Fish and Seafood Main Course

Kochur loti chingri is a popular Bengali dish made with two key ingredients: kochur loti, which refers to the taro stolon, and chingri, which means prawns or shrimp. The taro plant, known as kochu in Bengali, has edible stems that are commonly used in Bengali cuisine. These stems are peeled, cleaned, and cut into small pieces,

Prawn Masala is a recipe that I really enjoy making when I want to make a rich and spicy prawn dish. I love cooking the onions and tomatoes with the spices to make a thick masala to coat the prawns. The mustard oil gives it a unique taste, and the tomatoes help to give the

Sometimes I feel like trying out some unique prawn dish. Prawn Kadai Paturi is a good choice. The prawns are marinated in mustard, giving them a strong taste. Green chilies are added to give a nice kick. Traditionally, this dish would be cooked in a parcel using leaves. However, this recipe can be cooked straight

This is one of my favorite dishes to cook, to give a nice special touch to a simple meal. I cook it with mustard oil, whole spices, onion and tomato paste. It also has some wonderful flavour from the addition of coconut milk. I finish it off with some ghee and garam masala. This is

This Spicy Fish Curry really adds a nice touch to my simple meal. It has just the right amount of flavor, with the perfect balance between the spices and natural taste of the fish. When cooking this recipe at home, I always take care when making the gravy, making sure there is the perfect consistency.

Ilish Macher Matha Diye Chal Kumro is a type of Bengali cuisine where simply adding Hilsa fish head to a simple vegetable like ash gourd really makes it stand out! This dish has a unique flavor and adding the potatoes gives it more of a hearty feel. I feel it is a beautiful way of

Ilish Macher Paturi is a classic Bengali preparation that enhances the taste of Hilsa, combining a mustard and coconut paste. While the mustard paste gives the fish its distinctive sharp flavour, the grated coconut adds a gentle sweetness. I like this preparation because the seasoning complements the natural richness of Hilsa rather than overpowering it.

Fish Masala is one of my favorite home-style fish curries that I make for my family when they want a fish curry made in restaurant style. To begin with, I take Pangas fish and cook it in an onion, ginger, garlic, and tomato paste with ground spices till the flavors are well blended. The mustard

Fish Korma is my go-to dish when I wish to indulge in something heartier and satisfying than the everyday fish curry. Cooking it with Rohu fish predominantly, I sauté the onions till they are deep golden and keep aside some of them to be added at the end as a garnish. This really makes the

Some Bengali recipes take me back to the home-cooked dishes I grew up with. Chingri Kochu Shak being one of them. I prefer to cook this dish with boiled prawns, tender kochu shak, smashed garlic, and green chilies with little spice. As I cook, I watch the leaves in the kadai as they lose moisture,

Stir-fried Potatoes and Eggplants in this Aloo Begun Macher Jhol remind me of the simple Bengali lunches, where a humble fish curry at lunch is enough to satisfy one’s hunger. When preparing this curry myself, I like to let the potatoes cook until they can be crushed with the side of a spoon. My favorite

Ilish Macher Matha Diye Palong Shak Recipe is a Bengali traditional dish that combines the flavors of hilsa fish head and seasonal vegetables. To me, it is something special cooked with spinach, snow peas, potato and eggplant that absorb the spices to make it a delicious treat with panch phoron and mustard oil, preserving the

There is something about this Bengali fish curry prepared in a spicy mustard gravy that warms your heart and soul. Tilapia Sorshe Jhal is a perfect blend of freshly ground black mustard seeds, green chilies, and mustard oil. The dish is simple yet flavorful, with chopped onions and Kashmiri red chilli powder as some other

Badhakopi Diye Macher Matha is a Bengali specialty that warms the heart and satisfies the taste buds with its combination of tender cabbage, potatoes, spices, and fried fish head. I am fond of such dishes because cabbage slowly absorbs the flavors of other ingredients and becomes tender. This dish is substantial but not rich and

Chuno Macher Jhal is a dish I usually make for my family when the market does not have any other fresh fish variety. These mixture of different types of small fish varieties is cooked in a spicy and piquant gravy that adds flavor to the monotonous meal. I specifically like the kalonji crackling in mustard

Aloo Fulkopi Macher Jhol is the fish curry that takes over my weekly menu as soon as cauliflowers show up in the market. The Rohu fish goes well with the eventual thin and golden gravy. I grew up eating this in lunches without any complaints and often asked for a second helping of rice. Now

Amudi Fish Chorchori is my comfort food. I grew up in Bengali households where a certain smell of mustard oil would waft through the house as a signal for lunch. This recipe is a variation of that comfort food. It is simple to make and uses a handful of readily available ingredients. It is also

Ilish Bhorta was normally made by my mother in our house because nobody wanted to have the tail pieces due to too many bones in them, and surprisingly, nobody complained. The smoky chilies, sweet raw onion and the raw mustard oil added in the end turned those humble scraps into the best plate of the

In our home, Bata Macher Jhal is a dish that separates an ordinary weekday fish curry from a festive lunch. These small, bony river fish pieces are first marinated, fried and then go into the thick, spicy gravy. This particular rendition is the simplest one of all, mainly needing onions, green chilies, black cumin and

Fish Rezala is one thing I normally cook when guests visit our home. It is a classic dish with a white and slightly sweet gravy, with the fragrant rose water adding to its taste. I usually cook it with rohu fish but other varieties with less bones can also be used. The fragrance fills the

Mocha Chingri is one of those Bengali specialties that needs meticulously preparing a banana blossom. I can remember my fingers stained black when I first learned to clean one, and how well it had paid off when one took the first bite. Lightly fried prawns, small chunks of potatoes and the slight bitterness of the

Rui Macher Posto is the type of Bengali fish curry that is not cooked on special occasions. It is a simple, homely dish, and that is why I make it often. For many families, it is a dish that is prepared quite often, enjoyed with steamed rice with the pale, creamy poppy seed sauce on

There is something special about the Shol Macher Jhol that takes me straight back to my grandmother’s kitchen in childhood. This was the dish she made every time monsoon clouds rolled in, and I have been chasing that same comfort ever since. This recipe is my version, built from years of trial, error, and one

Growing up, I would not have considered a Bengali monsoon complete without Ilish Macher Matha Diye Pui Shak simmering on the stove. This recipe comes from my own kitchen as I make pui shak, five vegetables, and hilsa heads slowly cooked together to create something that tastes like home. Simple ingredients come together to make

The first time I ever made Sorshe Ilish at home, my elder sister supervised and instructed me not to grind the mustard too fast and too fine. She was right as the texture of the gravy was not as desired. Since then and even to this day, whenever I prepare this dish, I still remember

The smell of mustard oil sizzling in the pan takes me straight back to my grandmother’s kitchen in Kolkata. That is where I learnt how to make Bengali fish curry, or macher jhol, properly. On every Sunday, this simple curry brings all members of my family together to the table. At a Glance: Bengali Fish

Growing up, my mother had this uncanny ability to prepare potol chingri without any recipe in front of her. It is one of the most sought-after Bengali dishes, prepared with pointed gourd and prawns in a mild gravy. To this day, I prepare it the same old way, and it never fails to surprise me

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

Growing up, a special lunch at home would never be complete without a bowl of fish mustard curry kept beside the rice pot. My mother would often grind mustard seeds on a traditional “silbata” while telling me that the flavor gets entirely altered when they are ground in a machine. Bata fish is tender and