Keyword: Bengali fish head recipe, bengali fish recipe, dal recipe, fish head dal recipe, non veg dal recipe
Servings: 5people
Author: Samrat Roy Chowdhuri
Cost: ₹ 100
Equipment
1 Wok and spatula
1 Knife and chopping board
Ingredients
For Cooking the Moong Dal
1cupmoong dal
1/2tspturmeric powder
1/2tspsalt
waterEnough to cover the dal
2pcgreen chilisslit in half
For Frying the Fish Heads
1pcbig fish heador 2 small sized fish head
1/2tspturmeric powder
salt
4tspmustard oil
For Tempering the Machher Matha Diye Moong Dal
1tspgheeor mustard oil
1pcbayleaf
2pcwhole red chili
1/2tspwhole cumin seed
1inchgingerfinely chopped
Other Ingredients
salt to taste
2tspsugaras per taste
2cupwater
3pcgreen chili
Instructions
Cook the Dal (15-20 minutes)
In a wok add water and switch on the flame
Bring it to a boil and add the dal. Cook covered on a high flame
After 5 minutes add turmeric powder and salt
Cook covered till the dal is well cooked. This takes around 15-20 minutes.
Getting the Fish Head Ready (To be Done While the Dal is Cooking)
Marinade the fish heads with little turmeric powder and salt and keep aside for 5-10 minutes
In a wok, add mustard oil
When the oil smokes, add in the fish head one at a time depending on the size of your wok
Fry well on all sides. Take off the wok and keep aside
Allow to cool and proceed to the next steps
Cooking the Machher Matha Diye Moong Dal
Once the dal is cooked, use your spatula/ladle to mash the dal into finer consistency - this gives a creamier end-result
Add water to the dal and give it a nice stir. Bring it to a boil. The dal should not be too light or too heavy, it should have a semi-thick consistency
Break the fried fish head into smaller chunks and add to the dal
Take a couple of green chilis, slit them through the middle and throw in the dal
Add sugar
Cook covered for 5-7 minutes on a medium flame
Take off the cover, check for seasonings. Adjust if required
At this point if you want to modify the consistency of your dal, you may do so. For lighter consistency, add water and adjust the seasonings. For thicker consistency, cook for more minutes and adjust the seasonings
Tempering the Machher Matha Diye Moong Dal
In a small pan, add ghee or mustard oil
Once the pan starts smoking, add in the bayleaf. Break the dried red chilis into two and throw them in carefully
Add cumin seeds and finely chopped ginger
Once the cumin seeds have spluttered and the dried red chilis turns brownish, add them to the dal
Give the dal a nice stir and switch off the flame. Keep covered for 5-10 minutes
Serve hot with rice, jhuro aloo bhaja and a wedge of lemon (preferably gondhoraj lebu)
Notes
It is always a good practice to soak your lentils before cooking. It serves two purposes - makes the nutrients easily digestible to the body, and secondly, reduces the cooking time
The dal should not be too light or too heavy, it should have a semi-thick consistency
You can break the fish head using pestle if you own a set of mortar-pestle
As already mentioned in the blog, this recipe does not use onions, garlic and tomatoes - to ensure that the soul of the dish as authentic as possible