Pomfret Recheado ( The Truly Goan 'Chakna' )

N: What's your idea of a perfect paradise for travelers ?

P: A place lined with endless pristine beaches buffeted by the enigmatic blue green waters that stretch as far as one can see.

N: Sigh, that's interesting. Did you miss anything ?

P: How about some heritage buildings to bring on that old world charm !

N: Good doing. Anything else you want to add to that list ?

P: Ummm. Maybe a hidden cove or two to up the mystery quotient.

N: Ahh. Now you getting better. How about capping it up with something to cater to those baser instincts ?

P: Yesss. How could I forget ? I wish for dozens of beach-side shacks serving seafood to the tune of some exotic music ( Bollywood, gimme a break ),

N: That's my girl ! Now you are getting almost as good as me ! You have almost seduced me into believing that Nirvana is within arm's length. I could spend my entire life listening to the music made by the waves while lying in one of those seaside shacks. Goa, here I come !!!

Snap. Snap. But just as I am about to slip into the throes of this fantastic daydream, I remind myself that the blog post needs to be up before the terminator arises from his afternoon siesta. (Focus, focus, focus.) Still wondering about that conversation ? That's just me ( P aka Poor little pedestrian me who is happy to make do with whatever life throws at me ) and my doppelganger ( N aka Narcissist me who is always striving to break free and reach for the stars ) making those noises in my head. :)

Back to the beaches of Goa. Given the reputation of being a drunk's paradise, it is hardly surprising that Goan food includes some delectable 'chaknas' or those finger foods that go wonderfully well with alcohol. Spicy and tangy, and often marinated in some kind of toddy (local brew), they add punch to the beers and the fenis that are part of the Goan charm. One such dish is the fish Recheado. While it can be made with other varieties, I picked up a nice and juicy Pomfret for mine.

And since my family tree is very much restricted to the eastern parts of the country, I had to refer to this wonderful recipe by Chef Sainora ( Marriott resort, Miramar). Tweaked it a bit as per my preferences and it turned out to be amazing !! I served it with white rice, yellow dal and a salad.

Read on -

Preparation Time - 1 hour 15 mins ( includes 1 hour marination time)


Ingredients -

• 1 Pomfret fish ( 250 gm )
• 4 dry red chili
• 2 inch cinnamon
• 3-4 cloves
• 2 green cardamom
• 10-12 garlic flakes (fat ones)
• 1 inch ginger
• a thumb nail sized piece of tamarind
• a pinch of cumin seeds
• 1/4 tsp black peppercorns
• 1 small onion(finely chopped)
• salt to taste
• 1 tsp lemon juice
• 1/3 tsp sugar
• 2 tbsp oil for frying
• 2-3 tsp vinegar( toddy vinegar preferably )
• lemon wedges for garnishing
• onion rings for garnishing

Preparation - Soak the dry spices and the ginger and garlic in vinegar . Grind into a smooth paste along with the tamarind.

Cooking - Brown the onions using about 1 tsp oil. Add the spice paste to the same wok. Fry for 2 mins. Add the sugar and salt to taste. Remove from heat and keep aside.

Clean the fish,make a slit and remove everything from the belly. Also remove the soft mass from the head. Make 2-3 slits on each side. Stuff the masala inside the fish and also rub it all over the sides.

Sprinkle lemon juice and salt over the fish. Marinate in the fridge for 1 hour.

Heat the oil in a skillet. Add the fish and fry on each side for 7-8 mins.

Remove from skillet and garnish with lemon wedges and onion rings.

Serve hot.

Poppy encrusted Rohu Fish Fry

Was in a very relaxed mood this Sunday after a great dinner @ Village restaurant (Total Mall, Sarjapur) and did not want to ruin the mood by indulging in too much cooking. Hence decided to keep it simple with a fish fry and a simple vegetarian side along with dal-chawal. But did not want to repeat the regular style that we usually adopt while making the fish. That is when I noticed the packet of poppy seeds peeking out from the grocery bag (which was unpacked as I was feeling lazy) and decided to go for an encrusted fish fry. The mild flavours that I used in the marinade complemented the nuttiness of the poppy seeds. While I used fish slices which still had bones in them, I feel that this would taste even better with fish fillets.

Read on for the recipe -

Preparation Time - 10-12 mins (plus 30-40 mins marination time)

Ingredients -

• 4 slices of Rohu fish
• 4 garlic flakes
• 2 green chilis
• 4 tbsp coriander leaves
• 4 tbsp poppy seeds
• 1 egg white 
• 1/2 tsp corn flour
• 2 pinch turmeric
• 2 pinch black pepper
• 4-5 tsp oil
• salt to taste

Preparation - Make a paste out of the garlic, green chili and coriander leaves. Add salt and turmeric to the paste. Rub it all over the cleaned fish slices and allow to rest for 30-40 mins.

Beat the egg white with the cornflour, pepper and a little salt. 

Cooking - Heat the oil in a non stick frying pan. 

Remove the fish from the marinade and coat it with the egg wash.

Place the fish slices over the pan and drizzle the poppy seeds generously all over the pieces.

