Bengal Fish Curry (Fish In Mustard Curry)

Bengal Fish Curry

Fish is a staple food in coastal areas of India. Being  rich source of Vitamin A fish is good for eyes, skin and hair. In Western and southern part of India fish is made in coconut gravy where as in west Bengal it is made in Mustard gravy. As I am partial to fish in Bengal mustard gravy so before fish in coconut gravy I am going to write the recipe for fish in mustard gravy, famous fish preparation of Bengal in India. This preparation has minimum amount of oil, low in calories, Mustard not only adds taste but is very good for digestion and blood flow, and of course it is yummy. Plain boiled rice is its best companion. That is why Bengalis refer the combo as Machi-Bhaat. It can also be had with Indian breads like Nan/kulcha/Tandoori roti/Chapati.

Preparation Time: 15-20 min.

Cooking Time:15-20 minutes.

Servings: 4 Large Servings

Ingredients Required For Making Bengal Fish Curry:

• 750 Gm Rohu/Surmai Fish cut to 1 cm thick round pieces.

Fish pieces for Bengal Fish Curry

• 100 gm. Onions
• 100 gm. Red ripe Tomatoes
• 2 Tea spoon Yellow Mustard seeds
• 1 Tea spoon Red Chili Powder
• 1/2Teaspoon Turmeric Powder
• Salt to Taste
• 5-10 ml. Mustard Oil

For Marinade:

• 10 ml. Fresh Lemon juice
• 4 Teaspoon Garlic Paste
• 3 Teaspoon Ginger Paste
• 1 Teaspoon Red Chili Powder
• 2 Teaspoon Coriander seed Powder
• 1 Teaspoon Amchur (Optional)
• 1 Teaspoon Turmeric Powder
• 1/2Teaspoon Salt
• 2 Teaspoon Garam Masala
• 1 Teaspoon Yellow mustard seed powder

Fish and Ingredients for Marinade

Marinating the Fish:

• Wash the fish gently under flowing water.
• Pat dry with a cloth.
• Spread lemon juice evenly on each piece and allow to stand for 5 min.

Fish cleaned with lemon juice on it

• Wash in flowing water and pat dry again.
• Mix all the ingredients of marinade and apply liberally on both sides of the fish.

Marinade for Fish

• Keep the fish for marinating for 15 to 20 minutes only. It can be kept in fridge during marinating.

Marinated Fish

Cooking the Fish

• Sprinkle 1-2 ml. mustard oil on a thick non-stick pan and heat it.
• When the pan is hot keep the marinated fish on the pan and cook on low flame till light brown on both sides.

Marinated fish cooking on Pan

Fish Ready For Curry mixture

• Take care while turning the fish, it is delicate. So use broad spatula for turning the fish.

Making the Curry:

• While the fish is marinating and then being cook on pan start preparing the gravy mixture.
• Soak mustard pieces in water.
• Peel the onions and cut to pieces.
• Cut tomatoes to pieces.
• In a grinder take
• Tomato pieces
• Onion pieces
• Soaked Mustard seeds
• Grind to paste.

Ingredients for making paste for Curry

Paste of Onion-Tomato and Mustard seeds

• In a thick bottom wok take 2-3 ml. of mustard oil and heat till it starts smoking.
• Reduce the heat and add the paste of onion-tomato and soaked mustard seeds.
• Cook on low flame till all water evaporates and the mixture starts leaving the edges of wok.
• Add turmeric powder and red chili powder cook for just one minute.

Cooked mixture for mustard Curry

• Gently transfer it in wok with cooked gravy mixture coat the fish with cooked gravy mixture by turning the fish gently with broad spatula.

Fish coated with Curry mixture before adding water

• Cover and cook for 3-4 min. so that the Currymasala seeps into the fish and flavors of fish and masala mixes nicely.
• Turn once or twice while the fish is in wok.
• Add 300 ml. water and salt to taste. Bring the heat to high. When it comes to boil bring the heat to medium and cook for just 2 minutes.

Fish in boiling gravy 

• Take out the cooked Fish in mustard gravy garnish with cilantro leaves and serve hot with steamed rice.

Bengal Fish Curry

Tips:

• While following any recipe test the hotnes of chilies and chili powder as the same varies from one variety to another, then adjust the amount accordingly.
• Fish has its own saltiness and has some salt during marination so add salt carefully in the last when water has been added.
• The soaked mustard seed may not be converted to fine paste do not worry use it like that only.
• Do not overcook the fish it will lose its juiciness and will become chewy.
• Cook the fish in gravy for just two minutes as all ingredients are cooked. We just require bringing the flavors in the gravy and allowing them to seep in fish.
• Amount of water can be varied according to the thickness of gravy one wants.

Alternate Suggestions:

• Onions can be avoided from the gravy they are added to make the gravy thick.
• Mustard taste and zing will come out great if onion is not used. Tomatoes should be made to fine paste and soaked mustard seeds should be made to coarse paste when onion are not being used.

