If there's one dish that can make any Bengali's heart skip a beat, it's Ilish Mach Bhaja. The mere mention of it evokes a wave of nostalgia, reminding us of home, family gatherings, and the monsoon rains tapping against the windows. Ilish, or Hilsa, isn't just a fish; it's a sentiment deeply ingrained in Bengali culture. And when it comes to Ilish Mach Bhaja, it's more than just a dish—it's an experience.

Growing up, the first heavy downpour of the season was always met with a buzz of excitement at home. The rain meant that the Ilish season was officially upon us, and soon the markets would be brimming with fresh, glistening Hilsa. The weekend morning would start with a trip to the local fish market, where my father would haggle with the fishmonger to get the freshest Ilish and other fishes.

Not every Hilsa makes the cut for that perfect Ilish Mach Bhaja. There are certain nuances that every Bengali knows, passed down through stories and experiences. A good Hilsa has to be just the right size—not too small, not too big, but just enough to give you those luscious cuts with that perfect marbling of fat. Yes, fat—because a good Hilsa is oily, and that’s where half the flavor comes from.

As a kid, I would sit around the kitchen, impatiently waiting for that moment when the first piece of Ilish would hit the hot mustard oil in the pan. The aroma would fill the entire house, making it impossible to wait until lunch. 

The Art of Frying Ilish

Making Ilish Mach Bhaja isn't just about tossing the fish into the pan and hoping for the best. There's a certain finesse to it, a delicate balance that needs to be achieved to get that perfect golden crust while keeping the fish tender and juicy inside.

First, the fish is marinated lightly with turmeric and salt, allowing the natural flavors to shine through. Mustard oil is a must here—no other oil can give you that sharp, pungent flavor that complements the richness of the Ilish. The oil is heated until it's just shy of smoking, and then the fish is gently lowered into the pan. The key is to resist the urge to flip the fish too soon. Let it develop that beautiful crust before turning it over. And once it's done, you let it rest for a minute, allowing the oil to drain off, and then you're ready to dig in.

View from my home in rains

Rains, Ilish & a Sense of Comfort

There’s something almost poetic about enjoying Ilish Mach Bhaja on a rainy day. The pitter-patter of raindrops, the cool breeze that carries the smell of wet earth, and the sizzle of Hilsa frying in mustard oil—all these elements come together to create an experience that’s nothing short of magical.

Rainy days are also when Ilish tastes the best. Some say it’s the freshness of the fish, others say it’s the chill in the air, but I believe it’s the nostalgia. It’s the memories of sitting by the window, watching the rain, while the aroma of frying Ilish wafts through the house. It’s the stories shared around the dining table, the laughter, the love, and the sense of togetherness that make the experience complete.

For many Bengalis, the monsoon isn’t just a season—it’s a ritual, and at the heart of that ritual is Ilish Mach Bhaja. It’s comfort food in its truest sense, a dish that warms you from the inside out. The crispy, golden exterior of the fish contrasts beautifully with the soft, delicate flesh inside, creating a texture that’s as comforting as it is satisfying.

On those rainy afternoons, when the world outside is a blur of grey and green, there’s nothing better than sitting down to a plate of steaming hot rice, a piece of perfectly fried Ilish, and maybe a drizzle of ghee. Add a side of mashed potatoes or some mustard greens, and you’ve got yourself a meal that’s simple yet profoundly fulfilling.

The First Bite: A Symphony of Flavors

There’s something almost magical about the first bite of Ilish Mach Bhaja. The crisp exterior gives way to the tender, flaky flesh inside. The flavor is rich, with a slight bitterness from the mustard oil that perfectly complements the sweetness of the fish. And then there’s the subtle heat from the turmeric, which rounds out the dish beautifully.

Pair it with some hot, steaming rice and a drizzle of ghee, and you have a meal that’s nothing short of divine. It's the kind of food that makes you close your eyes and sigh with contentment.