Fish Curry

I love fish curry...the tantalizing red color, the aroma that tingles the nose, the heat bombs that explode on the tongue, the warm feeling that leave one guessing about the complexity of spices, everything about it is ambrosia to me. And that is why I keep trying out different varieties from different states of India..spicy, tangy, sweet, thick gravy, thin gravy...just about anything that catches my eye.

But of late I was feeling a bit confused about which one to cook, so I just threw in a bit of this and a bit of that and ended up with a lip-smacking curry. Some mustard paste, a little onion-ginger-garlic-masala paste, some yogurt, about half a cup of finely chopped tomatoes and of course the lightly fried fish are the core ingredients that go into this dish. With so many ingredients, it becomes important to get the proportions right especially as this curry needs to be a light one (with a thin-gravy).

Read on for the recipe -

Preparation Time - 30 mins

Ingredients -

• 6 pieces Rohu fish 
• 2 tsp (heaped) onion-masala paste
• 3-4 tsp mustard masala paste
• 1/2 cup yogurt
• 1/2 cup finely chopped tomatoes
• 1 cup boiled potato cubes
• 1 1/2 tsp chili powder
• 1/5 tsp garam masala powder
• 1/2 tsp turmeric powder
• 1 tsp sugar
• 4 tsp oil
• salt to taste
• (Oil for shallow frying fish)
• coriander leaves for garnishing

Preparation - Marinate the fish with a pinch of turmeric and some salt. Shallow fry on both sides to a golden brown. Remove and keep aside on a tissue paper to absorb excess oil.

Beat the yogurt to break any lumps.

Cooking - Heat 4 tsp oil in a wok. Add the onion masala paste and fry lightly for 3 mins.

Add the mustard masala paste and fry for 1 minute (do not overdo).

Add the chopped tomatoes along with chili powder, turmeric and garam masala. Cover with a lid for 1-2 mins to allow tomatoes to soften. Fry for another minute.

Add about 4 cups boiling water. Adjust the salt and allow the curry to come to a rolling boil.

Let it boil for 2-3 mins before adding the fish and the boiled potatoes. Cover with a lid and let simmer for a while till you get the desired consistency.

Finally stir in the yogurt along with a little salt. Let it boil for 2-3 mins before adding the coriander leaves and removing the curry from the flame,

For onion masala paste - 1 large onion, 8-10 garlic flakes, 2 inch ginger, 2 dry red chilis, 1 tsp cumin seeds, 1 1/2 inch cinnamon stick, 2-3 green cardamoms. Grind everything together into a smooth paste.

For mustard masala paste - 3 tsp mustard seeds, 2 tsp cumin seeds, 7-8 garlic flakes, 1-2 green chili. Grind everything together into a smooth paste.

Fried Fish Parcels (with Turmeric leaf)

Few days back, I had posted the recipe for fried fish parcels using the banana leaf. Loved the flavour that it imparted to the fish and wanted to try out the recipe using various other kinds of leaves like pumpkin, saal, etc which are generally used in the villages of Odisha. But since I could not get my hands on any of these, my Mom suggested that I give it a try with turmeric leaves. With Prathamashtami celebrated a few days back, some of these leaves were still lying in the fridge. I had eaten enough Enduri during the past week and so I decided to put these super aromatic leaves to a different use.

Read on for the recipe -

Preparation Time - 30 mins

Ingredients -

• 4 pieces of Mirkali fish (Rohu/Bhakura is also fine)
• 2 tsp mustard-garlic-coconut-green chili paste 
• 1 1/2 tsp mustard oil
• 2-3 green chilis (slit lengthwise)
• 2 pinch turmeric
• 1/5 tsp salt
• 2 tsp mustard oil for frying
• 8 pieces of turmeric leaf


Preparation - Wash and marinate the fish with salt, turmeric and mustard-coconut paste. Leave aside for 10 mins.


Make a cross with two turmeric leaves. Place a piece of fish in the centre. Drizzle mustard oil over it and place 2-3 pieces of slit green chili. Close the parcel and secure it with a string.


Cooking - Heat the mustard oil on a pan. Once it gets smoking, add the parcels and immediately lower the flame. Once the leaf on the bottom surface has turned brown with black spots showing at some places, flip it over. Let it sit on the pan till the leaf turns brown. (it takes roughly 7-8 minutes to cook on each side)


Switch off the flame and remove the pan. Keep aside for 5 minutes.


Carefully open the parcels and discard the leaves.


Serve hot with white rice and dal.

Note - For the mustard paste, the ratio of the ingredients is ' 2 tsp black mustard seeds : 2 tbsp freshly grated coconut: 4 garlic cloves : 1 green chili '. 

Fried Fish Parcels

Bored with the various kinds of fish curries and fries, I had been planning to try out something new with fish. And the Rohi fish being so very fresh in Odisha, I was reluctant to try anything crazy lest I spoil it. It was during one such confused moment that I came up with this rather simple preparation.

After marinating the fish in a salt-turmeric-mustard-garlic-green chili paste, I placed it on a banana leaf and drizzled it with more mustard oil. Then I threw in 2-3 pieces of slit green chili before wrapping up the leaf and securing it with the drumstick fibers( it was the first thing that I could find in the kitchen). People in villages usually use some kind of bark strips or natural fibers to secure the parcels.The parcels were then pan fried on low flame till the leaf turned black and shrunken. Though similar to a Bengali Fish Paturi, this one uses minimal spices.

