Kalia To Paturi, Relish Authentic Bengali Fish Dishes At Home With These Easy Recipes

Bengali cuisine is renowned for its delicious fish delicacies, which are a staple of the region's cuisine. Bengalis take great pride in their seafood, which is prepared using a range of cooking techniques and spices, resulting in a variety of flavors and textures. However, not everyone has access to authentic Bengali fish dishes, or the ability to travel to Bengal to experience them.

With the help of these easy-to-follow recipes, you can now recreate the taste of authentic Bengali fish dishes in the comfort of your own home. Here are some simple and delicious recipes that are sure to satisfy your cravings for Bengali fish.

Fish Paturi

According to food historians, the word "paturi" derives from the word "patri," which means a slab of stone, and refers to the way that paturi is cooked in a flat layer over low heat, frequently in a leaf parcel.

Don't Miss: A Love Letter To Tabu: The Enduring Magic She Brings To Her Characters

For this dish, take the boneless fillet of bhetki, hilsa, or rohu and marinate with mustard paste, coconut paste, green chilli, poppy seeds paste, mustard oil, turmeric, and salt. Wrap the marinated fish fillet in a banana leaf, tie it, and cook it in steam on a low flame. This delicious unique dish is a must-have on almost all special occasions.

Fish Kalia

This dish is usually prepared with rohu or katla (catla), both of which are popular freshwater fishes in West Bengal. Take medium-sized pieces of the fish, marinate them with turmeric and salt for a minimum of 30 minutes and fry well in oil first. Fry some onions in oil till brown and keep them aside along with the fried fish. Meanwhile, take some more onion, ginger, garlic, tomatoes, green chillies and grind them in a mixer. Take a pan, add dried red chillies, bay leaves, whole garam masala - cardamom, cloves, and cinnamon, and whole cumin seeds - and temper in ghee. Add the onion and ginger paste and keep frying it till it darkens in colour and the moisture dries up and starts oozing out oil. Add dry powdered spices such as coriander, cumin, red chilli, turmeric, and salt and fry for some time. Add the fish, add some water and cook it for sometime before topping it with the fried onions.

Shorshe Maachh or Fish In Mustard Curry

Almost all fishes can be cooked with mustard. The most important part of this dish is soaking the mustard and poppy seeds powder or whole mustard and poppy seeds in water for at least 30 minutes with salt. Then grind it to make a thick paste out of it. Meanwhile, the fish has to be marinated in salt and turmeric powder. Then, take a pan, add oil, green chillies, and a few mustard seeds. Add the paste and cook for some time before adding the fish in it. Next, cook the fish in the gravy for around eight to 10 minutes before serving.

Don't Miss: Ishaan Khatter: From Beyond The Clouds To A Suitable Boy, He Is Here To Stay

Prawn Malaikari

This is another must-find at a Bengali wedding or any other Bong occasion. This dish is prepared with medium-sized prawns cooked in mustard, poppy seeds, and coconut paste along with coconut milk and other spices. First, marinate the prawns in turmeric powder and salt. In a pan, add dried red chillies, bay leaves, whole garam masala - cardamom, cloves, and cinnamon, and whole cumin seeds - in ghee. Add onion and ginger paste and cook until brown. Add turmeric powder, red chilli powder and a little coconut milk. Add slit green chillies, beaten yoghurt and stir for three to four minutes. Add some more coconut milk and fried prawns and cook for another five minutes before serving.