For me, Ilish Mach Bhaja is more than just a dish. It's a connection to my roots, a bond with my past. Every time I make it, I’m transported back to those lazy Sunday afternoons, the sound of the rain outside, and the warmth of my family around the dining table. It’s a dish that tells a story—a story of tradition, of love, and of the simple joys of life.

So, if you ever get the chance to taste Ilish Mach Bhaja, take a moment to savor it—not just the flavors, but the history and the emotions that come with it. Trust me, it’s an experience you won’t forget.

The art of slowing down with Ilish

In a world that’s always rushing, the ritual of preparing and enjoying Ilish Mach Bhaja during the monsoon is a reminder to slow down. It’s about taking the time to appreciate the little things—the smell of rain, the taste of fresh fish, the company of loved ones. It’s about celebrating the moment, the season, and the traditions that make us who we are.

So the next time it rains, and you find yourself craving something special, think of Ilish Mach Bhaja. Whether you’re a seasoned Ilish lover or someone trying it for the first time, let the rain and the fish create a moment of joy and connection, just as they have for countless generations before. Because, after all, there’s nothing quite like the taste of Ilish on a rainy day.

1. Cut and wash the hilsa pieces, pat dry
2. Now marinate the fish with salt, turmeric powder and 1 tsp mustard oil for about 30 minutes.
3. Heat mustard oil in a pan, when the oil is smoking carefully slide in the marinated fish pieces. Fry evenly till the edges turn slightly brown and crispy. Flip over the fish and repeat. 
4. Don't throw away the leftover oil in the pan, because that oil has a lot of flavor from the fish. You can pour it over steamed rice and have it along with the fish for the best flavors. 

Serve it with steamed rice, the leftover mustard oil from frying the hilsa fish, some fried green chilis, mash everything and enjoy. That's the most traditional way of enjoying a hilsa fish fry. You can also pair it with mashed potato and dal if you want.

When you come to Kolkata during winters, which I usually do, you would be treated to an array of wonderful seasonal delicacies at your home and by your relatives. My visit to Kolkata this time was mainly to recuperate from a medical condition called Sciatica I was having from past one month. This particular ailment gives you a lot of pain along the sciatic nerve in your leg and impacts your mobility completely. The worst part it takes a long time to heal which actually is a test of patience and being persistent with all the exercises. I might probably write in details about my entire healing journey once I have fully recovered. 

So due to this situation this time around my relatives are visiting me instead of me visiting them.  And the best part about being unwell is that people come bearing home cooked foods. When my masi (aunty) visited me she got me a very interesting dish which I was tasting for the first time - Chingri mach diye kacha tomator ghonto. 

Even in Pune, green tomatoes are available, but I was always uncertain about what to prepare with them beyond chutneys; therefore, I never purchased them. However, after trying the combination of green tomatoes with prawns and serving it alongside steamed rice, I was pleasantly surprised by the wonderfully rustic and delicious taste. A subtle tanginess that plays on your tongue along with the umami flavors of the prawn - a perfect match made in heaven. 

Since it is such a simple recipe I made it at home and below I am sharing the process so that you can also enjoy this easy and delicious recipe. Let me know how you like it. Don't forget to check the video as well.

Ingredients :

• Green Tomato - 4
• Medium Sized Prawns - 150 gm
• Green Chili - 2 to 3
• Dried Red Chili - 2
• Whole Mustard / Rai Seeds - 1/2 tsp
• Turmeric - 1/2 tsp
• Mustard Oil - 1 tsp
• Salt - To Taste
• Sugar - to taste

Video :

Procedure:

1. Wash and pat dry the Tomatoes. Cut the tomatoes into thin slices.

2. Clean and devein the prawns. Marinate with turmeric and salt for 5 to 10 minutes

3. heat mustard oil in a kadai and once oil is hot temper it with dried red chilies and mustard seeds/ Rai seeds.