Read on for the recipe -

Preparation Time - 30 mins

Ingredients -

• 4 pieces of Rohi (Rohu) fish
• 2 tsp mustard-garlic-green chili paste 
• 1 1/2 tsp mustard oil
• 2-3 green chilis (slit lengthwise)
• 2 pinch turmeric
• 1/5 tsp salt
• 2 tsp mustard oil for frying
• 4 pieces of banana leaf (8" X 8" preferably) (tender leaves are best)


Preparation - Wash and marinate the fish with salt, turmeric and mustard paste. Leave aside for 10 mins.


Place each piece on a banana leaf. Drizzle mustard oil over it and place 2-3 pieces of slit green chili. Close the parcel and secure it with a string.


Cooking - Heat the mustard oil on a pan. Once it gets smoking, add the parcels and immediately lower the flame. Once the leaf on the bottom surface has turned brown with black spots showing at some places, flip it over. Let it sit on the pan till the leaf turns brown. (it takes roughly 7-8 minutes to cook on each side)






















Switch off the flame and remove the pan. Keep aside for 5 minutes.

Carefully open the parcels and discard the leaves.

Serve hot with white rice and dal.

Note - For the mustard paste, the ratio of the ingredients is ' 2 tsp black mustard seeds : 4 garlic cloves : 1 green chili '. 

Maccha Manjee bara Tarkari

What do you do when you buy a 3 kg fish and some 250-300 gms of fish eggs come free with it ?? I guess thats a no brainer. Obviously, you make lots and lots of fritters. But what if you still have some fritters leftover after eating to your heart's content. Well, you can refrigerate and microwave them the next day before eating. Or you can come up with a curried version of the fish egg fritters (a better solution I would say as you do not have to prepare another gravy dish to go with the rice/rotis). The method used is similar to that of a regular Odisha style fish curry but with some garam masala and kasuri methi added for extra flavor.

Read on for the recipe -

Preparation Time - 40 mins

Ingredients -

For the bara/fritters -
100 gm fish eggs
1 tsp besan
1/2 tsp cornflour
1/3 tsp GG paste
1/4 tsp chili powder
a pinch of turmeric
1 tsp coriander leaves (finely chopped)
salt to taste
oil for shallow frying

For the curry -

1 large sized onion
1 medium sized tomato
1 tsp GG paste
1/2 tsp chili powder
1/2 tsp fish/meat masala (optional)
2 tsp kasuri methi
a pinch of garam masala
2 pinch turmeric
whole spices ( 1 green cardamom, 2 cloves, 1 bay leaf, 1 inch cinnamon stick )
salt to taste
3 tsp oil

Cooking - Clean the fish eggs and drain off excess water. Take it a mixing bowl and mash it up. Add all the remaining ingredients (except oil) listed under "For the baras/fritters" . Mix well and keep aside for 5 mins.

Heat oil in a wok for shallow frying. Take spoonfuls of the fish egg mixture and put into the hot oil. One can make 5-6 fritters per batch. Fry on both sides till golden brown. Remove from the wok and keep aside. Repeat for the remaining mixture.

Remove excess oil if any from the wok. Add the onions along with the whole spices and saute till onion starts to look translucent. Add the GG paste at this stage and cook till the raw smell goes away and the onion start to turn red.

Add all the powdered spices at this stage and stir fry for 1 minute.

Now, add the finely chopped tomato and sprinkle a little salt over the contents of the wok. Cover with lid for 1-2 minutes. Remove the lid and mash up the tomatoes which would have softened by now. Cook the ingredients till they start to ooze oil.

Add around 1 - 1 1/2 cup hot water and bring everything to a boil. Let it boil for 4-5 mins.

Rub the kasuri methi leaves and add to the wok along with the baras. Let simmer for 2-3 minutes after adding the baras/fritters. Remove and keep aside for 5-10 mins for the baras to soak up the gravy.               ( However if you prefer the fritters to remain crispy, add them to the hot/warm gravy just before serving.)

Serve with white rice.

Fish Cutlet

Yeah..it seems to be raining cutlets in my kitchen and everyone is loving it!! Thank God for it!! Finally those long missed out posts on cutlets are making their way into my blog. Simple and easy to do without much oil or spices, they make for a tasty snack or even a side dish. So when I had some leftover fried fish sitting in my fridge, I did not think twice before making it into cutlets. (Actually we had bought over 2 Kgs of Rohu fish last weekend and had made fish fry, besara and masala jholo with it. So the cutlets actually added some variety.)

Read on for the recipe -

Preparation Time - 20 mins

Ingredients -

• 4 large pieces/slices of fried Rohu fish
• 1 cup boiled potato cubes
• 1 large sized onion ( finely chopped)
• 1/2 tsp grated ginger
• 1/2 tsp grated/crushed garlic
• 1/2 - 1 tsp red chilli powder
• 1/2 tsp cumin powder
• 1/2 tsp coriander powder
• 1/4 tsp garam masala
• a pinch of turmeric
• 4-5 tsp oil
• salt to taste

For the outer layer

• 1 egg (lightly beaten)
• a pinch of salt
• a pinch of chili powder
• 1 cup breadcrumbs

Preparation - Remove any bones from the fish pieces and lightly crumble with your fingers.

