Category: Fish

Chingri Malai Curry ( Shrimp cooked in coconut milk)

Chingri Maacher Malai curry is something that is made on special occasions in most Bengali homes. I grew up eating this delicacy cooked by my grandmother, mother, and aunts. One of my aunt’s preparation was the one I liked the best, but unfortunately I did not think of asking her for the recipe. I have had to try it many many times before I made something that is close to the taste that I remember. The main ingredient is the coconut milk I realized. Fresh coconut milk gives it the lovely aroma and taste. You need quite a lot of thick coconut milk, because I cook it only in the coconut milk and do not add water. Now days you get coconut milk in cans and also the dried ones which makes it very convenient to make this recipe. In this recipe I have used the canned milk since it is easily accessible for most people. But it is best with fresh coconut milk.

Making the fresh coconut milk is easy but a little labor intensive.

How to make coconut milk

1 Grate a full coconut. Soak it in enough warm water to just cover the coconut. Stir well a couple of times and let it sit for for half hour to one hour. Then you take a fist full and squeeze the milk out into a strainer placed over a pan. Keep the milk and discard the squeezed out coconut.

2 Take out the flesh of the coconut or grate it. Put the coconut in a grinder or blender with some water.To One cup coconut add 1 cup water, it is better if you can use even less water . After grinding pour the contents of the grinder onto a cheese cloth placed over a pan. Now pick up all the sides of the cloth and make a bundle. Squeeze the coconut in the cheese cloth to extract the milk. It is better to put less water, because the thick milk can always be diluted. Discard the residue in the cloth after squeezing out as much coconut milk as possible.

When you use fresh coconut milk you will need more than 1 cup as the canned coconut milk tends to be thicker.

Ingredients

  • Shrimp/ Chingri 200g
  • Coconut milk 200ml
  • Vegetable oil 3 tablespoon
  • Salt 1/2 teaspoon
  • Sugar 1/4 teaspoon
  • Coriander/ Dhania powder 1/2 teaspoon
  • Cumin/ Jeera powder 1/4 teaspoon
  • Chili / Mirchi powder 1/4 teaspoon
  • Turmeric/Haldi powder 1/4 teaspoon
  • Ginger/ Adrak paste 1/2 teaspoon
  • Whole Cinnamon, Cloves, and Cardamom/ Garam masala
  • Bay leaves/Tej patta 2 small ones
  • Onion/ piaj paste 3 table spoon

Prepping

Clean and wash the shrimp. I have used big ones, you can use any size but definitely bigger is better. The black thread like thing which runs along the back of the shrimp has to be removed. in this recipe the shell has been taken out leaving only the tail and head. But the antennae portion of the head has been removed, and the head has been properly cleaned. You need not keep the head and tail if you so desire. After washing the fish and draining out the water, sprinkle a little salt and turmeric powder and rub it on the fish.

Get the coconut milk ready if you are using fresh coconut milk.

Make the onion paste. You can grate the onion or use a grinder.

gather all the spiced

grate some fresh ginger

How to make the Malai Curry

  1. Heat a Wok/kadai or a pan and add 1/2 of the coconut milk.
  2. Let it boil down till the oil is released, then add the 3 tablespoons of vegetable oil.
  3. Add the Bay leaf/ tej patta, whole cardamom, cinnamon, and cloves as tarka, to season the oil.
  4. Once you get the Aroma of the whole garam masala add the onion paste. Fry till the raw onion smell goes and the onion is a little brown.
  5. In a small bowl, put the Chili powder, cumin powder, coriander powder, turmeric powder, salt , and sugar. Mix it all together with about 2 tablespoons of water. Pour this onto the fried onion in the wok/ pan.
  6. Stir fry for a couple of minutes then add the ginger paste. Stir fry till the oil separates on the sides of the masala.
  7. Add the Shrimp and mix it well with the masala and keep stirring and frying till the shell looks reddish and the flesh is opaque.
  8. keep about 2 tablespoons of the coconut milk for garnish and pour the rest of it into the pan. Reduce the heat to low . Cover and let the shrimp simmer in this gravy for about 5 minutes, then flip them over and simmer for another 3 to 4 minutes. the gravy should not dry out. If the gravy is too thick you can add some water and simmer.
  9. Take it off the heat and transfer to a serving dish. Before serving pour the saved coconut milk on top of the curry as a garnish. Serve with hot steamed rice.