Tip : Using Rai seeds instead of mustard seeds adds a stronger flavor

4. Once the apices are fragrant add the marinated prawns, flip them and fry for about 40 seconds each side. 

5. Now add the sliced green tomatoes, turmeric and salt. Cover and cook till the tomatoes release water. Now separate out the prawns in a different bowl.

6. Now take a separate kadai and heat some mustard oil. Temper it with Rai seeds/ Mustard seeds. Once fragrant add the tomatoes with the water into this kadai. This is the second tempering we are doing for adding more flavours. Now cook covered till the tomatoes are a little mushy. Add a little water if needed at this stage. With the help of your spatula you can break down the tomatoes further to reach a mushy consistency.

7. Add a couple of slitted green chilies and fold them in.

8. Now add the prawns back and mix well. Adjust the seasoning at this stage. If it feels too tangy you can add a pinch of sugar to balance the taste.

Serve this with steamed rice and enjoy!

Last year when I was in Kolkata for my annual vacation time, I could spend prolonged time at my hometown. Because of the work from home policy, for the first time after I left home for my job, I could spend so much time back at home. And once you stay for so long you start understanding what you have been missing staying away from your home state. Like almost every weekends we would go and spend time at my relatives, there would be long adda sessions just like the old times when I was in my teens. It would be so good spending time talking with others instead of being glued to the phone or laptop. 

Then there would be the trips of the local produce markets. Kolkata has undoubtedly some of the best produce market in the whole country. The moment you step into one you will be bedazzled with the vast variety of fresh vegetables, fruits and fishes. The sheer variety of leafy vegetables itself is such a temptation, mainly because in Pune where I live, the variety is limited to maximum 3-4 varieties at a time. I think more than going out for sightseeing in Kolkata I love visiting the produce markets. For a foodie like me, they are literally a temptation central. 

The third thing is definitely the availability of infinite choices of street food. You would get the most exotic flatbreads and curries even in your neighborhood food shack. I would often get rumali rotis and chicken chaap packed from my nearest food shack and it was super delicious. You are really spoilt for choices I food when you are in Kolkata. I wonder how people manage to maintain their weights, because the moment I see all those street food I am tempted to eat them all! And best part, it is cheap. Street food in Kolkata would not burn a hole in your pocket but definitely make you full. 

And not only street foods, since you have so many relatives around whenever you visit their home you get treated to delicious home made food. Some of them which I had not had in like million years. Just like the dish called Muri ghonto - a signature dish in Bengali cuisine. Muri or Muro in Bengali means fishhead. So Muri ghonto literally translates to fish head medley. Traditionally there are a couple of ways to make it - either the crispy fried fish head is cooked with rice like a biryani or it is cooked with daal. Muri ghonto is typically considered to be a side dish and is had along with rice. So in yesteryears it was also made with chide or poha (flattened rice) instead of rice. I think the recipe originated to utilize the leftover fish heads in the household in older days. Our great grandmas and grandmas were really pro chefs who could think of making such amazing lip smacking dishes from even leftover ingredients. And Bengali cuisine is full of many such traditional recipes which were born out of the need to use leftover produce. 

To be honest, I had only head about muri ghonto before but never got the chance to taste it. Since the cooking process for this recipe is a little elaborated and many a times the fish heads are the most under rated things, gradually not many households used to make these old elaborate recipes on daily basis. So last year when I was visiting one of my masis home and she informed that my dida (grandma) was making muri ghonto for us that day I was really excited. And I was so ill informed about this dish that I had thought muri ghonto was like other ghontos where you would make a medley of some veggies and masalas and add the fish head to it. But at the lunch table when my dida served the muri ghonto, to my surprise it had rice in it.  I was a little flabbergasted for a few seconds, I was trying to understand how to eat a rice dish as a side with steamed rice. But then I decided what the heck, let me just try it on its own first. So i took the very first spoonful of it and was totally taken aback by the flavourful dish. Rich in spices, the flavour of the fried fish head was like the perfect match with the aromatic gobindobhog rice. To the uninitiated the combination of fish head in rice might sound a little weird but believe me it was really a match made in heaven and you wont understand how good it tastes unless you eat the version made by someone's grandma. Yes that's right, you just cannot bring the magic into this dish that your grandma would! 