Mash the potatoes. Break any lumps but do not make it too smooth.

Lightly beat the egg with some salt and chilli powder.



Cooking - Heat 2 tsp oil in a wok. Add the onions and fry till translucent.

Add the ginger and garlic and fry for 2-3 mins. Now add the fish and fry for another 2 minutes. Then add the mashed potatoes. Sprinkle all the powders except garam masala. Mix and fry for 4-5 minutes on medium flame. (add a few spoons of water if it is getting too dry

Sprinkle garam masala.. Mix and switch off flame.

Allow to cool down to a tolerable temperature. Then pinch small balls out of the mix and fashion into round or fish shaped cutlets.

Dip into the egg and gently roll over the bread crumbs to make a uniform coating. Make similar cutlets out of the remaining mix.

Heat a non-stick tawa/frying pan. Drizzle with a little oil or use a oil spray.

Place the cutlets over it and cook on both sides for a few minutes till little brown spots appear. Remove from the tawa/frying pan.

Serve immediately with some onion rings and lemon juice.

Illishi Maccha Jholo (Masala Dia)

A special recipe for this weekend.................

Hilsa or Ilishi is also referred to as the Indian Shad. Its streamlined body with a golden sheen make it quite a beauty . Much celebrated in Odisha, West Bengal and Assam, the best ones are caught from the Padma river in Bangladesh. It is quite rich in Omega 3 fatty acids and hence good for maintaining heart health.

As it is quite expensive these days, it is considered at par with mutton and hence made only on special occasions or when guests are coming over. It is among those recipes that have been missing from my blog for so long simply because I have overlooked them. (I wish I could spout some gyan about how they are becoming extinct due to rampant fishing and hence I am doing my bit to save them...but that would be a lie.)

Preparation time - 20 mins

Ingredients  -

Hilsa/Indian Shad - 4 pieces
Onion - 1 large
Garlic - 8-9 flakes
Ginger - 1 1/2 inch
green cardamom - 2-3 nos
cinnamon - 1 1/2 inch
cloves - 4-5 nos
bay leaf - 1 no
tomato - 1 no, medium sized
potato - 1 no, medium sized
1 tsp chilli powder
1/3 tsp meat masala (optional)
salt to taste
turmeric
5 tsp Saffola Rice Bran oil

Preparation - Marinate the fish with salt and turmeric for 10 minutes.

Chop the onion into small pieces. Make a coarse paste out of the ginger and garlic.

Chop tomato into small pieces.

Cooking - Heat 2 tsp oil in non-stick wok. Add the fish and fry on both sides till cooked through. Remove and keep aside.

Add the remaining oil to the same wok. Add all the whole spices and fry till fragrant.

Add onions and ginger garlic paste. Fry till the paste starts turning a light red/deep pink.

Add the tomatoes along with red chilli powder, meat masala, 1/3 tsp turmeric and a little salt. Cook covered till tomatoes turn mushy.

Add the potatoes and fry for 3 minutes.

Add 1 1/2 cups hot water and bring to boil. Add the fish and adjust salt. Cook covered till potatoes are done.

Serve hot with white rice.

Sukhua Besara Tarkari

Its too early in the season for Pakhala. But I could not resist a quickie. And with no vegetables in the fridge last week, I got a good excuse for this one.

Yeah, its 'Sukhua' or dried fish. Very popular in all coastal areas on India (Odisha happens to be no exception), these are a boon when the vegetable supply dries up (especially in summers). And it so happens with us folks that we love it but are scared to own up. Blame it on the former's reputation as the poor man's food. Nothing that wannabes like us would like to be associated with. Aren't we the quintessential aspiring lot ?? Take heart people suffering from such a malaise, it is quite popularly used in cuisines from other countries ( including our favorite Chinese ).

If you are still on this page, I am sharing a simple recipe made with dried anchovies. Made with 'besara', the mustard-garlic paste that happens to be the mainstay of Oriya cuisine, it is a breeze to make. But do open the doors and the windows to let in some breeze while cooking it else your house might end up smelling like the neighboring  fish-market or 'maccha-haata' as we call it. Read on:

Preparation Time - 15 mins (plus 30 mins soaking time)

Ingredients -

• Dried anchovies/smelt fish ( 1 cup )
• Baby potatoes ( 1/2 cup )
• pearl onions ( 1/3 cup )
• 1 medium sized ripe tomato
• 2 tsp mustard seeds
• 2 green chillis
• 8 garlic flakes
• 1 ambula (dried mango,optional)
• 2 tsp mustard oil
• 2 pinch turmeric
• salt to taste

Preparation - Soak the dried fish in some warm water for 1 hour. At the same time soak the ambula in a separate cup with 1/2 cup warm water.

Wash and the cut the baby potatoes into half. Peel and cut the pearl onions into half. Finely chop the tomato.

Grind the mustard seeds with 1 green chilli and half of the garlic cloves into a fine paste.

Cooking - Smoke the fish on a wire mesh for the smokey flavour. Then soak it in water for 5-6 minutes.

Heat the oil in a wok. Add the broken green chilli and crushed garlic cloves. Fry for 1 minute.

Add the soaked anchovies. Fry for 2-3 minutes.

