Indian & South Asian · Lunch · Dinner
Bengali Fish Curry with Potatoes
মাছের ঝোল (Macher Jhol)
A light, soupy Bengali fish curry where gently seared carp steaks simmer with potatoes, cauliflower and tomato in a turmeric- and cumin-scented broth. It is comforting, fragrant and made with far less oil than the traditional deep-fried version.
- Prep
- 20 min
- Cook
- 30 min
- Total
- 50 min
- Serves
- 4
Calories come from: Carbs 29% · Fat 39% · Protein 32%
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Ingredients
For 4 servings- 8 medium steaks (about 500 g)Rohu or carp steaks, bone-in
- 2 medium300 gPotatoes, peeled and cut into thick batons
- 2 cups200 gCauliflower florets
- 1 medium120 gTomato, chopped
- 1 1/2 tbsp20 gMustard oil
- 1 tspGround turmeric
- 1 tsp6 gSalt
- 1/2 tspCumin seeds
- 1 tspGround cumin
- 1 tspGround coriander
- 1 tspKashmiri chilli powder
- 1 tbsp15 gFresh ginger, grated
- 3 small15 gGreen chillies, slit
- 2 1/2 cups600 gWater
- 3 tbsp8 gFresh coriander leaves, chopped
Steps
- 1
Rinse the fish steaks and pat them dry.
- 2
Rub the fish with half the turmeric and a quarter of the salt, then rest for 10 minutes.
- 3
In a small bowl, mix the remaining turmeric, ground cumin, ground coriander, chilli powder and grated ginger with 3 tbsp of the water to make a paste.
- 4
Heat 2 tsp of the mustard oil in a wide non-stick pan over medium-high heat until it just starts to smoke.
- 5
Sear the fish for about 2 minutes per side until lightly golden, then lift it out onto a plate.
- 6
Add the remaining oil to the pan and lower the heat to medium.
- 7
Add the cumin seeds and green chillies and stir for 30 seconds until fragrant.
- 8
Add the potatoes and cauliflower and sauté for 4–5 minutes until lightly browned at the edges.
- 9
Stir in the spice paste and cook for 1 minute, adding a splash of water if it sticks.
- 10
Add the tomato and cook for 3 minutes until it softens.
- 11
Pour in the rest of the water, add the remaining salt and bring to a boil.
- 12
Cover and simmer for 12 minutes until the potatoes are almost tender.
- 13
Slide the fish into the broth, cover and simmer for 6–7 minutes until it flakes easily and reaches 63 °C / 145 °F inside.
- 14
Taste for salt, scatter over the coriander leaves and serve hot.
Swaps, storage and make-ahead
Swaps
- Use firm white fish steaks such as cod, haddock or tilapia instead of rohu if carp is hard to find.
- Swap the cauliflower for cubed eggplant (aubergine) or green beans for a different vegetable mix.
- Use cold-pressed rapeseed or another neutral oil instead of mustard oil for a milder flavour.
- Replace the green chillies with half a green bell pepper to keep the colour while reducing the heat.
Storage
Refrigerate leftovers in a covered container within 2 hours and eat within 3 days, reheating gently until steaming hot. Freezing is not recommended, as the potatoes turn grainy and the fish can become dry.
Make ahead
Peel and cut the potatoes (keep them in cold water) and mix the spice paste up to a day ahead, storing both covered in the fridge. You can also rub the fish with turmeric and salt a few hours ahead and keep it chilled until searing.
Nutrition values are for the recipe as written.
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Allergens and nutrition
Contains: FishMustard
Check the labels of packaged ingredients for allergens and suitability for your diet.
Full nutrition
| Per serving (449 g) | Per 100 g | |
|---|---|---|
| Calories | 269 kcal | 60 kcal |
| Protein | 22.2 g | 4.9 g |
| Carbohydrates | 19.4 g | 4.3 g |
| of which sugars | 2.7 g | 0.6 g |
| Fiber | 3.8 g | 0.8 g |
| Fat | 11.6 g | 2.6 g |
| of which saturated | 1.9 g | 0.4 g |
| Sodium | 665 mg | 148 mg |
Nutrition is calculated from USDA FoodData Central data and may differ from what you cook.