But I was not gonna let that deter me from making this myself. So once I was back in Pune I asked my mom to get the recipe from grandma once again ( because I had forgotten when she had told me) and decided to go all in for it. How bad can it be was what I was thinking when I made it. And surprisingly it turned out amazing even at the first try. I was so overjoyed by it that I made it again a couple of times and each time loved it more. So I am now sharing this recipe with you all. While I would still say this definitely would not measure upto what your grandma would probably make but still it is worth the try - at least you will be able to keep a traditional recipe going and help it not get lost in the folds of time. I have added raisin and cashew in this recipe because I liked the taste. But traditionally they are not added so you can skip it. Also if you would have noticed from the title itself this is a pressure cooker method I have used just to make your lives easier and believe it the consistency turned out great. But if you have enough time at hand then go for a kadai method by all means. At the last step instead of pressure cooker use the kadai and cook it.

Ingredients :

• Catla Fish Head - 4 half pieces
• Gobindobhog/ Ambemohar Rice - 200 gm
• Onion - 1 medium sized, chopped
• Potato - 1 big, cubed
• Garlic Cloves - 8-9 or 1 tsp
• Ginger - 1 1/2 inch or 1 tsp
• Dried Red Chili - 3
• Bay Leaf - 2
• Kismis (Raisin) - 15-20 (Optional)
• Kaju (Cashew) - 8-10 (Optional)
• Cardamom - 3
• Cinnamon stick - 1 inch
• Cloves - 2-3
• Jeera Powder - 1 tsp
• Dhaniya (Coriander) powder - 1 tsp
• Kashmiri Red Chili powder - 1/2 tsp
• Turmeric powder - 1/2 tsp
• Garam Masala powder - 1 pinch (optional)
• Green Chili - 2-3 slitted
• Ghee - 1 1/2 tsp + 1 tsp
• Mustard Oil - 1/3 cup
• Salt - as per taste
• Sugar - as per taste
• Warm water - as needed

Procedure:

1. Take the fish head from a big Catla or a paka mach as we say in Bengali. For this recipe I had taken the head of a Catla fish which weighed around 1.5 to 2 Kg. Clean the head thoroughly. If you want to keep the gills you can clean it and keep them too. Marinate the clean fish heads with 1/2 tsp of turmeric, salt and 1/2 tsp of mustard oil. Let it rest for 10-15 minutes.

2. Now wash the rice till the water runs clear. Drain the water and place the washed rice in a sieve with small pores. Place a bowl below to collect any excess water. Let it air dry. Or put it under a fan. The sieve will help in better air circulation and dry the rice easily. It will take around 30 minutes for the rice to dry.

3. Make a paste of the ginger and garlic. Chop the onions finely. Keep aside.

4. To make the masala paste in a bowl take turmeric, red chili powder, jeera powder, dhaniya powder and garam masala powder. Add 2 tbsp of water, give it a good mix and let the masala paste rest for 10-15 minutes before using it.

5. Heat mustard oil in a Kadai. When the oil is hot fry the marinated fish heads in batches till it is a little browned on both sides. Keep it aside.

6. In the same oil fry the cubed potatoes till the sides start getting some color. We don't need to completely cook the potatoes at this stage. Keep aside. 

7. Now take mustard oil and 1 tsp ghee in a Kadai and heat it. Once the oil is hot, add the Kaju and Kismis. Fry on medium heat for about a minute. Now add the airdried rice. Fry for about 1-2 minutes on medium heat. Take out the fried rice with kaju and kismis in a separate bowl. 

Note: Please note Kaju & kismis is totally optional. It is not traditionally added to muri ghonto, but I like the sweetness from the kismis and the crunch of the kaju in the final version hence I added these.

