Aar Maach-er jhaal (Sperata Aor Fish curry)

Date: 09-August-2020

Thought: For Bengalis, Sundays are incomplete without any big fat non veg meal at lunch. Today, I created my version of Aar maacher jhaal using minimal spices.

Aar maach a.k.a Sperata Aor belongs to catfish species and has long whiskers. Like other catfishes, this kind of fish are a single boned. 

Ingredients:

• 5-6 pieces of aar maach
• 1 large onion finely chopped
• 1 medium tomato finely chopped
• 3-4 tsp of ginger garlic paste (1:3 ratio)
• Chilli and Turmeric powder
• Some chopped coriander leaves
• Salt, sugar as per taste
• 1 tsp of mustard oil

Method:

• Marinate the fish pieces with salt and turmeric powder. Take a non stick pan. Preheat it and add 1 tsp of mustard oil. When the oil is hot add the fish pieces, cover it and let it fry for 5-8 minutes on medium flames.
• Be careful while frying this kind of fish as it's a single bone  with no scales. Fry the other side of the fish pieces and take out in a bowl.
• Now add the onions and 2-3 tsp of chilli powder or as per taste. Fry till onions are dark reddish in colour. Add the chopped tomatoes and salt as per taste. 
• After 5-6 mins, add the rest of the ingredients and stir fry for another 2-4 mins. Add water as per your gravy consistency requirement. As soon as the gravy comes to boil, add the fish pieces and let it cook for sometime.
• Serve hot with rice or bread of your choice.