Chili Fish

For Allison

Cut the fish (I used Basa, you can use any white-fleshed, mild-tasting fish) into bite sized pieces, then marinate it in salt, chili flakes, 1 beaten egg and some flour (whisk them together). Rest for 15-20 mins 

Heat oil in a deep pan, deep fry then drain them on paper towels. 

In a wok, add bell peppers (better if you use different colors, I prefer red and yellow) and onions, sauté on high while tossing the wok. Add a dab of soy sauce and chili vinegar. 

Add the fried fish pieces, toss and cook till the sauce is coated. Add fresh grated or chopped ginger and green chilies for extra heat. 

Fish with cauliflower and orange juice / রুই কমলা

Method

1. Wash the fish pieces, pat dry with paper towels, and marinate them with turmeric and salt.
2. Heat oil in a wok or kadhai. Fry the fish pieces till golden on both sides. Keep aside. You can squeeze some orange juice in this step for extra flavor. The fish pieces will soak in the juice while you prepare the gravy.
3. You may add cut cauliflower florets in oil you used to fry the fish (optional)
4. In the same kadai add ginger paste, tomato paste, red chili powder and cumin powder.
5. I prefer not to use water in this preparation so the orange flavor is more pronounced.
6. Add orange juice, garam masala powder and slit green chilies. Garnish with fresh orange segments on top.
7. Rui Komola (রুই কমলা) is ready to be served with steamed rice.

বাগানের ডাটা দিয়ে রুই মাছের ঝোল / Fish curry cooked with chard stems and mustard paste

Ilish Paturi: Bengali New Year Special

Ingredients
Ilish/Hilsa fish- 4-6 pieces
Mustard paste
(I mixed yellow and black mustard seeds in 2:1 ratio. Yellow mustard is for flavor, black mustard is for punch. Soak in water first, then strain and make a paste. I used Magic Bullet for making the paste)
Green chilies paste and slit whole for garnish
1 tsp yogurt
Grated Coconut
Turmeric powder
Mustard oil
Salt to taste

Method

1. Clean the fish. Smear the pieces with turmeric powder, salt, mustard paste, mustard oil, coconut and green chili paste. 
2. Cut the banana leaves into rectangles. Wrap each fish in a separate packet, add a slit green chili on top, tie with kitchen string.
3. Heat mustard oil in a tawa or  frying pan. Fry the packets covered to cook uniformly. Turn every 5 mins till done. I cooked for 15-20 mins.
4. Serve with steamed white rice.

Fish ball curry

Method:
For gravy

1. Fry the fish balls and keep aside.
2. In a wok, heat mustard oil and whole cardamom, cloves and bay leaves. Add 1 1/2 tsp garlic paste, 1 tsp ginger paste. Saute a little.
3. Then add 1 large tomato puree, cumin powder, turmeric and red chili powder. Add green chilis cut in halves and a pinch of cinnamon powder.
4. Cook well till oil separates.  Add 1/2 cup warm water for gravy if you need to cook it more thoroughly. Serve with steamed rice.

A variation of the fish chop

Fish chop with lemon juice, ginger, lemon rind, and chipotle spices

Panch phoron diye macher jhol (Fish Broth using Bengali five spices)

I had this at Sujaya di's place some months ago. When Summer came, I started craving for something light and nourishing. If you have access to freshly -caught fish(one of our friend's supply us with his catch of the day sometimes. Joy da , I am talking about you :) ) you can use this recipe with great jubilation. Sometimes, I even use frozen Tilapia fillets and it tastes as good.

পাঁচ ফোড়ন  দিয়ে মাছের ঝোল 

1. Steam the frozen fillets for a minute in microwave(Skip this step if you are using fresh fish)
2. Dry excess water with paper towels. Cut the fillets into halves. Rub on both sides evenly: freshly squeezed lime juice, turmeric, salt, red chili powder, bhaja masala(dry roasted cumin-coriander, ground to powder). Keep aside.
3. In a wok, add mustard oil and shallow fry the fish. Remove and drain in paper towels
4. In the same oiil, you used for frying, add 1 tsp panch phoron (equal parts fenugreek seed, nigella seed, cumin seed, black mustard seed and fennel seed), minced onions, minced garlic, minced ginger and minced green chilies.  Sometimes, I slip a few extra methi or fenugreek seeds because I like its flavor in fish broth.
5. Add potatoes (steam in a microwave to save cooking time). When the potatoes are about done, add diced tomatoes. After sauteing for a while (Bengali : কসানো ), add lukewarm water (1 cup , 1 min in microwave). Cook covered. 
6. Add the fish and turn at the most once. Add chopped cilantro when it is about done. Kill the flame. Serve with steamed rice.