8. Now top up the mustard oil and 1 tsp ghee in the same Kadai and heat it. Once the oil is hot, toss in the bay leaves, whole red chili (break the chili and add), cloves, cinnamon and cardamom. Give it a toss till fragrant. 

9. Add the chopped onions and a pinch of salt. Fry till the onions are slightly browned. 

10. Add the ginger garlic paste. Sauté till the raw smell is gone.

11. Now add the masala paste that you had made in Step 4. Give it a good stir. Cook the masalas till oil separates. 

12. Add the fried fish heads and fried potato cubes into the masala. Fold everything in so that the fish heads are coated in the masala. Fry for 2 minutes. 

13. Now add the fried rice you prepared in step 7. Fold everything in. If you like break the fish heads at this point. I liked to keep them fairly whole so that it is easy to fish them out while serving.

14. I made this recipe in a pressure cooker/pan so amount of water is very important here. We do not want a completely dry or a completely mushy texture at the end. Transfer the whole thing from the Kadai to the pressure cooker/pan. Add exactly 2 times the water of the amount of rice you had taken and then add about 1/4 cup of more water. For me this was the perfect water ratio. Throw 2-3 slitted green chili. Stir in 1 tsp of ghee and a pinch of garam masala powder. Close the lid and pressure cook it for two whistles. Let the rice sit for a while without any flame before you open the lid. 

Usually Muri ghonto is considered a side dish which is served with steamed rice. But I had added more rice to make this muri ghonto because I wanted to have it as is, somewhat like a pulao. I had it with fresh salad.

One of the main reasons I love Kolkata is because of the fish we get here. Its so fresh and one can get restaurant grade fish quality even in the small neighborhood produce markets. I have been eating all sorts of fish from the time I have landed in Kolkata. If you follow my blogs you would know that recently I had gone to Meghalaya. Over there also while others in the group had chicken or veg, I was the only one who opted for fish every chance I got. And I was so happy I did. I am crazy about seafood and this long stay in Kolkata is proving to be a boon.

A couple of days back mom had got some lovely golda chingri (giant river prawns) from the market. I kind of pestered her to get these big prawns because they were the only thing remaining to check out in the list of fish in Kolkata. I wanted to initially make microwave bhapa chingi with these as a weekend special. But yesterday we had a random plan and went to City Center 2 and then to Eco park in the evening. CC2 was not to talk about - usual mall in any metro city. I had visited CC2 last about I think 10 years ago when it had just opened and reaching it was a nightmare. I had expected the look and feel would be better after such a long time. But it kind of seemed okayish. In fact I still love City Center 1 better. The vibe over there is much premium than CC2. There was only one plus of the CC2 visit, there was a sweet festival going on there in which all famous sweets from different corners of Bengal were being sold. We got one each of the most popular sweets back home. In the evening we went to Eco park. Eco park is huge and it might probably take a whole day to cover the entire park. But I didn't want to do that much in the strong afternoon sun. The biggest USP of the park is the 7 wonders and it looks stellar in the evening. Hence I had targeted evening time only. And I was not wrong. The illumination around the 7 wonders are absolutely spectacular. I think I will write a separate post covering my visit there. We intend to again visit the park and try covering some more interesting areas like the Japanese Garden or the Eiffel Tower.

Since yesterday the Chingri making plan was cancelled, I took that up today. I was in a mood to do some elaborate cooking so instead of a microwave chingri I thought of making malaikari with these beauties. I have already posted one version of Chingri maikari previously on my blog. But it had Shah jeera which is not a very conventional addition in malaikari. Also I had used garlic in it. Now a days I do not add any garlic in my malaikari. Ginger itself gives a nice aroma to the dish.You can check out the other recipe here.

