Shorshe! I don’t know why, how and since when, but we Bengalis have a profound and mysterious relation with this strong and pungent plant. Yes, no prize for guessing that this mustard is an inevitable member in a Bengali kitchen, and the absence of mustard in any Bengali kitchen (which seldom happens), would actually lead to one’s failure to access innumerable hidden treasures.
But the significance of mustard in a Bengali’s life is not confined to mere kitchen. For a Bengali, it is the mustard oil which is their secret recipe for a good skin and good hair (atleast I vouch for it). It is the mustard oil which Bengalis will come back to, after trying out different options to keep dry skin at bay during winters. And sometimes, the importance of mustard goes beyond logic, as mustard seeds are considered a tool to shape the infant’s head (thus, we all Bengali’s have a round head and next time you keep your compass ready, when you see a Bengali🤓), and also acts as an armour to protect the bride & groom and the new born from the evil eyes of ghosts 💀.
With so many solutions at just Rs 200/- per Kilo, it is but obvious that we so-called intelligent Bongs, won’t do away with our ‘knight in shining armour’, and will always keep this precious gem as a backup as well as the forefront soldier to handle any situation. So what, if the challenge is to mend these fresh Rohu pieces and turn them into something irresistible. Just like a magic wand, we need to move our grinder, get the ‘shorshe bata’ or ‘mustard paste,’ tame the stubborn rohu fish pieces with the help of ‘Shorsher Tel’ or ‘mustard oil,’ and turn them into an enchanting dish called ‘Shorshe Bata Diye Rui Maach’ or ‘Rohu Fish Prepared In Mustard Paste Sauce’.
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Recipe: Shorshe Bata Diye Rui Maach Or Rohu Fish Prepared In Mustard Paste Sauce
Preparation Time: 1 hour for thawing fish + 19 minutes (includes grinding mustard paste in sil batta) Cooking Time: Around 50 minutes (includes heating pan and heating oil) Equipment Used: A pan or wok, a pan turner (khonti), sil batta (batan & una), a bowl, a knife and a chopping board Yield: Serves 5
Ingredients:
- 5 pieces from a 1 kg (approx) Rohu fish
- 1 teaspoon turmeric powder
- 2 teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon redchilli powder
- 6 tablespoons & 1 teaspoon mustard oil
- 1/8 cup yellow mustard seeds
- 1 tablespoon black mustard seeds
- 2 green chillies
- 1 tomato (optional)
- ¼ teaspoon nigella seeds
- 1 and ½ cup water
Method:
- Take out the fish pieces 1 hour in advance for thawing, in case the fish pieces are frozen
- Once thawed take out the number of fish pieces required and clean the pieces properly
- Add, 1/2 teaspoon turmeric powder, ½ teaspoon salt, ¼ teaspoon red chilli powder and 1 teaspoon mustard oil to the fish pieces
- Rub the ingredients on the fish pieces properly
- Cover and keep the fish pieces aside for sometime for marination
- Put yellow mustard seeds, black mustard seeds and 1 green chilli on sil batta or in a grinder and grind them to a smooth paste
- Slice the tomato
- Heat a pan or wok
- Add 6 tablespoons mustard oil into the wok and heat the oil
- Dip 2-3 marinated fish pieces at a time into the wok and fry the fish pieces on a medium flame
- Post frying the fish pieces, reduce the flame and add ¼ teaspoon nigella seeds
- Once the nigella seeds start popping, break a green chilli into the oil
- Add the sliced tomato pieces followed by ½ teaspoon salt and ½ teaspoon turmeric powder
- Add the mustard paste to the above ingredients and stir to mix the mustard paste with the ingredients
- Cook on low flame till liquid evaporates and the fat separates from mustard paste
- Add water little by little as per the consistency of gravy you desire. I have added 1 and ½ cup water
- Cook on low flame, till bubbles form
- Add the fish pieces
- Taste and adjust salt. I have added 1 more teaspoon of salt
- Switch off the flame when the entire gravy is covered with bubbles and you acquire the desired consistency for gravy
Clean the fish pieces.
Add, 1/2 teaspoon turmeric powder, ½ teaspoon salt, ¼ teaspoon red chilli powder and 1 teaspoon mustard oil to the fish pieces
Rub the ingredients on the fish pieces properly.
Cover and keep the fish pieces aside for marination.
Grind yellow mustard seeds, black mustard seeds and 1 green chilli to a smooth paste.
Slice a tomato.
Heat 6 tablespoons mustard oil.
Fry 2-3 fish pieces at a time.
Post frying the fish pieces, reduce the flame and add nigella seeds
Break a green chilli into the oil.
Add the tomato pieces followed by ½ teaspoon salt and ½ teaspoon turmeric powder.
Add the mustard paste.
Stir to mix the mustard paste with the ingredients.
Cook on low flame till liquid evaporates and the fat separates from mustard paste.
Add water little by little.
Add the fish pieces.
Taste and adjust salt. Switch off the flame.
Tips:
- Usually the size of fish pieces is around 5 cm X 4 cm. However, the size of pieces depends on various factors like, size of the fish, occasion etc.
- Although I have used sil batta to grind mustard seeds. You can also use grinder to grind the seeds
- To acquire a smooth paste, grind the seeds while adding water little by little
- While frying fish, flip the fish pieces after some time to get an even frying
- Don’t fry the fish on low heat or flame. Else, the pieces will get stuck to the wok
- Neither add water nor salt altogether. Add water little by little to get the perfect consistency and add salt little by little to get the perfect taste