You may use salmon fillet for this light broth. Temper it with kalo jeere and methi instead of panch phoron.

Whole carp pan-fried and baked

1. Clean the fish, remove entails. Make shallow diagonal cuts on the skin. Sprinkle salt evenly. You may sprinkle some ground cumin, coriander and pepper too.
2. Thinly slice onions, chilis and make matchstick ginger. 
3. In a non-stick, shallow fry the fish on both side and then the onions and chilis.
4. Transfer to an aluminium foil, add soy sauce and ginger(inside the cavity too). 
5. Seal and bake for 40 mins at 350 F. Add cilantro.

You might also like : Steamed halibut

Shorshe maach

Discard old mustard seeds or you'll create an abomination. You may use shrimp instead of fish . The recipe is from my sister-in-law Barnali di.

1. Rub salt and turmeric to the fish pieces and shallow  fry very lightly in hot oil. Keep aside. Let them drain in paper towels
2. Grind yellow mustard seeds, salt, green chilis (and posto optional) with a little water. Add water in small portions if the paste is too thick to move inside the food processor.
3. In a wok, heat oil add kalonji seeds and slit green chilies 
4. Add the mustard paste, turmeric, water. Bring to boil, add salt to taste and a pinch of sugar.
5. Add the shallow fried fish.
6. When it is about done, add 1 tsp mustard oil. Add cilantro leaves if you want.

If you like , you may add a bit of red chili powder.

I made buck Shad with mustard paste. For this, I microwaved the mustard seeds in a cup of water for a minute.The seeds soaked up the water and I made a paste by slipping it into magic bullet with a few green chilies. (I usually dry grind mustard seeds in a coffee grinder. )

Salmon with okra

 I love both Salmon and okra, and make them with onion- tomatoes- greenchilies. I thought, why not combine the two? The matrimony was quite delightful.

1.  I used store-bought Salmon fillet, cut them into cubes and added spices(dry roasted cumin-coriander-red dry chilies ground to powder) and lime juice. 
2. In a frying pan, heat olive oil and saute onions, add the fish. For tempering I used fenugreek seeds as a variation to my usual method.
3.  Add coarsely diced okra ,  tomatoes, green chilies. Add grated ginger, turmeric, salt to taste. 
4. Cover and cook in low flame till done.

Bengali style fish cutlet

For Madhuleena
SG taught me how to make fish chops, today he taught me to make Bengali style fish cutlet like the way my MIL makes them. Here's how:

1. Make a paste of garlic, ginger,onion, green chilies, cilantro, a little salt.. Keep aside.
   
   
   
2. Start with firm, white fish fillet (bhetki/barramundi, cod, tillapia, pollock etc). Make thin slices if you need to. Rub freshly squeezed lime juice, salt and ground black pepper.
   
3. Dip the fish in egg wash (add a little paste and salt to it and beat well). Take 1/2 tsp of paste and coat evenly on one side of the fillet. Next, coat with breadcrumbs. This ensures the paste doesn't fall out or dissolve into the egg wash while frying.
4. Dip into the  egg wash and breadcrumbs once again for a crisp coat later. (You can save the unfried cutlets in an airtight container for frying later)
5. In the meantime, let cooking oil heat in a small kadai or deep fryer. Deep fry and serve hot with your favorite chutney.

Baked rainbow trout with lemon and dill

Ingredients:
2 whole rainbow trout, dressed and cleaned
Olive oil/Butter 1 tsp for each fish
Garlic powder/salt
Chili flakes/pepper
Lemons cut in round shapes and some wedges for squeezing
Spice rub of your choice (optional)
Al foil
Dill or Herbs of your choice

Method

1. Wipe the fish thoroughly with paper towels. Score the fish on the outside so that the spices get through to the bone.
2. Season the insides and outsides well with garlic salt, chili flakes/pepper, spice rub, dill, lemon juice and lemon rounds. Drizzle olive oil or  use cooking spray. You may also add melted butter.
3. Wrap in foil and seal any openings to keep the fish juicy.
4. Preheat oven to 450 F, bake for 20 mins (or 25 mins at 375 F ) or until fish turns flaky when scraped with a fork.
5. You may also add herbs of your choice and  a wine sauce.
   

