BENGALI STYLE MULLET CURRY & BITTER GOURD PUMPKIN FRY

A Sunday share of mine calls for a non-vegetarian item most of the time! Actually I cook the most on a Saturday morning.... I am busy on a Saturday morning to evening so much with cooking and clicking that I finally stopped doing "ghanta pujo" on this day.... that is promoting the tiny blog.... the most horrid activity of my life! Nobody asked me to carry on with something I dislike but I still do.... I wish to reach some more people with my recipes. I indeed prepared some "shingara / samosa" last Friday! They were crispy but needed to be flaky! The filling was just like a Bengali "shingara"... "mishti mishti... jhal jhal".... I did a photo shoot.... lets see whether to go ahead with it or do a fresh batch and then!

I updated the picture of my blogpost about chicken rezala.... done way back in 2014! I may not call it an authentic chicken rezala as I use white sesame seeds instead of poppy seeds in rezala curries! There was a phase in my life when I used to hunt a specialised restaurant in Kolkata "Aminia" to have their Roomali Roti & Rezala.... mutton or chicken depended on the weight of our pocket! No one should take it personally but chicken is a gate crasher in such dishes like biryani or rezala.... the taste is mainly from the red meat! Aminia kind of restaurants were not visited for the ambience but for the food! Now we have a branch of Aminia, Arsalan within 200 metres of our Kolkata home and a Shiraz outside our condominium there! I hardly eat on my 20 days of stay there on each visit! Age is a factor.... and then that gripping fear a diabetic with higher degree of cholesterol have! Yet, one day I will have biryani as the brother gets it home.... and few days of home cooked mutton curry is unavoidable.... given its quality and taste in Kolkata! Rest is all "fishy" affair.... my tryst with the variety of fish I love! I am not as lucky as some of you.... I only get ready cooked food served with love the days I get to stay with the mother, rest of the days I cook for myself! 

My in-laws are not that bad either .... I can get readymade food there too, but I cannot have what their cook prepare neither do I like someone sitting and instructing an old man to get me tea, cutlet, this that.... I am not a guest in that home! I go there after a morning walk or may be on an evening when I am not out on a shopping spree or to meet a doctor. Hello people! Do you value freedom? Then you have to learn to stay alone... even if it is with your 21/2 year old kid.... You learn only when you do stuffs on your own!  In the process of learning.... I knew a "parshe maach" tastes better in baby form rather than a full grown mullet or "bhangor"..... Kolkata is not fond of "bhangor maach".... I first had it when I visited Nowgong, Assam with our 21/2 year old son! I did not like the taste given we get the freshest of "katla, tyangra, rui, aar, dhai, boyal, pabda, koi, kajoli, khal-biler shing magur" in Kolkata.... the list is big and still on! Baby sized mullet "parshe" visited our home but less compared to the above mentioned! So, "begun aloo bori diye parshe maach" was not that common at my home as is / was "ucche kumro bhaja"..... May be because the bitter gourds here do not taste that bitter or may be age gets you wiser... I love it these days and prepare the very authentic Bengali dishes with it often for me and Cristine! I have no hope on the beef eaters at home in this matter .... they will not even have a minced chicken stuffed bitter gourd!

So, "begun aloo bori diye parshe maach" is medium sized mullets cooked with eggplants, potato, sun dried lentil fritter and "ucche kumro bhaja" is pumpkin and bitter gourd fry with some added goodness of eggplants! I wished to prepare and share a combined post this Sunday.... so here it is BENGALI STYLE MULLET CURRY & BITTER GOURD PUMPKIN FRY! We get fresh mullets here.... I tried 2-3 times but we could not get along with the taste! For fairly smaller sized mullet called our "parshe maach"... I may have to run to the Indian market by 8am on a Saturday or Sunday! I am a laid back kind of a person, weekend for me is to spend time with the men.... how much of "dushtu" they are, they are mine! I do all the shopping on weekday mornings when I and Cristine are alone.... 

I was lucky enough to get these smaller sized "parshe".... urff "teen aged mullet" in the local wet market last Friday! They looked so fresh that I thought let me try these with regular spices the very authentic Bengali way! The spices used are minimal with good dose of red chilli powder! The best part was that I did not have to soak them in vinegar to get rid of the smell! Today, after having a satisfying meal with this BENGALI STYLE MULLET CURRY & BITTER GOURD PUMPKIN FRY, I felt its a keep whenever I get them.... It has less bones, the son had too without any fuss! He gets a chicken rezala as a reward in the dinner time! We have to be always there for our own! When mumma / wifey feels tired, the men do manage with store bought parathas without a noise.... Preparing a "shingara / samosa" is not a regular affair for us as is "maacher jhol ba mangsher jhol".... the later does not tire you!

A chicken rezala happened, a "shingara / samosa".... too but I preferred a fish curry share Bengali style this weekend along with a bitter gourd-pumpkin bhaji / fry! Both the recipes can be done within 11/2 hours.... with a serving of a dal / lentil curry, it makes for a yum lunch platter for me.... what about you?