16 Tips To Make Your Kitchen Work Easy.

Despite of being a regular hand in the kitchen some times practical difficulties are faced. This blog has taken shape from the experience of my elders passed on to me when i was a new bee in the kitchen and saved me from many difficulties. I dedicate this blog to my granny, mother and all those ladies who taught me the finer points of kitchen.

• Make puree of tomatoes when less expensive and store in fridge as cubes. Handy and easy to use for one and all.

http://jyotsna-pant.blogspot.in/2013/11/onion-masala.html

•  While making the gravy for any vegetable, chicken, mutton, Rajama, Chana .

• Do not make paste of onion, garlic, ginger and then fry.

•   Instead, first cut the onions, garlic and ginger to pieces.

•  Shallow fry them using little oil in a nonstick thick bottom wok.

• Once the mix of onion, garlic, ginger is golden brown allow it to cool and then grind.

               You will save time, energy and of course the oil required will   also be reduced. Thus making the food less oily!!!

http://jyotsna-pant.blogspot.in/2013/11/onion-masala.html

• Instead of buying garlic, ginger pastes from market make it at home.

http://jyotsna-pant.blogspot.com/2012/11/home-made-ginger-garlic-paste.html

Home Made Ginger-Garlic Paste

•     For working ladies and mothers with very small children it is really helpful to store the cooked paste of onion, garlic and ginger in the fridge

          The cooked paste can be stored in deep freeze for a month without   

           getting  spoilt. Just take the required amount, thaw it and use.!!!!!!!!!:)

• If by mistake salt is added in excess then

• Take a medium size potato.

• Wash, peel and cut it to 4 big pieces,

• Add it to the vegetable along with little water and cook the vegetable gravy to required thickness.

• Remove the potato.

• Potato will absorb the salt and save you from trouble.

This can be done for vegetables with gravy, not to dry vegetables.

• If during cooking food gets stuck to the bottom of the container and starts getting burnt,

• Do not scrape it immediately.

• Remove it from gas.

• Remove the lid and allow it to cool so that the burnt smell escapes.

•  Once cooled remove the food layer by layer without disturbing the burnt part.

• Old bread from the fridge should not be discarded but can be cut to 2 cm. pieces and added to Poha.

• Old bread can be dried and powdered to use as crust for making cutlets/ fish fry.

• To maintain green color of spinach in Palak Paneer,

• Dunk the cleaned and washed spinach in salted boiling water and remove after 2-3 min.

• Grind it to thick and added the paste to the paneer masala and cook for just 2 min.

• Added 1 tea spoon of coriander leaves paste just before removing from gas

                  Vegetable will come out of beautiful green color.

• To increase the shelf life on Semolina (Suji), Ground nuts,and sesame seeds :, palak Paneer,

• Roast them before storing.

• While making vegetable of Okra (Bhindi),

• Do not add salt in the starting.

• Add all spices except salt, cover and cook on low flame.

• When all sliminess of bhindi disappears then add salt and mix gently and cook till done.

                   This way the okra vegetable will always come out nice and dry.

• As far as possible cook food in nonstick pans,

• This ensures less oil consumption.

• Least possibility if food sticking at the bottom.!

• For those who are weight conscious and so purchase toned milk,

• Instead get full cream milk.

• Heat it 10-12hrs. Before required time and keep in fridge.

• All cream (Malai) will get deposited at the top.

• Remove the cream and collect it in a bowl.

• After a week take it out and beat nicely using your fingers/fork/egg beater.

• Butter will separate.

• Remove the butter use it or heat it on low flame to convert it to Ghee.

• Add some curd to the left over milky liquid and keep it overnight, fat less butter milk is ready for consuming.

• Else heat the milky liquid, paneer will separate which can be used to make stuffed paratha/paneer bhujji.

Do not keep the cream in the fridge for more than 10 days else it will start getting rancid.

http://jyotsna-pant.blogspot.com/2012/10/making-ghee-clarified-butter-at-home.html

• Try to dry and store Methi, Palak, during season when it is less expensive.

• Just clean (do not wash) and shade dry.

•  It comes handy when vegetables are either very expensive or leafy vegetables are not available in market.

• Just take handful of dried vegetable soak in water for 10min., sieve wash with running water in a sieve.

•  Cook with potato pieces and make tasty  vegetable/add it to dough of whole wheat flour and make tasty puri, parathas.
• Kasoori Methi is nothing but dried methi leaves and is very expensive in market, so you will have home made Kasoori methi !!

• While cleaning chicken rub it with lemon it will not smell.

• While making chicken biryani do not discard the skin. Boil it with 2-3 cloves, 1cm. cinnamon stick, and pinch of nutmeg powder. Filter and use the stalk for cooking the rice instead of water, it will enhance the flavor of biryani.

• To the marinade of mutton add 2 tea spoons of raw papaya paste.

• Mutton with cook better and fast.

• Do not add papaya paste to chicken