Fish curry with Curry leaves / Curry Pata Diye Macher Jhol

I open up the fridge in the middle of the night. I smell caramel sauce. I smell the leftover egg curry, the just done leftover tandoori chicken and the bottle of half finished chicken pickle (my new obsession), the 2 weeks old bread loaf and the dull but strong smell of vegetables. Sometimes I just open up the fridge and stand. Nothing tempts me to eat but I stare still to all the foods stacked inside. Then I look at the jar of Curry leaves. I open it and a take a deep breath. It’s so soothing. I feel at peace. Then I close the door and go back to sleep. Seeing and smelling is better than eating you know!!! It doesn’t give you calories.

Although cooking with curry leaves are such a South Indian thing but many Bengalis love to cook with them. Like my aunt..my mami, she loves to make fish curries with curry leaves. According to her if you do “phoron” / tempering with curry leaves it leaves a beautiful aroma and that just revives an everyday curry.

Temper the oil with hing / asafoetida, curry leaves, onions, garlic, ginger and green chillies and saute till the onions are golden.

Add tomatoes and cook till they release oil.

Add the spices and cook.

Add water, curry leaves and fried fish and cook till he gravy reaches your desired consistency.

So ting...titing..tinggg!!!! I am sharing my recipe of Fish curry with Curry leaves. Nothing fancy, just plain old “macher jhol” with a steady tempering of “curry pata / leaves”. I love it. Because mainly I become almost fanatic with curry leaves. Their aroma is the best according me. If I had my way they would have started going in each and every dish. But it’s too bad it’s not only me who eats food in my home...so I also have to take care of their taste as well.. Poor me!!!

Curry Pata Diye Macher Jhol / Fish Curry with Curry leaves

Serves 4

Ingredients:

4 pieces of fish – any kind, just the one you like to eat.

1 small onion – chopped

1 medium tomato – chopped

4 garlic cloves – paste / minced

½ inch stick of ginger – paste / minced

A pinch of hing / asafoetida

10-12 curry leaves

1 tsp cumin seeds

2 tsp turmeric powder

2-3 tsp red chilli powder

1 tsp cumin powder

1 tsp coriander powder

½ tsp garam masala powder

A handful of fresh coriander leaves – chopped

2 whole green chillies – roughly chopped

Salt

2 tbsp oil

Method:

Rub 1 tsp turmeric powder and salt on the pieces of fish.

Heat oil in a pan / kadai and fry them until they are nicely golden on both the sides.

Once done, take them out of the kadai / pan and keep aside.

In the same oil add the chopped onions, garlic, ginger, hing / asafoetida, half of the curry leaves and chopped green chillies.

Sauté for 3-4 minutes or until the onions become a little golden.

Then add in the chopped tomatoes and cook until they become mushy and start to release oil.

Now sprinkle some salt, rest of the turmeric powder, red chilli powder, cumin powder and coriander powder.

Saute for 2 minutes to ward off the smell of the raw spice powder and then add ½ cup of water.

Mix in and put cover to let them form a nice gravy.

Open the cover after 2-3 minutes and add in another 1 and ½ cup of water. Put the fried pieces of fish and rest of the curry leaves into them.

Put cover again and simmer for another 3-5 minutes or until the curry reaches your desired consistency.

Taste and adjust the seasoning and put off the flame.

Finally sprinkle the chopped coriander leaves and garam masala powder over them and serve hot with some hot steamed rice.