Rui Macher Kalia is one of my favorite dishes that I make anytime I want to treat myself to something special in addition to an ordinary fish curry. When I was growing up, my mother would make this incredible delicacy with a rich and slightly thick sauce of cashew and yogurt prepared on weekends or guest visits. To this day, I continue to prepare it the same way as a way of honoring our traditions. The fragrance of the mustard oil and the mixture of whole spices combined with slow-cooked onions produces an aroma that fills the house and wafts out into the street to inform the neighbors that someone is preparing a good meal.
Recipe Basics:
- Rui Macher Kalia is my favorite and common Bengali cuisine.
- The dish tastes spicy, tangy, aromatic, and savory.
- I always serve it hot with plain steamed rice.
- It takes me close to an hour to cook this dish, mostly due to slow simmering.
- Try simple Bengali fish curry and fish masala as alternatives.
The Ingredients:
- Rohu Fish: 700 gms (cut into 5 chunky pieces and cleaned)
- Ginger-Garlic Paste: 2 tablespoons
- Onion: 1 Big Size (Sliced)
- Onion: Paste of ½ of a medium sized onion
- Tomato: Paste of ½ of a medium sized tomato
- Yogurt: 2 tablespoons (Properly Whisked)
- Cashews: Paste of 12 cashews
- Turmeric Powder:1/2 tablespoon
- Red Chili Powder: 1/2 tablespoon
- Kashmiri Red Chili Powder: 1/2 tablespoon
- Coriander Powder: 1/2 tablespoon
- Cumin Powder: 1/2 tablespoon
- Dry Chilies: 2-3
- Bay Leaves: 1-2
- Cinnamon Sticks: 1 (Medium Size)
- Cloves: 2
- Green Cardamoms: 4
- Black Cardamom: 1
- Green Chilies: 4
- Mustard Oil: 3 tablespoons
- Salt to Taste
How to Cook Rui Macher Kalia (Step by Step Images)?
1. Marinate the Rohu fish pieces with salt and turmeric powder. Leave it for 10 minutes.
2. Put a pan on the gas stove and turn it on.
3. Pour oil into the pan.
4. When the oil starts smoking, slide the fish pieces slowly one by one. Reduce the temperature to medium.
5. Fry the fish pieces till light brown. Flip them when one side is done.
(Pro Tip: I fry fish just light brown, not crispy because over-fried fish turns rubbery once it simmers in gravy later.)
6. Take them out on a plate once fish pieces are fried.
7. Add some oil if required to the cooking pan and then add Bay leaves, dry chilies, cinnamon sticks, cardamoms and cloves.
8. The dry spices will start releasing aroma. At this time, add sliced onions and give it a good stir.
9. After the onions turn light brown, add onion paste and sauté.
10. After the water from onion paste is dried up, add tomato paste and let it cook.
(Pro Tip: I never rush this stage. Letting the paste turn glossy and oil-slicked is why my gravy tastes rich.)
11. After the tomato is done, add ginger-garlic paste and sauté for 5 minutes.
12. Make a paste of red chili powder, Kashmiri red chili powder, coriander powder and cumin powder with a little amount of water in a separate bowl. Keep it aside.
13. Add the mixture of spices paste to the cooking pan. Add turmeric powder and salt. Give the mixture a good stir.
14. Add ½ cup of water, give the mixture a stir and put a lid on the pan. Let it cook for 5 minutes.
15. Remove the lid. Add cashew paste. Mix it well.
16. Add whisked yogurt and continue stirring so that it does not form any lump. Add water if required.
(Pro Tip: I always lower the flame before adding yogurt. That is why my gravy never turns grainy.)
17. After spices start releasing oil, add 1 cup of water and let it come to a boil.
18. Place the lid.
19. After the gravy comes to a boil, remove the lid and add already lightly fried Rohu fish pieces one by one to the gravy. Reduce the flame to low. Cover the pan for 10 minutes.
20. Reduce the flame to low and add green chilies. Cover the pan again.
21. Sprinkle coriander leaves. Turn off the oven after 5 minutes. Rohu Fish Kalia is ready. Serve it hot along with plain steamed rice.
More Creative Ways to Enjoy It
- Sometimes I replace Rohu with Katla fish.
- I had made this dish with potato cubes as well. It offers a different taste.