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Traditional Ilish Mach Bhapa | Stovetop and Microwave Versions

Ilish mach bhapa

Ilish mach (or Hilsa) bhapa is cooked by steaming the fish in a closed container. My mother in law used to steam it in a stainless steel tiffin box. But I have found an easier way to cook it with similar results— in the microwave!

In earlier days we used to eat a lot of rice, in fact we would take a spoon of rice for every course on the menu, and generally there would be a minimum of 4 courses in each meal. That means there was a lot of rice cooked in every Bengali home. To make Bhapa chingri or Ilish all they had to do was place a tightly covered container with the fish in it on top of the just cooked rice and cover it with a heavy lid. In about half an hour the fish would be ready.

In case you do not want to cook in the microwave you can steam it on the stove top.

To steam the fish on the stove top, take a steel bowl with a tight lid and put the fish and the spices in this bowl, and coat the fish pieces well, add the mustard oil and the chilies too and cover with the lid, you can use foil to cover the bowl as well. You just have to ensure that steam does not get into the fish in the container. Put some water in a big pan which has a lid, place a small steel dish on the bottom then place the box or bowl with the Ilish maach on top of the dish, the bowl should not be immersed in the water . Cover the pan and bring the water to a boil. Now lower the heat and let it cook for 20 minutes. The water in the pan should not dry out. After 20 minutes, take out the bowl from the pan, and open the lid only after it cools a little. Transfer the fish into a serving bowl.

If you use the microwave then you will need a microwave safe glass dish with a lid. Put the fish and all the mustard paste, salt, turmeric into the glass dish, mix them well so that each piece of fish is coated with the spices and the mustard paste. Add the slit chilies and pour the mustard oil in too, and cover it . Microwave for 3 minutes on full power, then take it out and flip the fish pieces, and put it back in the microwave for another 3 minutes. Fish is ready to be served.

Recipe

Ingredients

  • Ilish maach pieces 300g
  • Yellow mustard seeds 2 teaspoons
  • black mustard seeds 1 teaspoons
  • salt 1/2 teaspoons
  • Haldi or Turmeric, 1/2 teaspoon
  • Kalonji or Kalojeera ( nigella) 1 pinch
  • green chilies 4
  • Mustard oil 35 g 0r 5 tablespoons

Method

  • Wash the Fish pieces well, sprinkle a little salt and Turmeric powder ( haldi) and coat each piece well. Lay them flat in a microwavable glass dish.
  • Mustard paste: soak 1 teaspoon of black mustard and 2 teaspoons of yellow mustard in 1/4 cup of water for at least half an hour. Grind the mustard seeds and a green chili in an electric grinder to a fine paste.
  • Add the pinch of Kalonji( nigella), 1/2 teaspoon of Haldi ( turmeric), 1/2 teaspoon of salt, to the mustard paste and mix it well.
  • Pour it on the fish and coat the pieces well with the paste.
  • Pour in the mustard oil, add the green chilies.
  • Cover with a lid or plastic wrap, and pop it into the microwave.
  • Microwave for 3 minute, then take the dish out and flip the pieces. cover and put in in the microwave for another 3 minutes.
  • Take out and serve with hot steamed rice.

In photos

You can grind the mustard seeds in an electric grinder. soak the mustard seeds in 1/4 cup of water for at least half an hour before grinding it to a paste. Add a green chili for extra flavor. If you prefer a mild taste then use only yellow mustard, or you can add a tablespoon of yogurt to the mustard paste. I grind mustard on a stone ( sheel bata), which is actually the traditional way to do it.

Wash the pieces of fish well and rub all the pieces with a little bit of Turmeric (Haldi) powder and salt. Lay them flat in the dish. Do not pile them up.

Mix the salt , turmeric powder, (haldi) and Kalonji ( nigella seeds) with the mustard paste. Pour it on the fish and coat all the pieces with the paste well. Pour in the Mustard oil. add the slit green chilies. cover and put it in the microwave for 3 minutes.

