SHORSHE CHARMOGOJ KANCHALANKA PABDA

MY FISH-Y TALES!

It can be never-ending, in my case! I started loving fish since when I learnt to walk & talk, perhaps. I had never been an intelligent self with a sharp memory! Amazingly, I can recall few incidents from the remote past. I can see myself standing in an open verandah in Asansol. I was may be all of 21/2 years old at that time. We stayed there for a year or so. Thereafter, we  stayed in a rented house in a neighbourhood near the grandparent's home. I remember a lot about that home. The father was posted in Fulia in the Sealdah-Shantipur section; he visited us on the weekends. We stayed together; the mother, me and my eldest cousin brother. There was a big open area, the gardener was an old man, he ate all the raw & ripened bitter gourds. I can visualise the mother tearing the harvested green "chola" and I see here their dried version selling as "hara choliya". I remember her serving "mali dadu" the leftover rice, vegetables and the smallest piece of fish in an enamelled plate. I also remember the "sheuli phool er gaach" at the entrance. The front part was the one storey building, inside was the big garden and a separate kitchen building, its on the steps of the kitchen I fell and got a permanent scar on my left eyebrow. The mother says that home still remains the same and the neighbourhood too. In the opposite home lived a family who had an issueless couple; that woman loved me a lot, sang taking me on her lap "laljhuti kakatua dhoreche je baina, chai tar laal fitey chiruni aar aaina" and fed me "fish and rice". There in the city I visited "Uttam Mama der bari, Bota Mamader Bari, Neeta Mashi, Amita Mashi, Jhumpa Mashider Bari, Jamrul Dida, Tung Tung Dadu, Chyangra Dadu, Majumder Bari, one Bashur Maa did my Ear Piercing, Dulu Mama's jolly self, the grandparents' guru bhai-bons, Tulshi Mashi who served the home for over four decades died last month, a couple of dear homes like these, Lichu Bagan, Mongla Pukur er Ghat, Beji Khali, Rajbari, Ghurni, Adhar Mishtanna, Musholman der Para, The Church, Mary Immaculate School & Hospital, High Street; Jodge Kot er Math"; I have a vast childhood memory bank associated with that place. From that rented space we went to Birnagar, where dadu got posted in the State Bank of India and got the entire second floor to live. His family would not go and live there. So, the mother and me went because it was easier for the father to come there from Fulia than to travel few more stations. The mother was already doing her BEd course from there and also taught. Thats when the father got a transfer order to Kolkata and was very eager to go. He had to coax my mother who was unwilling as she was working in a government school. In fact, I stayed for the entire week in the grandparent's home, would come to the mum only on weekends. I was supremely excited to see how fish was caught from the pond of the huge "jomidar bari" kind of we stayed in. A couple of such fish catching scenes are vivid on my mind. I too reluctantly went to Kolkata and within a year Bhai, my brother happened!

EVERYONE MUST UNDERSTAND EDUCATION IS IMPORTANT; WOMEN'S EDUCATION EQUALLY!

What do we learn from the above? That our father, in spite of been a graduate working in a nationalised bank, did not value our mother's wish to study more, work and become an independent woman. He could have stayed alone for a year or two until the mother could arrange a transfer. I was already in the safe hands in the grandparent's home, mashimoni was raising me, mostly she took me to her adda sessions and also to the cinema halls; we watched few movies at Bonophool, of which Shobuj Dwiper Raja particularly I remember. Then that hall near the station got closed, I went to DumDum and Mashimoni too got married and came near; at Birati. The mother forgot all about her struggle to stand strong in the society. She indulged in all sorts of household work. With a husband reluctant to support in this matter, you cannot go otherwise. She forgot Shakespeare from her BEd syllabi and found pleasure in cooking, shopping, cleaning, washing; she always had one helping hand at least! I grew up watching this transformation, I never liked it. Yet, I also turned to be our mother, jobless who loves her "ghar-shongshar"! All these years, I was busy bringing up our son; the husband been a sailor. Now that the bird has fled, mumma looks back and keeps thinking; she made mistakes selecting her majors; she should have done this, this and that and foremost, earn independently. Not that the man has crippled my freedom, I am anyway miser. Even if you give me money, I cannot spend, family tradition! I only feel I did not polish myself enough, I could a bit. To earn enough, one need not be a physicist or mathematician or a biologist. We only require to sharpen at least one skill, work on it, make an earning from it. I know nothing except for COOKING. I am surprised why the mother is happy that I am doing some home delivery of food and not saying "ato dourjhap korey MA aar BEd ta korli, kichui kortey parlina"!