If I have got a chance to update the pictures of Chicken Rezala, I will wish to share the post with my readers too! Do click the given heading / link for the recipe!

CHICKEN REZALA

INGREDIENTS : [for the mullet fish curry]

Smaller Sized Mullet Fish / Parshe : 6-8 [if bigger cut them smaller else it gets difficult to fry]
Potato : 1big
Egg Plant : 2-3small sized
Sun Dried Lentil Balls / Bori / Vadi : 6-7 [optional]
Ginger Paste : 2tbsp
Cumin Powder : 2tsp [freshly made paste preferred]
Red Chilli Powder : 2tsp [freshly made paste preferred]
Turmeric Powder : 1tsp + 1/2tsp 
Nigella Seed / kalojeera / kalonji : 1/4tsp
Salt : As Required
Oil : 6-7tbsp [for us its always mustard oil]



INGREDIENTS : [for the bitter gourd-pumpkin-egg plant fry]

Pumpkin : 1/2 of a smaller sized
Bitter Gourd : 2 medium sized
Egg Plant : 2-3smaller sized
Green Chilli : 2slitted
Turmeric Powder : 1/2tsp + 1/4tsp 
Salt : As Required
Sugar : 1/2tsp
Nigella Seed : 3-4pinch
Dry Red Chilli : 2halved
Oil : 4-5tbsp [I use mustard oil]


PROCEDURE :

Let us cook the Bitter Gourd-Pumpkin-Eggplant Stir fry at first!

For the BITTER GOURD-PUMPKIN FRY, we have to cut the vegetables first. Peel the hard skin and inner layer of the pumpkin. Cut it into smaller cubes. Wash under running water thoroughly!

Make sure to drain all the water! Apply 1/2tsp turmeric powder and salt. Rub well and keep aside for 10 minutes.

Cut half each bitter gourd, discard the seeds. Cut further in half moon shape.... thinly sliced. Wash under running water, drain all the water and apply 1/4tsp turmeric powder & salt. Rub well and keep aside for 5 minutes.

Wash the egg plants and discard the two ends. Cut half each egg plant and cut further into smaller cubes. Wash under running water thoroughly.

Drain the water, apply and rub salt as much as required! Keep aside for 5 minutes. More time turns them black spotted.

Heat 2tsp oil in a wok and add the egg plant cubes discarding the marinade. Fry them till done and take out draining the excess oil as much as possible.

Add some more oil, as it get hot, fry the bitter gourd slices in batches.

Take out draining the excess oil.

Add the rest of the remaining oil meant for this dish! Temper the hot oil with nigella seeds and halved dry red chillies.

Add the pumpkin cubes discarding the marinade. Add the washed and slitted green chillies. Fold in well and cook till done. Add the sugar, stir in and cook for another 1 minute.

Now add the fried bitter gourd and egg plant cubes and stir in gently. Switch off gas after 1/2 a minute.

Transfer to a serving bowl and serve either with dal / lentil curry and steamed rice or with "ruti / chapati"....

Let us do the Bengali Style Mullet Curry now!

For the mullet fish curry.... I have cut them into smaller pieces for convenience while frying them.... also it helps the gravy to be soaked in by the fish well.

Make sure you have cleaned the last piece of scale from the fish.... while cleaning the stomach, do not  throw away the fish oil... [peter tel... if lucky you get some egg too]

Wash them thoroughly under running water 3-4 times.

Drain the water. Apply 1tsp turmeric powder, salt as required. Rub well and keep aside for 15 minutes.

Peel and wash the potato. Cut further in to 8 pieces or so. Wash and apply

Cut half the egg plants discarding the two ends. Wash and cut further into medium sized cubes. Wash again and rub some salt.

Heat half of the required amount of oil in a wok. Lightly fry the sun-dried lentil balls and take out discarding the excess oil.

Fry the potato pieces till light brown discarding the marinade. Take out once done.

Add little oil to the wok and fry the egg plants till 60% done.... Take out!

Add the remaining oil, heat and fry the fish pieces lightly discarding the marinade.

Take out fish pieces once done, do not deep fry.

Temper oil with nigella seeds / kalonji / kalojeerey.

Take the ginger paste, salt, turmeric powder in a bowl.... sprinkle some water and mix well. Add to the wok. Stir at low heat for 11/2minute. 

Now add the cumin powder and red chilli powder. Stir at low heat for 1/2 a minute.

Add 11/2 coffee mug of water and bring to boil. Add the potato pieces and cover cook for 2 minutes.

Open cover and add the fish pieces gently, then the fried lentil balls. Cover cook at minimal heat for 3-4 minutes.

Open cover, add the fried egg plants.... Cook for 1-2 minutes. We are done. This fish curry needs to be thin gravy kind of, so add little water towards the end if required!

We enjoyed the platter alongside some rice & lentil curry!