So this recipe is an absolute traditional take on malaikari. Time and again I have mentioned in my blog that for some of the most traditional recipes I follow Lila Majumdar's book. I also checked out Supriya Devi's ( Utaam Kumar's wife) book and she had mentioned a similar recipe. Most of the malaikari recipes you would find now a days suggests adding curd. While I do like curd in certain gravies, malaikari has a very distinct aroma of coconut milk, adding curd to the gravy would alter the traditional flavors and taste I feel. So in this recipe I have not added any curd. The key to a good malaikari gravy is frying the onion till they release oil. Check out the recipe below:

• Golda Chingri / Large Prawns with shell and head -  3 or 4
• Onion - 1 medium
• Ginger Paste - 1 tsp
• Cinnamon - 2 " stick
• Cardamom - 3 bruised
• Cloves - 2 bruised
• Coconut milk - 1 Cup
• Tej Pata (Bay Leaf ) - 2 small 
• Green Chilli - 2 (slitted)
• Red Chilli Powder - 1/2 tsp
• Turmeric powder - 1/2 tsp
• Salt as per taste
• Sugar as per taste
• Mustard Oil

For this recipe I had used Maggi Coconut Powder. I used 2 spoonful of the powder and added it to a cup of full cream milk. Now microwave it for about 30 seconds to 1 minute. Stir in the milk powder properly taking care no lump is formed. You can also use the canned Coconut milk readily available in any supermart. Else if you want to use fresh coconut milk then you can scrape the coconut and add hot water to the scraped coconut. Make a thick paste of the scrapings and strain it to get the coconut milk. However it doesn't make much difference in taste even if you use the market available milk or powder. So it's entirely your take whether you want to indulge into the extra effort of extracting coconut milk from fresh coconut or not.

Procedure

1.  Carefully de-vein the prawns. Marinate with salt and turmeric. Let it sit for 20-30 minutes. 

Tip: I use a kitchen scissor to cut open a vertical slit on the back of prawn shell.  Then make a fine vertical cut with a sharp knife to expose the veins. Then using a toothpick I pull out the vein. 

Note: In this recipe I have kept the entire shell on the prawns. If you like you can remove the shell form the mid section. But keep the head and tail intact for a nice look.

2. Heat mustard oil in the skillet. When the oil heats up toss in the marinated prawns. Fry till they turn pink for 45 seconds each side. Due to the presence of the head and tail the prawns will curl less.  Overcooking the prawns would make them rubbery hence take care not to cook them for long. Keep the fried prawns aside.

3. Chop the onions and make a paste of onions with a little water. Make a paste of ginger and 1 green chilli separately. Keep aside.

4. In the same skillet in which you fried the prawns, add more mustard oil and let it heat up. When the oil is hot enough add the bruised cardamom and clove, cinnamon stick and bay leaf . Fry for a few seconds until fragrant.

5. Add the onion paste and sauté till the raw smell of the onion is gone. 

Tip: Add a pinch of salt to the onion paste, it accelerates the cooking process of onion.

6. Add the ginger-green chili paste and fold in. Cook with frequent stirring till the onion releases oil. You can also add a bit of water in between to keep the onion from sticking to the skillet.

7.When the raw smell is gone add the turmeric powder and chilly powder. Mix everything.

8. Add the Coconut milk now. Add sugar as per taste and adjust the salt level. Let the gravy simmer for 3-4 minutes covered, so the gravy gains some body. Give it a toss occasionally to prevent the masala sticking to the skillet. Add a little warm water if things turn dry. Let it cook until oil floats up.

Note: This gravy is supposed to be a little on the sweeter side. 

9. Now add the fried prawns into the gravy and cover and cook for 3-4 minutes on low flame and not more than that else the prawn will become rubbery and hard. Adjust the salt and sugar level at this stage. The gravy is supposed to be a thick one with a predominant sweet taste. 

10. Add garam masala powder and close the lid. Let the gravy sit inside till its time to serve. As the gravy sits the rich aroma of prawns and coconut milk will gradually bring in the soul of the dish together.

