Macha Munda Chencheda / Fish head cooked with spices

 Too many people all around. Too much of noise. Too many talking together. Too much of laughter. Too much of cooking going on.
Complaints throng my head. I look around for a little solitude. And do not find any.
Voices float all around me ... someone calling out, someone laughing out, children shrieking as they play, family greeting the just arrived ones with much embracing, smiles, laughter and jokes.
House helps hurrying all around, trying to keep pace with the orders given.
There is an air of festivity all around.

I look on from the terrace on the third floor of our house. And finally turn away in disgust.
I am angry.
I do not understand this casual air around. This air of happiness spilling forth amongst people who have come to our house. I do not understand this feel of vacation among them.
I am so angry that I spend all my time in the little room on the terrace.

Ma, on the other hand is more welcoming. She is all around ... giving orders, looking into the guests' comfort, assigning rooms, everything.
I do not help. I do not want to be a part of any of this.
Given a choice, I would happily be back in my home miles away; would give anything to avoid this time here every year henceforth.

I know I am being unreasonable. I know everyone is trying to lighten the air, ignoring the real, morbid reason why they are here. But I can't help it.
I miss Bapi.
I look around and miss him all the more.
Bapi loved having people over ... be it relatives or friends or unkown guests.
When relatives dropped in for a day, he would arrange for the kitchen to be filled with all kinds of fish and meat and vegetables. He remembered each one's favourite and made sure it was there on the plate.
A variety of mangoes during summer, Ilish from Kolaghat during the rains, the best mutton and prawns, ... you just have to name it. And it is there.
He did not talk much himself but loved to have people, especially our huge family, around him.
Our house in the little hilly town, where Bapi, Ma and I stayed because of the proximity to Bapi's industry/factory, came alive, resonated with laughter and loud, boisterous talking whenever the family and Dadu and Thamma dropped down to visit or spend a day.

And now, when everybody is here, I look around but can't find Bapi. And feel angry all the more. 
I just want some quiet around me.
And my Bapi.
And his voice, calling out to me.

Back in Pune, I often cook Bapi's favourite dishes, pretending he has asked me to. And this fish head curry is one of them.
In Bengali, it is called the Macher matha diye chanchra, and usually has vegetables added to it.
Even the Odia version has vegetables most of the time. But this one is different.
This one is a replica of the chencheda from a restaurant ... one that Bapi took solace in when it was a pure veg day at home.
Since Bapi could never eat a pure vegetarian meal, and had to have a little fish on his plate, he would arrange for some of this chencheda to be delivered home and had his lunch with this on the side. I too loved this chencheda , but it was way too spicy for me then.

All I remember is the overwhelming flavour of garlic and the reddish oil floating.
There would be very small bits of potatoes, almost invisible.
But the flavours of the fish head and garlic would be intact. At times, I could see a small piece of the tej pata,  a little green cardamom and some  cinnamon at other times.

It has been so long since I tasted it last that I do not remember almost anything about it.
Except that it tasted heaven;y.
And Bapi loved it.
With the dominance of garlic, so common in Odiya food, this fish head chencheda stays on as one of my favourite dishes.

Need :

1 Rohu Fish head - fried and broken into pieces
Onions - 2, chopped
Garlic paste - 4 tsp
Ginger paste - 2 tsp
Tomato paste - 3 tbsp
Green cardamom - 1, crushed
Cinnamon - 2 small pieces, crushed
Tej pata / bay leaf - 2
Haldi powder - 1 tsp
Red chilli powder - 2 tsp
Dhaniya powder - 2 tsp
Potato - 1, chopped into very small pieces
Garam masala powder - 1 tsp
Roasted jeera powder - 1 tsp
Mustard oil - 5 tbsp
Salt - to taste

How to :

Heat the oil in a heavy kadahi / wok.

Add the crushed garam masala and the tej pata.

Add the onions and fry till they turn pink.

Now add the ginger + garlic paste and the tomato paste.
Fry well.

Add the haldi + mirchi + dhaniya powder and mix well.
Fry on low heat till oil starts to leave the sides.

Add the potato pieces, salt and a little water.

