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.
The Koi Tel Jhal recipe is a very dear fish recipe for most Bengalis.
Flavors From the Dish
A lot of oil goes into this dish. The gravy appears greasy with a dark color, with amazing flavors from the fish and the freshly made cumin paste.
This dish is very easy to cook and goes best with rice.
Koi is also called as Kau in Odia, and I was pleasantly surprised when I saw the live fishes in the Sunday market. I had woken up by 7 AM to ensure that I do not miss out on the prized catch.
Arkadip guided me through the market which was a couple of kilometres away from where I stay.
In Bhubaneswar (and I hope the same applies to most places in Odisha), the local fish markets sell only on Wednesday, Friday and Sunday. And Sunday sees the most crowd and the best catch.
We reached the market around 8 AM and was worried to see a lot of demand for the Koi (localled called Kau).
Buying the Right Koi Fish
At the market, I was pretty aghast to see people buy the bigger pieces of Koi fish.
I was very happy to get the smaller pieces, indeed that is what I had made up mind for. I will tell you why.
Rohu and Katla (or Bhakura) has an increasing flavor profile with size. The bigger the size, the better the flavors. It’s the opposite with many local fishes like the Koi (or Kau). With the Koi, the smaller the size, the better are the flavors in the gravy.
Note that the smaller fishes have more bones (knata) in them and they are thinner. If you want to avoid the thin bones, you can go for bigger sizes.
It’s a tradeoff – smaller fishes will have more intense flavor with a lot of thin bones, while the bigger sizes will have more flesh and less of the thin bones
You should also remember that the second most important factor that decides the taste of this dish is the spice mix that you prepare.
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 for chopping
- Wok for frying and cooking
- Ladle
- Mixer and grinder (or mortal pestle)
- Bowls/Plates for Preparation
- Serving Bowls/Plates
Ingredients
- 500 g Koi Fish (Kau macha in Odia)
For Spice Paste
- 1 tbsp whole cumin seeds
- 2 inch ginger
- 3 pc red chilly
- 2 pc green chilly
For Frying the Fish and Preparing the Curry
- 7 tbsp mustard oil
- 1 tsp nigella seeds (or kalo jeere)
- 2 tsp turmeric powder
- 4 pc green chillies, slit in half length-wise
- 2 cups water
- salt to taste
For the Fish Marinade
- 2 tbsp turmeric powder
- 2 tsp salt
- 2 tsp mustard oil
Instructions
Prepare Spice Paste and Marinade the Fish (10 Minutes)
- Soak the cumin seeds and red chillies for an hour. If you are running short of time you can soak them in hot water for 15 minutes too
- Peel the ginger
- In a mixer-grinder prepare a paste of cumin seeds, green chilies, soaked chilies, ginger
- Marinade the fish with turmeric, salt and mustard oil as mentioned under "For the Fish Marinade" section. Allow it to rest for 15 minutes
Fry the Fish and Cook the Koi Tel Jhal (40 Minutes)
- Add oil to the wok
- Once the oil smokes, ensure that the flame is set to medium
- Add the koi fishes in batches and fry on each side for a couple of minutes
- Keep separate
- In the same wok, check if you have enough oil. 3-4 tbsp oil would do, else you can add
- Add nigella seeds/kalonji/kalo jeere to the oil and allow it to sizzle for a few seconds
- Add the spice paste prepared previously and cook for for a few minutes
- Stir the spice mix continuously to avoid the spices from sticking to the bottom of the pan and burning
- Add turmeric powder and cook till the spices are cooked. At this point, the spice mix should release oil
- Add water and allow this to come to a boil. Add the slit green chilies
- Add salt
- Add the fishes, cover and allow to simmer for ten minutes
- Uncover, taste the seasonings and if required, adjust
- Put off the flame
- Serve hot with rice
Notes
- The Koi fish should be smaller in size. The smaller ones have a better flavor profile
- Do not fry the fish for long, it will turn chewy
- Allow the fish to simmer for considerable amount of time to release all its flavor in the gravy. However, keep an eye on the time. You would not want the fish to lose its form
- The spice mix makes all the difference, which is why I would recommend you do make it yourself using whole spices and not buy store bought spice powders
- If you have a shil nora or batan, and willing to slog a bit, you will get the best flavors. Alternatively, use a mixie like I used
- The traditional recipe does not use coriander seeds/powder, garam masala, and tomatoes
- This recipe uses more oil and hence the ‘tel’ in the recipe name. Once the fishes are fried, you should have at least 4-5 tbsp oil in the wok
Pingback: Can You Eat Koi Fish? - Facts About Food