Pabda Macher Jhol | Pabda Fish Curry
A light stew with minimal spices and Pabda fish, a catfish variety. This is a very popular fish curry in Bengali cuisine.
Ingredients
- 8 pcs Pabda fish
- 1 ½ tsp turmeric powder
- ½ tsp red chili powder optional
- 2-3 nos green chilies
- 2 nos potatoes
- 8-10 nos bodi urad dal vadi / dried lentil dumplings
- ½ tsp panchphoron read text above
- 1 tsp crushed garlic
- 1/2 tsp maida or aata all-purpose flour or whole wheat flour
- salt to taste
- 3 tbsp mustard oil
- coriander leaves for garnish
Instructions
- Rub the fish pieces with ½ tsp turmeric powder and salt.
- Heat 1 tbsp of mustard oil and fry the bodi. Keep the heat at a medium since bodi browns too quickly. Once they are golden, take them out and dunk in a bowl of water.
- Heat 1 tbsp of mustard oil in a frying pan and gently fry the fish for few seconds on each side. it shouldn't be more than 30 seconds on each side. While frying pabda, cover and fry. It has a tendency to splurt oil. Also, it is a delicate fish, so handle with a gentle touch.
- Once done, take the fish pieces out of the oil and keep them aside.
- Cut the potatoes into thin half-moon slices.
- In the same oil, add more oil and heat it. Add panchphoron and 1 split green chili.
- Add the crushed garlic and stir-fry for 20 to 30 seconds and then add the potatoes.
- Sprinkle turmeric powder, red chili powder and salt. Mix everything well, sprinkle some water and cover and cook the potatoes.
- Halfway through the cooking, add a cup of water. Let the potatoes boil in the water and soften.
- Then slide the fish in the pan. Add the bodi and cover and let the fish cook in the stew for not more than three minutes.
- After that, adjust seasoning. Add slit green chilies and make a slurry with aata or maida and add the slurry. Adjust the quantity of water as per your need.
- Finally, tear some coriander leaves and add to the stew.
- Serve with steamed rice.