Tag: dinner

Parshe Maacher Jhal (Bengali Mustard Fish Curry Recipe)

Parshe is a small, freshwater fish. It is also known as Indian White Mullet. It has a soft flaky texture, and earthy flavour. It does have scales and a few bones though. It is very popular in Bengal and Odisha. Parshe is cooked in various ways but the most popular and delicious is Parshe Maacher Jhal. This is a pungent , spicy dish with a mustard gravy. The recipe below is very easy, and if you cannot find Parshe, you can use Tilapia, or Tangra.

First the fish has to be cleaned and then washed very well before cooking. The fish is then fried or sautéed. The fish are fried briefly. It’s dropped in very hot oil and flipped over once. Then it is taken out of the oil and set aside. This is to seal in the juices, it also keeps the fish intact in the gravy, does not disintegrate. It is a spicy dish and is eaten with cooked rice.After frying, it is added into a gravy Mustard paste, salt , turmeric and chilli powder.

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INGREDIENTS

  • Parshe 6 pieces, ( approximately 500 gm) cleaned , gutted and washed
  • Mustard seeds 2 tablespoons yellow mustard and 1/2 tablespoon of black mustard seeds
  • Mustard oil 6 to 8 tablespoons
  • Water 1/2 cup
  • Yogurt 2 teaspoons
  • Turmeric pwd 1/4 tsp
  • Salt 1 tsp
  • Chilli powder 1/4 tsp
  • Nigella seeds ( Kalo Jire) 1/4 teaspoon
  • Green chilies slit 4 to 6

Prepping

  • Clean and gut the fish and wash well. Sprinkle 1/4 teaspoon of salt and 1/4 teaspoon of turmeric powder on the fish, set it aside.
  • Gather all the dry spices, salt, chilli powder and turmeric powder
  • Slit the green chillies
  • Soak the mustard seeds together in a cup with about 1/4 cup water for 30 minutes.
  • Strain the water out with the help of a sieve.
  • Put the mustard seeds in a grinder. Add a pinch of salt and 1 green chilli. Grind it to a paste.
  • Transfer the mustard paste into a small bowl and keep aside.

Method

  • Heat the 8 Tablespoons of Mustard Oil in a kadai / wok / frying Pan
  • Saute the Fish one or two at a time. Take it out of the kadai. Keep it on a dish. Fry all the 6 fishes.
  • Once the fish is fried there will be some oil left over in the Kadai. Use the same oil ( you can reduce the amount if you want ) to make the gravy
  • Temper the oil with 1 slit green chilli and the 1/4 tsp Kalonji ( Nigella) seeds
  • Add the yogurt, turmeric powder, salt, and chili powder to the mustard paste. Mix in a couple of teaspoons of water. Combine the ingredients to make a paste.
  • Once the green chili, turns a little brown, pour the mustard paste into the kadai.
  • Keep stirring , till the raw smell of the spices are gone and the oil separates around the edges.
  • Add the 1/2 cup of water, and the slit green chilies and bring the gravy to a boil.
  • Once it starts boiling add the fried /sauteed fish to the gravy.
  • Cover with a lid and reduce the heat.
  • Let it simmer for about 2 or 3 minutes on low heat. Taste and adjust the salt if needed.
  • Transfer to a serving dish and enjoy with hot cooked rice.

Parshe Maacher Jhal (Bengali Mustard Fish Curry Recipe)

A simple Bengali mustard fish curry made with Parshe fish and green chilies, perfect with steamed rice. Parshe is a delicate Grey Mullet fish considered a delicacy by Bengalis. The recipe involves cleaning, frying the fish, and creating a spicy mustard gravy with ingredients like yogurt, turmeric, and chilli powder. The dish is typically served hot with cooked rice, offering a flavourful dining experience.
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Prep Time 30 minutes
Cook Time 30 minutes
Total Time 1 hour
Servings: 4 persons
Course: Main
Cuisine: Bengali , Indian
Ingredients Equipment Method Notes

Ingredients
  

  • 500 grams Parshe Fish I got 6 pieces
  • 2 teaspoon yellow mustard seeds
  • 1/2 teaspoon black mustard seeds
  • 1/2 cup water
  • 2 teaspoons yogurt
  • 1 teaspoon salt plus more
  • 1/4 teaspoon turmeric powder ( holud) plus a little more
  • 1/4 teaspoon Chilli powder
  • 1/4 teaspoon Nigella seeds ( Kalo Jire)
  • 6 to 8 Tablespoons Mustard oil
  • 4 to 5 whole Green chillies spicy variety