Add the baby potatoes.pearl onions and fry for another 2 minutes.

Add the mustard paste with 1 - 1 1/2 cups water, salt and turmeric. Cover with a lid and allow to cook till potatoes are half done. Add chopped tomatoes and cook covered till potatoes are 80 percent done.

Add the soaked ambula along with the water used for soaking. Allow to cook uncovered till most of the water evaporates and potatoes are done. Remove from flame.

Serve with 'pakhala' or white rice and dal. (If eating with pakhla, do not forget to serve some green chillis and onions)

The frugal ingredients and the final dish . If you have a taste for pungent food, this is a must try !!

Chilli Fish

Just like many of the improvised indo-chinese recipes that have become the mainstay of our menus, Chili fish is another quick and interesting recipe that can multitask as both as a side-dish cum starters. Nothing new about this recipe, as I remember having it way back in 95'-96'. It had caught the imagination of the Oriya masses at that time and hardly any marriage/reception that we attended was complete without a serving of this delicacy.

But like all good things, it suffered an overkill and that is the reason I had been avoiding it for so long. But with the onset of summer, curries are taking a backseat. So, in addition to the plain fish fry (using only salt and turmeric) , maccha besara bhaja ( using garlic-green chilli-mustard sauce/paste ) and masala dia maccha bhaja ( ginger-garlic-onion-coriander-garam masala paste ), I decided to add it to our meals on a one off basis. Read on for the recipe:

Preparation Time - 15 mins

Ingredients -

4 pieces of Rohu fish ( or 200 gm )
1 medium sized onion
1 medium sized capsicum
2-3 green chillis
2-3 red chillis
4-5 tsp oil
2 pinch turmeric
salt to taste

For the sauce -

1 1/2 tsp corn flour
1-2 tsp vinegar
1-2 dark soy sauce
3 tsp tomato sauce
1 1/2 tsp chilli sauce
1 tsp fish sauce (optional)
2-3 tsp water

Preparation - Wash the fish pieces and pat them dry. Add the turmeric and salt. Rub all over the fish and marinate for 10 minutes.

Cut the onion and capsicum into medium sized chunks. Slit the green chillis and deseed them.

Take all the ingredients for the sauce in a bowl. Mix well.

Cooking - Heat a non-stick frying pan. Add 2 tsp oil.

Add the fish pieces and cook on both sides to a light brown (reddish) color. Remove from pan and allow to cool down. Cut into small pieces.

Heat the remaining oil in wok. Add the red and green chillis. Follow with the capsicum and onion chunks after 1 minute. Saute for 2 minutes.

Add the sauce and turn up the flame to HIGH. Cook for 2 minutes or till the sauce dries up a bit.

Add the fried fish and mix well to coat the pieces with the sauce. Fry for 1-2 minutes before switching off the flame.

Serve hot as a side dish. ( If using boneless/fillets, this can also be served as a starter. )

Surmai Fry

"So its Fish fry this Sunday ?", enquired hubby. And as I was feeling a little lazy I readily agreed. Fried fish with a simple rice-dal and salad makes for a wholesome and quick meal. Having had quite a bit of Rohi in the past weeks, we wanted a change and zeroed in on 'Surmai'.

Though a lot more expensive than Rohi, it provides a nice change once in a while. And it is free from bones (just one tiny bit at the centre) which makes it very suitable for all the folks who worry about swallowing them by mistake. I have kept the seasoning to a minimum but feel free to add more if you wish. The addition of sesame also gives it a nice touch but again it is optional.

Preparation time - 15 mins

Ingredients - 2 slices of Surmai fish, 2 pinches turmeric, a pinch of cumin powder, a pinch of coriander powder, 1/5 tsp chilli powder, 1/3 tsp ginger garlic paste, 1 tsp sesame seeds, few drops of lemon juice, salt to taste, 3 tsp oil for frying the fish.

Preparation - Wash and dry the fish pieces with a paper towel. Sprinkle the lemon juice and rub gently. Keep aside for 1 minute.

Make a paste with the remaining ingredients (except oil).

Rub the paste on the fish pieces (both sides).

Heat a non-stick frying pan. Add the oil. When oil is very hot (but not smoking), add the fish slices. Fry on high for 30 seconds on each side to get that seared effect. Bring down flame and cook on low to medium flame for 4-5 minutes on both sides.
[Do not overcook else the juices would dry up and the fish will turn chewy.]

Serve hot with white rice, dal and salad.

PhulKobi-Rohi Macchar Jholo ( Cauliflower & Fish Curry )

A yummy medley of fish and vegetables, this curry was born out of necessity. While typical oriya curries like Muhura and Chenchedda liberally incorporate vegetables in a non-vegetarian preparation, the individual identity of each ingredient is somewhat lost. A slight variation of the typical 'Masala dia Maccha Jholo', one can add cauliflower/pointed gourd/okra/eggplant to enhance its flavor. Read on for the recipe:

Preparation Time - 30-40 mins

Ingredients - 4 pieces of Rohu/Bhakura/Mirkali fish, 2 cups of cauliflower florets, 2 medium sized potatoes, 2 ripe tomatoes, 1 tsp turmeric, 1/4 tsp cumin powder, 1 tsp red chilli powder, 2 pinch cinnamon powder, salt to taste, 8 tbs oil.
For the masala paste - 1 large onion, 2/3 inch ginger, 7-8 garlic flakes, 1-2 dry red chilli.

