Aha! how I love this fish, thanks to the neighbouring states of this island to get us the freshest of them, even fresher than those in Kolkata. It is considered a non-pedigreed fish in Kolkata, it was not even eaten in our family. On a certain winter, when we were at school, it was brought and cooked into my most loved fish gravy, raw fish boiling with eggplants, flat beans in a coriander paste based curry. On the very first day of it coming in, I and the brother embraced this Bhola Maach / Indian Jew Fish / Asian Trout Barb. When was the day our mother got it home, may be it was towards the end of the month! In those days, this fish was available in a better self during winters, two to three kinds of curry was made with it of which PEYAZ TOMATO BATA DIYE BHOLA MAACH is one.
My family does not use garlic, onion in all fish curries except for this variety or pomfret. Now that Bhola maach is available in the island's market, I get it on a regular basis, my men do not have any idea what a Bhola / Poa Maach or Asian Trout Barb / Pama Croaker is, just because this variety do not have bones, they eat it without any fuss. There is literally a mid-section bone in this fish, yet I have to debone the pieces for the son.... what a lazy generation we have given birth to. At least our one wants the kind of food that can be managed with a spoon and fork. The husband will be friends with bones if it is of mutton, chicken or hilsa, else he is too fond of that Far East nation who sells marinated raw fish and its roe.
Okay, they love my cooking too because I put in all my love and effort doing so. If you do not, your food cannot have a decent taste. If you call me at your home and exhibit this lag, serve me cold stuffs, I get angry.... if you cannot entertain me do not call.... if you call me you must be able to make me feel important & comfortable even with a bowl full of "chop o jhalmuri" but the chop & tea have to be hot & fresh.
Coming to Bhola Maach / Indian Jew Fish / Asian Trout Barb / Mama Croaker; they have a lot of smaller scales. No shop in this island would cut it for you because they do not even have a highly skilled "boti" as their Kolkata counter parts, they do it with an electric blade kind in the Bangladeshi shops who call it Poa Maach. In the local, native fish market, they perhaps cut fish with a high end "ram dao".... I do not even see the love for fish in their cutting style that the Kolkata fish sellers hone. This time I could not do "dokan-bazaar" in Kolkata I so love doing, one reason is that our mother never let us be ourselves, never respects our freedom. The second reason is that my in-laws were hospitalised.... its a regular, continuous feature with my mother-in-law, thats what I am getting to see since marriage. Loose motion = Nursing Home, Fever = Nursing Home.... this time it was serious, who else but I will feel it dearly....
My husband's parents love gobbling end number of medicines for any little thing, will never find an alternative, they are too keen on contributing handsomely to the doctors' savings accounts. A little off from the normal route, they run to the doctor. Leave that, I am mean that everyone knows, I can give you better examples of meanness than mine, big lectures cannot hide your actual self but I will not. We never know what is waiting for us in few seconds from now. Better I swim around in a sea of food and share with you our mother's recipe of bhola maacher thokthokey jhol, a non-vegetarian fish curry PEYAZ TOMATO BATA DIYE BHOLA MAACH both of us siblings so love. The recipe is so easy that you can relax with a "gola ruti or sujir idli with cha" while preparing it just like me!
Come let us start doing it, you will not even have an inkling when you are done, when you have cleaned the kitchen counter.
BHOLA BHETKI / POA / INDIAN JEW FISH / ASIAN TROUT BARB : 5-6 MEDIUM SIZED
TOMATO PASTE : 1/2 SMALL TEA CUP
ONION PASTE : 1MEDIUM SIZED TEA CUP
GINGER PASTE : 2TSP
RED CHILLI POWDER : 2TSP [PASTE IS BETTER]
TURMERIC POWDER : 1TSP + 1/4TSP
NIGELLA SEED / KALONJI : 1/4TSP
SALT : AS REQUIRED
OIL : 5-6TBSP [I USE MUSTARD]
CHOPPED FRESH CORIANDER TO GARNISH [OPTIONAL]
PROCEDURE :
The most time consuming part of the procedure is to remove the many number of tiny scales. You have to be very cautious to get rid of each of them. Once you wash the fish after it, more than half of your work is done. Use a tea spoon to remove the scales.
Once washed, cut half if they are medium sized. You will find it easier to fry them. Wash again and drain the water. Re-check if there is any scale remaining on the head or body. If no, apply one teaspoon of turmeric, salt and rub all over the body of each one.
Keep aside for 15 minutes or so. Heat oil in a wok and fry the fish pieces moderately in batches. Drain the excess oil before you take them out.
Add the nigella seeds to the remaining oil, stir and add the onion paste. Keep stirring for 2-3 minutes.
Add the ginger paste and stir until the raw smell goes off. Now add the tomato paste, 2tsp red chilli powder, 1/4tsp turmeric powder, salt as much required to it. Stir for a minute and add 1 coffee mug of water to the wok.
Bring the gravy to boil keeping the temperature at the lowest and continue for 2-3 minutes. Gently add the fried fish pieces and simmer at low for another 3-4 minutes. You may add little water it required.
Slitted green chillies and chopped fresh coriander can be added as a garnish.
It is to be had with piping hot steamed rice. On the sides we had "beguner bhorta, lau er chokla boti, lau + bhaja moong daal er jhali".
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