Bengali Biyebari Style Doi Maach recipe – Doi Katla recipe

Bengali Biyebari Style Doi maach recipe – Doi katla recipe with step-by-step detail. Doi Maach is a popular Bengali fish curried dish in a yogurt-based gravy. A spicy and creamy rui(rohu) or katla(Catla) fish curry popular as Bengali biye barir traditional dish for ages. This fish curry is commonly prepared at every Bengali home (from West Bengal to Bangladesh) too. Piping hot rice goes perfectly with this fish curry. However once taste the dish with Bengali fried rice or Basanti pulao. Just Awesome!

About Doi maach recipe

Doi maach is a Bengali term here doi means sour yogurt and maach is fish. So this recipe is all about a story of Bengali fish curry cooked in a yogurt-based gravy. Also flavored this dish with onion, ginger, garlic, garam masala, and a few regular kitchen spices to kill the fish smell. And yogurt/tok doi (in Bengali) is used to make a creamy and oily gravy in this fish curry.

For making Bengali doi maach recipe, turmeric and salt-coated Rohu or the Catla fish steaks are fried well in mustard oil. Then gently simmer the fish in a creamy flavorsome sauce containing a smooth blend of onion, ginger, garlic, tomato, garam masala & yogurt purée. Seems yogurt (curd in India) dominates this dish instead enhancing the taste of the fish & brings a creamy saucy consistency.

From novice to bachelor anyone can make the fish curry recipe at home with ease. All ingredients are in your food pantry no need for any fancy items. Even to make this dish easier and faster, I prepare this fish curry masala at one time blending along with yogurt. So no need for extra whisking for yogurt. Only need to know how long need to roast the masala to bring an exotic taste & texture to this fish gravy.

Let’s see how to make doi maach recipe at home, hope my step-by-step detailed instruction must help to make this dish at their best. 

Have look at other Common & exotic fish curry recipes

Biyebari Style Macher Kalia

Jeere Bata Diye Patla Maacher jhol

Alu Phulkopi Diye Macher jhol

Check my other popular Bengali fish curry dishes

Shorshe Pabda recipe

Pomfret Maacher jhal

Bhetki Macher Paturi

Recipe card for Doi Maach recipe

Bengali Biyebari Style Doi Maach recipe – Doi Katla recipe

Recipe by Moumita PaulCourse: Lunch, DinnerCuisine: Bengali, IndianDifficulty: Easy

Servings

7

servings

Prep time

10

minutes

Cooking time

25

minutes

Calories

300

kcal

Total time

35

minutes

Doi Maach is a popular Bengali fish curried dish in a yogurt-based gravy cooked with rui or katla fish. Popular dish of fish in Bengali biye bari (Marriage feast) menu for ages. Flavored with garam masala and regular kitchen spices. Best to serve with piping hot white rice, Bengali fried rice, or Basanti Pulao.

Ingredients of Doi maach

• 7 pcs Rui Maach or Katla Maach (≈ 500 g)

• 6 tablespoons (90 g) Curd/ Yogurt/ Dahi / Tok DOI

• 2 Medium Big Onions (150 g- 175g )

• 1 Medium Tomato (35 g)

• 8 Small to Medium Garlic Cloves (10 g)

• 1/2 inch Ginger (5 g)

• 3 Green Chillies

• 3/4 teaspoon Cumin Powder

• 1/4 teaspoon Coriander Powder

• 1+1/2 teaspoon Kashmiri Red Chilli Powder

• 1/2 teaspoon Spicy Chilli Powder

• 1/2 teaspoon Turmeric Powder

• 1/2 inch Cinnamon Stick

• 3 Cardamom Pods

• 4 Cloves

• 2 teaspoon Sugar (as per taste)

• 1/2 tsp Garam Masala Powder (Homemade / Store bought)

• 8-10 tablespoon Mustard Oil

• 1 tsp Salt (As per taste)

How to Make doi maach recipe

• Preparation
• First, clean and thoroughly wash the fish steaks. Pat them dry, and rub 1/2 tsp turmeric and 1/2 tsp salt all over the fish.
• Prepare this fish curry masala by first blending 2 skin-out onions (cut into cubes).
  
