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 using Hilsa fish head and gives it a nice twist to a relatively mundane meal.
Recipe Highlights:
- Ilish Macher Matha Diye Chal Kumro is a traditional Bengali recipe.
- Ilish Macher Matha Diye Chal Kumro tastes flavorful, aromatic, rich and satisfying.
- Enjoy it with steamed rice.
- It takes me a little less than an hour to make this dish, with a cooking time of 20 minutes, 15 minutes for preparation, and 20 minutes for resting.
- Ilish Macher Matha Diye Chal Kumro alternatives include Shorshe Bata Diye Rui (Rohu Fish in Mustard Paste), Katla Kalia, Doi Maach, Macher Jhol (Bengali Fish Curry).
The Ingredients:
- Hilsa Head: 2 pieces
- Potato: 2 medium size, cut into small cubes
- Ash Gourd: 1 piece (about 1 kg, cut into small, thin pieces)
- Turmeric Powder: 1 tsp
- Kashmiri Red Chilli Powder: 1 tsp
- Red Chilli Powder: ½ tsp
- Coriander Powder: ½ tsp
- Cumin Powder: ½ tsp
- Roasted Spice Mix: 1 tsp (a mixture of whole coriander seeds, whole cumin seeds, bay leaves and dry chilies, all dry roasted for about 10 seconds and ground together)
- Ginger-Garlic Paste (or grated): 1 and ½ tbsp
- Black Cumin: ½ tsp
- Green Chilies: 3 pieces
- Mustard Oil: 4 tbsp
- Salt: 1 tbsp
- Water – 1¼ cups
How to Make Ilish Macher Matha Diye Chal Kumro (Stepwise Images)?
1. Mix ¼ tbsp of salt into the ash gourd.
(Pro tip: I let it rest for about 20 minutes to release water.)
2. Marinate the fish heads with ¼ tbsp of salt and ½ tsp of turmeric powder. Keep them aside for about 10 minutes.
3. Heat the wok (Kadai) on a medium to high flame and add 3 tbsp of mustard oil to it.
4. Fry the marinated fish heads in the hot mustard oil.
(Pro tip: Fry the hilsa heads patiently until golden. Turning them too early can cause them to break).
5. Take them out on a plate when fried nicely on both sides.
6. Fry the potato cubes in the same oil until slightly brown in the edges. Add ¼ tbsp of salt & ¼ tsp of turmeric into it.
7. Take out the shallow-fried potatoes on the same plate with fish heads.
8. Add the remaining 1 tbsp of mustard oil in the kadai.
9. Strain water from the marinated ash gourd. Add it to the oil. Add the black cumin. Give it a good stir.
10. Add the ginger-garlic paste into it.
11. Stir for 2 minutes to fry well until the raw smell is gone.
12. Add all the remaining spices.
13. Stir fry everything very well.
(Pro tip: Cook the spices until their raw smell fades away. This will give the dish a deeper flavor.)
14. Add ¼ cup of water into it.
15. Again, add ¼ tbsp of salt into it.
16. Add the fried fish heads & potatoes to it. Mix well.
17. Add 1 cup of water.
18. Add the green chilies.
19. Cover the pan with a lid. Let the hilsa head with ash gourd boil on medium heat.
20. After about 7 to 8 minutes, check if water has dried and whether the ash gourd has softened.
21. Sprinkle roasted masala and mix well.
22. Break the fish heads into 2-3 pieces and mix well with the dish.
23. Pour Hilsa head with ash gourd on a plate to serve.
More Ways to Enjoy It
- Sometimes, I just need to add a few more green chilies to please the spicy-loving members of my family.
- I like to use a tender ash gourd to make this dish. It softens up nicely along with the hilsa head.
- Optionally, I add a small spoonful of sugar to add a slight sweet element to the dish.
- To make it a more filling meal, I leave the potato chunks slightly bigger sometimes so that they do not break in the curry.
Ilish Macher Matha Diye Chal Kumro Recipe Tips & Tricks for Success
Why did my hilsa heads fall apart?
Turn them gently, preferably using a wooden ladle, and do not stir them a lot.
Why does the ash gourd stay quite hard?
Do not rush and do not remove the cover from the wok in step 19 while cooking the ash gourd. This will soften it easily.
Why does the curry have a strong ginger and garlic taste?
You did not cook the ginger-garlic paste long enough and have rushed to add the powdered spices.
My potatoes are falling apart when I am mixing my curry. What can I do?
Mix the fried potatoes with soft hands. This will prevent them from falling apart.
Recipe Card
Ilish Macher Matha Diye Chal Kumro
Ingredients
- 2 pieces Hilsa Head
- 2 pieces Potato medium size, cut into small cubes
- 1 piece Ash Gourd about 1 kg, cut into small, thin pieces
- 1 tsp Turmeric Powder
- 1 tsp Kashmiri Red Chilli Powder
- 1/2 tsp Red Chilli Powder
- 1/2 tsp Coriander Powder
- 1/2 tsp Cumin Powder
- 1 tsp Roasted Spice Mix a mixture of whole coriander seeds, whole cumin seeds, bay leaves and dry chilies, all dry roasted for about 10 seconds and ground together
- 1.5 tbsp Ginger-Garlic Paste or grated:
- 1/2 tsp Black Cumin
- 3 pieces Green Chilies
- 4 tbsp Mustard Oil
- 1 tbsp Salt
- 1.25 cups Water
Instructions
- Mix ¼ tbsp of salt into the ash gourd. (Pro tip: I let it rest for about 20 minutes to release water.)
- Marinate the fish heads with ¼ tbsp of salt and ½ tsp of turmeric powder. Keep them aside for about 10 minutes.
- Heat the wok (Kadai) on a medium to high flame and add 3 tbsp of mustard oil to it.
- Fry the marinated fish heads in the hot mustard oil. (Pro tip: Fry the hilsa heads patiently until golden. Turning them too early can cause them to break).
- Take them out on a plate when fried nicely on both sides.
- Fry the potato cubes in the same oil until slightly brown in the edges. Add ¼ tbsp of salt & ¼ tsp of turmeric into it.
- Take out the shallow-fried potatoes on the same plate with fish heads.
- Add the remaining 1 tbsp of mustard oil in the kadai.
- Strain water from the marinated ash gourd. Add it to the oil. Add the black cumin. Give it a good stir.
- Add the ginger-garlic paste into it.
- Stir for 2 minutes to fry well until the raw smell is gone.
- Add all the remaining spices.
- Stir fry everything very well. (Pro tip: Cook the spices until their raw smell fades away. This will give the dish a deeper flavor.)
- Add ¼ cup of water into it.
- Again, add ¼ tbsp of salt into it.
- Add the fried fish heads & potatoes to it. Mix well.
- Add 1 cup of water.
- Add the green chilies.
- Cover the pan with a lid. Let the hilsa head with ash gourd boil on medium heat.
- After about 7 to 8 minutes, check if water has dried and whether the ash gourd has softened.
- Sprinkle the roasted masala and mix well.
- Break the fish heads into 2-3 pieces and mix well with the dish.
- Pour Hilsa head with ash gourd on a plate to serve.
