bengali fish recipe Archive

0June 12, 2017
Bengali fish stew with summer vegetables / macher jhol – for babies and toddlers

Bengali’s love for fish is an universal truth and so much so that we are often stereotyped by rest of India as only fish and rosogolla eating people. While we love our fish and devour the rosogolla at the drop of hat, we adore our greens too, saag and vegetables remain integral to our daily meal. A Bengali meal can not be said to be complete without fish and vegetables and on some days, together they makes one – pot […]
1February 17, 2017
Pabda macher jhol kalojeere ar bodi diye / fish curry with nigella & no-onion no-garlic recipe

Give a man a fish and you feed him for a day. Teach a man to fish and you feed him for a lifetime ~ Maimonides In Bengali mythology and culture, fish has always been a delicious symbol of fertility, prosperity and abundance and it touches many aspects of ceremonial and ritual life. (~ Chitrita Banerjee) While fish is seen as smelly and gross food to many, Bengali marriages are not complete without fishes, there are many rituals where fish is […]
1April 1, 2015
Rui maacher kaalia / bengali style fish curry – not the ordinary one

Fish kalia or rui / rohu macher kalia – a rich preparation of spicy and flavoured fish curry in Bengali style. Owing to the riverine geographical landscape of Bengal, fish always held a predominant status in Bengali’s life and culture. Much to the astonishment of many people, fish is considered auspicious here in Bengal. In marriage ceremonies, in festivals and pujas (religious practices) fish remains integral to our culture so much so that fish and Bengalis become synonym to each […]
5April 9, 2013
Tangra maach, mishti and more – fish “hunting” in America

Before you start forming your opinions on today’s blog headline, let me stop you right there in your thought track … I know “fish hunting” is not the right word, but I could not find more appropriate word to tell you the story of my misadventures … Fish cannot live without water. A Bong can not live without fish. So what happens when a Bong arrives in a “phoreighn” land ? Arriving in a foreign country in the early hours of morning is a bad idea. Unlike […]
10July 18, 2012
Tel Koi or koi fish in mustard oil

What are the two things that caught your fancy when someone mentions Kolkata ? maach ar mishti (fish and sweets) and for the prabasis (migrants) like me, phuchka is the last word in Kolkata’s culinary scenario. You ask me why ? Having raised outside Bengal, the word “maach” / fish largely restricted itself to the big carps which am not so fond of, even though Rui kalia is something I would love to cherish any day but beyond that ? the world of fish literally ends […]
17April 13, 2012
Fish in Bengali mustard sauce / sorshe diye macher jhaal

Saffronstreaks wishes its readers who stops by “Very happy Bengali New Year” . If you are planning a Poila baisakh house party this weekend then do check our exclusive Bengali Cuisine Archive, and I am sure it will end your search for all the authentic Bengali recipes. This is just not an archive but repository of all the classic Bengali dishes that I have learnt and inherited from my mother and some are experimental too, and am sure it will be able to […]
13April 7, 2011
steamed hilsa flavoured with aam kasundi – a bengali mango mustard sauce

Steamed hilsa flavoured with aam kasundi (aam kasundi diye ilish maach) is one of the classic way to enjoy this queen of fish called ilish / hilsa of which Bengalis are so fond of and emotionally attached too. Before we venture further into the recipe, let me give you a little insight into kasundi. Pure kasundi is also known as Bengali’s mustard sauce made with black mustard seeds, Brassica juncea most commonly known as mustard greens, mustard oil, bit of […]
2February 6, 2011
narkel ilish

…narkel ilish or hilsa (fish) steamed in coconut milk… I know, it sounds strange a little, but hilsa is one such fish which gives ample scope of experiments. Having attended some hilsa festival in the town, I got intrigued by the idea of using coconut milk in hilsa preparation. So this one purely crops up from my imagination and it left scope for improvisation. This recipe is entirely inspired by another signature dish of Bengali cuisine – Prawn malai curry. […]
5October 14, 2010
daab chingri and kaju kismis pulao

…durga puja special recipes… Mahasaptami te phulkopir dum, daab chingri ar kaju-kismis pulao Sometimes in late 90’s on a Navami afternoon we went to Aheli at Peerless Inn for a lavish buffet spread to satiate our quench for authentic Bengali cuisine.The theme was perfect, Bengali cuisine, dressed in traditional Bengali attire with live Rabindrasangeet, it was there that I was introduced to daab chingri – the headless prawns with their tails intact, bathed in rich creamy and velvety gravy, looks […]
3April 14, 2010
bhetki paturi

…poila baisakh special recipes… …Bhetki paturi or mustard seasoned bekti wrapped in plantain leaves… Bhetki macher paturi meaning fish seasoned with spices wrapped in banana leaves and then steamed, smoked or baked over a charcoal fire. This dish has its origin in Dhaka but now has become one of the signature dishes of Bengali cuisine. Use of banana leaves is very well-known in Asian cuisine specially in Thai cuisine where they uses the banana leaves to wrap the chickens and even in Caribbean cuisines. Other […]
2April 13, 2010
chital macher muthia

…poila baisakh recipes… …chital macher muthia or fish dumplings in ginger gravy… Chital macher muthia or fish dumplings in light onion-ginger gravy is again one of the classic delicacy from Bengali cuisine and is mainly the forte of Bangladeshis or the bangals (the east bengals) who excels in it. Personally I have never tried this dish because of its rarity in our local fish market in Bangalore but on my every visit to Kolkata my mom prepares this exotic dish. […]
7April 9, 2010
chingri malai curry

…Poila baisakh special recipes… …chingri malai curry or prawns / lobsters stewed in creamy coconut milk… On one of my regular visit to Mumbai, we once dined in Gajalee at Andheri which is very famous for its seafood. Food was excellent but only if they could increase the portion that was being served specially for the lobster that we had ordered. The dish was pricey too. Not satisfying and still wanting some more, the very next day we went to Andheri’s local fish […]
7September 11, 2009
bhapa ilish

Steamed hilsa aka Bhapa ilish is one of my favorite dish among any hilsa cuisine and I simply can not get enough of this. Steamed hilsa (bhapa ilish) when soaked in rich yellow mustard (should be ground well to have a creamy look and consistency) and green chilli paste ,mixed with raw mustard oil looks highly appetizing. This is a very simple recipe, no brainer and hardly any seasonings required except salt and little turmeric to get that gorgeous color […]