional) and also roasted cumin powder.

Overcooking is sacrilege and so is overpowering the sweet taste of green peas.

Adjust salt and sugar. The taste is mildly sweet

The filling is ready

Dough:

1.For the maida dough, add a tablespoon of ghee as moyen. Now knead the maida into a soft dough.

2.Like in making puri/luchi, pinch of balls off the dough, roll them into smooth balls. Then make cavities in the centre and add a spoonful of the cooked green paste. Fold up the dough cup with the green paste mix in the centre and seal it and again roll into ball.

3.Now roll out the balls as you would in case of puri/luchi.

Koraishutir Kochuri with Alur Dum....

Sheem Chochchori

Fried Broad Beans ....the Bengali way

 The Sheem or Broad Beans looked so fresh and green, I of all persons, who's not in the least bit a vegetable lover,  seemed to have fallen in love with them....Cautiously, as I had never cooked it earlier, bought just a packet of it....didnt have the heart to refrigerate this fresh a vegetable and hence cooked a 'Sheem Chochchori' (Broad Beans fried in typical Bengali spices) with it.

A quick and easy recipe .... though of course the presence of mustard paste (shorshe baata) and grated coconut in the fridge helped...

Ingredients :
Broad Beans - 250gms. ..each cut it 3 parts
Dry red chili whole - 1
Kalojeera / Nigella seeds - 1/4 tsp
Haldi / Turmeric - 1/2 tsp
grated coconut - a small bowl
mustard paste - 2 tsp
coriander leaves
green chili
salt to taste
sugar - a pinch
Mustard oil

Procedure :
1. In a kadai, heat the mustard oil and season with whole dry red chili & kalojeera
2. Add the Sheem pieces  (cut in 3 parts as shown in the pic) and add Haldi, salt and sugar. Turn the vegetable and spices around in the kadhai and let it cook till partially soft yet the crunchiness should still be there.
3. Add the grated coconut followed by mustard paste. Let it cook for a couple of minutes more
4. Garnish with Coriander leaves and slit whole green chili.

To be savoured with steamed white rice

Nolen Gurer Chaaler Payesh .... Rice Pudding

A Bengali and Chaaler Payesh have an eternal connection....The first morsel of solid eaten by a Baby during Annoprashon (Rice Eating Ceremony), the first spoon eaten by the mother-to-be during Baby Shower or Shaadh, the Payesh on every birthday or Jonmodin are memories every true blue Bengali holds precious. 

And the Paayesh is made even more precious and tasty if its made of Nolen Gur (or the solidified version known as Patali Gur for the off season payesh)

Ingredients :
* Full Cream Milk - 2 litres 
* Gobindobhog rice / jeera rice / Basmati rice - 2 fistfuls (1 fistful or 'mutho' per litre i,e approx 45-50gm per litre)
* 2 tbsp of sugar
* Nolen Gur/Patali Gur (date palm jaggery) - approx 90-100gm (45-50gm per litre of milk)

Procedure :
1. Boil milk and reduce it to 3/4 of its original volume. 
2. In the meanwhile, wash rice, drain the water and dry it while the milk is being boiled
3. While stirring the milk, add the washed and dried rice and keep stirring gently till the rice cooks and the milk thickens. The milk should have reduced to 1/2 (i.e 1 litre) by now.
4. Add 2 tbsp of sugar after the rice has softened. An early addition of sugar will stop the rice from softening further.
5. Take the milk-rice mix off the flame. Soften the jaggery by microwaving/heating and add the softened jaggery into the rice-milk mix and . Mix well 
6. Cool it down ....delicious Gur flavoured Payesh is ready for the auspicious occasion.

Kasundi / Kashundi Maachh

Fish cooked in Kashundi (A Mustard based sauce unique to Bengal)

Quick, Easy & Delicious. Thats what Kashundi/Kasundi Maachh (Bhetki/Basa or for that matter any soft fish) is.

Ingredients 

Bhetki / Basa fillets - 500-750gm

Ginger-Garlic paste (I use homemade) - 1.5 tbspn

Chili flakes / chili powder - depends on heat tolerance

Salt

Crushed Black pepper

Procedure :

1. Bhetki/Basa fillets marinated in ginger, garlic paste, salt, pepper, chilli flakes/chilli powder and generous helping of Kashundi/Kasundi for 1/2 - 1 hr.

2. Drizzle 2-3 tbsp of Mustard Oil to the marinated fish. (This may be eliminated or just a minimum quantity of oil may be used). Mix well and place them evenly in a flat bottomed microwaveable glass container

Slit some green chilies and place them on the 'bed' of fish. 

