Though being a Bengali at heart I am not fond of fish and also rice. People around me do not believe how I cannot appreciate Bengalis’ best food match; maach-bhat but I still do have some choices and eat fish. I am very selective while eating fish and the ones that are big in size and cut into steaks are preferred. So I love rohu, katla and aar and sometimes ilish but my favorite is shrimp or prawn. In other varieties either I get some fishy smell in them or too many tiny bones for me to pick. Today’s recipe is Aar maacher rosha.
We never got to see aar fish in the local Bangladeshi store before but recently found the whole fish which they were ready to cut into steaks. I was happy as we got bored from having the same fish over and over again.
Aar fish is somewhat similar to catfish and has a mild sweet taste. It is like any other white fresh water fish and has a fleshy texture and has got very less bones for which it is one of my favorites. This recipe is simple too and has very few ingredients but tastes great.
If you do not have aar you can prepare this with rohu or katla or even egg. Rosha is similar to kaliya and is spicy and the main ingredient is the tomato puree. If you do not have tomato puree you may use the usual tomato ketchup. Aar maacher rosha preparation is a bit spicy, tangy and has a thick gravy to go with a plate of steamed white rice.
Tips:
Aar fish do not have scales on them so when they are fried in oil they tend to splutter. So if you are using aar for the preparation be very careful while frying and always keep the heat at medium low or be ready with a lid. Another tip is to smear oil, turmeric and salt in the fish steaks well enough to reduce the spluttering in oil. Use of sugar is optional but little bit balances the tanginess of the tomato puree.
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AAR MACHER ROSHA : FISH IN SPICY TOMATO GRAVY
- YIELD: 5 Servings
- PREP: 15 mins
- COOK: 25 mins
- READY IN: 40 mins
This preparation is a bit spicy, tangy and has a thick gravy to go with a plate of steamed white rice.
INGREDIENTS
- 5 pieces Aar fish washed and dried
- 1 small red onion ground to paste
- 2 tablespoons ginger-garlic paste
- 3/4 cup tomato puree
- 1 medium bay leaf
- 1 teaspoon turmeric powder
- 2 teaspoons Kashmiri red chili powder
- 2 teaspoons salt or to taste
- 1 teaspoon sugar optional or to taste
- 3 tablespoons mustard oil
- 1-2 meidum green chilies slit for garnish
INSTRUCTIONS
- In a plate,place the fish pieces and smear some turmeric, salt and few drops of oil. Set aside. Now in a medium wok, heat oil at medium high heat and fry the fish pieces one at a time until light brown in color. Drain and keep aside.
- In the same oil add the bay leaf and when it changes color add the onion paste and stir for 2-3 minutes. Add the ginger garlic paste, turmeric,salt, sugar, red chili powder and continue to stir until the raw flavor of the spices is no more and the oil starts to separate from the sides of the pan. Now add the tomato puree and continue to cook.
- If the spices tend to stick to the bottom of the pan, add couple tablespoons of water. Cook the spices for at least 8-10 minutes at low flame or until the oil separates. Now add a cup of warm water and let the gravy simmer.
- When the gravy starts to simmer, transfer the fried fish pieces onto the pan and cover with a lid. Let the fish cook in the gravy for at least 5 minutes.
- Transfer to a serving dish and garnish with slit green chilies. Serve hot with white steamed rice.
- CUISINE: Indian
- COURSE: Main Course
Lovely recipe.. do you have any good recipe for Mocha (banana flower)?
Thank You! I do not have any mocha recipe on the blog yet but you may try the mochar paturi or mochar kofta curry! Hope this helps ????