Take it out and flip the fish pieces , cover and put the dish in again for 3 more minutes.

The fish is now ready to be served.

You can try this recipe with medium size shrimp too.

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Lau Chingri

LAU CHINGRI

According to me Lau chingri is the best preparation of Lau/ Lauki ( bottle Gourd). This is usually made a little hot and spicy and it is served with plain steamed rice. The addition of Chingri/Shrimp, takes the humble Lau to another level altogether. Gourds are available in the summer months in India. Bottle gourd/lau and a few other gourds release a lot of water when they are cooked, so it cooks in its own juices mostly, there is no need to add any more water to cook it.

The shrimps/ chingri that are used in this recipe are the small ones. Before cooking Shrimp/ chingri they have to be cleaned very well. First you have to take off the shell, you can keep the tail if you want, then take out the black vein which is found on the back. Then wash it well again. Sprinkle some salt and turmeric/ haldi powder on the Shrimp/chingri mix it well and keep aside.

Ingredients

Peeled and cut lau 6 cups

Medium or small shrimp 250g

Tarka or seasoning

Jeera ( cumin) seeds 1/4 tsp

Dry red chilies 2

Tej patta/ Bay leaf 1

Dalchini/ cinnamon 1 inch stick which is broken into small pieces

Masalas

Salt ( namak) 1 teaspoon

Coriander ( dhania) powder 1 teaspoon

Cumin ( jeera) powder 1 teaspoon

Garam Masala 1/2 teaspoon

Chili ( mirchi) powder 1/2 teaspoon

Turmeric ( haldi) powder 1/2 teaspoon

Green chilies ( hara mirch) slit 3

Mustard Oil ( sarso ka tel) 3 Tablespoons

Peel the Lau/Gourd and cut it into small pieces. Using a grater is not a good idea as the Lau will become too soft and mushy.

Fried Shrimp/ chingri

The spices/masalas needed for the Lau chingri.

Method

Heat the Mustard oil in a kadai or Pan.

Add the shrimp and fry them till they are opaque, do not fry them too much, because shrimps will become hard and rubbery. Remove from the kadai and keep them aside.

In the same oil, add the Masalas for the tarka: Bay leaf/tej patta, red chili,and Jeera/cumin seeds.

When the jeera gets a bit dark brown, add the Lau .

Now add all the masalas/spices except the garam masala. Stir to mix the spices with the Lau, cover with a lid and let it cook on medium heat .

The Lau will release a lot of liquid so there is no need to add water. Open once in a while and check to see if the Lau is soft and done. When the Lau is soft, you will be able to cut it with a spoon.

Remove the lid, and add the shrimp. Mix it well.

Dry out any water that is still left in the kadai. Add the Garam Masala and mix well to get the garam masala evenly mixed.

Take the Kadai/pan of the heat and transfer the Lau chingri to a serving dish. Serve hot with steamed rice.

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Rui Macher Jhol phoolkopi aar aloo diye ( Rohu (Carp) Fish Curry with cauliflower and potato)

Winter months in India is the time when the cauliflowers are fresh, and they taste especially good, so I really enjoy making this curry. This is a Recipe for a curry made with Rohu Maach ( Carp), and Cauliflower and Potatoes. The same curry can be made with other types of fish too, like Bhetki (Sea bass), or Tilapia or Red Snapper, and also with Prawns instead of the Rui Maach. This Jhol served with hot Basmati rice makes great meal.

Recipe

Ingredients

  • Rui Maach ( Carp) 4 pieces
  • Cauliflower 2 or 3 florets per head (I used 8)
  • Potato peeled and cut 1 or 2 pieces per head (I used 4)
  • Grated or ground onion 1/4 cup
  • Tomato puree 1 teaspoon ( packet puree), grated fresh tomato
  • Salt 1&1/2 teaspoon
  • Chili powder 1/2 teaspoon
  • Turmeric powder 1/2 teaspoon
  • Garam masala * 1/2 teaspoon (Small piece of cinnamon, 3 cloves, and 2 green cardamoms ground together)
  • Coriander powder 1&1/2 teaspoon
  • Cumin powder 1&1/2 teaspoon
  • Mustard oil 1/2 cup approximately

How to make this dish

Wash the fish pieces well and sprinkle 1/4 tsp salt and turmeric powder and keep aside for 1/2 hour.

