Introduction | About Mrs Pal | History of Bengali Cookery | Ingredients | Buy Your Ingredients
Starters | Main Courses | Side Dishes | Desserts | Accompaniments
E-Book of Recipes | Resources | Talkboard | Contact

Hilsha fish slices (cross sections about 3 cm thick)

6-8

Kalwanji (Onion seeds)

½ teaspoon

Green chillis

2-3 whole

Sliced aubergine

(optional)

Jeera (Cumin)

2 teaspoons

Chilli powder

½ teaspoon

Turmeric

½ teaspoon

Water to mix

Scale and cut fish in 3-4 cm slices. Wash and add salt and turmeric. Spread evenly over fish and leave in a bowl for 10 minutes. Put ½ cup of oil in the frying pan. Heat this until the oil is very hot. Add fish (and aubergine, if desired) and fry in the oil until golden brown.

Lift off each piece of fish separately and throw the oil away. Dry the pan and warm slightly, then add 5 tablespoons of oil to cover the bottom of the pan. Heat this up. Add onion seeds then immediately add in masala (premixed with water into a runny paste).

Fry this, stirring regularly for 4-5 minutes, until the oil can be seen to separate from the liquid. Add in 2½ cups of water and heat this up to boil. Add the fish and then simmer for 10 mins until the masala thickens. Add in green chillis.

Serve with rice and beware of fish bones!