It does not matter who originally owned this recipe, Odiyas or Bengalis. If you made it and it tastes great, its yours. Period. And I know it would taste great because
As promised in my last post on Odia's and their love for fish, here's the recipe for the much awaited Dahi Machha.
Fish that melts in your mouth leaving the tangy after taste of curd, a hint of lime and mustard. The goodness of whole spices and those whole flakes of garlic that open the windows to heaven. And while you savor the dish with some Usuna Bhaata (Double boiled rice) make sure you smash those almost whole green chillies for that fiery effect. Oh I can write an ode to the tantalizing Dahi Maacha...
So what are the ingredients for this master craft. Since many of you reading this blog will be trying the dish for the first time, I will suggest smaller portions... I am sure it will be a hit... but isn't it great to be left wanting for more!
Soak 1.5 tsp of mustard seeds (the bigger sized ones) and 1.5 tsp of cumin seeds in water for about half an hour. This will ensure that they get ground to a smooth paste. And then you grind it.
We will obviously need 500 gms of fish (make sure that they are cut into bigger sizes so that they do not disintegrate during the initial shallow frying). I used Rohi for my boys love its taste. you can use Bhakura (Catla) if you wish to. Wash and marinade the fish in some 1 tbsp salt, 1 tbsp of turmeric powder and 1.5 tbsp of lemon juice.
N.B: Make sure you do not overshoot the marination time of 15-20 mins.
**There is a tip that you can use for the best taste. When you buy the fish ask the vendor to give you a portion from a fish that weighed 2-2.5 kgs when it was a whole one. Years of fish eating has made me realize that fish of this weight category are sweeter in taste and have lesser bones.
Add a pinch of sugar and whisk 2 cups of curd/yogurt (regular cups and not the larger sized ones). you may omit the sugar if you want to... However adding it normalizes the sour taste of the curd. Absolutely your wish. I did not add because I love it when my teeth sing.
Chop 2 medium sized onions lengthwise (they look good that way). Just peel the skin of 10 flakes of garlic and keep them whole. Make tiny incisions on few green chillies (5-6) so that they do not splutter on your face when you offer them to the oil. You will also need 1 tsp of the smaller variety of mustard seeds, 5-6 peppercorns and 3-4 cloves. A sprig of curry leaves and 2 tbsps of chopped coriander will make the dish look verdant and add to the aroma.
Odiyas and Bengalis love their fish cooked in mustard oil, however if you are allergic to the smell then use the regular refined oil. Do not worry this dish does not use too much oil. you will hardly need 4 tbsps of oil (Mustard/Refined).
And now let the rendezvous begin.
Heat a kadhai. Add 3 tbsps of mustard oil. Shallow fry the fish so that they just look a shade of light brown colour on both the sides and keep them aside.
** While frying fish, make sure the oil is really hot (some fumes should appear). Immediately after you leave the fish in the oil, flip it over. This ensures that the fish does not stick to the pan)
Normally when you fry the fish, the fish releases some oil... So you will have plenty of oil for the curry. Now add the mustard seeds, watch it splutter. Add the green chillies. Saute it a couple of times. The peppercorns and cloves go in next. Add the curry leaves followed by the onions and the whole garlic flakes. Saute them for some time till the onion start turning transparent. And please follow the sequence. All these activities are to be done on a slow to medium flame.
Remember the paste that we had made in the beginning? The one that had mustard seeds and cumin seeds? Well, its time has come. Add this to the pan. This paste is like the soul of the dish. And it has to be cooked for a minute to let any raw taste go away.
Our semi-fried fish comes in next. Add the fish and gently saute the entire mixture in the pan for half a minute. The last one to go in is the curd. Add the curd and add 2 cups of water. Mix everything well, add some more salt (according to your taste) and keep it on a low flame. This will prevent the curd from boiling over and will gradually increase the thickness of the gravy. You may have to wait on it for about 20 mins till the gravy becomes thick and creamy. When you switch off the flame add 1 tsp mustard oil and garnish with chopped coriander leaves.
You must have it with rice as that only will make the meal complete. Oh you must not forget your afternoon siesta after this. That is a must, for you need to lust after the dish in your dreams as well.
Happy cooking folks.... And drop in your comments below and let me know how it was!
My dear friend Padmaja inspired me to finally get serious about food blogging after I sent her the above pic on Whatsapp... Cooking has always been my passion and I experiment a lot, but getting myself to write was a very tough task.. Finally I nailed it on my blog site. Thanks to you and all my friends on Facebook who wanted it, this recipe saw the light of the day!
