Aar Macher Jhol

Hello all, Autumn is here! Autumn – The most colorful season of the year and most refreshing one. I love Octobers for its vibrant colors and mild showers. My little green plants in the terrace started turning pale and shedding leaves. Whenever I see tiny red tomatoes and pluck them, it gives me immense pleasure and profound satisfaction. Moreover, they are organic, devoid of pesticides and fresh from the plants. When they wither down and dry up, I feel sad but then every life has to go through seasons and phases. It’s we who resist the changes, find it hard to accept the changes and grieve about it. We forget as we evolve through changes. With few days left for 2016 to end, I wish every change you encounter in the rest of the year brings you happiness and helps you to evolve stronger. As of now, let’s enjoy colorful autumn, vibrant colors, cool breeze, mild showers, morning dew and eat lots of Pumpkins.

People at my end are partying this Saturday night and people at the other end are enjoying Sunday. Weekends are best enjoyed with non-vegetarian delicacies and a classic movie. That’s my way of celebrating weekend and rejuvenating myself for the upcoming week. This week, we prepared this flavorful Bengali delicacy – Aar Macher Jhol. I have never tried any seafood delicacies other than recipes from my region but I was tempted to try this delicacy when I come across this dish while surfing.

Aar macher Jhol is a Bengali Fish curry prepared with Aar/rohu/Katla fish. The gravy is such an uncomplicated gravy which can be prepared in a jiffy with the items available in the pantry and tastes the best with white rice. Vegetables like potato and brinjal can be added in addition to the fish to enhance the taste and aroma of the curry. Prepare Aar macher Jhol and serve with Plain white rice or with a simple jeera pulao.

Ingredients

• Aar (Rohu or Katla) fish – 1, cleaned and cut into pieces
• Medium sized Tomato – 1
• Bay leaf – 1
• Ginger Garlic paste – 2 tablespoon
• Green Chilies – 3
• Cumin seeds – 1 teaspoon
• Coriander Powder – 1 teaspoon
• Red Chili powder – 1 teaspoon
• Turmeric powder – ½ teaspoon
• Mustard Oil – 4 tablespoon
• Salt – ½ teaspoon
• Water – 1-2 Cup

Method:

• Wash and clean fish pieces twice with water. Ensure they are cleaned properly.
• Add salt and turmeric powder to the cleaned fish pieces. Marinate it and set aside
• Leave the fish marination for about 2 hours.
• In a pan, add 4 tablespoons of oil and heat over medium heat. Fry the fish pieces and fry until they turn lightly brown. The fish pieces should be half cooked.
• In the medium sized pot, add the remaining oil and heat over medium heat.
• Once the oil is hot, add cumin seeds and bay leaf. Let it crackle.
• Add chopped tomatoes and cook until they become mushy.
• Now, lower the flame. To the mushy tomatoes, add chili powder, coriander powder and ginger garlic paste.
• Cook until the raw smell goes off and the spice powders are absorbed by the tomatoes.
• Add water as per your required consistency and bring it to boil.
• Once the water starts boiling, add the fried fish pieces and cook them over a low flame.
• Slit the green chilies and add them to the curry.
• Once the fishes are cooked completely and the curry reaches required consistency, season it with salt and switch off the flame.
• Ensure the curry is cooked over medium flame once the fish pieces are added. If fish is overcooked, it might dissolve in the curry.
• Garnish with coriander leaves and serve warmly.

If you try the recipe, do let me know how they tasted in comments. If you like space, do like and follow my profile at here –
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Yours Truly

Karthi