Tip:  Use fragnant lemons for a delightful smell, and fresh trout. Lemon caper in butter is also a good option for baking fish and chicken.

Masala Pomfret with soy sauce (pan-fried)

1. Clean 3 mid-sized pomfrets, remove fins, score with a knife, remove the heads. Rub lemon juice and spice rub (I used dry roasted and ground cumin-coriander-red chili). Fry in olive oil, keep aside.
   
2. Dice onions, ginger, garlic and  slit Thai chilis. Fry them in the oil used for frying  the fish. Add the fish. Drizzle soy sauce.
   
3. Cook covered in low heat until done, turning twice.
4. You may add cilantro or green onions or both. Even leeks go well with this recipe. You may add diced tomatoes too.
   

Ilish Paturi (Hilsha fish steamed in plantain leaves)

Ilish paturi

I found some frozen plantain/Banana leaves at Ranch 99, my go-to place for fresh fish. This encouraged me to try fish paturi. I saw a video on YouTube (Pancha Byanjan) where the chef used sliced onions, coconut flakes and mustard seed paste- both white and black for the paturi. I made it the following way.

1. Since the Ilish we get in the West Coast of US  is not as fresh  (read: frozen) as we get in the East Coast of India, I decided to shallow fry the fish  first with Nigella seeds, sliced onions, salt, turmeric and slit green chilies in mustard oil. (You can skip this and just steam the ingredients together if you have access to fresh Ilish.)
2. Make a paste with black mustard. Add water in small portions if the paste is too thick to move inside the food processor.
3. Then, I wrapped the fish in plantain leaves and steamed the in a steamer with lid on until done ( you can use kitchen twine or toothpick to seal the leaves). I noted the color of the leaves, when they turned pale, I switched off the flame. The steam continued cooking the fish.

Tip: The frozen leaves can be more brittle than usual, you may wash them under running cold water and microwave them for 30 secs to soften them. You may use Aluminium foil too, but the leaves impart a distinct flavor.

You can also use cauliflower , whitebait, pomfret, prawns or fish of your choice for the paturi . There is a similar Kerala Delicacy called Meen Pollichathu. 

Steamed halibut with ginger, soy sauce and scallions

This is a recipe I got from a guy we met while shopping for fish at Ranch 99. He even took us to the aisle where the right soy sauce was. I already had regular Kikkoman, but he insisted we should try the one specially meant for steamed fish.

       VS

 I added jalapenos to his recipe . You can bake or steam it.. I like it both ways.

Before 

After

1. Take steaks of white fish (I used halibut for this one), clean and pat dry with paper towels.
2. Add soy sauce, ginger, diced jalapeno to the fish and wrap it in aluminium foil . Bake at 350 F for 40 mins or steam, until the fish turns flaky. (You can add wine too)
3. Add scallions and/or cilantro generously. 

You might also like this Malaysian recipe of Red Snapper grilled in Banana Leaf

I tried this recipe with whole carp. I shallow fried the fish and sauteed the onions first.

Fish in Tomato Onion sauce

1. Like any other Bengali fish preparation, we'll begin by cleaning the fish, patting it dry and then rubbing salt and turmeric while we heat cooking oil in wok. (I prefer Olive oil for mild-tasting fish, though some may consider it a sacrilege to use that in a Bengali recipe. Go with what your heart says) Shallow fry the fish, set aside. (Use paper towels to drain excess oil if you want)
2. Thinly slice onions about 1 and a half medium sized ones should be good for 2 to 4 people(about 4-6 steaks of fish).
3. Quarter tomatoes, dice ginger, mince garlic(if you feel the fish has a smell you wouldn't like. Traditional Bengali seldom use garlic), slit about 2-3 green chilies  If you like to use dry roasted cumin-coriander powder, it is a good time to check/replenish your stock. I like to add Radhuni brand Fish Masala to this recipe too. (Sometimes, I vary by using a combination of ground cumin-fennel seeds-fenugreek seeds)
4. Fry the ingredients, until oil separates. Add a little salt. Add back the shallow fried fish steaks. 
5. Cook covered on low heat. Sprinkle with freshly chopped cilantro/coriander leaves. Enjoy with steamed rice.

