Chital maacher Muitha

Chital Maach is also known as Knife fish and they can weigh up to about 10 kilograms. It is found in India, Bangladesh, and some other southeast Asian countries. It has too many bones so it is better to buy a piece from a big Chitol , the smaller ones will have so many bones that it will be difficult to eat.

This fish is usually cut along the spine and then separated into the stomach side and the back. The stomach side has big bones and also fewer bones than the back. The stomach part is cut into pieces like steaks. It is called the Chital Maacher Peti. I have the recipe for the peti in this blog. https://dollylahiricooks.com/2020/06/26/chital-macher-peti/

The back portion of the fish is meaty but full of small bones, so usually the meat is scraped out leaving the bones. There is a simple way of taking out the meat . All we do is take a teaspoon and scrape out the meat. You have to scrape in the direction in which the bones are growing, NOT the opposite, the fish is soft and it comes out easily. Once all the meat from the fish is taken out, we throw away the skin and bones. This fish meat or fish mince( as some like to call it ) is what we use to make Muita.

Making the Muitha is simple, just add some boiled and mashed potato, and few spices to the fish mince . Mix all of it well and it will be like a sticky dough. Divide this mixture into equal portions, then roll it into sausage like long rolls. Boil these in water till the fish is cooked, then remove it from the water and cool . Once it is cold enough to touch, cut these into thick slices and deep fry them. Now we make a gravy with Onion ground and some spices. Once the gravy is ready and boiling we add the fried muithas to the gravy and boil it for a bit . Muitha is done.

Ingredients

• Fish meat/mince 2 cups
• Mashed potatoes 1/2 cup
• Salt 1 teaspoon
• Jeera/ cumin powder 1teaspoon
• Mirchi / chili powder 1/4 teaspoon
• Haldi / Turmeric powder 1/4 teaspoon
• Grated or ground ginger 1/2 teaspoon
• Mustard oil 1/2 cup

You also need a big pan which is quarter to half full with water

How to make the Muitha

• First mix the spices and the mashed potato and the fish mince well.
• Divide into 4 or 5 portions
• Apply a little oil in you palms and then shape each portion into a sausage.
• Once you have shaped all the sausages, put the pan half filled with water on the stove and bring it to a boil.
• Once it starts boiling vigorously slide the sausages into the boiling water gently one at a time.
• The sausages will sink to the bottom of the pan first and then after a few minutes they will start floating up. Let them cook for a couple of minutes.
• Use a slotted spoon to take out the sausages from the water and keep it on a plate. Do not boil the fish too long or they will become rubbery.
• Let the sausages cool down , then slice them into thick pieces.
• Heat the mustard oil in a kadai or wok and fry the slices till they are golden brown. Remove from the kadai and keep it on a dish.
• The Muithas are now ready to be added to the gravy.

To Make The GRAVY

I usually add potatoes to the curry with the Muithas. I used 2 medium size potatoes in this recipe, but you can add less. I peeled and diced the potatoes then fried them lightly before making the Gravy.

INGREDIENTS FOR THE GRAVY

• Grated or ground onion 3/4 cups
• Grated ginger 1/2 teaspoon
• Tomato puree 1 Tablespoon or 1/2 cup of fresh tomatoes grated.
• Salt 1 teaspoon
• Sugar 1/2 teaspoon
• Mirchi /chili powder 1/4 teaspoon
• Jeera/ Cumin powder 1 teaspoon
• Dhania / coriander powder 1&1/2 teaspoon
• Water approximately 2&1/2 cups
• Haldi / Turmeric powder 1/4 teaspoon
• Garam masala ( click on the link for recipe) 1/2 teaspoon (https://dollylahiricooks.com/category/masalas/)
• FOR THE TARKA (Seasoning the oil )
• Tejpatta/ bay leaves
• Red dry chilies 2
• Whole Jeera / cumin seeds 1/4 teaspoon
• Whole cinnamon 1/2 inch piece broken into small pieces
• Cardamom 2
• Cloves 4

Also need 2 potatoes peeled and diced

• METHOD of making the gravy
• Heat the Mustard oil and fry the potatoes and the Muithas, and keep it aside .
• Keep about 4 tablespoons of oil in the kadai, this is all you need for the gravy, and pour out the rest in a bowl .
• Now add the spices for Tarka or Seasoning, tej patta,whole cinnamon, cardamom and cloves, red chilies, and Jeera seeds to the oil in the kadai
• Once the Jeera seeds are a little brown and you can get the aroma of the spices, add the onion.
• Stir fry the onion till it becomes brownish and the raw smell of onion is gone.
• Add the Tomato, Jeera, dhania, mirchi, haldi, salt and sugar, ginger and 2 tablespoon of water to the onion
• Stir fry the masala till it is properly mixed with the onion. Keep stir frying till the oil separates around the sides of the mixture.
• Add the water and mix the masala well with it , then bring it to a boil.
• Add the potatoes and cover with a lid to let the potatoes cook.
• After a few minutes open the lid and cut a potato with a spoon to see if it is soft enough.
• Add the Fried Muithas once the potatoes are cooked and let it boil for a couple of minutes.
• Sprinkle some garam masala on the gravy before taking it off the heat and transferring it to a serving dish.