- Sometimes I skip roasting the cashew paste and add a spoon of poppy seed paste. It gives a good aroma and taste.
- I reduce the amount of whole spices like cinnamon and cardamom to half to make this dish flavorful but not overpowering for kids.
Rui Macher Kalia Recipe Handy Hacks
Q: The fish broke up while frying. Could you please suggest a fix for that?
A: I encountered this before and learned to let the oil get hot enough at step 4 and avoid flipping early.
Q: My gravy is too thin. Is there a solution for that?
A: Yes. I faced this once in a hurry to make this dish on a weeknight. You may skip the extra water in step 17 and allow it to reduce a bit more.
Q: The onions kept sticking at step 8. What could be done to prevent that?
A: This happened to me once while making this for a large gathering. Splashing some water and quick stirring helps prevent the masala from sticking in Step 8.
Q: The curry tastes a bit raw. Why is that so?
A: I once made this dish for others before without completing the cooking process of the spices and they complained about it afterwards. Ensure to cook the spices for a longer time over a low flame in step 13 until the oil separates.
Recipe Card:
Rui Macher Kalia (Rohu Fish Kalia)
Ingredients
- 700 grams Rohu Fish (cut into 5 chunky pieces and cleaned)
- 2 tablespoons Ginger-Garlic Paste
- 1 piece Onion (finely sliced)
- 1 piece Onion (medium size pasted)
- 1 piece Tomato (medium size pasted)
- 2 tablespoons Yogurt (properly whisked)
- 12 pieces Cashew (pasted)
- ½ tablespoon Turmeric Powder
- ½ tablespoon Red Chili Powder
- ½ tablespoon Kashmiri Red Chili Powder
- ½ tablespoon Coriander Powder
- ½ tablespoon Cumin Powder
- 2 pieces Dry Red Chilies
- 2 pieces Bay Leaves
- 1 piece Cinnamon Sticks
- 2 pieces Cloves
- 4 pieces Green Cardamoms
- 1 pieces Black Cardamom
- 4 pieces Green Chilies
- 3 tablespoons Mustard Oil
- Salt to Taste
Instructions
- Marinate the Rohu fish pieces with salt and turmeric powder. Leave it for 10 minutes.
- Put a pan on the gas stove and turn it on.
- Pour oil into the pan.
- When the oil starts smoking, slide the fish pieces slowly one by one. Reduce the temperature to medium.
- Fry the fish pieces till light brown. Flip them when one side is done. (Pro Tip: I fry fish just light brown, not crispy because over-fried fish turns rubbery once it simmers in gravy later.)
- Take them out on a plate once fish pieces are fried.
- Add some oil if required to the cooking pan and then add Bay leaves, dry chilies, cinnamon sticks, cardamoms and cloves.
- The dry spices will start releasing aroma. At this time, add sliced onions and give it a good stir.
- After the onions turn light brown, add onion paste and sauté.
- After the water from onion paste is dried up, add tomato paste and let it cook. (Pro Tip: I never rush this stage. Letting the paste turn glossy and oil-slicked is why my gravy tastes rich.)
- After the tomato is done, add ginger-garlic paste and sauté for 5 minutes.
- Make a paste of red chili powder, Kashmiri red chili powder, coriander powder and cumin powder with a little amount of water in a separate bowl. Keep it aside
- Add the mixture of spices paste to the cooking pan. Add turmeric powder and salt. Give the mixture a good stir.
- Add ½ cup of water, give the mixture a stir and put a lid on the pan. Let it cook for 5 minutes.
- Remove the lid. Add cashew paste. Mix it well.
- Add whisked yogurt and continue stirring so that it does not form any lump. Add water if required. (Pro Tip: I always lower the flame before adding yogurt. That is why my gravy never turns grainy.)
- After spices start releasing oil, add 1 cup of water and let it come to a boil.
- Place the lid.
- After the gravy comes to a boil, remove the lid and add already lightly fried Rohu fish pieces one by one to the gravy. Reduce the flame to low. Cover the pan for 10 minutes.
- Reduce the flame to low and add green chilies. Cover the pan again.
- Sprinkle coriander leaves. Turn off the oven after 5 minutes. Rohu Fish Kalia is ready. Serve it hot along with plain steamed rice.