"Great ingredients make great food"
Fish that melts in your mouth leaving the tangy after taste of curd, a hint of lime and mustard. The goodness of whole spices and those whole flakes of garlic that open the windows to heaven. And while you savor the dish with some Usuna Bhaata (Double boiled rice) make sure you smash those almost whole green chillies for that fiery effect. Oh I can write an ode to the tantalizing Dahi Maacha...
So what are the ingredients for this master craft. Since many of you reading this blog will be trying the dish for the first time, I will suggest smaller portions... I am sure it will be a hit... but isn't it great to be left wanting for more!
Soak 1.5 tsp of mustard seeds (the bigger sized ones) and 1.5 tsp of cumin seeds in water for about half an hour. This will ensure that they get ground to a smooth paste. And then you grind it.
We will obviously need 500 gms of fish (make sure that they are cut into bigger sizes so that they do not disintegrate during the initial shallow frying). I used Rohi for my boys love its taste. you can use Bhakura (Catla) if you wish to. Wash and marinade the fish in some 1 tbsp salt, 1 tbsp of turmeric powder and 1.5 tbsp of lemon juice.
N.B: Make sure you do not overshoot the marination time of 15-20 mins.
**There is a tip that you can use for the best taste. When you buy the fish ask the vendor to give you a portion from a fish that weighed 2-2.5 kgs when it was a whole one. Years of fish eating has made me realize that fish of this weight category are sweeter in taste and have lesser bones.
Add a pinch of sugar and whisk 2 cups of curd/yogurt (regular cups and not the larger sized ones). you may omit the sugar if you want to... However adding it normalizes the sour taste of the curd. Absolutely your wish. I did not add because I love it when my teeth sing.
Chop 2 medium sized onions lengthwise (they look good that way). Just peel the skin of 10 flakes of garlic and keep them whole. Make tiny incisions on few green chillies (5-6) so that they do not splutter on your face when you offer them to the oil. You will also need 1 tsp of the smaller variety of mustard seeds, 5-6 peppercorns and 3-4 cloves. A sprig of curry leaves and 2 tbsps of chopped coriander will make the dish look verdant and add to the aroma.
Odiyas and Bengalis love their fish cooked in mustard oil, however if you are allergic to the smell then use the regular refined oil. Do not worry this dish does not use too much oil. you will hardly need 4 tbsps of oil (Mustard/Refined).
And now let the rendezvous begin.
Heat a kadhai. Add 3 tbsps of mustard oil. Shallow fry the fish so that they just look a shade of light brown colour on both the sides and keep them aside.
** While frying fish, make sure the oil is really hot (some fumes should appear). Immediately after you leave the fish in the oil, flip it over. This ensures that the fish does not stick to the pan)
Normally when you fry the fish, the fish releases some oil... So you will have plenty of oil for the curry. Now add the mustard seeds, watch it splutter. Add the green chillies. Saute it a couple of times. The peppercorns and cloves go in next. Add the curry leaves followed by the onions and the whole garlic flakes. Saute them for some time till the onion start turning transparent. And please follow the sequence. All these activities are to be done on a slow to medium flame.
Remember the paste that we had made in the beginning? The one that had mustard seeds and cumin seeds? Well, its time has come. Add this to the pan. This paste is like the soul of the dish. And it has to be cooked for a minute to let any raw taste go away.
Our semi-fried fish comes in next. Add the fish and gently saute the entire mixture in the pan for half a minute. The last one to go in is the curd. Add the curd and add 2 cups of water. Mix everything well, add some more salt (according to your taste) and keep it on a low flame. This will prevent the curd from boiling over and will gradually increase the thickness of the gravy. You may have to wait on it for about 20 mins till the gravy becomes thick and creamy. When you switch off the flame add 1 tsp mustard oil and garnish with chopped coriander leaves.
You must have it with rice as that only will make the meal complete. Oh you must not forget your afternoon siesta after this. That is a must, for you need to lust after the dish in your dreams as well.
Happy cooking folks.... And drop in your comments below and let me know how it was!
My dear friend Padmaja inspired me to finally get serious about food blogging after I sent her the above pic on Whatsapp... Cooking has always been my passion and I experiment a lot, but getting myself to write was a very tough task.. Finally I nailed it on my blog site. Thanks to you and all my friends on Facebook who wanted it, this recipe saw the light of the day!
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