The Machher Jhol Recipe My Father Has Been Making for Thirty Years

This recipe is a community pick, part of our Fathers’ Day recipe contest in partnership with Nivaala, a brand that like Goya, believes your family recipes are your legacy. Nivaala is an heirloom recipe journal in which you can record all your family recipes. It’s unlike any other recipe journal, and can be passed down your family as heirlooms, just like saris, and jewellery. Here, Muktadhara Ray shares her father’s recipe for that unparalleled Bengali favourite, machher jhol.

My father, a septuagenarian now, is the house fish-curry expert. Although the world may see fish curry as a single, basic recipe, we have multiple fresh-water fish recipes, each with its own classic pairings. The world associates Bengali cuisine with machher jhol (fish curry). And without a sliver of doubt, Bengalis are a community of fish lovers, and fish-curry-rice is our staple. 

Growing up in a household with both parents working, I saw my father blur the gender divide as far back as 3 decades ago. My mother was in charge of cooking everything vegetarian — rice, dal, different bhajas (fries), panchmishal torkari, etc, — dad was in charge of the meats. He’d come home from the office, finish his cup of tea, roll up the sleeves of his crisp blue shirt, and rustle up a delicious curry for us. 

He has been retired over a decade, but this routine hasn't changed. He is always as enthusiastic to cook for me when I am home. This pabda machher jhol is his recipe. 

RECIPE FOR PABDA MACHHER JHOL

Ingredients
350 g cat fish or pabda
1 medium onion
1 tomato
2 cloves garlic
1/2 tsp cumin
1/2 inch knob of ginger
3 green chillies
1 tsp turmeric
3 tsp red chilli powder
4 tbsp Mustard oil
1/2 cup hot water
Coriander, to garnish

Method
Finely chop one half of the onion, aside set aside. 
Roughly chop the other half of the onion, and place in a blender with the tomato, garlic, ginger, green chilli and cumin, to create a smooth paste.
Marinate the fish in salt, 1/2 tsp turmeric and 1 tsp red chilli powder. Set aside for 15 minutes. Shallow fry in a neutral vegetable oil. Pabda is a delicate fish with very thin skin, so lightly fry for a few seconds, to keep the skin crisp and intact. Lower the flame and cover the pan for 4 minutes to let it cook through.
In the same wok, add more mustard oil, fry the finely chopped onion. When soft, add salt, the remaining red chilli powder and turmeric, and the paste from the blender. Fry well until the oil separates.
Add a cup of hot water and mix well. Check seasoning.
Carefully place in the fried fish, cover and cook for 7-8 minutes.
Garnish with chopped coriander

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