Bhetki Macher Paturi Recipe

Bhetki Macher Paturi or Sea Bass cooked in mustard paste

It has been quite some time since I made a Bengali dish. Both I and my brother were bored with the chicken dishes I usually made. I have never experimented with fish. Frankly, I suck at fish recipes. I am scared as in how to cook the fish pieces perfectly? But this time, to hell with fear! I was determined to master it. 

I sat in front of my laptop for two full days, I did some research. How long the fish should be baked? What marinade to use? How to know whether the fish is rightly cooked?

It was hard. But, nothing is that hard if we do it with a smile and with the right purpose. Right!?

My “Fish Adventure” started with this beautiful, tiring, aromatic dish. Bhetki Macher Paturi or Sea Bass (in English) is a Bengali dish made by marinating the Bhetki fillets in Mustard paste. Mustard is the dominant flavour of this dish. Though the process is a bit tiring, first the marinade, then the wrapping (took around 45 minutes), lastly the baking, the end result is simply amazing. My family loved it. I couldn't be any less prouder. My efforts did pay off!! *Awesome me* LOL JJJJ

~~The Recipe~~

Ingredients:

10 Bhetki fillets

6 tbsp Mustard (yellow) Paste
1.5 tsp Garlic paste
1 tsp Ginger paste
3 tbsp Coconut (grated)

4 tbsp Mustard oil

6 Green Chillies paste (as per preference)

2 tbsp Onion Paste

1 tsp Turmeric Powder
1 tsp Lemon Juice

Banana leaves or plaintiff leaves (as per required)

Salt to taste

Procedure:

1) Soak the mustard seeds in water for about 15 minutes. Drain the water. Add some salt to the mustard seeds and grind to a fine paste.

2) Now, mix the mustard paste, half the mustard oil, the green chilli paste, the onion paste, the ginger paste, the garlic paste, turmeric powder, coconut paste, lemon juice and salt. Make a fine smooth paste.

3) Thoroughly, rub the mustard paste all over the fish fillets. Keep aside the marinated fish for about an hour or more.

4) Meanwhile, heat water in a huge bowl. For few seconds, soak the banana leaves in the hot water. This is to ensure that the leaf does not break while wrapping the fish fillets.

5) After about an hour or more, place the marinated fish fillet on a banana leaf and fold the leaf properly into an envelope or a packet. Tie the packet with a thread. Repeat the same procedure for the other fillets.

6) Take a kadhai and grease it with some mustard oil and place one or two large banana leaves over it so as to cover the base of the kadhai. Place all the fish packets side by side on the banana leaves. Drizzle some mustard oil over the fish packets. Cover the kadhai with a tight lid (to avoid the passage of steam) and cook for 10 minutes each on both sides.

Garnish with Green chillies and serve hot with steamed white rice.

Hyderabadi Fish Curry (Fish Korma) Recipe

Hyderabadi cuisine is greatly influenced by the Nizams of Hyderabad. The cuisine is famous for its eclectic combination of spices, which are carefully chosen and cooked to the right degree and time. 

For this dish, I used Rohu. If Rohu is not available, then you can use any firm fleshed fish. This dish is extremely flavorful and aromatic because of the wide array of spices used. An ideal dish for a party.

~The Recipe~

For the gravy:
500 grams Rohu, washed and cut into medium sized pieces

1 cup yogurt

1.5 tsp saffron, crushed and soaked in water

4 tbsp hot milk

1 cup hot water

white oil or ghee

Finely chopped coriander

Two boiled eggs

Grind to paste:

2 dry red chillies

2 onions finely chopped

1 tbsp ginger paste

1 tbsp garlic paste

2 tsp pepper powder

2.5 tsp coriander powder

2 tsp poppy seeds

1 tsp cumin seeds

1.5 tsp turmeric powder

1 tsp Garam masala (Hot spice mix)

2 tbsp Cashew (chopped)

1 tbsp lemon juice

Procedure:
1) Rub the washed fish pieces with some salt, some turmeric powder and little lemon juice. Keep aside for 10 minutes. Take a heavy bottomed pan, heat oil or ghee on it. Gently fry the fish pieces until they are light golden brown in color. Remove the fish pieces from the oil and soak them dry on tissue papers.

      2) Heat some oil or ghee in the pan and fry the ground paste on medium heat till it is brown in color or till you get a pleasant aroma. Now, slowly add the yogurt while stirring the ground paste on low heat. Keep stirring till the oil comes out of the mixture. Add some hot water and bring to boil. After around 5 to 7 minutes, add some salt and sugar to taste. Then add the fish pieces. Stir gently. Cover and cook on low heat for 10 minutes or till the fish is done.

3) Take a bowl and make a fine paste of the boiled egg yolk (optional). After 10 minutes, add the egg yolk paste, the saffron milk over the curry and stir gently. Sprinkle some fresh coriander over the curry and cover and cook on low heat for 3 to 5 minutes. 

Garnish with fresh coriander and egg white.

Serve hot with steamed rice or Indian roti.

Notes:
1) Instead of Cashews, you can use Almonds. Before grinding the cashews or the almonds, soak them in water for 30 minutes.

2) Soak the poppy seeds in water before grinding.

P.S:- Dear readers, this recipe is worth a try. Please leave you thoughtful comments. Thank You!