Chuno Macher Chorchori / Bengali Dry Vegetable Curry with Small Fishes

My inner self has woken up from its hibernation and is in deep need of the warm autumn glow on my cheeks. I need the Puja rush..."I (just) can’t keep calm because I am a Bengali and the Durga Puja is coming". All my friends and relatives are done with their shopping and I am still counting my days.

I hardly shop in Abidjan. Shopping for me is when I visit India. I dedicate almost half of my stay there in shopping. Lots of things...and innumerable combinations. That takes time, won’t you agree???We do have some nice outlets here...but I always prefer Fab India to Mango. But bags...they do have some fantastic collection of Bags. Dior, Mango, Gucci, Guess, Calvin & Klein are just to name a few. Last year I had bought a Steve Madden bag and that was so soooo gorgeous. This year...I don’t know...may be a makeup brush set will work fine for me. See...I told you, my inner self!! I used to be a huge make-up addict back in my college days.

This “Chuno Macher Chorchori” is an old post. I made it when I had bought the small fishes from the Hayat Supermarche. I did not want to make all the small fish recipes one after another, and hence the gap.

Chorchori is a vegetable melange and is mostly made pure vegetarian. But you can always make it with some prawns, fish heads and this small fishes. Small fishes are aptly available in every fish market of Kolkata, and I was a huge fan of them. I ate them fried, I ate them curried..they are lovely in any form. So, today I share you my aunt’s recipe of Chuno Macher Chorchori. A vegetably curry gone too much fishy!!

Chuno Macher Chorchori

Serves 2-3

Ingredients:

200gm small fishes (chuno mach / mourala mach)

1 medium potato – cut into thin small wedges

1 radish – cut into thin small wedges

1 small onion – chopped

¼ th of a medium eggplant / 1 baby eggplant – cut into thin wedges

2 tsp turmeric powder

1 tsp red chilli powder

2 green chilli - slitted

Salt

2 tbsp oil (preferably mustard oil)

Method:

Rub 1 tsp turmeric powder and some salt over the small fishes and let them marinate for 10 minutes.

Heat the oil in a kadai and shallow fry the eggplants till they soften up and becomes a little brown. Once done take them out of the pan.

In the same oil fry the small fishes in small batches. Take them out of the pan when they become golden brown from both the sides.

Once all the fishes are done, shallow fry the chopped onions in the remaining oil until they become translucent. Add more oil if required.

Then add the potato wedges. Sprinkle the turmeric powder, red chilli powder and salt and mix in.

Sauté and cook till the potatoes become lightly brown and then add a little water to them.

Put cover and let them cook for2-3 minutes.

After 2-3 minutes, uncover the lid and add in the radish. Mix in and again cook for another 2 minutes. If the mixture becomes too dry do add a dash of water.

Finally check that whether all the potatoes and radish is cooked and all the water is evaporated. Then add the fried fish, eggplant and the slitted green chillies.

Mix them good, taste and adjust the seasoning and put off the flame.