Cover and cook till the potatoes are done.

Remove cover and add the fried fish head.
Mix well.
Add some more water for everything to come together.
Cover and simmer till it dries up.

Add the garam masala powder and the roasted jeera powder, give a good stir, cover and remove from heat.

 Serve hot with rice.

Bandhakopi diye Muri Ghonto / Cabbage cooked with Fish head

Or Bandhakopir chanchra maacher matha diye.
Whatever the name you call it by, it will stay the same ... fish head at its glorious best.
And this is my favourite way of enjoying the Rohu / Rui fish head.
No other way of the muri ghonto ... be it with the Cholar dal, the bhaja muger dal,  with the Pui shaak or the one made with rice, comes even close.
At least for me.

I prefer to make this more during the winters.
When the bandhakopi / cabbage is fresh. The green peas are fresh, tender and sweet.
And I can add a sprinkle of fresh coriander leaves for that wintery feel.
The advantage of using fresh cabbage is it will turn soft quickly when cooking and has a certain sweetness too. And not at all pungent like the ones we get off season.
That does not mean you cannot make this muri ghonto during other seasons too.
Of course you can.

I am not cooking much these days. All those travels and adventures have finally taken their toll and I am down with a case of acute bronchitis.
So, right now, the whole world seems like a miserable place to be in. My throat, sinuses and bronchi have suddenly come alive and decided that they have a will of their own.
And are acting very weird.
While I lie quietly, in high fever, and give in to their theatrics.
And dream of making so many posts that my blog smiles with joy.

But life says "Dream on."

You go ahead and enjoy today's recipe.

Need :


Rohu fish head - 1, cleaned and cut
Bandhakopi / Cabbage - 1 medium, cut into thin slices
Fresh peas - 1 cupful
Ginger + garlic paste - 1 tbsp
Jeera / Cumin seeds - 1 tsp
Whole dry red chillies - 2, broken
Haldi / Turmeric powder - 1 tbsp + 1 tsp
Red chilli powder - 1 tsp
Dhania / Coriander powder - 1 tbsp ( optional )
Mustard oil - 1 tbsp + 1 tbsp
Garam masala powder or Bhaja moshla - 1 tsp
Salt - to taste
Sugar - to taste
Fresh coriander leaves - chopped, 2 tbsp

How to :

Marinate the fish head with 1 tbsp turmeric powder + salt.


Heat 1 tbsp mustard oil in a heavy kadahi / wok.
Fry the fish head till brown.
Remove, crush to break into a few pieces and keep aside.

Add the remaining oil to the kadahi.
Add the jeera + dry red chillies.

Then add the ginger + garlic paste and fry a little.

Add the turmeric powder + red chilli powder  and fry well.

Add the cabbage and mix well on low heat.
Cover and cook till it starts to release water.

Add the fish head and salt.
Mix well and cover.  Cook till well done.

Remove cover and add the peas + garam masala powder and + sugar.

Stir and mix everything well.
Cover and cook for 5 more minutes.

Sprinkle the coriander leaves and remove from heat.

Serve hot with rice.
Enjoy!!

Pui shaak diye muri ghonto or Malabar spinach cooked with fish head

At one time, I had no idea of life's real deal.
I used to write a lot on pain but had no idea what real pain was.
Strangely, now that I have seen what life's real tough game is all about, what losing a loved one in the real sense is, I have nothing to write.

All words seem to have disappeared into thin air.
Just like fair weather friends.
All expressions void.
There is no way I can put forth anything ... just so that I can lighten my heart a little.
This is my blog, my space. I know I should.
But I can't.

Life. That is.

I had made this muri ghonto with some of the Pui or Malabar spinach that I had got from Bangalore, a few months back.
Since I had got two big bunches, I have been happily cooking up Pui dishes for a while.
After the bhaja, the jhaal, the bora,  and the posto pui, I still had enough to make a chanchra (post coming up soon ) and this muri ghonto.

I had a fresh Rohu head and with a generous amount of pui thrown in, it made a good ghonto.
I have added garlic this time and the ghonto turned out to have the exact flavours of any Odiya chencheda or ghanto. The flavours that are so familiar to me; which I have grown up enjoying so much.
Reminded me of our Oriya cook back home.

