Meals · Bengal

Macher Jhol

Bengal's everyday fish curry: fried rohu steaks and potatoes in a light, brothy gravy with mustard oil, panch phoron and ginger.

Prep 15 min · Cook 30 min · Total 45 min · Serves 4

Ingredients

Fish

• 500 g Rohu or katla steaks
• ½ tsp Turmeric
• ½ tsp Salt
• 4 tbsp Mustard oil

Jhol

• 2 Medium potatoes, cut in thick batons
• 1 tsp Panch phoron
• 2 Bay leaves
• 1 Dried red chilli
• 1 tbsp Ginger paste
• 1 Tomato, chopped
• 1 tsp Cumin powder
• 1 tsp Coriander powder
• 1 tsp Kashmiri chilli powder
• ½ tsp Turmeric
• 1 tsp Salt
• 3 Green chillies, slit
• 2 tbsp Coriander leaves, chopped

Method

1. Fry the fish. Rub the fish with turmeric and salt. Heat the mustard oil in a kadai until it smokes lightly, then lower the heat and fry the fish a few pieces at a time until golden on both sides. Lift out.
2. Fry the potatoes. Toss the potatoes with a pinch of turmeric and fry in the same oil until golden at the edges. Lift out.
3. Temper. Add the panch phoron, bay leaves and red chilli to the oil and let the seeds crackle.
4. Make the masala. Mix the ginger paste, cumin, coriander, chilli powder and turmeric with 3 tbsp water. Add to the pan with the tomato and cook until the oil separates.
5. Simmer. Add the potatoes, 2 cups hot water, the salt and green chillies. Simmer covered until the potatoes are tender.
6. Finish. Slide in the fried fish and simmer gently for 3 to 4 minutes so it soaks up the jhol without breaking. Scatter with coriander and serve with plain rice.

Tips

Heat mustard oil until it just smokes to mellow its bite before frying. The jhol should stay thin, almost like a broth, for mashing into rice.