Jeere diye macher jhol | Aloo, jhinge, potol diye macher jhol

by | May 21, 2025 | Food, Foodblog | 0 comments

jeere diye macher jhol (2)

Mache bhate Bangali – tai na? This saying suggests that Bengalis primarily enjoy fish curry and rice. A plate of rice with jeere diye macher jhol is enough to bring comfort on any day. Whether you’re feeling low, just back from a hectic trip, or simply missing your mother, all you need is macher jhol bhaat. Especially when it’s jeere bata diye macher jhol—flavoured with cumin paste, a hint of ginger, and light enough to feel like a hug. This fish curry is not just a dish. It’s a part of how we live. Ma’er hath’er jhol? That’s a different league altogether. You’ll know when you’ve had it.

For any macher jhol, the potato matters. Not just for taste, but for texture and nostalgia. It has to be cut in thick, half-moon shapes. Cooked just right. While eating, you must mash a piece with rice and the light stew-like curry, saving one chunk on the side to bite into between mouthfuls. That’s the rule, unwritten but universal. That’s how most of us grew up eating katla macher jhol. It’s less about technique and more about habit. Or maybe, memory.

bengali macher jhol

bengali macher jhol

A Home Recipe That Travels With You

You can always play around with the vegetables. A light shobji diye macher jhol brings the best out of everyday ingredients. You can add any seasonal vegetables. The most common ones in the summer are ridge gourds (jhinge), pointed gourds (potol), and potatoes. Potato is non-negotiable. Borboti or string beans give a soft crunch. In winter, cauliflower and hyacinth beans work beautifully. The gravy picks up flavour from the vegetables. The gravy is thin, stew-like, and not bland. Just a spoonful of cumin paste, a bit of ginger paste, and you’re done. Tomato? That’s optional. Some add it for tartness. Others skip it completely.

The beauty of patla macher jhol lies in its simplicity. There are no heavy spices involved. There are no elaborate procedures involved. Just a few seasonal vegetables, fresh fish—preferably katla—and a quick stir of jeere diye macher jhol on a lazy afternoon. That’s lunch. That’s comfort.

jeere bata diye macher jhol (4)

jeere bata diye macher jhol (4)

Here are a few different kinds of macher jhol recipes that you may like:
  1. Aloo bodi diye pabda macher jhol– butter fish curry with potatoes and lentil dumplings
  2. Tangra macher jhol– Catfish curry
  3. Macher kalia- Katla fish cooked in onion gravy
  4. Doodh mach– fish cooked in milk
shobji diye macher jhol (5)

shobji diye macher jhol (5)

Share your cooking with us –

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jeere diye macher jhol

Jeere diye macher jhol | Jhinge, aloo, potol diye macher jhol

Bengali fish curry made with seasonal vegetables and cumin
Print Recipe Pin Recipe
Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 45 minutes
Servings: 4 people
Course: Main Course, Non Vegetarian
Cuisine: Bangladeshi, Bengali, Indian
Ingredients Method

Ingredients
  

  • 4 pcs fresh water fish steaks (rohu, katla or other carps preferably)
  • 1 tsp turmeric powder
  • 3 tbsp mustard oil
  • ½ tsp cumin seeds
  • 2 dried red chilies
  • 3 pointed gourds (halves lenght-wise)
  • 1 medium-sized ridge gourd
  • 2 potatoes
  • ½ tsp red chili powder
  • 1½ tsp cumin powder
  • 1 tsp freshly grated ginger
  • 2 green chilies
  • salt to taste

Method
 

  1. Peel the potatoes. Cut the into half lenght-side. Then cut half moon shaped slices- 2 mm in thickness.
  2. Scrape the rough skin of the pointed gourds and cut into half length-wise.
  3. Scrape the pointy and rough skin of the ridge gourd. Cut it into 2.5 inch pieces, halved.
  4. Keep the potatoes submerged in water, and just before cooking, drain out the water.
  5. Rub the fish pieces with salt and ½ tsp turmeric powder.
  6. Heat 2 tbsp mustard oil until it smokes lightly. Tilt the pan so the oil coats the surface well.
  7. Fry the fish pieces for no more than 20 seconds per side. Remove and set aside.
  8. Add one more tbsp of mustard oil to the pan and heat the oil. Add a pinch of cumin seeds and 2 dried red chilies.
  9. Add the potatoes and stir fry on high heat for 3-4 minutes. Add the rest of the vegetables and season with salt.
  10. In a bowl, make a paste of turmeric powder, red chili powder and cumin powder with water.
  11. Add this paste to the vegetables. Sprinkle little water if needed.
  12. Cover and let the vegetables soften in their own steam.
  13. Once the vegetables are tender, add freshly grated ginger and stir well.
  14. Return the fish to the pan.
  15. Add 2 cups of water (rinse the bowl where the fish was marinated and use that water).
  16. Adjust salt. Let the curry simmer for 5–8 minutes.
  17. Add slit green chilies at the end.
  18. Serve hot with steamed rice.