• Then blend 1/2 inch ginger, 7-8 garlic cloves, 3 green chillies, 1 tomato, and 1/2 inch cinnamon stick, 3 cardamom pods & 4 cloves) with the onion paste.
• After a smooth blending, add 3/4 teaspoon cumin powder, 1/4 teaspoon coriander powder, 1/2 tsp turmeric powder, 1+1/2 tsp Kashmiri red chilli powder, 1/2 tsp regular spicy chilli powder, and 8-10 pcs whole black peppercorn (optional) to the blender. Blend it well.
• Lastly, add the yogurt (6 tbsp) to the blender and blend it well until getting a creamy sauce-like puree. 
• Cooking Doi maach
• Heat the pan on medium to high flame, once released smoke adds 8-10 tbsp mustard oil.
  
• Once the oil releases smoke, then gently leave the fish steaks in hot oil one by one.
• Do not overcrowd the pan, keep a minimum space between the fish steaks. 
• Fry the fish until both sides get a golden texture. Remove the fish from the pan & keep it aside.
• Add masala puree in the same pan, and add moshla dhoa’r jol (1/2 cup of water mixed with the leftover masala in the blender) too. Stir it well.
• Once the masala puree starts boiling and the water little dries up, then add sugar (I used 2 tsp sugar) to balance the sourness of the yogurt.
• Let the gravy almost dry off the water and release oil from all of its sides, then add 2 cups (500 ml)of water. In the meantime, add 1/2 tsp of salt and bring the gravy to a boil.
• Once the gravy starts boiling, add the fried fish steaks into the gravy and nicely coat them with gravy.
• Let the fish cook in the gravy and cover the pan with a tight lid to infuse the aroma of the spices into the fish steaks.
• After 5-6 mins of cooking, turn the fish steaks to get the gravy infused by its other side. Again cover the pan for 5-6 more mins.
• After the last 5-6 mins of cooking, uncover the pan and check whether the salt & sugar is perfect according to your taste. Add little salt & sugar if required. Stir it well.
• Add 1/2 tsp garam masala powder, give it (the gravy) a good stir, and turn off the heat.
  
• Immediately cover the pan to infuse the garam masala aroma into the gravy.
• Bengali Biyebari style delicious doi maach is ready. Serve it with piping hot white rice, Bengali fried rice, or Basanti Pulao.

Notes

• If you are using a small blending jar, then take the onion paste & then paste other ingredients. Otherwise, there is a high chance to masala gets overflow while blending.
• How to know oil is perfectly hot instead of releasing smoke, When bubbles over the oil disappear also indicates oil is perfectly hot for frying fish.
• Fish never stick to the pan while frying Whether in an iron Kadai or steel-made pan if the first pan is perfectly heating up then oil.
• Novice (Beginners) or Bachelor try to use a nonstick pan if worried to fry the fish without sticking.
• Roast the Masala until oil floats over the masala gravy.
• Don’t fry the fish immediately take it out of the fridge, and keep it at room temperature first.
• After washing the fish Novice (Beginners) or Bachelor must pat it dry to avoid existing water with the fish & have a high chance of spluttering hot oil.

How to make Doi Maach recipe (step by step)

Preparation

• First, clean and thoroughly wash the fish steaks or slices. Pat them dry, and rub turmeric and salt all over the fish steaks.

• Prepare this fish curry masala by first blending 2 skin-out onions (cut into cubes).

• Then blend 1/2 inch ginger, 7-8 garlic cloves, 3 green chillies, 1 tomato, and 1/2 inch cinnamon stick, 3 cardamom pods & 4 cloves with the onion paste.

• After a smooth blending, add 3/4 teaspoon cumin powder, 1/4 teaspoon coriander powder, 1/2 tsp turmeric powder, 1+1/2 tsp Kashmiri red chilli powder, 1/2 tsp regular spicy chilli powder, and 8-10 pcs whole black peppercorn (optional) to the blender. Blend it well.