No more digressing to memories.
On to the recipe instead.

Need :

Head of Rohu fish - 1, fried with salt and turmeric and broken
Pui or Malabar spinach - 3 cupfuls, chopped, including some baby stalks
Cumin seeds - 1 tsp
Ginger paste - 1 tsp
Garlic paste - 1 tsp
Turmeric powder - 1 tsp
Dry red chillies - 2, broken
Red chilli powder - 1 tsp
Salt - to taste
Sugar - to taste
Cooking oil - 1 tbsp

How to :

Heat the oil in a kadahi.
Add the jeera + broken dry chillies.


Add the ginger + garlic paste and fry well.

Add the fish head and fry some more.

Add  the pui. Mix well.

Add salt + sugar. Cover and cook till the leaves are well cooked.


Remove cover and cook till all water has dried up.
Take care to stir from time to time.


Add red chilli powder and give a good mix again.

Serve hot.

Enjoy!!

And oh! signing off with a look of the throw that I had promised all of you on my page on fb.

Maacher Mudo diye Bhaja Muger Dal / Fish head cooked with roasted Moong dal

 After days of staying glum, the skies relented today.
Finally!
We have not seen the sun for the past three days or more. Dark clouds had blown in slowly and the sky was soon overcast and stayed that way.  The sun could not even peek through.
But boy! was it windy! And cold!
We stayed in denial for the first few days. After all, it won't be cold unless it starts to rain.
But no. Last evening we finally had to admit that it is indeed too cold, when we could not sit in the balcony for more than five minutes.
Shivering, we finally beat a retreat and shut the door and the windows.
And watched the trees going bonkers in the wild, wild wind from indoors.

And this evening, it finally rained.
Back home, Thamma would nod her head and say " Aaj snan purnima; brishti hobei hobe."
Snan purnima ... that full moon day when Lord Jagannath and his family have their ritualistic bath, which is a precursor to their falling ill and staying indoors for a fortnight.
After which they go to visit their aunt. This journey is the famous Ratha yatra.
Our older generation had such days to refer to when predicting changes in the weather.
Their words ring in my ears but I have major difficulty in predicting as correctly as they did.
Must be the change in weather globally. Or the difference in the weather conditions from that of my home state.

 I did feel confused with the weather patterns when I landed in Pune years ago. While the weather was wonderful all year through, I did feel confused at certain times.
Like, there would be instances when a summer evening would feel and smell just like an August evening back home. Or the days just after the rains would feel like early winter.
I used to go ballistic during February and March especially; the weather then would be exactly like those that usher in Durga puja, i.e late September or early October.
And the fact that we get our very favourite Shiuli flower, that blooms only during Durga puja back home,  anytime of the year, especially the monsoons, did not make it any easier for me.

It was only the winters that were the closest to what we get in our little hilly town back home.
Crisp air, clear and bluest of blues skies and the all enveloping fog.
I loved to stand on the steps of our pg, throw my head back and breath deeply to take in the evening air redolent with the smoke of wood fire ... taking me back home to winter evenings when the house help would start the wood fire oven for the night's cooking, supervised by Thamma.
My friends used to laugh at me. "She smells the air to see if winter is here."

Pune has changed immeasurably ever since.
The weather has changed. The city has changed. The traffic has changed.
But the evenings have stayed the same.
Especially monsoon and winter evenings.
Beautiful, cold and refreshing.
Which makes me feel like running back home; every evening.
Which is why I still feel at home; here.

Well, if only wishes were horses ....

If I can't go home, I bring home to me.
To my kitchen; my dining table.
And it soothes my homesickness a little.

Like this Mudi ghonto I made a few days back.
Rohu fish head cooked with roasted Moong dal.
Light, fragrant and very soothing in every mouthful, when mixed with plain cooked rice.
It is one of those fish dishes that does not need the heaviness of onion or garlic and is happy with the beautiful, fragrant roasted moong dal blending with the fish head and creating a flavour of its own

I make the other kind of Muri ghonto with rice and that does not have onions or garlic too.
And then, there is my Ma's Cholar Dal er Muri ghonto too.

