LAU SHAAK ALOO DIYE KATLA MAACH ER JHOL

Fish happens to be the main dish on all five of the weekday meals in my community. A "patla maach er jhol" was / is a requirement in the family. Weekends were meant for meat curries and a little dressed up fish curries. Today, it could be a pomfret share too that most in the family enjoy, then the share has to be something I enjoy having, it cannot be eggs, sea fish, chicken. The plating is also missing a couple of favourites of the person whose life we are celebrating today, like a chutney or "mishti achar", "pithe-payesh", "chirey, muri, khoi, dudh, kola, kathal, aam". See, I am turning a forgetful mind like this person who we are talking about today, I do not want to be. The one who was good at the game of bridge, won prizes & told few years back that I am forgetting the right strokes, my brain is not working. The partner of this person always felt that playing bridge game is a wrong habit, "barite tash er adda hobena." The partner could never think beyond "amar bacchara aar baap er bari." That limits you as a person, then the lady has an iron man like physical and mental strength. My love for cooking is primarily drawn from this person and this rustic, Bengali fish curry with potato & bottle gourd stem and leaves LAU SHAAK ALOO DIYE KATLA MAACH ER JHOL has been a very family thing. However, in our family it was done with "chara pona", that is baby carps most of the days.

You must remember, light fish curries require fresh fish. Last Friday, I got both; a bundle of  "lau shaak" and a fresh Bengal carp but a smaller sized 1kg700gm which the senior is not so fond of and the junior most does not know the varieties of boney fish because I debone the pieces before serving. The senior's family only eats giant sized fishes with a lot of oil which are not fit for doing this kind of light curries. So many childhood memories haunt me, more on such special occasions including the scoldings and hits while sitting to teach me mathematics in the childhood until giving up. The person severely lacked patience and the ways of carrying out household activities unlike the partner. One partner solely took the charge of "ghar-shongshar" while the other earned and did merrymaking with innumerable friends around. Yes, it had been an incompatible partnership sans any friendship between the two. But, this gentleman lived life to the fullest. 

My in-laws I think love the life of sitting all day with three helpers to serve, while they sit & discuss about diseases! This is called wanting to live but not the right way; they will not meet people, talk literature, science, read a book; they watch television and sleep and eat good number of medicines! I do care for them but I get angry when they expect from me the same concern their daughter & son have for them! They should not expect what is beyond normal, that irritates me! However, Bidisha can never say our father has ever talked bad about or misbehaved with her mother, or the parents! These factors certainly counts in a relationship! What I have realised is that in a marriage, only accepting the boy and the girl is not enough in our culture; one must be able to mingle with the entire family, else the marriage should not happen. What I think is it is unwise to expect an adult boy & girl to consider another family as their own at a ripe age, keeping it formal & decent is good enough!.Anyway, I will share family friendly recipe today like this fish curry with bottle gourd leaves and stem, potato and a less than a two kilo sized Bengal Carp LAU SHAAK ALOO DIYE KATLA MAACH ER JHOL. The husband had it without a noise though his family is in the habit of having bigger carps sans any vegetable except potatoes. Then, they eat everything our mother cooks and takes for them.

INGREDIENTS :

BENGAL CARP : 8-10 STEAK
BOTTLE GOURD LEAVES WITH STEM : A BUNCH
POTATO : 1BIG
GINGER PASTE : 1TBSP
GREEN CHILLI PASTE : 1TBSP
CUMIN POWDER : 2TSP
CORIANDER POWDER : 1TSP
TURMERIC POWDER : 1TSP +1/2TSP
KALOJEEREY / KALONJI / NIGELLA SEED : 1/4TSP
BAYLEAF : 1
SALT : AS REQUIRED
OIL : 4-5TBSP [WE USE MUSTARD OIL]

PROCEDURE : 

Wash the fish pieces very well. Drain the water and marinate with salt & turmeric.

Keep them marinated for 15 -20 minutes. Meanwhile, we will dress the bottle gourd leaves and stems. If you are growing them, just pluck some young leaves and stem, nothing like it.

Dress the stems separately taking off thinly the fibre. Fold each leaf, discard the midsection hard portion.

Once done, roughly chop the leaves.

Now wash them thoroughly taking in a strainer. Transfer to a microwave proof bowl, add water and little of salt. Microwave at high for 5 minutes. You can also take them in a metal heavy bottomed bowl, add water and little salt and boil for 10 minutes, then discard the water.

Sorry, I could not take stepwise pictures, it was a busy Saturday noon. Now wash a big potato, do not peel. Cut half lengthwise and then cut thick pieces widthwise. Rub with some salt and turmeric.

Heat the oil in the wok and fry the fish pieces lightly. Take out. Take the ginger paste+green chilli paste+turmeric powder+coriander powder+cumin powder+salt as required in a small bowl. Prepare a paste adding 1tbsp of water.

Heat oil in a wok and temper with nigella seeds and a bay leaf. Add the spice paste and stir for a minute.

Add the marinated potato pieces to the spice mixture and keep stirring for another 1-11/2 minutes. Add the boiled bottle gourd leaves and stem now discarding the water released from the boil.

Fold in well, stir well for 1/2 a minute and add 2 coffee mugs of water. Cover and bring to boil keeping the heat at low.

After the gravy has boiled for 3-4 minutes at low heat, add the fried fish pieces and cover cook for 4-5 minutes. We are done.

Enjoy the curry only with steamed hot rice. Alongside, get some vegetables & lentil curry, a salad.