Boal maach-er jhaal (using 1/2 tsp oil)

Date: 02-August-2020

Thought: Have you ever imagined any fish curry (for 5 people) with just 1/2 tsp of oil? No. Right? Guys this is a unique recipe I made for people like me who just wants to avoid as much as oil as possible.

Boal maach a.k.a Wallago attu is a freshwater catfish of the family Siluridae, native to South and Southeast Asia. It is commonly known as helicopter catfish or wallago catfish. (Info Source: Wikipedia). Many people like this fish since it's a single bone fish and also doesn't have scale. So, basically easy to clean, prepare and eat.

Ingredients:

• 5-7 pieces of boal fish
• 1/2 tsp of mustard oil
• 3-4 tsp of curd
• 2 tsp of chilli powder
• Some green chillies chopped 
• 1 medium tomato paste
• 2-3 tsp of ginger-garlic paste
• 1/3 tsp kalonji or black cumin
• Some chopped coriander leaves
• 1.5 tsp of turmeric powder
• Salt and sugar as per taste

Method:

• Marinate the fish pieces with 1/2 tsp of mustard oil, some salt, turmeric powder and chilli powder. Rest for 10-15 minutes.
• Take a non-stick pan with lid (since this is scale less fish, it sizzles a lot while frying and you can hurt yourself) and heat it (low-medium flame). Then add the fish pieces carefully and cover it. (Don't add any more oil and don't overlap the pieces.)
• Sir fry till they are golden brown and the pieces starts to leave oil.
• Take the pieces out in a plate. Add the black cumin seeds and red chilli powder to the pan. (No need to add extra oil, the fish oil is enough).
• Mix curd, ginger garlic paste and green chillies in a bowl.
• Add this mix to the pan. Stir till the mix starts leaving oil. Add turmeric powder, salt and sugar as per taste. Add water as per your gravy consistency requirement. Lastly, add the chopped coriander leaves.
• Add the fish pieces once it starts to boil. Cook for 5-6 minutes more.
• Serve hot with rice.