Microwave on Power 80 for 8-10minutes.

Keep it within the oven for 2-3 minutes. 

Garnish with freshly chopped Coriander leaves.  

Tastes delicious with steamed rice.

Cooking couldnt be faster or easier!!

Ilish Machh Begun Diye ....Patla Shorsher Jhol

A light mustard gravy of Hilsa Fish with Brinjal

A trip to Kolkata during Ilish season always and always culminates with a Big Box of raw Ilish smeared with Oil, Salt and Turmeric, wrapped to Perfection in foil and again re-wrapped in cloth napkin, plastic to prevent the leakages. A hundred NOs and objection will fall on deaf ears of the FATHER who despite being all of eighty is determined to make a trip to the fish market to buy this delicacy for his fish loving daughter. The daughter, despite the vehement NOs and the sulk expressing her displeasure in having to carry this 'additional burden', will beam with joy as well as an exasperated smile directed at the stubborn FATHER, once she reaches her destination and opens the layered packing (perfected by who else but the MOTHER). 

Seeing the freshness of the fish, the utmost desire would be to replicate her MOTHER's perfect 'patla shorsher jhol begun diye' (a light, low on spice gravy of fish with brinjal pieces).... 

Ingredients :

Ilish - 1kg + is the ideal size (a smaller sized Ilish would be more suitable for Ilish Machh Bhaja)

One medium sized brinjal cut into semi-circular slices 

Mustard Oil

Kalo jeera

Turmeric

Red chili powder -depend on the heat tolerance

Kashmiri Mirch for the colour - 1/2 tsp

Mustard paste (made with a mix of yellow & black mustard seeds, green chili and salt) passed through the sieve to retain only the smooth paste.

Green chilies

Procedure :

1. The Ilish pieces and the brinjal pieces need to be smeared with turmeric and salt

2. Pan fry the fish v.v lightly

3. Lightly fry the brinjal pieces

4. In a kadhai, take a tbsp of mustard oil and heat till smoking hot.

5. Throw in kalo jeera (kalonji) and some green chilies

6. Add a paste of turmeric-red chili-kashmiri mirch into the oil and fry for a minute

7. If a thick strong mustard gravy is desired, use the mustard paste without passing through a sieve. I wanted a light gravy. So I passed the paste through a sieve (chhankni) and added water. Now pour either the thick mustard paste or the watery mustard paste into the kadhai. 

8. Cook on medium flame. Once it comes to a boil, slide in the brinjal pieces. 

After the brinjal is almost done, add the fish pieces into the kadhai and cover for a minute or till it comes to a boil. Add water as per the desired gravy consistency. Let the gravy come to a boil. Throw in a few slit green chilies. Take the kadhai off the gas.

9. Serve with steamed rice

Chitol Maachher Peti'r Jhol

Light Mustard Gravy of Chitol Fish

The  Chitol is a delicacy of Bengal. While the bony 'Gaada' or dorsal part of the fish is deboned and made into Muithas / Koftas, the 'Peti' or belly portion of the fish containing less and more easily manageable bones are delightfully oily and soft.

I personally like the light gravy which brings out the rich taste of the fish rather that the more spicy 'Kalia' preparation where the taste of the fish is submerged in the deluge of onion-ginger-garlic-garam masala. But of course this is a very personal preference.....

Ingredients :

a)Chitol Maachher 'Peti' portion - approx 1 kg
b)Kalo jeera / Kalonji - 1/2 tsp
c)Holud / Haldi /Turmeric powder - 1 tsp
d)Chili powder - 1/2 to 1 tsp
e)Kashmiri Mirch powder - 1 tsp
f)Tomato chopped - 1 small (optional)
g)Dhone/Coriander seeds powder - 1 tsp
h)Sugar - a pinch
i)Salt - to taste
j)Mustard paste - 2 tbsp or more depending on how spicy you want the gravy
k)Mustard Oil - 1 tsbp
l)Green Chilies - 2-3 ..again personal preference
m) Bori / small Lentil dumplings - a handful
n)Dhonepaata / Coriander leaves

Procedure :
1. Shallow fry the fish (after smearing the pieces in a mix of turmeric-salt)


2. Heat oil in a kadai and add ingredients at sl.(b) to (i). Sprinkle some water and cook on medium to high heat till the oil separates. .....Koshano

3. Add the shallow fried fish and gently turn them around in the moshla/masala/spice mix.

4. Add a cup full of water.

5. Add 3-4 tsp of mustard paste mixed with 1/2 cup of water.Cover and bring to a boil. If boris (tiny lentil dumplings) are available, add to the boiling gravy.