WHAT IS THIS SHORSHE CHARMOGOJ KANCHALANKA PABDA?

I thought of talking less of food today. I wished to do a BLOGPOST about an easy BENGALI FISH RECIPE as an obituary to a deceased soul. The senior's long time friend's mother left for her heavenly abode yesterday! Both of our families are close. Parents will go with aging but she lost it to Covid-19 was bad, her son could not travel to bid a good bye is bad. I had to choose what recipe to share today. It has to be Bengali, I chose this one done with PABDA MAACH / INDIAN BUTTER CAT FISH! As I always say, I did not bother to know the English names of BENGALI FISH VARIETIES! Now for the blog, I need to mention the supportive English name of the FISH RECIPE I am updating! I wished to share a frill-free recipe unwilling to write a lot of steps for the recipe, did not want to prepare a collage of the pictorial steps. Are not the BENGALI HOMELY REGULAR RECIPES this simple? The only twist in this recipe is the use of the melon seeds paste along with the mustard seeds & green chillies. My forefathers hail from Bangladesh, yet mustard seeds paste is a part of our regular life, I immensely love it! Here is a bit tweaked, homely Bengali fish recipe SHORSHE CHARMOGOJ KANCHALANKA PABDA! 

INGREDIENTS : 

PABDA MAACH / INDIAN BUTTER CAT FISH : 6-7-8

BLACK MUSTARD : 1 TBSP

MELON SEED / CHARMOGOJ : 1 TSP

GREEN CHILLI : 4-5

TURMERIC POWDER : 1 TSP

SALT : AS REQUIRED

BAY LEAF : 1

DRY RED CHILLI : 2-3

NIGELLA SEED / KALOJEEREY : 1/4 TSP

CHOPPED CORIANDER : 2 TBSP

ICE CUBE : 2-3

OIL : 4-6 TBSP [WE ALWAYS USE MUSTARD OIL]

PROCEDURE :

Cleaning a soft, less boney fish like pabda is easy. Do not ask your vendor to clean it. I have a video about pabda cleaning but I do not know how to add videos to my blog and have also deleted my youtube account!

Cut off the antenna and if possible the beak end. Insert your fingers to the stomach and bring out the dirt, its easy. With a scissor, cut off the fins and shape the tail end.

Now wash each one thoroughly, under running water; including the stomach! This is a scale free fish we all enjoy in the family. The bones too are less and very soft.

Drain all of the water from the fish and marinate it with 1/3 rd of the turmeric powder, little of salt, 1 tsp of the mustard oil.

We had washed and soaked the mustard seeds & melon seeds for half an hour at least. 

We will prepare a fine paste with the two seeds, green chillies, a little of salt, adding water and the ice cubes. [ice-cubes & salt prevents the mustard turning bitter]

We will heat the rest of the oil in the wok, gently & lightly fry each of the fish! Take out!

We will temper the oil with the halved dry red chilli, nigella seeds and the bay leaf! We will add the spice paste and the rest of the turmeric powder.

We will fold in well and keep stirring at low heat for 2-3 minutes. We will take a coffee mug of water in the blender, mix well and add to the wok.

We will give a stir, let it cook at low heat for 3-4 minutes. We will add the fried fish pieces very gently, boil for a minute or two and switch off the gas stove. 

We will transfer them to a serving bowl and garnish with the washed and chopped coriander leaves!

We also had some dal / lentil curry and dal / lentil fritters curry on the sides. Get some pipping hot steamed rice to have them with, please!