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.
Before you even get to the recipe, you should know that the mourola macher bati chorchori is a dish that requires minimal preparation and cooks very quickly.
The dish & the flavor
One mouthful with the rice and you feel the softness of the fish intermingle with the potatoes that has the pungent mustard leaving its trail while a note of sourness from the tomato lingers.
You just need a handful of ingredients and the end result is your dining hall filled with a sweet aroma from the cooked fish and with a hint of the pungency from the mustard.
Basics of the Recipe
For both my Bengali speaking and non-Bengali speaking readers, here are a couple of answers to the most widely-asked questions on the recipe.
What is a Bati Chorchori?
In Bengali ‘bati’ means a bowl.
As I had mentioned in my Chhyachra recipe, ‘chorchori’ is a mixed vegetable curry.
Bati chorchori is thus a mixed vegetable cooked in a bowl. The process is pretty simple. You add in the required veggies in the bowl along with spice powders and mustard paste and allow the curry to cook on a low flame.
To ensure that the vegetables are well done, you have to ensure that they are not cut thick. Also, not a lot of spice goes in such recipes. The most-used spice is turmeric. Cumin and coriander spice powders are normally not used in this recipe.
When you add fish to the recipe, you get a more flavorful dish. The steam ensures that the flavors are properly infused within each ingredient in the bowl.
Traditionally, the mourola macher bati chorchori or any bati chorchori is cooked covered on a low flame. But I have also seen people cooking it uncovered.
What Fishes Can You Consider instead of the Mourola for the Mourola Macher Bati Chorchori?
I have used mourola because I was elated to see them in the fish market. One of the pain points that many people have with small fishes like mourola is cleaning them which is a time consuming process.
I have now and then, also settled for smaller sizes of another fish (the name of which I do not remember) to avoid the cleaning process which involves making a slit in the stomach and taking out the guts.
You can choose any small-sized fish. Many people also settle in for prawn which technically is an insect and not a fish.
I have also seen people using rohu and catla, but I have never tried.
Important!
It is fine if your end result appears a mish-mash, it will still taste good. The fish is soft, so it is only natural that the fish will seem to disappear. But once you start eating, you will relish the flavors, definitely!
Let’s get cooking now!
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
- Bowl for preparation and cooking, or a saucepan/wok
- Serving Bowls
Ingredients
- 250 g mourola fish alternatively, use any small-sized fish
- 1 pc medium-sized potato
- 1 pc medium-sized onion
- 1 pc medium-sized tomato
- 5 pc green chilies
- 2 tsp turmeric powder
- 2 tbsp mustard oil
- 1 tsp nigella seeds (kalo jeere or kalonji)
- salt to taste
Instructions
Preparation for the Machher Bati Chorchori
- Clean the fish properly and allow the excess water to drain off
- Cut the potatoes in thin strips as shown in the picture
- Finely chop the onions and slice the onions
- Slit the green chilies
- In a bowl, or saucepan or wok, take all the ingredients mentioned and mix properly. Do not squeeze and apply too much pressure, that might break the fishes
Cooking the Fish Bati Chorchori
- Put the bowl (or saucepan/wok) on the flame
- Allow this to cook on low flame for 15 minutes
- Check in between to ensure that the bottom of the vessel does not burn the dish
- Check the seasonings and adjust
- Put off the flame, allow to rest for a couple of minutes
- Serve hot with steaming hot rice
Notes
- The recipe traditionally considers small fishes that are caught from local ponds and sold on the same day in the market
- You can include prawns as well for the recipe
- Ensure that the potatoes are cut in thin strips. Remember that the fish is small and soft while potato is a vegetable that takes time to cook
- You can add in more green chilies if you prefer more heat. Normally, people prefer to have a medium level of pungency for this dish
- Do not replace red chilly powder instead of green chilies. Green chilies have a pungent flavor which makes this dish stand out. Adding red chilly powder can cause serious throat burn
- Once the dish is done and you have put off the flame, chop a sprig of coriander leaves and add it on top of the dish. Immediately cover it and allow it to rest for another 5 minutes. This will help to increase the flavor profile. I did not add it, as I did not have it with me while cooking the dish