• Lastly, add the yogurt (6 tablespoons) to the blender and blend it well until getting a smooth creamy puree. 

For Frying fish

• Then, heat the pan on medium to high heat, once release smoke adds 8-10 tablespoon mustard oil.
• Once the oil is released smoke, then gently leave the fish steaks in hot oil one by one.

• Do not overcrowd the pan, keep a minimum space between the fish steaks. 
• Fry the fish steaks until both sides get a golden texture. Remove the fish from the pan & keep it aside.

Making Doi Maach

• Then, add the masala puree to the same pan. Then add moshla dhoa’r jol (1/2 cup of water mixed with the leftover masala in the blender) too. Stir it well.

• Once the masala puree starts boiling and the water little dries up, then add sugar (I used 2 tsp sugar) to balance the sourness of the yogurt.

• Let the gravy almost dry off the water and release oil from all of its sides, then add 2 cups (500 ml) of water. In the meantime, add 1/2 tsp salt and bring the gravy to a boil.

• Once the gravy starts boiling, add the fried fish steaks into the gravy and coat it well with the gravy.

• Let the fish cook in the gravy and cover the pan with a tight lid to infuse the aroma of the spices into the fish steaks.

• After 5-6 mins of cooking, turn the fish steaks to get the gravy infused by the other side. Again cover the pan for 5-6 more mins.
• After the last 5-6 mins of cooking, uncover the pan and check whether the salt & sugar is perfect according to your taste. Add little salt & sugar if required. Stir it well.

• Add 1/2 tsp garam masala powder, give it (the gravy) a good stir, and turn off the heat.
• Immediately cover the pan to infuse the garam masala aroma into the gravy.

• Bengali Biyebari style delicious doi maach is ready. Serve this dish with piping hot white rice, Bengali fried rice, or Basanti Pulao.

Pro tips for making Best Bengali Biyebari Style Doi Maach recipe

Perfect fish weight for making this recipe

Fish weight does matter to make a perfect biyebari style doi maach recipe. How heavyweight fish you will use, the taste will be best accordingly. At least a minimum weight of 1.8 kg of fresh Katla / Rui (means any Paka Pona) requires for this recipe to get close to biye barir taste. As here I used a 2 kg 250 g catla fish.

Which fish is best to use in this fish curry

In Biye bari, Doi Maach is generally cooked with Katla. However, you can use Rui /Rohu fish too as big as the size of Catla I described.

What kind of Yogurt is used in this fish curry

Try to use fresh yogurt (Indian curd / Bengali tok doi), fresh yogurt is not too tangy. Whether with thick or light consistency is not countable.

Why Mustard oil is important for cooking doi maach recipe

Mustard oil was common in Bengali food pantries for ages so no Bengali curry including fish curry ever prepared without mustard oil. As this biyebari style fish curry is a traditional fish curry of Bengal so mustard oil is also a prime ingredient for exact taste. However, for a healthy reason or due to unavailability, you can replace it with any vegetable oil which suits you best.

How long to roast the doi maach masala?

Masala needs to roast in oil until oil floats on the roasted masala gravy.

Is sugar mandatory for making Bengali style dahi maachli recipe?

Must use sugar to balance the tanginess of yogurt not to make it sweet in taste. 2 tsp full sugar I used to balance the tanginess of the yogurt. More or less sugar is used according to how sour the yogurt is.

Role of Tomato in this Bengali doi fish recipe

Tomato is optional in any fish recipes if cooking with tok doi / curd. Tomato just used to enhance the taste & texture as well. However, leave it to think of such traditional recipes prepared without tomatoes as a non-abundance of this veggie all through the year.

What is the right consistency for this doi fish gravy?

A thick & creamy gravy is a sign of perfect biyebari’r doi fish curry. To beat the taste must look over the consistency of this fish gravy.

Why Garam masala add-on for this doi fish recipe?

Garam masala is a key ingredient of this exotic fish curry. Here garam masala is used twice to uplift the taste along with taking your tastebud to the old day’s Bengali biyebarir doi maach recipe.