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Tag: Fish curry

  • Machha Besara

    Besara is the Odia word for a mustard paste, and machha besara is one of the most common fish preparations along the Mahanadi delta and the coast around Puri and Cuttack. Rohu, katla and other freshwater fish are typical, cut into steaks and fried in mustard oil before they meet the gravy.

    Where Bengali shorshe dishes stay pure mustard, Odia besara usually grinds garlic into the paste and adds tomato for tang, and some families add a few slices of brinjal or potato to stretch the curry. The result is a pungent, sour and gently hot gravy that coats the fish, best eaten with rice or even with pakhala on a summer afternoon.

    At a glance

    RegionOdisha
    CuisineOdia
    DietNon-vegetarian
    CourseMain course
    Prep time25 minutes
    Cook time25 minutes
    Total time50 minutes
    Serves4
    Spice levelHot
    DifficultyMedium
    Gluten-freeYes
    Key ingredientsrohu fish / mustard seeds / garlic / tomato

    Ingredients

    For the fish

    • 500 g rohu or katla steaks
    • 1/2 tsp turmeric powder
    • 1 tsp salt
    • 4 tbsp mustard oil

    For the besara paste

    • 2 tbsp yellow or black mustard seeds
    • 6 garlic cloves
    • 2 green chillies
    • 1/4 tsp salt

    For the gravy

    • 1/2 tsp panch phoron
    • 1 dry red chilli
    • 1 medium tomato, chopped
    • 1/2 tsp turmeric powder
    • 1/2 tsp red chilli powder
    • 1 small brinjal, cut into wedges (optional)
    • 3 green chillies, slit
    • 1 cup water
    • Salt to taste
    • 2 tbsp chopped coriander

    Method

    1. Rub the fish steaks with turmeric and salt and rest for 15 minutes.
    2. Soak the mustard seeds for 15 minutes, then grind with garlic, green chillies and salt into a smooth paste using a little water.
    3. Heat the mustard oil in a kadhai until smoking, then lower to medium. Fry the fish 2-3 minutes per side until golden and firm. Remove and keep aside.
    4. In the same oil add panch phoron and the dry red chilli. When they crackle, add the brinjal if using and fry for 3 minutes.
    5. Add the tomato, turmeric and chilli powder and cook for 4-5 minutes until the tomato breaks down.
    6. Add the besara paste and cook on low heat for 2 minutes, stirring, then pour in 1 cup water with salt and slit green chillies. Bring to a gentle simmer.
    7. Slide in the fried fish and simmer on low heat for 6-8 minutes, spooning gravy over it, until the gravy thickens slightly and the oil floats on top.
    8. Sprinkle coriander, cover, and rest for 5 minutes before serving.

    Tips

    • Once the mustard paste is in, keep the heat low – a hard boil makes it bitter.
    • Add a teaspoon of mango kasundi or a few pieces of raw mango in summer for the classic tangy variation.
    • Shake the pan rather than stirring after the fish goes in so the steaks do not break.

    Serve with

    Steamed rice or pakhala bhata.

  • Shorshe Ilish

    Shorshe ilish is the dish that marks the monsoon in Bengal, when hilsa swim up the Padma and the Ganga to spawn and the fish markets of Kolkata fill with silver. Bengalis argue endlessly over Padma versus Ganga hilsa, but agree that the fish needs very little help: freshly ground mustard, green chillies, turmeric and a generous slick of raw mustard oil.

    The flavour is bold and nose-tingling. Black and yellow mustard seeds are ground with a pinch of salt and a green chilli so the paste does not turn bitter, then the oily, delicate fish cooks gently in it. It is eaten with plain steamed rice, picking carefully around the fine bones, and the leftover gravy mixed into rice is often considered the best part.

    At a glance

    RegionWest Bengal
    CuisineBengali
    DietNon-vegetarian
    CourseMain course
    Prep time20 minutes
    Cook time20 minutes
    Total time40 minutes
    Serves4
    Spice levelHot
    DifficultyMedium
    Gluten-freeYes
    Key ingredientshilsa / mustard seeds / mustard oil / green chilli

    Ingredients

    For the fish

    • 6 hilsa steaks (about 600 g), cleaned
    • 1/2 tsp turmeric powder
    • 1 tsp salt

    For the mustard gravy

    • 2 tbsp black mustard seeds
    • 1 tbsp yellow mustard seeds
    • 4-5 green chillies (2 for the paste, rest slit)
    • 1/2 tsp turmeric powder
    • 4 tbsp mustard oil
    • 1/2 tsp kalonji (nigella seeds)
    • 3/4 cup water
    • Salt to taste

