PANGAS / BASA MAACH ER ALOO TOMATO JHOL

It has being long I haven't posted a fish curry recipe, a quintessential part of our Bong identity. I do cook fish curries here but I do not get the satisfaction. We do not get here fresh or regular the type of fish we grew up eating. I am unable to prepare the variety of curries associated with them. It is the summer time now, back home the markets would be flooded with roe filled fresh water fish whose curry I immensely love. The thought of them makes me salivate. 

This summer, we perhaps are not going home, so will not be able to have 'dim bhora macher jhol', that is egg filled [roe] fish curry. Here too we get a variety of fish, fish roe, just that I still could not adapt myself to the taste. It is perhaps a mental block. I try to prepare authentic fish curries with the limited ones we get here, a Bengali cannot go without fish for long. Macher Aloo Tomato Jhol or a Fish Curry with Potato and 

Tomato is a regular kind of fish curry among us which we do with "rui, katla, aar, boyal" varieties; Bengal Carp or Long Whiskered Cat Fish. We get fresh Pangasius / Basa here and did this curry with it. To me it tastes near to "aar ba bowl maach", and is fleshy, with minimal amount of bones. Back home, at times mom omitted the tomato and used pointed gourd or ridge gourd instead. Fish curry with vegetables is common among us. This fish curry with potato and tomato is done with the normal spices we use with a tempering of either cumin seeds or the fenugreek seeds; I used both. Let us do this PANGAS / BASA  MAACHER ALOO TOMATO JHOL together.

INGREDIENTS :

Fish : 6-8 fresh pangasius / basa steaks / pangas maach
Tomato : 1medium
Potato : 1big
Ginger Paste : 2tsp
Cumin Powder : 1tsp
Coriander Powder : 1/2 tsp
Red Chilli Powder : 1tsp
Turmeric Powder : 1tsp
Cumin Seed : 2pinch
Fenugreek Seed : 2pinch
Salt : As Required
Oil : 4-5tbsp[authentically mustard]

METHOD :

Wash the fish steaks thoroughly and rub with some salt and turmeric. Keep aside for 15 minutes.

Peel the potato and cut into lengthwise pieces, apply a little of salt and turmeric.

Wash & cube the tomatoes.

Heat the oil in a wok and lightly fry the potatoes. Take out and keep in a bowl.

Fry the fish pieces till light brown on both sides. Take out and keep aside.

Temper the oil with cumin & fenugreek seeds.

Add the ginger paste and fry for 2 minutes.

Add the turmeric, cumin powder, coriander powder, red chilli powder, salt. Stir for a minute, add 2 coffee mugs of water.

As the gravy comes to a boil, add the potatoes. Let cook at low heat for 2 minutes.

Add the fish & tomato pieces carefully. Let cook for 3-4 minutes.

It is enjoyed with steamed rice only.