 Need :

Yellow Moong dal - 1 cupful
Rohu fish head - 1, marinated with salt+ turmeric and fried
Tej pata / Bay leaf - 2
Dry red chillies - 2, broken
Grated ginger - 1 tbsp
Cumin seeds - 1 tsp 
Turmeric powder - 1 tsp
Jeera powder - 1 tsp
Roasted jeera powder - 1 tsp 
Coriander powder - 1 tsp
Red chilli powder - 1 tsp
Ghee - 1 tsp
Mustard oil - 1 bsp

How to :

In a heavy kadahi or pan, dry roast the dal till reddish brown and aromatic.
Take care not to burn.
Wash well.
Cook in water with salt and turmeric powder till just done.
Do not over cook or make it mushy.

In another kadahi or pan, heat oil.
Add the bay leaf, dry red chillies and grated ginger.

Mix all the powders in a little water and add.
Fry well till oil starts to leave the sides.

Add the fish head and mix well.

Now add the cooked dal and bring to a boil.

Add salt, cover and simmer for around five minutes.


Remove cover, add ghee and the roasted jeera powder.
The dal should be thick in consistency and not runny.

Cover, switch off heat and let it stand for five minutes.

You may add garam masala powder to it too ... I do not.

Serve hot with plain rice.
Signing off with a shot of my lunch plate.

Enjoy!!

Ilish er Muri Ghonto / Hilsa head cooked with rice and spices

"There she goes again! She and her Ilish!"

I know, I know. I have a little too many Ilish recipes on my blog.
But then, I am sure you are not complaining. Or are you?
Come monsoons and I do buy at least one Hilsa fish to satiate my cravings for it. After all, I wait patiently the whole year through and never make do with the false ones, from the shores of Gujarat or Andhra, that make their way into the markets through out the year.
And my fishwala never disappoints me too.
"Aapke liye sirf Kalkatta Hilsa", he says.

And when I get that more than one kilo of divinely smelling fish home, I have to rustle up all the recipes I know with the Ilish.
The head, the tail, the petis, the gadas,  the roe ... all have different recipes to go into.
And I make full use of them.
Resulting in a happy me, with a zen like smile on my face, that you can get to see only on a cat after it leaves a kitchen that has just seen fish cooked.
And some good Ilish posts.
And a grumpy B, who has to suffer through these 2 months of monsoons when I get the Ilish home.

But this year, I haven't brought an Ilish home; not yet.
I had a couple of recipes lying around from last to last year and hence making some posts.
The last one and this. I don't think I have anymore.
And I don't think I will be cooking the Ilish this time.
Will go to my current favourite Assamese restaurant when I get the craving.

Of late, I have seen a number of people coming over here, browse through and then only too soon I see a post on their blogs.
Most of them think they are savvy enough to make changes to the recipe by adding a spoonful of an unnecessary ingredient just to make it look different. Like adding jeera to a recipe that has mustard seeds as tempering is so out and out foolish.
And sometimes a shoddy photograph along with one of mine.
I am assuming that they are new bloggers but at times there are older bloggers too.
All I say to them is dear ones, do be a little original.
I know these recipes are common but there can be a whole bunch of changes in them from family to family.
Like picking up my Thamma's recipe and saying it is your cook's recipe is just not done.

And as for plagiarism of ideas, I really have nothing to say.
Have long given up hope of seeing any light in these blokes' brains.

Coming to today's recipe,  I had made a light Ilish er jhol with cumin and ginger paste.
Remember?  If not, it is here.


So I had this masala left and wanted to use it with the Ilish head this time.
Did not want an ambol or tauk.
So decided on the muri ghonto.

I had never made muri ghonto with anything other than the Rui or the Katla head. So this was going to be new.  It does not have any onion or garlic and hence can be called a Niramish muri ghonto too. 

The fact that Ilish has a lot more and much finer bones in the head did not deter me at all.
My Dadu, Ma's father, was well known for his ability to chew and finish off all the bones of  the Ilish head. 
And as his grand daughter, the least I could do was to try it once.