Preparation - Marinate the fish with salt and turmeric. Cut the potato into long pieces.
Grind all the ingredients for the masala paste till smooth.
Grind the tomatoes into a puree.

Cooking - Heat a tawa/frying pan. Add 2 tbs oil.
Add the fish pieces and fry on both sides till light brown.

Heat 4 tbs of oil in a wok. Add the cauliflower florets and potato pieces along with salt and turmeric.
Stir fry till semi cooked. Remove from the wok and keep aside.

Add more oil into the wok if needed. Add the masala paste and fry till raw smell goes off.

Add chilli powder, turmeric and cumin powder. Stir fry for 1-2 mins. Add the tomato puree and fry till it starts to leave oil.

Add the fried cauliflower and potatoes. Mix with the masala paste and fry for another 4-5 minutes.

Add 3 cups of boiling water. Bring to boil and simmer for 2 minutes.

Add the fish pieces and cook covered for 10-12 minutes. Sprinkle the cinnamon powder and switch off the flame/heat source.

Serve hot with rice/rotis.

Maccha Besara Jholo (Its' Chadaa Khai Today)

Well......while the Panchuka period officially got over by Sunday (Kartika Purnima), the succeeding days of Monday and Tuesday had many people putting their 'Chadaa Khai' plans on hold. Hence the majority of us who had forsaken non-vegetarian items for the Kartika month (or atleast the Panchuka period ) will be eating out to our heart's content today.

Here is the 'Maccha Besara' that my mom made for Chadaa Khai. However if you are not particularly budget conscious ( and i really mean it as the prices of Non-veg goes through the roof during Chadaa Khai in Orissa ), I would recommend the  mouth-watering Kancha Illisi Tarkari, or the very delicious Mansa Kasa (though you can also opt for Mutton Rogan Josh if you like light gravies). For the Chicken lovers, there is the Classic chicken curry or the Chicken Kasa waiting to be sampled.

It's my special dish for today. Needless to say Mom's cooking is always special (more so if you are staying away from her). Get the recipe below:

Preparation Time : 20 mins

Ingredients :

• 4-5 pieces Rohu fish 
• 1 large potato 
• 2 medium sized tomato 
• 1 small onion
• 1-2 green chillis
• 4-5 tsp mustard oil
• 1/2 tsp turmeric powder
• salt to taste
• 1 small piece of dry mango (ambula)

For the mustard paste :

• 2 tsp mustard seeds
• 1/2 tsp cumin seeds
• 5-6 garlic flakes
• 1 dry red chilli

Preparation: Add salt and 1/4 tsp turmeric to the fish pieces. Allow to marinate for 10 minutes.

Dry grind mustard, cumin and red chilli. Add the garlic flakes and a little water. Grind into a smooth paste.

Chop tomato and onion into small pieces and keep aside. Peel and cut the potato into chunks.

Cooking: Heat a non-stick tawa or skillet. Drizzle with 3 tsp oil. Add the marinated fish pieces and cook on both sides till light brown. Remove from tawa and keep aside.

Heat the remaining oil in a wok. Add the potatoes. Fry till light brown, then remove and keep aside.

Add the chopped onion and green chilli . Saute till the onions turn translucent.

Add chopped tomatoes and sprinkle a little salt on them. Keep covered for 1-2 minutes till they turn a little soft.

Dissolve the mustard paste in 1/2 cup water. Drain into the wok slowly while taking care to leave any solid residue in the cup. Add another 1 1/2 cups of water.

Bring to a boil. Add the fried potato and fish pieces. Sprinkle 1/2 tsp of turmeric powder and add more salt if needed. Cook covered till the potatoes are done. Add the dry mango and simmer for 2-3 minutes.

Mash 2-3 pieces of potatoes into the gravy if you need a thicker version.

Drizzle a little mustard oil (about  1/2 tsp) over the gravy if you like the raw smell of mustard oil. Switch off the flame.

Serve hot with white rice.

Fish Egg-Sesame Fritters ( Maccha Bihana Bara )

'Maccha Manjee' or fish eggs ( roe ) are a seasonal delicacy and much relished by many Oriya folks. The eggs are usually present in a thin membrane like sac or pouch, which needs to be removed before cooking. It usually takes minimal seasoning and very less effort to prepare them. But one needs to be very cautious while buying them as they can often lead to food poisoning. Never buy fish eggs unless you believe that it has been freshly removed from the fish. Seeing is believing, that is the thumb rule to be followed.

My husband happens to be very fond of these. Today being a Saturday, he religiously made a trip to the nearest Bengali fish stall to shop for 'Maccha manjee' and purposely chose a fish which had eggs in it ( u need to press the belly of the fish and if it yields a bit, then u have got it ). Some people avoid such fish as eggs tend to make the fish less firm. But such argument will not hold water if you are crazy about the stuff.

After getting his prized catch home, he cleaned and seasoned it with much excitement . H decided to experiment ( Surprise : O ) with his much loved recipe. I guess the unopened packet of sesame seeds kept on the kitchen counter was bothering him too much ( well..i am hoarding too much stuff these days thanks to my blogging ). But the sesame added a new and interesting flavor to these fritters and we all enjoyed it.