Heat the 1/2 cup of oil in a Kadai / wok, and fry the fish. Keep aside.

Next in the same hot oil saute the potatoes, take it out and keep aside.

Now saute the Cauliflower florets in the same oil, and keep aside.

Pour out into a small bowl, most of the oil from the kadai except about 3 tablespoons, which is all we need to make the gravy (Jhol).

Add the Bay leaf and the Cinnamon stick, to the oil in the kadai (wok). After a minute add grated onions to the oil in the kadai and stir fry till it is brown.

Add the Tomato puree, salt , turmeric, coriander, cumin and chili powder, and stir fry till it looks like this. Add another spoonful of oil if you find the masala is too dry.

Now add the fried cauliflower and the potatoes to the masala and stir fry it well.

Next pour 2 cups of water onto the cauliflower, and potatoes and mix it.

Once it starts boiling, cover the kadai and lower the flame to medium. Let it simmer till the potatoes and cauliflowers are cooked.

Remove the cover and gently add the fish to the Kadai, cover the kadai (wok) and let it simmer for a few minutes more.

Sprinkle the garam masala on the curry and switch off the flame.

Transfer to a serving dish and serve with hot rice.

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Iilish (Hilsa) Jhol: A Quick & Delicious Bengali Fish Curry

Ilish, is also known as Hilsa in India. In the USA, Shad is a close cousin. In the Phillipines a fish called Bangus can be used, its taste is pretty close to Iilish. This is a very bony fish, and you do have to be very careful when eating it.

This is the easiest Jhol or Curry I have learnt from my Mother in law. It is best made with very fresh fish, and Iilish tastes very good in this Jhol as it retains the taste of the fish. In most of the Bengali fish curries we first fry the fish slightly. In this the fish is not fried at all, it is just cooked in the Jhol.

Ingredients

  • Iilish ( Shad in the US) 6 pieces
  • Haldi (Turmeric) powder 1/2 teaspoon
  • Salt 1 teaspoon
  • Water 1 & 1/2 cups
  • Mustard oil 1/2 cup
  • Green Chilies slit 7 or 8 or more if you like
  • Kalonji (onion seeds) 1/2 teaspoon
masalas

some salt and haldi on the fish pieces

Now we are ready to cook.

Method

  1. Heat a big wok or kadai or a frying Pan.
  2. Pour the mustard oil in the pan and heat it till it is smoking slightly
  3. Add the Kalonji ( onion seeds) and 2 or 3 green chilies, let it fry a bit.
  4. In 1/2 of the water you mix the 1/2 tsp haldi (Turmeric powder) and 1 tsp salt , and pour this onto the Tarka/seasoning of kalonji and chilies.
  5. Stir well, and let it come to a boil.
  6. Gently add the pieces of fish to the boil water in the kadai. The fish should be immersed in the jhol/gravy, so add the rest of the water and reduce the heat, cover and let it boil for 5 minutes. If the pieces are thick like mine was then you turn the pieces once very carefully because the fish is almost cooked now and will break easily.
  7. Let it boil a couple of minutes more before switching off the stove.
  8. Serve hot with rice.

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Chital Macher Peti – Traditional Bengali Fish Curry Recipe

Chital Macher Peti is a classic Bengali fish curry traditionally served with steamed rice. Chital ( Chitala Fish) is a big bony fish which is found in the rivers of Bangladesh,Nepal and India. It is also called Knife Fish. I had never seen or heard of before I got married so when I saw the size of the Chital Fish steaks I was really surprised.

The back of the fish (Gada) has too many bones, the fish is scraped out and made into Muitha . This is a delicacy, and cooked in a different way.

The tummy part is called the PETI in Bangla. The bigger the Chital fish the bigger and tastier the Peti.  When you go to buy the fish they usually sell it already cut into half along the spine lengthwise. The stomach part has less bones and is eaten by making curries. the other half is called Gada in Bengali and that has too many bones, so there is a special way to extract the meat and cook it . you can find the recipe for that in this blog. https://dollylahiricooks.com/2021/06/09/chital-maacher-muitha/

The following recipe is my mother in law’s, and she used to call it Macher Roast.

