Machh -er jhol (fish curry),patha’r mangsho(goat’s meat curry)mishti doi (sweet yogurt),shondesh/sandesh(bengali dessert delicacy),luchi (puffed flour bread) are few thing among many others that hits the top of the list when we are thinking of a bong’s culinary diary.And how can I be an exception! My tryst with mach-er jhol started since the time I can’t even recollect .Mach er jhol can be very hot,fiery, rich gravy of fish with profusion of spices like garam masala or can be a mild yet flavoursome curry with or without vegetables.That is how I have known my mach-er jhol since childhood.There is no one recipe for a machh -er jhol.Each Bong household has it’s own way through maach,jhol and it’s accompaniments.But this cant deny the fact that there are traditional recipes like maacher kalia,doi maach or shorshey maach which have their position of prime in the heart of Bengalis no matter what.Interesting thing to note is, that a bong can use the same spice or tempering to make different sorts of fish preparations depending on the recipe.With the rich mustard paste they make paturi,while the same mustard paste can be used with additional greens or any vegetable of your choice to culminate into a mach er jhol,which is more like a runny fish curry.
Mustard greens (Shoshey Shaak)
I was back home after a year or so,was missing my Maa er haath er ranna (mom’s cooking) immensely- I did make a mention of that to her once over phone and mom was ready with home cooked buffet of food on almost all the days of my stay.Saying ‘no’ to her was not an option, so I happily gave in to mom’s culinary expression of love.This one dish that stayed with me – simple,unpretentious and easy to make ,this is a fish curry to be served with steaming hot rice.
How Maa made Shorshey shaak diye maach er jhol
4-6 pieces of Rohu( Salmon/Tilapia can also be very good alternative)
A bunch of Mustard greens(Shorshe Shaak)
1 teasoon-Nigella seeds/Kalo jeera/black onion seeds
1 teaspoon-Turmeric powder
1 teaspoon – Red chilli powder
5-6 tablespoon-Yellow mustard seed paste
Salt to taste
Few green chillies
Mustard oil
Recipe
Wash and clean the scales of the fish pieces.
Wash and pat dry the mustard green leaves,separating them from the stem.
Prepare a yellow mustard paste with water(just enough to make a thick to runny mix), 2-3 green chillies and 1 teaspoon of salt thrown in.
Dry marinate the fish pieces with turmeric and salt,shallow fry them in mustard oil till they change their colour to golden brown.
Temper the mustard oil left in the wok (after frying the fish) with kalo jeera(nigella seeds/black onion seeds) and a few longitudinally slitted green chillies,sauté them slightly.Then add the yellow mustard paste mix and the mustard green leaves.Add the turmeric powder, red chilli powder and a cup or two of boiling water , give a good stir and let it simmer till the greens get well cooked.Check the seasoning.Add the fried fish pieces.Cook for another 2-3 minutes in low to medium heat.Put off the flame,cover the wok with a lid to give it a standing time of 2 more minutes. You can drizzle a table spoon of raw mustard oil on top of this fish curry, if you like the smell of mustard oil.
Serve hot with steamed rice.
Bong Appetite.. 