Serve it with steamed rice or a pulao of your choice. Since this is a very rich gravy, a rice with mild seasoning would go better with this

14 June

The monsoon is here and so is the craving for garma garam fritters with chai. Another good news is that the un-lockdown process has started. Fingers crossed that we do not have to see a third wave.

This time since mom is here with me, I have been trying out different kind of fritters which I always wanted to make - vegetable chop, daler bora, macher chop, chicken popcorn, beguni and the list goes on. It is so much fun to experiment with fritters because they don't usually go wrong even if you miss on a few ingredients. 

Before lockdown I used to buy fresh fish from a place enroute to my home form office. There was a fixed fish vendor from which I usually got my fishes. From the time lockdown started I have been getting my fish supply either from Fresh2Home or from Licious. While I left Licious provides more quality products, Fresh2Home has better variety. And due to which I had tried out all different varieties of fish which I probably had not tried in past decade. Some of the fishes like Koi was really amazing. Having Koi mach sitting in Pune was like an impossible dream before. 

For a couple of days I was seeing Kachki fish on the Fresh2Home seafood section. I deliberated whether I should get them but then parked the idea as I didn't know what to make with them. Then one day I came across this recipe on Sandeepa's (Bong Mom's Cookbook)  Instagram post. She had posted about Kachki Macher bora and I was really piqued. The immediate next step was to order the fishes ( which miraculously I got the very next day in their listing) and gather the ingredients.

These tiny  silver fishes are really delicate. I mean I have never worked with such delicate fishes in my life before. It was a breeze to clean them unlike other fishes. The boras itself got made within 30 minutes and I couldn't stop eating them right off the wok, they turned out that delicious!

While making bora or fritters at times we face a challenge that the ingredients don't bind well. Here is a quick tip for it, if it is a fish fritter especially, add an egg to it. Egg is a wonderful binder and also enhances the taste. This was the main difference in me and Sandeepa's recipe. 

You can also try the other fritter recipes

• Moringa Pakoda|| Drumstick Leaves Fritter
• Macher Dimer Bora || Fish Roe Fritters
• Bok Ful Bhaja || Hummingbird Flower Fritters

Check out a few of the dal recipes you can try this with

• Lau Data Diye Motor Daal
• Moong Daal Kalo Jire Diye
• Tetor Daal
• Aam Daal
• Kolai Daal 
• Masoor Daal
  

Ingredients :

• Wok
• Skillet
• Mixing Bowl

Procedure: 

1.  Clean the fish well in water. Keep in mind that these fishes are very delicate. Keep it in a strainer for all the water to drain off. Or you can also pat them dry gently with a kitchen towel. 

2. In a wok take the cleaned fish, 1 tsp of ginger paste, 1 tsp of garlic paste, 1 tsp of coriander powder and 1 tsp of red chili powder. Add about 1-2 cups of water, enough for the fish to get cooked. The fish will take about 10 minutes to cook covered. Open the lid and dry off any excess water. Now let the fish cool down a bit. 

Note: Do not add too much water. We only need to add enough water for the fish to get cooked in 10 minutes and dry off excess. 

3. Boil 1 potato and keep aside.

4. Take a mixing bowl. Take the boiled potato and mash it up completely. To the mashed potato add the minced garlic, chopped onion, spring onion, coriander, chopped green chili, red chili powder and give it a mix. 

5. Now add the cooked fish. Add rice flour, salt and break in one egg. Now with gently hands bring everything together. These fishes are very tender hence they would break easily so do not knead with force. Just press with the tip of your fingers to break them up while there are still some big pieces.

Tip: The rice flour would give it a crunch and the egg acts as a wonderful binder as well as taste enhancer. 

Note: Spring onions is optional here but very much recommended. I have seen Spring onion goes nicely with any kind of fish bhortas ( fish mash) or fish pakodas. 

6. Now with your hands make small balls or flat discs.

7. Heat Oil in a skillet and shallow fry the discs for about 3-4 minutes on each side or until they are done.

Serve it with rice and daal or have it like snacks with tea.