- 1 tsp Pragati Turmeric
- 1 ½ tsp Surya Salt
- 4 white fish fillets
- 15g (½ oz) ginger root, peeled and roughly chopped
- 4 large garlic cloves, peeled and roughly chopped
- 1 large white onion, peeled and roughly chopped
- 1 large tomato, roughly chopped
- 40ml (1 ½ fl oz/3 tbsp) mustard oil or rapeseed oil
- 2 dried bay leaves
- 5cm (2in) Wild Cinnamon Quill
- 1 tsp Jodhana Cumin
- 2-3 Kandyan Cloves
- 2 Baraka Cardamom pods
- 2 tsp plain yogurt
- 1 tsp Madhur Jaggery or sugar
- 2 green chillies, cut in half lengthwise
- 1 tsp Garam Masala
- 2 tsp ghee
Romy Gill's Bengali Fish Curry
- Serves
- Serves: 4
- Difficulty
- Intermediate
Photo by:
Sam Harris & Poras Chaudhary
Extracted from Romy Gill’s India, by Romy Gill (Quadrille $42 ). Photography by Sam Harris & Poras Chaudhary
Auntie Rita always used to make this fish dish for me when I visited. She always used rui maach – a type of carp – for this recipe. Bengalis use mustard oil when cooking, but if you can’t get hold of it, use rapeseed. Fish is always cooked with skin on and bones still intact.
Ingredients
Methods
- Mix ½ teaspoon of the ground turmeric and ½ teaspoon of the salt together in a bowl. Add the fish fillets and rub the turmeric salt mix into the flesh to coat, then set aside for 15 minutes.
- Place the ginger and garlic in a blender or food processor and blitz to a purée. Place in a bowl and set aside, then place the onion in the blender and purée. Remove to a separate bowl, then purée the tomato and pour into a third bowl.
- Heat 20 ml (1 ½ tablespoons) of the oil in a frying pan (skillet). Once the oil is hot, fry the fish on each side until firm but not crispy. Remove when the fish is sealed on both sides. Add the remaining oil to the same pan over a medium heat. Add all of the whole spices and cook for 1 minute.
- Add the ginger and garlic purée, stir, and cook for 1 minute. Add the puréed onion to the pan and cook over a high heat until light brown in color, around 5 minutes. Stir in the puréed tomatoes, lower the heat to medium and cook for 3–4 minutes.
- Add the yogurt, and the remaining salt and turmeric and mix well. Add the sugar and green chillies along with 400 ml (13 fl oz/generous 1 ½ cups) water and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer for 5 minutes then add the fried fish and cook for a further 6–7 minutes. Sprinkle in the garam masala and ghee, cover with a lid, and leave to rest for 10 minutes before serving with boiled rice.
This Recipe Features
BESTSELLER
Pragati Turmeric
279
45g
Regular price
$12.50
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$12.50
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To bring a bright flavor to your dal, curry, or turmeric latte.
Surya Salt
8
90g
Regular price
$11
Sale price
$11
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Earth-filtered, and hand-pounded fine salt made for everyday cooking.
Wild Cinnamon Quills
12
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$30
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$30
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Fresh, flavorful Sri Lankan cinnamon quills like you’ve never seen!
Low stock!
BESTSELLER
Jodhana Cumin
76
45g
Regular price
$12.50
Sale price
$12.50
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Aromatic and smoky, with an earthiness that shines in any dish!
Kandyan Cloves
16
Regular price
$13
Sale price
$13
Regular price
$0
Plump wild clove buds that add a punch to bakes and bevvies alike.
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Baraka Cardamom
75
Regular price
$14.50
Sale price
$14.50
Regular price
$0
So potent you’ll need half as many pods as you normally would.
Madhur Jaggery
24
60g
Regular price
$11
Sale price
$11
Regular price
A dark brown jaggery powder that's a 1:1 swap for brown sugar.
Low stock!
Garam Masala
11
47g
Regular price
$14
Sale price
$14
Regular price
To elevate any dish with savory complexity and a touch of heat.