    Method

    1. Rub the hilsa steaks with turmeric and salt and set aside for 10 minutes. Do not wash the fish again after marinating.
    2. Soak both kinds of mustard seeds in warm water for 15 minutes. Drain and grind with 2 green chillies, a pinch of salt and 2-3 tbsp water to a smooth, thick paste. Grind in short bursts so the paste does not heat up and turn bitter.
    3. Loosen the paste with 1/2 cup water and the remaining turmeric, then pass it through a fine sieve if you want a very smooth gravy.
    4. Heat 3 tbsp mustard oil in a wide kadhai until it just begins to smoke, then reduce the heat to medium. Add the kalonji and let it crackle for a few seconds.
    5. Pour in the mustard mixture and the remaining 1/4 cup water. Add salt and bring to a gentle simmer on low-medium heat for 2 minutes; do not boil hard or the mustard turns bitter.
    6. Slide in the hilsa steaks in a single layer and spoon the gravy over them. Scatter the slit green chillies on top.
    7. Cover and cook on low heat for 8-10 minutes, without stirring. Tilt and swirl the pan once halfway so the fish does not stick. The fish is done when the flesh near the bone turns opaque.
    8. Turn off the heat, drizzle the remaining 1 tbsp raw mustard oil over the top and keep covered for 5 minutes before serving.

    Tips

    • Do not fry the hilsa before adding it to the gravy if the fish is very fresh – steaming it raw keeps the flesh soft and the flavour clean.
    • If you cannot grind fresh mustard, use a good kasundi mixed with a little ground mustard, though the taste will be sharper and more vinegary.
    • For bhapa ilish, mix the same paste with the fish in a steel tiffin box, seal and steam over boiling water for 15 minutes.

    Serve with

    Hot steamed gobindobhog or sona masoori rice, with a wedge of lime on the side.

  • Chepala Pulusu

    Chepala pulusu, fish in tamarind gravy, is a signature dish of coastal Andhra, from Nellore to the Godavari delta, where fish from the sea, rivers and backwaters is eaten daily. Pulusu means a sour, tamarind-based gravy. Each district has its own style: Nellore chepala pulusu is famous for its raw mango and intense heat, while Godavari versions are slightly sweeter.

    The gravy is thin to medium-thick, red, and sharply sour and spicy, balanced by a pinch of jaggery and the aroma of roasted fenugreek and coriander. Families traditionally cook it in a clay pot and let it rest for several hours, often overnight, so the fish absorbs the tamarind. It is eaten with hot rice.

    At a glance

    RegionAndhra Pradesh
    CuisineAndhra
    DietNon-vegetarian
    CourseMain course
    Prep time20 minutes
    Cook time35 minutes
    Total time55 minutes
    Serves4
    Spice levelHot
    DifficultyMedium
    Gluten-freeYes
    Key ingredientsfish / tamarind / onion / red chilli powder / fenugreek

    Ingredients

    For the fish

    • 750 g firm fish steaks (rohu, murrel, seer or pomfret)
    • 1/2 tsp turmeric powder
    • 1 tsp red chilli powder
    • 1/2 tsp salt

    For the spice powder

    • 1 tbsp coriander seeds
    • 1/2 tsp cumin seeds
    • 1/4 tsp fenugreek seeds
    • 1/4 tsp mustard seeds

    For the pulusu

    • lemon-sized ball of tamarind soaked in 2 cups warm water
    • 4 tbsp groundnut oil
    • 1/2 tsp mustard seeds
    • 1/4 tsp fenugreek seeds
    • 1 sprig curry leaves
    • 2 medium onions, finely sliced
    • 4 green chillies, slit
    • 1 tbsp ginger-garlic paste
    • 1 tomato, chopped
    • 1/2 tsp turmeric powder
    • 2-3 tsp red chilli powder
    • 1.5 tsp salt
    • 1 tsp grated jaggery
    • 2 tbsp chopped coriander leaves

    Method

    1. Clean the fish and rub with turmeric, chilli powder and salt. Marinate for 15 minutes.
    2. Dry roast the coriander, cumin, fenugreek and mustard on low heat for 2 minutes until fragrant. Cool and grind to a powder.
    3. Squeeze the tamarind and strain to get about 2 cups of extract.
    4. Heat oil in a clay pot or wide pan. Splutter mustard and fenugreek seeds, then add curry leaves, onions and green chillies. Fry on medium heat for 6-7 minutes until the onions are soft and light golden.
    5. Add ginger-garlic paste and fry 1 minute. Add tomato, turmeric and chilli powder and cook until the tomato is mushy.
    6. Pour in the tamarind extract and salt and bring to a boil. Simmer for 8-10 minutes on medium heat until the raw tamarind taste is gone and the gravy thickens slightly.
    7. Add the fish pieces in a single layer and sprinkle the spice powder over. Do not stir; swirl the pot gently. Cover and simmer on low heat for 10-12 minutes until the fish is cooked and oil floats on top.
    8. Add jaggery and coriander, swirl once more, switch off and rest for at least 2 hours before serving.

    Tips

    • Firm, thick fish steaks hold their shape; delicate fish breaks in the long simmer.
    • Swirl, never stir, once the fish is in.
    • In Nellore style, add a few pieces of raw mango along with the tamarind.

    Serve with

    Hot rice with a spoon of ghee and fried appadams.