A very Happy Independence Day to all Indians !!!! I am proud to be an Indian !! :)

We bought Rohu fish yesterday...we generally have tilapia fillet and sometimes salmon. But rohu has a special corner in the hearts of bengalis, which I have realized after coming here since we dont get to eat this frequently. At home we used to have katapona and different other fishes most of the days in a week. But here, its not available always. So we literally long for it. We have a Bangladeshi store across the road who bring these fishes from NY . After a long time we again bought rui machh, this time 7 lbs !! What to do, cut pcs are more expensive and will last only for 2 days atmost. So we decided to buy the whole fish, and keep it frozen !! :D

Today, I made Rui machher kalia, a very popular Bong dish, served splly during any occasion. It is a rich and spicy dish based on onion and tomato gravy. I had made this once last year and made it again today and had with basmati rice. :)

Rui machher kalia ( Spicy Rohu Curry)



This is how I made ...

Ingredients :

Rohu fish - 6 pcs ( steak-like)
Potato - 1
Onion - 1 medium
Tomato- 1 big
Cardamom- 3
Cloves - 3
Cinnamon - 1 " stick
Bay leaf - 1-2 small
Green chilli -2
Turmeric powder - 1tsp
Red chilli powder- 1/2 tsp ( according to preference)
Cumin powder - 1tsp
Coriander powder- 1/2 tsp
Kashmiri mirch powder - 1/2 tsp
Ginger-garlic paste - 1tsp
Yogurt - 2-3 tbsp
Mustard oil ( or white oil)
Sugar- a pinch
Salt- to taste



Method:

Clean the fish pieces very well (removing the scales is an ordeal !! ) and pat them dry. Rub with 1/2 tsp turmeric powder and 1tsp salt and keep them aside for sometime.
Meanwhile, chop the onions in slices, tomatoes in cubes and potatoes in longitudinal pieces.
Then heat mustard oil in a pan and put the fish after making sure the oil is very hot, otherwise the fish will stick to the pan. Let it fry for few mins and after that turn them and fry for few more mins till it is golden brown. Do not turn when the fish is sticking to the pan. That means it is not yet fried properly.

After they are done, take it out from the pan and keep them on a tissue paper to soak the excess oil.
Then fry the potatoes with a pinch of turmeric and salt in the same oil.
In another vessel, heat some more oil ( about 2 tsp) . After its hot, add the bay leaves and the whole garam masala and let it splutter. After that, put a pinch of sugar and let it turn brown. This caramelises the onions and gives a nice color to the gravy.
Then add the onions and fry for few mins till it turns golden brown. Takes about 7-10 mins.Stir frequently.
Then add the ginger garlic paste and fry for sometime.
Make a paste with the masalas with very little water and add to the onions. Fry for 4-5 mins till oil separates out.
Then add the chopped tomatoes and fry till they get mushy.
Take the yogurt in a bowl and beat it well so that it doesnt form lumps in the gravy. Add it to the gravy and mix well. Add salt and very little sugar and bring it to a boil.
It is a gravy based dish, so add water very carefully, I added slightly more than a cup.
Add the fried potatoes and cook for sometime.
When the potatoes are half done, add the fish pieces and cook for few more mins. Then remove from the heat.
Cilantro can be added for garnishing. I ran out of it, so didnt add.
Serve with plain hot rice !! :-)

I am sending this recipe to Appyayan's 1st event hosted by Indrani di. :