Chital Macher Peti Bengali fish curry made with chital fish stomach served with gravy
Chital Fish
img_5698

Fried Chital Maacher Peti.

I made the Gravy and then cooked the fried fish in the gravy for a bout 5 minutes and then transferred it to a serving dish.

img_5700

 

Ingredients

  • 2 Chital macher peti
  • 2 medium onion, preferably ground
  • 1 tomato grated or pureed,(you can use 1 teaspoon canned puree if you wish)
  • 1/2 cup of mustard oil
  • 4 or 5 green chilies slit a little
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1/4 teaspoon turmeric
  • 1/4 teaspoon red chili powder
  • a small piece of cinnamon stick
  • 2 cloves
  • 2 green cardamoms
  • 1/4 teaspoon Garam masala 
  • a pinch of sugar.

How to make the gravy

  • In a big pan or kadai( wok), heat the oil very well, then fry the fish petis lightly.  Remove from the pan and keep aside.
  • Now make the Gravy.
  • Remove some of the oil carefully into a small bowl and keep aside
  • To the remaining oil in the pan, add the green chilies first, after a few seconds add the whole Cinnamon, cloves and cardamom.
  • Add the ground onions, and keep frying till the onions are brown and the oil separates on the sides.
  • Add the tomato puree and fry a bit
  • Add the Turmeric, salt, sugar, chili powder. Keep frying till the raw smell of tomato, and the other spices are gone, and little oil separates on the sides.
  • Add a cup of water, and the graram masala powder, bring it to boil.
  • Once it starts boiling, gently add the fish, cover and reduce the heat. Let it simmer for a couple of minutes, if you can the flip the fish pieces then do so and simmer for a couple of minutes more before switching off the flame
  • Garnish with a few slit green chilies.
  • Serve with cooked white rice

Note.

You can use the same proportions of onions, etc. to make this onion gravy for 4 medium sized pieces of Rui Or Katla maach too.

Chital Macher Peti (Bengali Chital Fish Curry)

  • Servings: 4
  • Difficulty: Medium
  • Print

[recipe_description]
Chital Macher Peti is a traditional Bengali delicacy made from the stomach portion of the Chital or Knife Fish. The rich fish is cooked slowly with aromatic spices to create a flavorful gravy. This classic Bengali fish dish is best enjoyed with hot steamed rice.
[/recipe_description]

[recipe_ingredients]

  • 500 g Chital macher peti (stomach portion of chital fish)
  • 1 onion, finely sliced
  • 1 onion paste
  • 1 tsp ginger paste
  • 1 tsp garlic paste
  • 1/2 tsp turmeric powder
  • 1 tsp red chili powder
  • 1 tsp cumin powder
  • 1/2 tsp sugar
  • Salt to taste
  • 2 bay leaves (tej patta)
  • 1 small cinnamon stick
  • 3–4 green cardamom
  • 3–4 cloves
  • 2 dry red chilies
  • 3–4 green chilies slit
  • 3 tbsp mustard oil
  • 1/2 cup warm water
  • 1/2 tsp garam masala

[/recipe_ingredients]

[recipe_instructions]

  1. Wash the chital macher peti pieces carefully and pat them dry.
  2. Rub the fish lightly with salt and turmeric and keep aside for 10–15 minutes.
  3. Heat mustard oil in a kadai until hot. Lightly fry the fish pieces and keep aside.
  4. In the same oil add bay leaves, cinnamon, cardamom, cloves, and dry red chilies.
  5. Add sliced onions and fry until golden brown.
  6. Add onion paste, ginger paste, and garlic paste. Cook for a few minutes until the raw smell disappears.
  7. Add turmeric powder, red chili powder, cumin powder, salt, and sugar. Stir well.
  8. Add a little warm water and cook the masala until oil starts separating.
  9. Add the fried fish pieces and gently mix with the gravy.
  10. Cover and cook for about 10 minutes on low heat.
  11. Add slit green chilies and sprinkle garam masala.
  12. Cook until the gravy thickens and oil floats on top.

[recipe_notes]
Serve hot with plain steamed rice for an authentic Bengali meal.

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