Equipment

  • 1 Wok or Pan
  • 1 Grinder

Method
 

  1. PREPARATION
    Make the mustard paste – Soak the black and yellow mustard seeds in 1/2 cup of water for at least 30 minutes. Drain out the water with the help of a sieve. grind the soaked seeds in a grinder wit a pinch of salt and 1 green chilli. You may need to add a couple of spoonfuls of water to get a nice smooth paste.
    Clean the fish – Remove the gut and wash drain out the water and sprinkle 1/2 tsp Salt and a pinch of Turmeric powder on the fish. Coat the fish with I
    In a bowl mix the the Mustard paste, 1/4 teaspoon of Turmeric powder, and 1 teaspoon of Salt, and 1/4 tsp of Chilli powder, and 2 teaspoon of Yogurt with 1/4 cup of water. This is for the gravy.
  2. HOW TO MAKE THE GRAVY.
  3. Heat a wok or a big pan, add i=oil and let it be smoking hot.
  4. Add a fish ,to the oil, after a 2 seconds turn the fish over so that the fish get sauteed on both sides. Remove from the wok and keep on a plate. Fry all the fish this way and keep aside
  5. If there is more than 2 Tablespoons of oil left in the wok after frying all the fish then pour out some so that there is about 2 Tablespoons still remaining.
    TADKA ( PHORON) Add the Slit Green chillies, and the Nigella seeds to the hot oil
  6. After a minute or so, pour the mustard salt turmeric mixture you had made onto the Tadka. (phoron). Stir well
  7. Keep stirring till the oil bubbles around the mustard paste.
  8. Pour in the 1/2 cup of water, and Stir well. Add the slit green chillies. Let it boil for a minute or so
  9. Gently Drop the fish one by one into the gravy. Let it simmer for at least 3 minutes.
  10. The gravy will thicken as it boils. fish has to cook in the gravy for at least 3 to 5 minutes.
  11. Switch off the heat and transfer to a serving dish.
  12. Best served hot with hot steamed rice..

Notes

Adjust the number of green chilies according to your spice preference
Always use mustard oil for authentic Bengali flavour.
Do not fry the fish too much, as it can become hard.
Be very careful when frying the fish. It will splatter, so stand as far as possible or use a plate as a shield.
Adjust the number of green chilies according to your spice preference.

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Authentic Shami Kababs: A Family Recipe from Lucknow

This recipe of Shami Kababs I learnt from my grandmother. She used to live in Lucknow and she cooked the best Mutton curry I have ever eaten. She used to cook on a chulha, which is a clay stove that used coal. There was something special about Mutton cooked on low heat on a chulha. She taught me Shami Kababs. In my grandmother’s time, they did not have a pressure cooker. The dal, the minced meat, and all the spices were cooked on a chulha in a big bowl. This added a slight smoky aroma to the Kababs.

Chana dal and Mutton keema are cooked together with some spices. Then they are ground to a soft mixture and made into patties. These patties are then fried to make Shami Kababs. My grandmother used a sheel bata. This is a flat stone. The thing to be ground is put on it. Then it is ground with another piece of stone. That was a tedious and painful job. Nowadays we have food processors. and pressure cookers which makes our lives easier and comfortable. I make these Shami Kabab in a big batch and freeze some for later. They can be warmed up and served easily.

Ingredients

  • Mutton Keema 500 g
  • Chick pea split ( Channa dal ,Cholar dal). 150g soaked for an hour
  • Ginger ( adrak, ada ) chopped 3 tablespoon
  • Garlic ( Lasun, Rosun ). 6 to 8 cloves
  • Dry red Chili( Lal Mirch, Sukhno Lonka) 4
  • Cardamom small ( Chota elaichi, Choto elach) 6 to 8
  • Cloves ( Laung, Lobongo ). 10
  • Cinnamon ( Daalchini, Darchini) 2 in piece broken
  • Big Cardamom ( Badi Elaichi . Bodo Elach). 1
  • Garam masala ( Cardamom, cloves and Cinnamon ground together ) 1 teaspoon full
  • Peppercorn ( Kali Mirch, Kalo Morich ). 1 Tablespoon
  • Onion ( Pyaz , Pyaj ). 1 medium size
  • A small piece of thin cotton cloth for tying the spices.
  • Water ( Paani, Jol) 1/2 cup
  • Salt ( Namak , Noon ). 1 teaspoon.
  • Flour (Maida, Moida ). 3 tablespoons
  • Oil ( Tel ). for frying 6 Tablespoon

Prepping

  • Wash and soak the 150g of Channa Dal for 2 hours and then drain out the water.
  • Peel and chop the 6 to 8 cloves of garlic
  • Peel and grate 2 inch piece of ginger or chop into small pieces
  • Peel and cut the onion into 4 pieces
  • In a small piece of cotton cloth , place the Cardamom, Cinnamon, cloves, black cardamom and tie it loosely.
  • Wash the keema ( Minced meat) and drain out the water well

Method

In the pressure cooker put the Keema, Channa dal, the onion, bundle of spices, ginger, garlic, whole dry red chilies, peppercorns, and salt. Add the water and close the lid.

Place the pressure cooker on the stove on high heat. Once it whistles, lower the heat and let it cook for 10 minutes.

After 10 minutes take the cooker off the stove and let it cool down.

