TORKARI DIYE CHOTO MAACH ER CHOCCHORI

A homely, Bengali recipe share like this one with a smaller variety of fish and vegetables is inevitable today. It is our father's death anniversary tomorrow who grew up on and loved typical Bengali food throughout his life. It is not an excruciating pain that nulled me at the time of his death or now; just that his still comatose body, the blank screen around 2:40 am, sitting in the hospital waiting room with dry eyes after he became a body, the fear of having to see his a little deformed face later in the evening are all that keeps haunting me. I did not cry after his death; it did not come naturally to me and I cannot fake; I only knew he lived his life. I was happy that he did not have to experience pain before a departure; he left in sleep without knowing he is leaving. Till date, all the sequences keeps rehearsing automatically inside, yet I do not cry; it does not come naturally to me. I know he left us at 74 and he lived a good life. If he was been cheated by a chit fund, it was again his fault. The man at this home or my brother kept wondering why a person with so good financial knowledge could allow himself get duped instead of opening an consultancy post retirement. To everyone who knew him, he was too good hearted a man. Even my in-laws home liked his "shadashib" avatar, their problem is my mother. Let me share this Bengali dish from the in-laws home done with smaller fish and vegetables TARKARI DIYE CHOTO MAACH ER CHOCCHORI. I used few vegetables available locally, radish, egg plant, potato. They use few more like long beans, pointed gourd, etc. My family usually do "maacher chocchori" with cleaned and washed smaller variety of fish marinated with sliced onion, slitted green chillies, salt, turmeric, mustard oil and cooked covered. The man's family does it the way you will see in the recipe.

Yesterday, I was on food and web series all day. I could click only two of the four meals I had. Four meals you have sitting at home, have you gone mad S? My life is dedicated to food you know. See, whilst I got Burger King meals for the threesome's lunch; I had a noodle bowl, mango and chilled tea. I was so engrossed in a web series until late evening that Cristine prepared our dinner. It was leftover mutton keema rice I cooked last Friday, Cristine made porotas, there was store bought and oven cooked French Fries, shorshe dim for them that I cooked on Saturday; I had plain and simple hot millet, butter with salt & green chilli, porota & aloo bhaja. I so loved both my meals.

I liked both the web series; The Family Man & Breathe yesterday; else most of them are unfit to sit in the living room and watch. They definitely need some censor. Whatever variety of food I keep eating, rustic Bengali food is my best pick going by my family. This very Bengali dish with small fish and few vegetables TORKARI DIYE CHOTO MAACH ER CHOCCHORI is one among my favourite Bengali dishes. We had few vegetarian sides in the platter; "mulo diye bhaja moong er dal, note shaak bhaja, tomato, aloo, motorshuti diye badhakopi."

INGREDIENTS : 

SMALLER VARIETY OF FISH : 200-250 GM
RADISH : 2 MEDIUM SIZED
EGG PLANT : 1MEDIUM SIZED
POTATO : 1BIG
GREEN CHILI : 3-4 SLITTED
CHOPPED CORIANDER : 1SMALL TEA CUP
RED CHILLI POWDER : 1/2TSP
TURMERIC POWDER : 1TSP
DRY RED CHILLI : 2 HALVED
BAY LEAF : 1
NIGELLA SEED / KALOJEEREY : 1/4TSP
OIL : 

PROCEDURE :

The small fish varieties we use for this dish are usually without skin, [ektu ghoshe nilei hoy]. We have to clean their stomach and discard the gills from the head. We can do it with our fingers. 

Once done, we will wash them under running water thoroughly. We will marinate them with little of salt & turmeric.

We will peel the radish discarding the two ends. We will cut half each widthwise and then again lengthwise. Thereafter we will slice them thin and small, wash!

We will discard two ends of the egg plant, cut half lengthwise, then further into smaller cubes and wash.

Peel off the skin of the potato, cut half and then into thin strips and wash.

Take together the potato, radish, egg plant pieces in a bowl and marinate with salt and turmeric; keep aside for 7-8 minutes.

We have the chopped coriander and slitted green chillies washed and ready on the kitchen top.

Heat oil in a wok and deep fry the fish pieces in batches discarding the marinade. 

The fried fishes taken out, we will temper the same oil with a bayleaf, halved red chillies and nigella seeds.

Let us add all the vegetables now, fold in and cover cook at minimal heat for 10 minutes. We will open the cover; add the red chilli powder and the slitted green chillies. Fold in well and cover.

We will cover cook the entire thing at minimal heat for another 10-12 minutes. We will open cover, add the fried fish pieces, chopped fresh coriander and fold in well. We will let is cook for another 3-4 minutes and it is done.

We need not add any amount of water in cooking this; the vegetables releases water in which they get cooked. This is possible only when you slow cook at minimal heat.