Maccher Mathar Kaliya
Fish-head cooked in a braised onion-based sauce
- Cooking time60 mins
Calories327kcal
Salma cooks this fish-head curry with very few ingredients—just onion, garlic and a few powdered spices. One key component of this recipe—besides, of course, the freshest Catla fish-head possible—is the bhaja dhone–jeere powder (coriander and cumin seeds, dry-roasted and ground) that Salma shows us how to make from scratch, as it is used in several of her family's recipes.
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Serves
5
Marinate the fish-head
- 600 g katla machher matha (Catla fish-head)
- 8 g salt
- 4 g turmeric
- 2 g red chilli powder
For bhaja dhone–jeere
- 20 g coriander seeds
- 20 g cumin seeds
For cooking
- 80 g mustard oil
- 200 g onions (thinly sliced)
- 17 g garlic (crushed)
- 2 g turmeric
- 2 g red chilli powder
- 2 g bhaja-dhone jeere powder
- 12 g salt
- 500 ml hot water
Method
- Wash the fish-head thoroughly, and smear it with salt, turmeric and red chilli powder. Set aside to marinate for about 30 mins.
- Meanwhile, thinly slice the onions, and peel and crush garlic.
- Make the bhaja dhone–jeere powder: For that, heat a small skillet on medium flame and add the coriander seeds. Dry-roast them until toasted and fragrant, about 3 mins or so. Add the cumin seeds and continue toasting them for a couple of minutes. Transfer these to a grinder jar and blitz to a powder. This spice mix can be stored in an airtight container. For this recipe, we will need only 2 g.
- Heat a kadai well, and add about 20 g mustard oil. Once smoking, fry the fish-head in batches until medium-brown, making sure to fry it on all the sides. Set aside.
- Add the remaining 60 g mustard oil to the pan.
- Add sliced onions and fry on high heat until golden brown. Stir continuously so that the onions are evenly coloured—about 10 mins.
- Add the crushed garlic and continue frying until the raw smell of garlic goes away.
- Add the powdered spices: 2 g each of turmeric, red chilli powder and the bhaja dhone–jeere powder. Also add 12 g salt.
- On medium heat, continue braising the spices, using splashes of hot water when necessary, until you see oil float to the top.
- Add hot water for the gravy, and once it comes to a boil, lower in the fried fish-head. Cover and bubble on medium heat until the fish-head is cooked, about 6 mins or so.
- Serve with plain hot rice.
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