About The Author
Hello! From Chuchura (in Hooghly District) and a foodie, I created this blog with a mission to preserve the food of the land; with a message to encourage and promote clean and real food. I hope you enjoy and gain out of this blog, happy reading!
Looking forward to read and hear your feedback.
Famously called ‘Chhyachra‘ in Bengali, this is one of the most loved fish head recipes for the Bengalis around the world.
Synonymous to ‘macher matha diye pui shak chorchori‘ or simply ‘macher matha diye pui shak torkari‘, the dish is also widely prepared in Odisha and is locally called ‘chencheda‘. Thank you Ayashkant for helping me recollect the name in Odia.
The Flavors of Chhyachra Revealed!
Chhyachra is delicious – has the sweetness from the malabar spinach and fish heads, the pungency from the garlic and mustard oil and an imperfect but tasty blend from the vegetables used – particularly pumpkin and malabar spinach
For my non-Bengali readers, this is a mix vegetable curry that uses fried fish heads to impart a delicious flavor to the curry.
Do You Know the Basics of the Chhyachra
In this section, you will find answers to some frequently asked questions on the dish that first timers generally ask.
What is a Chorchori?
Chorchori is a Bengali term for a mix vegetable curry. The major vegetables included in a chorchori include radish, pumpkin, brinjal or egg plant, spinach and potato.
This is basically a mish-mash recipe where each vegetable blend in with the others to impart a never-to-forget deliciousness on the plate.
Depending on the occasion a chorchori can be made with onion and garlic or without it.
How to Choose the Fish Head for this Recipe?
The recipe works best with the head from Hilsa fish or Ilish mach. If it’s a celebratory occasion, this is what most people procure to cook the dish.
The following fishes impart the best flavors in order of their decreasing flavor profile.
- Hilsa or Ilish
- Bekti or Bhetki
- Catla or Katla
- Pangas
- Rohu or Rui
However, Hilsa is a seasonal fish available mostly during the monsoon. And it is extremely expensive.
The best alternative to Hilsha would be Bekti or Bhetki in Bengali. Though not as expensive as the Hilsha, Betki is priced above the average fish.
In such a scenario, Katla or Catla is the most preferred fish. It is widely available round the year and does not burn a hole in your pocket.
While Hilsha, Bekti, Catla take up the first three spots, you can include the fish heads from Rohu (or Rui), Pangas, among others.
What Greens to Use Instead of Malabar Spinach or Pui Shaak in Chhyachra?
For the Chhyachra, malabar spinach works best. However, malabar spinach is a seasonal green and it may not be available regularly, depending on where you stay.
In such a scenario, you can use regular spinach (palang saag or palong shaak). You may also use leaves and tender stems from pumpkin and bottle gourd plants (creepers) as well.
What Vegetables to Use for this Fish Head Chorchori or Chhyachra?
You can use potatoes and pumpkin like I have done in this recipe. These are the major vegetables. You can also use radish and sweet potato as well.
Do not use brinjal or egg plant, papaya, gourds.
Now that you know the basics, it’s time to cook up this fish head curry or chhyachra.
Note
The equipment & ingredient quantity provided in this recipe is to assist you in cooking this dish. Feel free to experiment with your ingredients. Remember that we all have different set, size & shape of kitchen tools in our pantry.
Equipment
- Knife
- Preparation Bowls
- Wok
- Spatula
- Serving Bowls
Ingredients
- 2 pc whole fish head cut into halves
- 100 g mustard oil adjust the quantity of the oil according to the size of the wok
Vegetables
- 500 g Pui Shak or Malabar Spinach
- 2 pc medium-sized potatoes
- 150 g pumpkin
- 1 pc large onion or 2 medium-sized onions
Spices & Others for Chyachra (Bengali Fish Head Curry with Malabar Spinach)
- 1 tsp panch phoron
- 3 pc dried red chilly
- 2 inch ginger
- 4 pc garlic cloves
- 2 tsp turmeric powder
- salt to taste
- 1 tbsp sugar
- 1 ltr water for blancing the malabar spinach (pui shaak)
Instructions
Preparation for the Bengali Fish Head Curry (Macher Matha Diye Torkari) – 30 Minutes
- Marinade the fish heads with turmeric and salt
- From the 3 dried red chilies, take 2 and soak it in water
- Chop the garlic and ginger
- Separate the leaves from the stems of the pui shaak (malabar spinach). Chop the stems into pieces of 2-inch each
- Take a wok and add water to it. Put on the flame and add the stems
- After a couple of minutes, add the leaves of the malabar spinach
- Allow to simmer and blanch for around 5 minutes. Discard the water and allow the leaves and stems to cool
- Chop the leaves of the pui shaak
- In a mixie, take the two red chilies and add the chopped ginger and garlic to it. Make it into a fine paste
- Slice the onions
Cooking the Macher Matha with Pui Shaak (Fish Head Curry with Malabar Spinach)
- Take a wok and add oil to it.
- Once the oil starts to smoke, lower the flame and fry the fish heads in batches
- Once you find that the fish heads are fried, use the sharp end of your spatula to break the head into multiple pieces and give it a nice stir to coat with the oil and spices (turmeric and salt). Take care to ensure that you do not end up splashing the hot oil over your face and eyes. Alternatively, you can break it with your palm once the fried fish heads cool down
- In the same wok, check for the amount of oil. The left-over oil from frying the fish head has a lot of flavor in it, so do not discard or throw it away. If needed add more oil. We will need a total of 2 tbsp to cook the dish
- Add the Panch Phoran and dried red chilly
- Once the whole spices start spluttering and the red chilly appears dark, add the ginger-garlic-chilli paste to it
- Stir and add the onions. Allow this to fry to for a couple of minutes
- Add the potatoes and cook covered
- After 10 minutes, add the pumpkins Cook covered
- Once the potatoes and pumpkins are 90% done (takes another 10 minutes), add the stems of the Pui Shaak or Malabar Spinach. Give it a nice stir and cook for 5 minutes, covered
- Add the leaves of the Pui Shaak and cook for another 5-10 minutes
- Add salt and sugar
- Add the fish head pieces and stir continuously over a high flame for 2-3 minutes
- Reduce the flame to medium and cook covered for another 10 minutes
- Check for seasonings. Adjust if required
- Put off the flame and allow to rest for another 10 minutes
- Serve hot with rice
Notes
- Properly clean the malabar spinach to remove any dirt. I have included the steps to blanch the stems and leaves to ensure that the leaves are free from any dust
- If malabar spinach isn’t available you can use regular spinach available in the market
- The best flavor comes from hilsa and betki. If you can avail, go ahead and use it
- The recipe primarily uses malabar spinach and loads of fish head to provide the maximum flavor. You can reduce the quantity of both and add more vegetables, depending upon your personal choice
- Do not use spice powders like cumin and coriander for this recipe, they cut down the flavors from the spinach and fish head
Thank you for the recipe.
I am just learning to cook and your instructions helped me a lot.
Happy that you could follow the steps. Hope you enjoyed the dish.
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At our home, I learnt the recipe from my mother-in-law and she never uses onion, garlic and always adds cumin and coriander powder. This a vegetarian version of the recipe and I like it madly.
You are correct. The vegetarian version of the dish is mostly had as a ‘prasad’. And in Bengal, a prasad never uses onion and garlic in it. It tastes delicious as you rightly pointed out.