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.
Rui macher jhol (রুই মাছের ঝোল) or rohu fish (Wiki Link) curry is an almost everyday affair in a Bengali kitchen.
Rui or rohu finds mention in the earliest texts of the Indian civilization and is considered an important fish.
This fresh water fish is inexpensive, available live in the local markets; which is why it is the most commonly purchased fish for daily consumption in Bengal.
A simple macher jhol recipe can be made without a lot of spices, and yet be flavorsome.
The Bengali rui macher jhol recipe is a simple, light, non-spicy fish curry that you can whip up in a very short time. It is not harsh on the palette as is the nature of a jhol.
A jhol is a Bengali term for watery thin, light and non-spicy gravy – something fit for everyday consumption.
However, you could also cook a spicy, explode-in-the-mouth flavorful rui kalia.
Getting Your Bengali Rui Macher Jhol Perfect
A no-frills recipe, yet there are important aspects to the dish if you are cooking this for the first time.
How to make your macher jhol a near-perfect experience?
The Fish Fillet
Get a fresh fish. The fresher the fish, the better would be the flavors in the Bengali macher jhol.
A very easy way to find if the fish is freshly caught or kept in ice since eternity is to check the eyes. If the eyes appear bright, it is freshly caught.
If the eyes appear dull and/or dusky, it would be best to avoid.
Whenever, I purchase a fish I always ensure the following, and this may serve you as general guidelines for most of your Bengali macher jhol recipes –
- Go for a live fish, else check for its freshness
- Get fishes that do not have eggs. Sign of eggs in the fish indicates low or lesser flavor in the fish. Of course, you can use the fish egg to cook heavenly-tasting fritters.
- It must weigh less than 1.5 kgs for the best flavors
Is Rohu Good for Fry or Curry?
Rohu is a versatile, inexpensive, widely available fish that tastes equally good when fried or cooked in a curry.
There are several ways to fry the fish.
The Bengalis prefer a light marinate of turmeric powder and salt on the fish and then fry it in mustard oil. Down South, people smother the fish with many other spices like cumin, coriander, pepper, red chili powder, etc.
For cooking a rohu fish curry in Bengali style, lightly fry the fish till golden and preferably use mustard oil.
Vegetables in Your Rui Macher Jhol Recipe
A rui macher jhol can be cooked without any vegetables, however, Bengalis love potatoes with their non vegetarian affairs.
There are several vegetables that you may add apart from potatoes.
- Pointed gourd (পটল)
- Ridge gourd (ঝিঙে)
- Cauliflower (ফুলকপি) – Makes for a delicious winter favorite of fulkopi diye rui macher jhol
- Papaya (পেঁপে)
- Beans (বরবটি বা বিন্স)
Aloo (আলু) Diye Rui Macher Jhol
The most common variant of rui macher jhol in Bengal has potatoes cut vertically into 4 to 6 pieces (depending on the size of the potato) and cooked in a light gravy.
Fulkopi (ফুলকপি) Diye Rui Macher Jhol Recipe
A winter favorite for many.
Cauliflower or fulkopi in Bengali is blanched and the florets are fried lightly. They are added to a simmering gravy of rohu fish or rui mach and allowed to cook till the flavors develop.
The Use of Spice in Rui Macher Jhol
Over the past many months I have gone low and slow into adding spices to my curries and jhol.
In this particular recipe, the only dry spice I have used is turmeric powder while the only wet spice I have used is ginger paste.
Traditionally, you may add in a pinch of cumin as well while cooking this jhol.
In rural Bengal, ripe (red) chilis are ground to a paste and added to give the gravy a reddish appearance.
Coriander powder and garam masala are generally not used as they interfere with the flavors of the simple macher jhol recipe.
While nigella seeds are used for tempering, you may also substitute with cumin seeds.
At the end of the cooking, you may add finely chopped coriander leaves.
Savoring the Bengali Macher Jhol
Get a bowl of steaming hot rice. Not necessarily basmati (why dig a hole in your pocket unnecessarily?).
Pour the rui macher jhol liberally on the rice along with the veggies (if you have added).
