LALMOHAN RUI
Let me start by accepting the truth: It is indeed a blasphemous activity for any Bengali to not update enough discussion on fish recipes on their blog. And I pledge to rectify this, like many others who are working on their weakness in this lock down period. To prove my diligence towards my pledge here's my first step. This recipe will be a double treat for any Bengali, living anywhere in the world. But let me share a secret: the best one is always made by Ma. Whenever I come back to my city after travelling, wherever it might be, its a ritual that she has to feed me her special "gorom moshla diye rui maach" aka Rohu cooked with garam masala accompanied by the staple: steamed rice.
Rohu or Rui maach, is like an integral part of every true blue Bengali's daily life, for me its the fatty fish oil and skin that matters a lot. We often put a spin on it to make mundane interesting. This was one such an attempt. I remember as a child, when we had the joint family system in practice, I had a well founded disdain towards this particular fish, which with time, has kind of become a adorable part of my routine as well, a good one!! Easy to cook, delicious to eat and then you have that crispy skin. I can't type or talk anymore, I am salivating just with the thought of it.
Let's get cooking guys!!
1. Marinate 350 gm of fish pieces with 1/2 tsp (heaped) of turmeric powder or paste (at home we use the one mom makes on a weekly basis) + salt. Keep aside for 10-15 mins.
2. Heat 5 tbsp vegetable oil in a pan. Once hot, add in the marinated fish pieces and fry in batches. Remember we just need to brown the fish pieces slightly and not cook them at this point. Fry them skin side down first , and then flip, 2-3 mins per side. Once done take them out and keep aside.
3. In the same pan & oil, add in 2 broken dry red chilies + 5 no green cardamom(crushed) + 5 no whole clove.
4. Once aromatic add in approx 150 gm of onion paste and fry till the raw smell disappears & they turn golden brown. Do not hurry this step.
5. Once all most all the water has evaporated, add the paste gets slightly brown in color & dry, add in 1.5 tbsp ginger garlic paste and give a good mix. cook for 30 seconds for all to combine well, and their raw smell disappears.
6. Add in 130 gm of chopped tomatoes to the pan and give a good mix. Cover and cook on medium low flame for 7-8 mins, till all the tomatoes dis-integrate and becomes a big mass of spice base. It's important to stir once in a while to prevent it from sticking to the base.
8. Time to add in a handful of green peas to this spice base, followed by 2 cups of water and bring it to boil Adjust salt at this stage and add in 1/2 tsp sugar.
9. Once it comes to a boil, add in the fried pieces of fish along with the oil covering the base of the bowl/ plate in which it was kept ( do not forget this).Reduce the flame to medium low and cover the pan and cook for 2-3 mins. At this stage to combine, I tilt the pan a bit on all sides for the fish pieces to make space for themselves in the gravy. abstain from stirring, as you might end up breaking the pieces of fish.
10. Once it comes to a a boil, finish by sprinkling 1/2 tsp garam masala powder & 2 tbsp ghee, to the pan. switch off the gas & cover the pan for 10 mins to allow the flavors to reach it's crescendo.
Needless to say this Bengali fish gravy needs to be consumed only & only with rice dishes, be it plain steamed rice or Bengali home-style Pulao. This is an easy recipe for you to cook up for sudden arrival of guests. Serve it hot, and relish the vision of your guests devouring it with pleasure. If you want to know more, here a few tips:
a. I always dust some whole wheat flour or atta on the fish pieces before adding them to the oil, while frying. Not only do they reduce splattering of hot oil, also lends a slight crunch to the fish.
b. In case if you are pressed for time, which we all are, use tomato puree in place of chopped tomato. Even though that will save time, but remember to cook it well.
c. Do add or subtract the quantity of chili powder & sugar according to your taste buds. Remember the raisin paste already adds that sweet touch.
d. I always add in a generous pinch of flour to the beaten yoghurt. Why? because it works as a stabilizer and prevents the yoghurt from splitting, once added to the pan. Also as soon as you add in the yoghurt to the pan, keep stirring, that's a very important point, to remember.
e. The green peas mentioned here have been added because they were in their death bed. Feel free to give them a miss, if you should.
The name Lalmohan is also a part of every Bengali's life. It is a sensitive and adored part of our culture, our literary heritage: the easy going bald author, character out of the pages of Ray's sleuth novels Feluda, has enjoyed popularity across all ages. I borrowed the name laal aka red from his name to describe the look of the dish, not to forget red is a favorite color of mine. As always, I might have tweaked it a tad bit, but this recipe was published in a leading Bengali daily newspaper ages back.
I honestly can't wait for you guys to cook this in your kitchen. I will surely not be around to witness how your eyes light up with every morsel of this gravy, but do write to me about it!! I will be happy to see photographs, if you can share.
Be safe. Be strong. Keep smiling!!
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