The other day, I made one of the traditional Bengali fish dishes, called Doi Maach. There are many ways of making authentic Bengali Doi Maach. My summer version of Doi Maach uses less oil, is easy on stomach and tastes great! My recipe found a mention in Bombay Times (Times of India) recently. You must try this recipe if you want to make a summer-friendly fish curry. Please use river-water fish for best results.

The Doi Maach gets its taste from freshly ground garam masala powder, called bhaja moshla, a common ingredient in Bengali households. I always make it in small batches to preserve its aroma. To make this masala, roast 1 tbsp cumin seeds, 1 one-inch cinnamon stick, 4 green cardamoms and 6 cloves, until fragrant. Make a very fine powder and store in an airtight container. The amount of sugar and salt may vary in this curry, depending upon the sourness of the yogurt used.

On another note, recently, I won the April month’s Salad Fiesta contest on the website of Food Food Channel. I had posted my recipe of Sweet Potato Salad with Mulberry-Chocolate Dressing, for the contest. For this reason, last week, I had the golden opportunity to meet Chef Harpal Sokhi at the shoot of “Turban Tadka”, a popular show on Food Food Channel. His jovial nature and interesting conversation was enjoyed by everyone present in the shoot. Later, we also tasted his dish, which was a comforting, yet easy soup! The recipe was one of the new-age recipes using common ingredients and ready-to-cook soup packets. The soup was simple, flavourful and cooked in very less time. Later, we tasted the soup made by him and probably (if I am lucky) they will show me in his show on TV, tasting Chef Harpal’s dish! It makes me happy to think that I was among one of the few food bloggers who actually tasted the celebrity chef’s food.

Coming back to Doi Maach, it is a dish which is cooked on special occasions. The actual recipe uses a lot of ghee to fry the onions, but I used the heathier rice-bran oil instead. Cook the dish on a low flame to get the flavours right. Also, sour yogurt is a no-no. Only fresh, unsweetened yogurt is recommended, otherwise you might have to add that undesirable extra sugar. Bengalis generally fry the fish pieces before adding them to a curry. Yet, there are also many fish curries in Bengal, especially the traditional ones, in which the fish can be directly added while sautéing the onions and the spices. This recipe is a good example of the same.

Doi Maach

Ingredients:

Crisp-fried julienned onions (fried in rice-bran oil): ½ cup

Freshwater fish (Rohu or Catla): 5 pieces

Salt for marination: ½ tsp

Salt for the gravy: ¾ tsp

Turmeric powder: ½ tsp

Mustard oil: 3 tbsp

Homemade garam masala powder: 1 tsp

Onion paste: ¼ cup

Garlic paste: ½ tsp

Ginger paste: ½ tsp

Day-old yogurt (diluted with a cup of water and beaten with a fork): 300 g

Raisins: 8–10

Bay leaf: 1

Whole cinnamon stick (one-inch): 1

Green cardamoms: 2

Cloves: 4

Cumin seeds: ¼ tsp

Red chilli powder: ½ tsp

Green chillies (halved): 3

Sugar: 1 tsp

Warm water: 1 cup

Method:

Marinate the fish with turmeric powder, ½ tsp salt and 2.5 tbsp mustard oil. After around 30 min, add yogurt, homemade garam masala powder, raisins, red chilli powder and the onion-ginger-garlic paste to this. Smear the fish pieces well. Let the fish marinate for 20 min.

Add ½ tbsp mustard oil to a hot wok and wait till the oil reaches its smoking point. Add the bay leaf, whole cinnamon, cloves and green cardamoms. After a few seconds, add the cumin seeds and wait till the seeds turn brownish.

Now add the marinated fish carefully (the contents may sputter from the wok, at this stage), along with all the marinade. Cover for 2 min, or until the sizzling stops.

Reduce the flame to the lowest. Add ¾ tsp salt and give the curry a gentle stir, taking care not to break the fish pieces. Cover and cook, ensuring from time to time that the fish pieces do not stick to the pan, until the yogurt mixture starts releasing oil and becomes almost dry. This will take about 10 min.

Add the green chillies and sugar and flip the fish pieces gently. Add a cup of water, stir and cover again. When the gravy starts boiling, switch off the gas. Garnish with crisp-fried onions.

Print Recipe

Doi Maach (Bengali Fish Curry in Yogurt)

Ingredients

• Crisp-fried julienned onions fried in rice-bran oil: ½ cup
• Freshwater fish Rohu or Catla: 5 pieces
• Salt for marination: ½ tsp
• Salt for the gravy: ¾ tsp
• Turmeric powder: ½ tsp
• Mustard oil: 3 tbsp
• Homemade garam masala powder: 1 tsp
• Onion paste: ¼ cup
• Garlic paste: ½ tsp
• Ginger paste: ½ tsp
• Day-old yogurt diluted with a cup of water and beaten with a fork: 300 g
• Raisins: 8–10
• Bay leaf: 1
• Whole cinnamon stick one-inch: 1
• Green cardamoms: 2
• Cloves: 4
• Cumin seeds: ¼ tsp
• Red chilli powder: ½ tsp
• Green chillies halved: 3
• Sugar: 1 tsp
• Warm water: 1 cup

Instructions

• Marinate the fish with turmeric powder, ½ tsp salt and 2.5 tbsp mustard oil. After around 30 min, add yogurt, homemade garam masala powder, raisins, red chilli powder and the onion-ginger-garlic paste to this. Smear the fish pieces well. Let the fish marinate for 20 min.
• Add ½ tbsp mustard oil to a hot wok and wait till the oil reaches its smoking point. Add the bay leaf, whole cinnamon, cloves and green cardamoms. After a few seconds, add the cumin seeds and wait till the seeds turn brownish. Now add the marinated fish carefully (the contents may sputter from the wok, at this stage), along with all the marinade. Cover for 2 min, or until the sizzling stops.
• Reduce the flame to the lowest. Add ¾ tsp salt and give the curry a gentle stir, taking care not to break the fish pieces. Cover and cook, ensuring from time to time that the fish pieces do not stick to the pan, until the yogurt mixture starts releasing oil and becomes almost dry. This will take about 10 min.
• Add the green chillies and sugar and flip the fish pieces gently. Add a cup of water, stir and cover again. When the gravy starts boiling, switch off the gas. Garnish with crisp-fried onions.