Read on for the recipe:

Preparation Time - 10-15 mins

Ingredients - Fish eggs ( 200 gm ), white sesame seeds ( 4 tsp ), chilli flakes ( 1 tsp ), 1/2 tsp ginger garlic paste, 1/4 tsp turmeric, 1 tsp besan, 1 tsp corn flour/rice flour, salt to taste, oil for deep frying.

Preparation- Carefully remove the sac from the fish eggs. Mash them and wash thoroughly with water. Add all the remaining ingredients except for oil.

Allow to marinate for 10 mins.

Cooking - Heat oil in a wok. Take spoonfuls of the above mixture and drop carefully into the oil. ( Be cautious as it the oil may splutter )

Fry on both sides to a deep brown color.

Remove and keep on paper towel to absorb excess oil.

Serve hot as a side dish with rice or as a snack.

Fish head with baby potatoes and dried lentil dumplings

A very basic curry made with crushed fish head and potatoes, this one is symbolic of the very essence of Odia cuisine. Practicing frugality and making the most out of the scarce resources, the Odia women in rural areas come up with the most ingenious recipes to feed their families. This one for example used just the fish head (and also tail in some cases) with a large quantity of potatoes and onions. The abundance of potatoes make it somewhat sweeter in taste than the regular mustard gravies. The fat in the fish head melts and permeates the curry to give it that undeniably awesome flavor.

Cooking Time Required: 15-20 mins


Ingredients -

• 1 no. Maccha munda/Fish head 
• 1 tsp mustard-garlic paste
• 1 mediu sized onion 
• 1/2 tsp mustard seeds 
• 10-12 baby potatoes / 1 large potato (if baby potatoes are not available)
• 2 nos dry red chili/green chilli 
• 8-9 nos boris/dried lentil dumpings ( optional )
• salt to taste
• 1/4 tsp turmeric
• 3-4 tsp vegetable oil ( mustard oil is preferable )

Preparation: Clean the fish head thoroughly. Add salt and turmeric and keep aside for 15 mins. (Any large sized freshwater fish weighing 1 kg or more will do.)

Wash and cut the onion into chunks. Cut the baby potatoes into two.

Cooking: Deep fry the fish head till crispy, crush nicely and keep aside.

Heat 1 tsp of oil in a wok. Fry the boris/lentil dumplings to a reddish color and remove from the wok.

Add the remaining oil followed by the mustard seeds and broken red chillis . Allow seeds to crackle.

Add the onion chunks and stir fry till translucent. Add the baby potatoes at this stage and fry for 3-4 mins. Add the crushed fish head along with 1 cup of water, mustard-garlic paste, salt and turmeric . Bring to a boil.

Allow to simmer for 5-6 mins while stirring at intervals. Remove from fire, add the fried boris and keep aside for 10 mins.

Serve with rice and dal.

Note: Add 2 green chillis while making the mustard-garlic paste for upping the spice
content.

This is an old photo where I have used baby potatoes. For an added twist, this recipe is also prepared with dried/smoked fish.

Sukhua-Bilati Baigana ( Tomato ) Tarkari

Cooking Time Required: 15-20 mins
Cost of Preparation: 10-15 Rupees


Ingredients:

• 3-4 nos Sukhua (dried/smoked fish)
• 2 nos medium sized tomato
• 2 tsp cooking oil
• salt ( to taste)
• 1/6 tsp turmeric
• 2 green chilli 
• 5 garlic pods
• 1 tsp mustard seeds 
• 1/5 tsp pancha-phutana 

Preparation: Grind the mustard seeds with half of the garlic pods into a fine paste.

Cut the potato into chunks.

Soak the fish for 1-2 hours. Drain away the water.


















Cooking: Heat 2 tsp oil in a wok. Add pancha-phutana followed by crushed garlic pods
and green chillis ( broken into 2-3 pieces ).

Add the soaked fish, crush and fry lightly for 2 mins.


















Follow with the chopped tomato. Fry for 3-4 mins.


















Add the mustard-garlic paste along with salt, turmeric and a cup of water. Cover with a lid and cook for 8-10 mins.

Serve hot with white rice.

NOTE: Instead of using the salad variety of tomatos, use the desi ( country grown )
ones. The latter have a sour taste in addition to the sweetness which enhances the
flavour of the curry.

Rui Kalia ( Rohu Kalia )

Cooking Time Required : 25-30 mins
Cost of preparation: 70-75 rupees

Ingredients: Rohu pieces ( 6 nos, medium sized ), tomato ( 2 nos, medium ), potato ( 1 no, large ), grated ginger ( 1 tsp ), garlic flakes ( 4 nos ), onion ( 1 large ), green cardamon ( 2 nos ), bay leaf ( 2 nos), cumin seeds ( 1/2 tsp), coriander powder ( 1 tsp), cumin powder ( 1/2 tsp), green chilli ( 5 nos), turmeric (1/4 tsp), mustard oil ( 6-7 tsp ), curd/yogurt/dahi ( 2 tbs ), salt.

Preparation: Marinate the fish with salt and turmeric for about 5 minutes.