Once it is cool, open and check . Try to smash the dal with the back of a spoon, to see that it is soft. Dry out any remaining water once the dal is cooked. If not then close the lid and pressure cook for a couple of minutes more. Please see that there is enough water or the keema will burn.

Once the Dal is cooked, place the cooker back on the stove. Stir it until all the remaining water evaporates to dry out the water.

Pour out the cooked Keema and dal mixture onto a flat dish and let it cool to room temperature.

Grind the mixture in a food processor till it like dough. I use the Cuisinart food processor.

Divide the dough into equal portions, maybe the size of a walnut or bigger like a plum.

Roll it between your palms and flatten it. ( in the video below )

Divide the dough into equal portions.

Take one portion and make it into a patty as shown in the video

We fry it usually after all of them are made.

Put the 3 tablespoons of Flour in a small dish. Then, lightly coat the patties with flour before putting them in the oil . Ensure both sides of the patty have a dusting of Flour.

Heat some oil in a frying pan or tava. Shallow fry the kababs till it is browned on both sides. Do not use too much oil otherwise the kababs will become too soft, and disintegrate.

Once they are brown on both sides remove from the pan and place on a serving dish.

Note:

  1. Sometimes I put a little filling in the Shami Kabab, but it is not necessary. Some finely chop some coriander leaves and green chilies. You can add chopped cashews and raisins as well for the filling . Stuff a little bit of this mixture, then roll and flatten to make the patties.
  2. For Freezing :. I usually fry them , then cool them before freezing. You can freeze them by putting them in a steel or plastic container. Put a piece of parchment paper between the layers. You can heat the kababs in the microwave for a minute or so just before eating.
  3. I used Mutton ( Goat Meat) in this recipe. You can use Beef mince, or Turkey mince, or Lamb mince. Beef and Lamb have more fat so sometimes you may need more binding material. What you can do is dry roast about 2 Tablespoons of Besan (Chick pea flour) and add to the mixture of Mince and Chana dal.

Lucknowi Shami Kababs (Mutton & Chana Dal Patties)

  • Servings: 20–24 kababs
  • Difficulty: Medium
  • Rating: ★★★★★
  • Print

Traditional Lucknow-style Shami Kababs made with mutton keema and chana dal, gently spiced and shallow fried until golden.

This recipe was learnt from my grandmother in Lucknow, who cooked on a coal-fired chulha. The slow cooking gave the kababs a delicate smoky aroma. Traditionally everything was ground on a sheel bata (stone grinder), but today a food processor makes the work much easier.

These kababs freeze beautifully. Fry, cool completely, then store with parchment paper between layers. Reheat in a microwave or on a tava before serving.

You may use beef, lamb, or turkey mince instead of mutton. If using fattier mince, dry roast 2 tbsp besan and mix into the dough for better binding.

Ingredients

  • 500 g mutton keema (minced goat meat)
  • 150 g chana dal (split chickpeas), soaked 1–2 hours
  • 3 tbsp chopped ginger
  • 6–8 garlic cloves, chopped
  • 4 dry red chilies
  • 6–8 green cardamoms
  • 10 cloves
  • 2-inch cinnamon, broken
  • 1 black cardamom
  • 1 tbsp peppercorns
  • 1 tsp garam masala
  • 1 medium onion, peeled and quartered
  • ½ cup water
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 3 tbsp flour (for coating)
  • 6 tbsp oil (for shallow frying)

Optional Filling:

  • Finely chopped coriander leaves
  • Finely chopped green chilies
  • Chopped cashews and raisins

For Spice Bundle:

  • Small piece of thin cotton cloth

Directions

  1. Wash and soak chana dal for 1–2 hours. Drain well.
  2. Tie green cardamom, black cardamom, cloves, and cinnamon in a small cotton cloth to make a spice bundle.
  3. Wash and drain the keema thoroughly.
  4. In a pressure cooker add keema, chana dal, onion, spice bundle, ginger, garlic, dry red chilies, peppercorns, salt, and water.
  5. Close the lid and cook on high heat until the first whistle. Lower heat and cook for 10 minutes.
  6. Turn off heat and let the pressure release naturally.
  7. Open the lid and check if dal is soft. If needed, cook for a few more minutes.
  8. Place cooker back on stove and cook uncovered until all moisture evaporates. The mixture should be dry.
  9. Remove the spice bundle and discard. Let mixture cool completely.
  10. Grind in a food processor until smooth and dough-like. Mix in garam masala.
  11. Divide into equal portions (walnut or plum size). Roll and flatten into patties.
  12. If using filling, place a small amount in the center, seal, and flatten gently.
  13. Lightly coat each patty with flour on both sides.
  14. Heat oil in a frying pan and shallow fry until golden brown on both sides.
  15. Remove and place on a serving dish.

Serve hot with mint chutney or sliced onions.

Nutrition


Per serving (approx. 1 kabab): 120 calories, 8g fat, 5g carbs, 8g protein

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