Keyword: Bengali Tamarind Fish Curry, Katla Macher Tok, Tangy Fish Curry
Servings: 4people
Author: Samrat Roy Chowdhuri
Cost: ₹ 95
Equipment
Knife
Preparation Bowls
Mixie
Wok
Spatula
Serving Bowls
Ingredients
300gfish
6tspmustard oil
2pcdry red chilies
1tsppanch phoron
4pcgreen chilies slit from middle
2tspturmeric powderone tbsp each for marinading the fish and cooking the curry
salt as per taste
3tspsugar
1cupwatersmall tea cup is considered
Spice Mix for the Macher Tok
2pcdry red chilies
2tsppanch phoron
For Tamarind Mix
50gtamarind pulpsoaked in water and strained to get the liquid only
1cuphot watersmall tea cup is considered
Instructions
Prepare the Tamarind Mix
In a bowl, add hot water as mentioned under "For Tamarind Mix"
Add the tamarind pulp as mentioned under "For Tamarind Mix" and mix properly using your fingers
Discard the seeds and any non-edible fibres to get a clear dark brown liquid. You will need this for the Bengali tangy fish curry
Preparation for the Macher Tok
Marinade the fish with turmeric and salt
In a wok lightly roast the ingredients mentioned under "Spice Mix for the Macher Tok". Put this in a mixie and prepare a coarse powder
Cooking the Macher Tok
Take a wok and add oil to it
Once the oil starts to smoke, ensure that the flame is set to medium
Add the fish pieces in batches and fry on each side till crispy on the outer edges. This takes around 10 minutes for all the fishes. Keep the fried fishes aside
Add the dry red chilies and panch phoron spices in the oil
Once the spices emit their aroma, add the slit green chilies
Add the tamarind pulp liquid/juice and give it a nice stir
Once this comes to a boil, add the turmeric and salt
Add water and bring this to a boil, add the sugar
Add in the fish pieces and allow this to simmer for 10 minutes
Add the spice mix prepared in the previous step and give this a nice stir
By this time, the gravy should appear less runny and have a body to it
Put off the flame, allow to rest for sometime
Serve hot with rice towards the end of the meal
Notes
This is a tangy, yet spicy gravy. You can reduce the amount of chilies if you want less heat