 Need :

For the Jeera paste : -
Jeera / Cumin seeds - around 5 tbsp, soak for around 3 hours
Ginger - 1 and ½" piece
Whole red chillies - 4 (if you like spicy then use around 6 or 7)
Tomato - 2 medium sized

Other ingredients : -

Ilish head - 1 , cleaned and marinated with a little turmeric powder+salt
Tej pata / Bay leaves - 2
Rice - 1 cup, washed and soaked ( I used Basmati )
Cooking oil - 2 + 2 tbsp ( I use Mustard oil )
Ghee - 1 tbsp
Turmeric powder - 1 tsp
Whole red chillies - 2, broken
Lemon juice - 4 tbsp
Bhaja moshla - 1 tbsp
The jeera paste - 3 tbsp 
Salt - to taste
Water - 2 cups

How to : 

Heat 2 tbsp oil in a heavy kadahi / wok.
Lightly fry the fish head, break into pieces and keep aside.


In another kadahi / wok, heat 2 tbsp oil + ghee.

Add the bay leaves + whole red chillies + the jeera paste.

Stir well and keep frying till oil starts to leave the sides.

Add the rice and lightly fry.

Raise heat, add the fish head pieces + turmeric powder + lemon juice + salt + water.

Cover and cook till rice is just done.

Remove cover, sprinkle the bhaja moshla all over, give a light toss and cover.

Switch off heat after 5 minutes and let it stand for another 5 minutes.

Done!

I like to keep the rice grains fluffy and separated though traditionally the muri ghonto is slightly sticky.
You can add chopped potatoes to it too.

I love it just as it is.
As a whole meal, if I do not have guests.

Rustle up a salad or a raita and you are good to go.
Enjoy!!


Here is a list of my Ilish / Hilsa recipes to enjoy in this monsoon. 

Chal diye Muri Ghonto / Mudi ghonto / Fish head cooked with Rice

( Vegetarians can make this with cubed potatoes ). 

Warning : Long rambling; too easy recipe. ;-)

The word Muri in this comes from the word 'muro / mudo' which means fish head. And 'Ghonto' usually means a mix of some things cooked together.
A very popular Bengali dish, the Muri Ghonto is also made with dals / lentils , cabbage and also with a mix of leafy and other vegetables. But the one made with rice is best loved by all. It can be called as a kind of pulao made with fish head.
Jethi (aunt) makes the best Muri Ghonto. Back home our neighbour was a big joint family which Jethi belonged to. But the word 'neighbours' was used only to describe to strangers that we are different families ... coz it was difficult to make out otherwise.

Both our houses were huge. And each had four entries ... the main gate for the family and other genteel, the one side entry for different vendors, ranging from the fishwala to the green grocer to the ones selling cotton bedsheets ... and so on. The back door was for those who worked for the families ... from the cook to the maids to the gardener ... etc.

And on one side a door of each house faced each other. There was only a small space between them. These two doors opened early at sunrise and were shut only when the families have retired for the day. Of course, they would open again sometimes late into the night during emergencies like an illness or someone arriving or leaving.


And throughout the day there would be a constant flow of people to and from both houses. We children grew up together. It was very common to find a member of either family having breakfast, lunch or dinner in the other house.
And when there were a lot of relatives visiting ( and a lot of means a real huge number as with joint families) they spilled over to the other house.

Jethi and other kakis (aunts) were as much our own as the kakimas in my family ... celebrating our successes in school, college and other things later in life, admonishing us for our pranks and cooking for us our favourite meals and dishes.



Each had a speciality when it came to cooking ... which the others did not bother to pick up or learn.

So whenever Jethi made the Muri Ghonto with rice , she would hurry over just before lunch, with a huge bowlful ... huffing and puffing, her homely and affectionate round face red and bright.
Wiping her face with her aanchal, she would call out and place the bowl on the table only when somebody appears. And would hurry away ... brushing away requests to sit down for a while and take a breath.

Now when I recall, it was always Jethi herself who used to bring over stuff .... never sent it through anybody else ... not a child, never a maid or a servant.

After Jethi and her family moved to Calcutta for good, I terribly missed the dishes she made. Especially her Chal diye Muri Ghonto.