Using your fingers, mash the vegetables with the rice, mix in with the jhol.
Enjoy!
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
- 1 Knife & Chopping Board
- 1 Wok & Spatula
- Preparation & serving bowls
Ingredients
For Frying the Fish
- 4 pc rui (rohu) fish, cut around 250 g
- 1/3 tsp turmeric powder
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 4 tsp mustard oil
For the Rui Macher Jhol
- 2 pc green chili
- 1 tsp nigella seeds (kalo jeere)
- 1 tsp ginger paste
- 1/3 tsp turmeric powder
- 1 pc potato optional
- 2 pc pointed gourd or potol optional
- 2 pc medium-sized tomato or 1 large tomato
- 2 cup water
- salt to taste
Instructions
Preparation for the Rui Macher Jhol (10 minutes)
- In a bowl take the fish, and add the turmeric powder and salt, as mentioned under "For Frying the Fish", Allow to rest for 10 minutes and proceed with the rest of the preparation
- Slice the green chilies and chop the tomatoes into cubes
- If you have fresh ginger at home, take 2 inch of the ginger and make it into a fine paste
- Peel the potatoes and slice the potatoes in bigger wedges
- If you are using the pointed gourd (or potol), cut them vertically into halves
Frying the Fish (10 minutes)
- Put on the wok and turn on the flame. Ensure the flame is on medium
- Once the wok heats up, add in the mustard oil as mentioned under "For Frying the Fish"
- When the oil starts smoking, lower the flamer and add in the marinated pieces of fish
- Allow to fry for a couple of minutes on one side and then turn over and fry for 1-2 minutes
- Once the fish is fried, separate from oil and keep aside. Repeat for all the pieces. You may add multiple fillets at one go, depending on the size of your wok
Cooking the Aloo Diye Rui Macher Jhol (30-35 minutes)
- In the same wok, you may prepare the rest of the dish. No more oil is needed
- Ensure that the flame is low. Add in the sliced green chilies and nigella seeds. Saute for 15-20 seconds.
- Drop in the potaotes and saute for 2-3 minutes
- If you are using pointed gourds, add them and saute for another 2-3 minutes
- Add in the chopped tomato and turmeric powder. Cook on a low to medium flame till the tomatoes turn into a mash. At this point the potato and pointed gourd will be properly cooked
- Add in the water. Once the water comes to a boil add in the salt and check for seasonings. Adjust if needed
- At this point, if you have fish head (macher muro), add it in the jhol (gravy) and cook covered for 10 minutes. The head has a lot of deliciousness and this enriches the flavor of the dish
- Drop in the fish fillets very carefully one by one and allow to simmer on a low flame for another 10 minutes
- At the end of it, add in the ginger paste and give it a nice stir [See Notes]
- Switch off the flame and allow it to rest. Serve hot with freshly prepared rice and a wedge of lemon
Notes
- You may also add slit green chilies when the fish is simmering in the gravy
- Red chili powder can be added if you want a red color to the gravy, however, I have not used it in the recipe. It is also not good for health
- You may tear up or chop a few sprigs of coriander leaves and throw in the rui macher macher jhol at the end and keep covered till it is time to serve. This is not a mandatory step
- In this recipe, I have added the ginger paste towards the end of the cooking process. Unless you are using store bought ginger paste (which I do not recommend), this gives a subtle aroma to the dish from the fresh ginger paste. If you are uncomfortable, you can add in the ginger paste along with the potato
- You can add several other vegetables to this recipe like cauliflower (fulkopi) and make a delicious fulkopi diye rui macher jhol. For this, steam the cauliflower florets for a couple of minutes before proceeding with the rest of the recipe
- Frying the cauliflower while cooking the fulkopi diye rui macher jhol also helps in improving the flavor profile of the dish
- At the end of the cooking, you may add finely chopped coriander leaves.
Very nice job! Lots of good wishes for you.
I am a Punjabi and tried this-absolutely love it and so does my family! Please publish more recipes🙏
Rohu fish has excellent nutritional value when compared to other freshwater fish and Like other marine fish and this fish is high in protein and low in fat and Rohu fish are also rich in omega-three fatty acids