6. Add slit green chilies and chopped Dhonepaata.

7.Savour with hot steamed rice. 

Chitol Maachher Muitha

Chitol Fish Koftas 

Chitol Maachher Muitha is an essentially "Bangaal" (the erstwhile Eastern region of undivided Bengal which is now present day Bangladesh) delicacy made out of the 'Gaada' (Bonier or dorsal part ) of the fish.

Seeing Chitol Maachh in the supermarket last sunday, I couldnt control my temptation and purchased a huge 2.5 kg fish.

Instructions were immediately taken over phone regarding the cutting of the Gaada-Peti and communicated to my bewildered fish seller!

Rushed back home and called up my cooking encyclopedia, ready with pen and paper, and jotted down the elaborate process of the Muitha making....

Ingredients :

For the Koftas :

The 'Gaada' or bonier part of the fish (the fish I'd bought was 2.5 kgs!!) which was approx 1 kg 

2 medium sized potatoes for every kg of gaada

2 eggs

Ginger paste - 1 tsp

Garlic paste - 1 tsp

1 small onion - finely chopped

1 small onion - made into paste

Jeera powder - 1 tsp

Chili powder - 1 tsp

Salt

Sugar - a pinch

For the gravy :

1 onion - chopped

2 onions - paste

Garam masala - whole, made into a paste/powder 

Tej pata

ginger paste - 1 tsp

garlic paste - 1tsp

1 tomato - chopped (optional)
Chili powder

Kashmiri Chili powder

Jeera powder/paste - 1tsp

Salt 

Sugar

Potato 2-3 cubed

Ghee

Oil (preferably mustard)

Procedure :

Muittha / Kofta - 

I) De-boning of the fish:

1. Wash the fish. Placing it on a flat surface, with the skin on top, hammer it lightly with the Nora of the Sheel-Nora (traditional grinding stone used in Bengali kitchens) or anything heavy

2.The fish will loosen. Now turn it around, so that the fleshy surface faces up and scoop out the flesh with a spoon.


Save the skin for kataa chochchori (we Bongs are quite the scavengers ;)) . The pic below is the starting material for Kataa Chochchori

3. Using the Sheel-Nora, grind the fish ...most of the bigger bones will come apart. Now using fingers, mash the fish further and also remove the remaining bones.

If minced, de-boned Chital is available, the rest of the Muitha making is actually a cake-walk.....

II) The rest of the Muitha making -

1. For 1 kg Gaada, use 2 medium sized boiled potatoes and mash them well and mix with the boneless, minced fish. While mixing and mashing, you may be able to remove more fine bones....

2. Add to the minced fish+mashed potato mix : 2 raw eggs, ginger, garlic paste, onion chopped, onion paste, jeera powder, chili powder, salt, sugar. Knead well as in kneading dough.

3. Put a large vessel/kadai full of water to boil. Divide the fish dough into fist sized (mutho/muitha) spheres. And slide into the boiling water. Cook for about 15 minutes. Turn the spheres from time to time. To check if done, insert a fork/needle as we do in baking. If it comes out clean, it's done.

4. Take the 'spheres' out of the water. Keep aside to cool. When cooled, cut them into approx 1.5" cubes.

5. Shallow fry them lightly.


These can make delicious finger food/snacks/starter and in case that's what you intend to make them into, fry them till they are crispy and golden brown.

The Gravy :

1. Heat oil in a kadai. Add the chopped onion, paste of garam masala, tej pata, a pinch of sugar. 

2. Along with the above 'phoron', the cubed potatoes may be added to avoid sauteing them separately.

3. When the onions are light brown in colour, add onion paste, ginger-garlic paste, chili powder, kashmiri chili, jeera powder, salt and tomato. Fry them in medium to high heat....'Koshano' or 'Bhunoing'

4. After the oil separates from the cooked masala, gently slide in the fried Muitthas / Koftas. Turn them around gently to cover them in the masala/spice mix and fry for a minute or so....add about 2 cups of water to make a gravy of medium thickness. Cover and bring to a boil.

5. Just before taking it off the flame, add a tbspn of ghee and 1/2 tsp of powder garam masala (without roasting) (garam masala at the end is optional, though)

The Chitol Maachher Muittha is ready to be savoured with plain steamed rice.

This post is being linked to "Spotlight: Show Your Best Creation" @ Cuisine Delights