Macher Dimer Borar Jhol - deep fried fish eggs cooked in a light flavourful stew of ginger-garlic- onion-chilli and other spices along with some good ol' potatoes!

Can I just ask you guys something really weird? Do you know any Bengali who throws away a single part of a Big Fish except the fin part? I don’t actually know any of them who is willing to throw away a bowl of fish oil or the big fresh fish head and when it comes to a big bowl of fish eggs, it’s a big “NO NO”!

 We buy a large whole fish, and then divide the big fish in four good parts – 1.Fish pieces, 2.Fish oil, 3.Fish head, and 4.Fish eggs. And with these 4 parts we create at least 30 different dishes like murighonto, macher matha die lau ghonto, pui shak macher matha die, macher jhol and lot more! Each of them is delicious enough to stand out in the crowd! See, we know a proper resource allocation for fish.

Yes we Bengalis are nostalgic about Fish to this extent! And hey, we are proud of our love for fish! For rest of non-vegetarians the big fish = fish fillet or fish pieces. For Bengalis – Fish = fish pieces + fish oil + fish head + fish EGGS!!

So my previous post was about the Doi Katla , where the Katla fish was the centre of attraction and I tried to do total justice to fresh fish pieces of Katla when my father brought a whole big fresh fish from the market. So I was left with a bowl of fresh fish eggs and even being dead tired I could not resist myself from making this simple and relishing dish. It was a delicious dinner served on my table with this “Macher Dimer borar jhol” along with piping hot steamed rice!

            Fish eggs are deep fried, and then a simple light yet flavourful stew is made out of onion, ginger, garlic, chilli, cumin and some other spices along with some good ol’ potato cubes. Every Bengali knows the importance and nostalgic feeling associated with the “aalu” in his/her “jhol” or Biryani!

            Preparation time: 10 minutes

            Cooking Time: 30 minutes

            Serve: 3 people

            This dish is a perfect staple for hot summer day as this requires very less efforts or hazards to prepare and cook. And also the ingredients used here are most common ingredients of any kitchen. This recipe is healthy and rich in protein.

Ingredients:

§  Fish eggs 200 grams

§  Onion one chopped , 1 made into paste

§  Ginger paste 1 ½ spoon

§  Garlic crushed 7-8 cloves

§  Red chilli powder 1 spoon

§  Green chilli paste 1 spoon

§  Tomato 1 chopped

§  Oil 2 spoon for frying eggs and 2 spoon for gravy

§  Bay leaves 2 small

§  Turmeric 2 spoon

§  Garam masala ½ spoon

§  Water 1 cup

§  Salt as per taste

§  Sugar ¼ spoon

Method:

1.     Wash the fish eggs gently and mix salt and turmeric.

2.     Heat oil in a pan and fry them in small ball like shapes. Keep aside. Fry the potatoes and keep aside.

3.     Now heat remaining oil in same pan, add bay leave. Add the garlic and fry until raw aroma goes away.

4.     Add onion and fry until golden brown. Add tomato and fry until soft.

5.     Now add the ginger paste, turmeric powder, chilli powder, sugar and salt.

6.     Now lower the heat, keep stirring the whole mixture. This is called “Koshano” in Bengali. If the mixture feels dry add a little water. Do this for 3-4 minutes.

7.     Add water and potatoes. Cover the pan. Cook for 10 minutes or until the potatoes are cooked well.

8.     Now add the fried eggs and simmer for 5-8 minutes.

9.     Sprinkle the garam masala and cover the pan for 2-3 minutes.

10.  The dish is ready. Garnish and serve with hot steamed rice.

When you are in absolute doubt what to do with leftover fish eggs this dish is the perfect example for you. Try this at home and enjoy a light delicious dish.

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If you loved this recipe you may also love Macher Matha Die Lau Ghonto .

Did you try this recipe?

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Thank you so much!

XOXO 

Kasturi.