Mackerel in chive butter

1. Clean the fish, gut it out it needed. Thaw in cold water if frozen. 
2. Score the fish with a sharp knife and rub chive butter (chopped chives in butter melted in microwave for a minute or so), garlic salt, Italian herbs, wine, olive oil, freshly squeezed lime, pepper, cumin and coriander powder.
3. Bake in baking tray covered with a perforated Al foil for 20 mins and uncovered for another 20 mins or until done. 

Enjoy with wild rice risotto.

Poached pear
Recipe link 1
Alternately, I made the poaching liquid with wine, water, cloves, cinnamon sticks and brown sugar. Peeled a whole pear and poached it for 20 mins. Served it with chocolate sauce.

Another pear dessert: Honey-roasted pear

Two bhery Bengali dishes

Pui Ilish

Pui was a rare find at the Indian grocery store.(Discovered later that it is sold as Vietnamese Spinach at the Asian stores) I decided to make it for a guest who was invited for dinner consisting of  traditional Bengali fare. It goes well with shrimp or Ilish head.

Ilish head

Stalks and potatoes go first in the oil you used to fry the Ilish head. Lots of flavor there.

Final product: my first Pui Ilish

1. Wash and clean the Ilish head. Rub turmeric and salt, set aside for a few minutes while you prepare the pui (Vietnamese/Climbing/Malabar spinach)
2. Wash and break the leaves off the stem. Cut the stalk into bit-sized halves. Dice potatoes (and other vegetables like kumro (butternut squash), jhinge (ridged gourd) and begun (eggplant) to it. ).
3. In a wok, heat mustard oil, light fry the fish head, then keep aside. In the same oil add kalonji, potatoes (and the vegetables ), stalk first and then the leaves. (To reduce cooking time, you can microwave the spinach for 3 mins, drain the excess water released and then add to the wok) 
4. When the leaves are about done add the fried fish head and slit green chilies. Cover and cook in very low flame without adding any water.

A variation with chingri (shrimp) can also be made. Just replace the fish head with shrimp.

Pui Chingri

You might al so like Cabbage with fish head (Macher matha diye Badhakopir Ghonto)

Jhinge aloo kaju posto

Jhinge or ridged gourd is a good source of fiber. With poppy seeds (posto), cashew and potatoes - it becomes an extremely easy-to-make tasty vegetable dish.

1. Using a peeler, peel the tough edges of a ridged gourd. Cut them into inch long sticks, then lightly fry in hot mustard oil. Keep aside.  Cut potatoes about the same size. 
2. Add kalonji, minced onions. Add the potatoes (microwave them for 2-3 mins for faster cooking time), then add back  the ridged gourd , salt, and turmeric.
3. Dry grind poppy seeds with a few cashews- add to the gourd. Add a little water if needed.  Cover and cook on low flame.
   
   
   I also made aloo-bean posto (potato-beans-poppy seeds) similarly .

The best Chinese dinner I had

Fried rice with Chinese sausage, Chinese broccoli sauteed in minced onions and red chilies, and whole fish baked with chili-bean sauce.The original recipes are by our friends- Gong and Deng.

Macher jhol

I know you will have doubts about me being a Bong if I don't scribble a nice Bengali-styled fish curry recipe. This is a light broth, and easy to make. Usually, fresh Rohu goes well with it; I decided to work with live black bass cut into steaks- tastes even better. Make sure the fish is fresh.

1. Clean fish steaks, rub salt and turmeric. Set aside.
2. Dry roast some cumin (jeera), coriander seeds (optional) and fenugreek(methi) until fragrant and the seeds just start hoping around. Grind them and keep aside.
3. Cut potatoes into wedges, light fry them in oil. Keep aside in paper towels to drain excess oil.
4. Light fry the fish on both sides, (you can add diced onions too) Add the potatoes, wedged tomatoes. Add warm water. Cover and cook in slow heat. Don't stir too much if the fish is delicate- we don't want them broken. Add slit-green chilies and cilantro. Serve with a lemon wedge and steamed rice