In one of our conversations on the phone, she did mention the recipe ... but I did not give it a try initially due to two reasons.

One ... it sounded ridiculously simple. So much so that I thought she tweaked it to make it easy for me ( I was wrong).

Two .... she mentioned jeera / cumin seeds paste. Since I hated jeera very passionately once upon a time, I tried making it without the jeera.
Bad idea. Wasn't even close to Jethi's dish.(I suspect this is an East Bengal or Bangal recipe as Jethi has her roots there.)

Now I make it this way ... and savour the taste along with loads of memories.



Need :

A medium sized fish head ( I usually use the Rohu fish )
Rice - 1 cup ( washed )
Dry red chillies - 2 or 3
Jeera / Cumin paste - 2 tbsp ( if using jeera powder, just soak it in water for a while)
Ginger paste - 1 tbsp
Haldi / Turmeric - 1 tsp
Mustard oil - around 4 tbsp to fry the fish and 2 tbsp for the dish
Water - 2 cups
Bay leaves - 2
Cinnamon - 2 or 3 pieces
Salt to taste

How to : Marinate the fish head with turmeric powder and salt.

Heat 4 tbsp ( or more if the fish head is bigger ) of mustard oil in a wok or kadahi. Fry the fish head in it. Remove and break into medium sized pieces. Keep aside.

Heat around 2 tbsp of mustard oil in another kadahi. Add the bay leaves, the chillies and the cinnamon.

Add the ginger paste and fry for a while ... but not for too long.

Add the jeera paste and fry some more.

Now add the fish pieces ( or potatoes ) and toss around for a while.

Add the rice, haldi powder and salt and stir well.

Add water, cover and cook till the rice is just done.

Remove from heat, give a stir to separate the rice grains, cover and keep for a few more minutes.



Done!
Serve hot.

Check out one of my favourite posts at Sandeepa's .... and am not talking of just the Muri Ghonto. :-)

TC all !!

Cholar Dal diye Muri Ghonto / Fish head cooked in lentils

The hills on the outskirts of the city are clearly visible from our windows or balcony. The changing seasons show them in different hues throughout the year .... my favorite being the monsoons. Not only do they turn into absolutely beautiful hues of green but also are a great help to me ... I can see the rains approaching my place much before they actually do .... giving me ample time to be prepared for them .... read shut the windows etc.

A couple of evenings back we were enjoying a light breeze on the balcony when we saw this fire on the hills. I couldn't help clicking these snaps .... knowing full well that that the zoom is not enough for the distance.

So you can see a lot of noise in the snaps .... but I just had to share them with you all. :-)

Coming to today's dish ... it is a Bengali favourite. Fish head is a delicacy in Bengali cuisine .... but it is not one of those delicacies that are made rarely or occassionally. On the contrary it is a regular in Bengali homes ... often incorporated with different kinds of dals or vegetables like cabbage and sometimes with rice too.
Even though Moong dal is commonly used when cooking fish head, my Ma used to make an equally tasty version with the Cholar dal or Chana dal. It used to be thickish with a very subtle sweetness. The dal that I get here never turns out that way ... maybe because we get the polished version here.

To save time I cook the dal in the pressure cooker and add the already fried fish head later.

Need : Washed and soaked chana dal, fish head marinated with salt and haldi/turmeric powder, onion paste, ginger paste, chopped tomatoes, whole green cardamom, whole cloves, bay leaves, whole red chillies, haldi / turmeric powder, salt and sugar to taste, water, a little mustard oil.


How to : Heat enough mustard oil and fry the fish head and keep aside.
In a pressure cooker heat a little mustard oil. Add the whole cardamoms, cloves, red chillies and the bay leaves. Then add the onion paste and fry well.
Then add the ginger paste, the chopped tomatoes, haldi powder, salt and sugar. Fry well.

Add water, cover and cook till dal is done ( should be around 3 whistles on low heat).

Wait till steam is released. Open cooker and add the fish head. Cover and let it boil well for some time. Adjust water and keep stirring till everything mixes up well.

Serve hot with steamed plain rice.