Peel and cut the potato into 4 halves. Chop the onion and tomato into large chunks. Deseed the tomato.

Cooking: Heat 1 tsp of oil in a pan. Add the chopped onion and garlic flakes. When the onion starts turning translucent, add the tomatoes. Stir fry for 3 mins.

Grind the above ingredients into a smooth paste.

Heat a non-stick pan . Add 3 tsp of oil. Add the fish pieces and fry them on both sides till reddish. Remove and keep aside.

Heat the remaining oil in a wok. Add chopped potato and fry till golden. Remove and
keep aside.

Add the chopped green chilli, bay leaf, cardamom and cumin seeds. Add the
onion-garlic-tomato paste to the spluttering seeds along with a little turmeric and
salt .

Stir fry till oil separates out. ( Note: when using less oil, this does not happen. So one can check for the change in color of the ingredients being cooked.)

Mix the coriander powder , cumin powder, grated ginger and yogurt with a little water.

Add to wok and keep stirring for 4-5 mins.

Add another cup or two of water . Bring to a boil. Add the potatoes and simmer till
almost done.

Add the fish at this stage. And cook of 5 mins till the potatoes are done and the gravy is quite thick. Remove from the stove.

















Serve hot with white rice and dal.
















Note: The major difference between the Oriya maccha jholo and Rui Kalia is that fish is boiled in the gravy for a longer time in the former case. Thus both the fish and gravy imbibe each others' flavours. The gravy is somewhat thinner and the fish turns soft whereas it remains crispy for a Kalia.

Special Thanks to Sandeepa of 'BongCookBook' . This recipe is adapted from her
preparation Macher Kalia or one more Fish Curry

Pohala Maccha Jholo

Cooking Time Required: 15-20 mins
Cost of preparation: 30-35 rupees

Ingredients: Pohola Maccha ( 300 gm ), potato ( 1 large ), tomatoes ( 2 nos, large ), mustard seeds ( 2 tsp ), cumin powder ( 1/2 tsp ), coriander powder ( 1/2 tsp ),red chillis ( 2 nos), fennel seeds ( 1/4 tsp), red chilli powder ( 1/4 tsp ), garlic flakes ( 7-8 nos), salt, turmeric, oil ( 6 tsp ), coriander leaves ( 1 tbs ), coriander stem ( 1 tsp), green chilli ( 2 nos ).

Preparation: Clean the fish throughly. Add salt and turmeric and keep aside for 5 mins.

Grind the red chillis, mustard seeds and half of the garlic flakes into a smooth paste.

Cut the potato in long pieces.

Cooking: Heat a flat pan. Add oil followed by the fish. Fry lightly on both sides and keep aside.

Add the potato pieces to the pan. Stir fry till golden brown. Remove and keep aside.

Now add turmeric, red chilli powder and the fennel seeds followed by the tomato pieces.

Sprinkle salt. Cook till tomato is mashy.

Add the mustard-garlic paste, cumin powder and coriander powder. Stir for 30-45 secs. Add 2-3 cups of water along with more salt . Bring to a boil.

Add the fried fish along with the crushed garlic, slit green chillis, coriander stem and potato; and allow to boil for 10 mins on low flame while stirring at intervals.

Remove from fire, sprinkle coriander leaves and keep aside for 5 mins.

Serve with par-boiled rice and dal.

Note: This curry is usually prepared with pohola or small rohu/bhakura/mirkali fish. The fish is cooked as a whole and hence small sized fishes each measuring between 6-8inches long and each weighing between 80-150 gms are best suited for this curry.

Fish curry is best eaten with par-boiled rice ( Usuna ) while the mutton/chicken dishes go well with raw rice ( Arwa ).

Chuna Maccha Tarkari ( Chuna maccha with besara )

Cooking Time Required: 10-15 mins
Cost of preparation: 30-35 rupees

Ingredients: Chuna Maccha ( 250 gm ), mustard seeds ( 2 tsp ), cumin seeds ( 1/2 tsp ), pancha phutana ( 1/4 tsp), curry leaves ( 1 sprig ), green chilli ( 2 nos ), garlic flakes ( 5-6 nos), ambula ( 1-2 nos ), salt, turmeric, mustard oil ( 2 tsp ).

Preparation: Clean the fish throughly. Add salt and turmeric and keep aside for 15 mins.
Grind the mustard seeds, cumin seeds and garlic flakes into a smooth paste.

Cooking: Heat a flat pan. Add 2 tsp mustard oil followed by the pancha phutana, slit
green chillis and curry leaves. Allow seeds to crackle.

Add the mustard-cumin-garlic paste and stir for 30 secs. Add 1 cup of water along with the salt and ambula pieces . Bring to a boil.

Add the fish and allow to boil for 5-6 mins while stirring carefully at intervals. Allow most of the water to evaporate till a thick mustard layer remains over the fish.

Remove from fire and keep aside for 10 mins.

Serve with rice and dal.

Note: One can substitute the ambula with lemon juice ( 1 tsp ).

Chuna maccha according to Oriya cusine can be any small fish upto 2-3 inches in length. It is more popularly called smelt fish or anchovies. It scores over the over larger varities in terms of health benefits and lower toxin accumulation levels as belongs to the lower strata of the food chain.

Smelt