Pabda Macher Jhaal | Pabda Jhol | Bengali Style Pabda Curry | Butter Catfish Curry`
 
Prep time
Cook time
Total time
 
Author:
Recipe type: Main
Cuisine: Bengali
Serves: 4 servings
Ingredients
  • Pabda Fish: 4, large
  • Nigella Seeds: 1 tsp
  • Green Chili: 2
  • Bori or Wadi (dried lentil dumpling): ¼ cup
  • Coriander leaves: handful
  • Mustard Oil: ¼ cup
  • Warm Water: 2 cups
  • Spice Mix:
  • Cumin Seeds: 2 tbsp
  • Ginger, fresh: 2", chopped
  • Green Chili: 2, chopped
  • Ground Spice:
  • Turmeric powder: 2 tsp
  • Kashmiri Red Chili Powder: 1 tbsp
  • Salt: 1.5 tsp
  • Sugar: 1 tsp
Instructions
  1. Wash and clean fish. Marinate whole fish with 1 tsp turmeric powder, ½ tsp red chili powder, ½ tsp salt and few drops of oil. Coat fish well with the spices on both sides. Set aside for 10-15 mins.
  2. Take cumin seeds, 1 chopped green chili and chopped ginger in a small bowl. Add little water and set aside for 10 mins. Then blend to form a smooth mixture.
  3. Heat mustard oil in a large frying pan. Sprinkle ½ tsp salt in hot oil. When salt dissolves add one fish at a time very carefully in the hot oil. Be very careful as Pabda splutter in hot oil like any other cat fish. Keep the flame on simmer.
  4. Pabda is a very soft fleshed fish so it requires very little time to get cooked thoroughly. A large fish like mine will take 3 mins on first side and 2 mins on the second side. So you need to be very careful on the timing while frying the fish otherwise fish will fall apart (like my first one).
  5. Remove fish from oil and keep aside.
  6. Now transfer the same oil into a heavy bottomed pan. Fry Bori (wadi) on medium flame until nicely browned. Be careful not to burn.
  7. Add green chili and nigella seed and stir lightly.
  8. Add the cumin-ginger mixture into the hot oil and stir well to fry masala on medium flame.
  9. Add all ground spices and fry till oil separates from masala, about 3-4 mins.
  10. Add half of water and bring it boil. Adjust seasoning and add rest of water. Boil in high flame.
  11. Add fish one at a time and previously fried bori (wadi) to the boiling curry. Cook for 3-5 mins uncovered on high flame.
  12. Switch off the flame and keep the fish curry on stand by for 10-15 mins, covered.
  13. Before serving add chopped coriander leaves and serve with hot rice and dal. Enjoy!
Notes
1. Add little marinade inside the fish while rubbing the mixture on both sides of the fish.
2. The added salt in hot oil will ensure less sputtering.
3. Another trick to avoid heavy sputtering is heat mustard oil to smoking point then switch the flame off. Add fish one by one, then turn flame on and keep it on simmer.
4. Fish Curry always tastes better if give time to rest. This process of resting helps fish to absorb the flavours from curry and vice-versa.
Recipe by Scratching Canvas at http://www.scratchingcanvas.com/pabda-tel-jhaal-jhol-bengali-fish-curry-recipe/