How to make Macher matha diye moong dal (Bengali biye bari style)

Macher matha diye moong dal recipe – Macher matha diye moong dal is an aged Bengali delicacy of Rohu or Katla fish head curry with roasted moong lentils and a few simple spices. Prepared in almost every Bengali house in West Bengal and Bangladesh especially who loves to eat fish head. 

In our childhood, macher matha diye moong dal was a common preparation in every Bengali biye barir menu, served with jhur jhure aloo bhaja (crispy potato strips) and steamed rice.

A good quality moong dal or muger dal and a Katla or Rui macher matha (Catla or Rohu fish head) are required for making this curry. Here I used sona mug (a short-grain variety of moong dal available in Bengali stores), you can use any moong dal (organic dal too). Other ingredients are very simple, you will easily get them in your kitchen cabinet.

For making a good macher matha diye dal few conditions you have to keep in your mind. 

1. Moong dal must be dry roasted before cooking and then boil until the dal is soft. Do not overcook the dal, as a result, the dal gets mushy and that will spoil the taste of this dish. 
2. Fish head will be coated with salt and turmeric powder and fry in oil (preferably mustard oil) until turn golden brown from all sides.
3. In Bengali biye bari, white cumin seeds or shahi jeera are used in phoron (called tempering in English or tadka in hindi) for good aroma. However, I use the plain jeera.
4. Onion, ginger, and garlic are mainly used in this recipe to cut off the smell of fish.
5. However, those who do not eat onion and garlic can use ginger and green chilli paste along with a little more jeera powder than mine with a pinch of hing( about 1/4 tsp) and a little more ghee.

Tips to boil moong dal

• First, Dry roast the dal, and roast the dal on low heat with continuous stirring. As moong dal easily gets burnt. 
• Before cooking, wash the dal 4-5 times but do not need to soak the dal (in water).
• If you are cooking the dal for the first time, cook the dal in a pan on low heat by covering the pan as I did. Cooking in a pan may take a few more minutes but never get mushy in your supervision and that tastes great too.
• However, If you want to cook the dal a little faster, use a pressure cooker. Then put the dal in the cooker, and use 1 cup of water. Cook it on high heat with 1 whistle to blow. Open the cooker when the pressure automatically releases.

Want to prepare some more macher matha recipes, then check this list below –

Muri Ghonto recipe

Chanchra recipe

If want to prepare niramish moong dal recipes, then check the list below

Sabji diye Moong dal recipe (with vegetables)

Lau diye Moong dal recipe

Muger dal er Khichuri

How to make Macher matha diye moong dal (Bengali biye bari style)

Recipe by Moumita PaulCourse: LunchCuisine: Bengali, BanladeshiDifficulty: Easy

Servings

8

servings

Prep time

5

minutes

Cooking time

40

minutes

Calories

300

kcal

Total time

45

minutes

Bengali Biye bari style Macher matha diye moong dal recipe cooked in a simple way with a few simple steps.

Ingredients

• 1 Rui or Katla Fish Head

• 150 g Moong Dal

• 8 tbsp Mustard Oil

• 1/2 tsp Cumin Seeds (Jeera seeds)

• 1 Bay leaf

• 1 cup Onion (finely sliced)

• 2 tsp Garlic paste

• 1 Ginger paste

• 1 Tomato (Medium size)

• 1 Green chilli

• 1 tsp Cumin Powder (Jeera Powder)

• 1/2 tsp Red Chilli powder

• 1/2 tsp Kashmiri red chilli powder

• 1 tsp Turmeric Powder

• 1/2 tsp Sugar

• Salt(As per taste)

• 1 tsp Garam masala powder

• 1 tbsp Ghee

Instructions

• Dry roast the dal until golden. Remove from the heat. 
• Wash the dal 4-5 times under running water.
• Drain the water and add 3 -4 cups (US cup) of water with the dal.
• Cook the dal on medium heat until soft. Turn off the heat.
• Lightly mash the dal (with a masher), remove it in a bowl, and keep aside.
• Wash the fish head, drain the water, marinate the fish head with 1 tsp salt and 1 tsp turmeric powder.
• Heat a pan, add mustard oil, and put the marinated fish head into the hot oil.
• Fry the fish head until golden brown from all sides. Remove it from the pan.
• Heat the pan (used for frying fish head), add bay leaves and cumin seeds into the pan, and saute a little.
• Then add onion in oil, and fry the onion until golden.
• Add chopped tomato, and stir well. Add 1/2 tsp salt, mix well, and cover the pan.
• Cook the tomato until gets soft.
• Add ginger and green chilli paste to the oil.
• Then add cumin(jeera) powder, red chilli powder, Kashmiri red chilli powder, salt, sugar, and turmeric powder.
• Roast the masala until the masala’s raw smell goes off and the masala leaves oil from the sides.
• Then add a cup of water, mix it well, and make a gravy, cook the gravy for a minute.
• Break the fish head into pieces (by hand) before putting them into the pan. Stir it well.
• Cook the fish head pieces (into the masala gravy) until the gravy gets almost dry.
• In the meantime, add the dal to the pan. Mix well with the masala and fish head.
• Add about a half cup of water and bring it to a boil.
• Once the dal comes to a little thick consistency, add garam masala powder and ghee, and stir it well.
• Cook the dal for a minute and turn off the heat.
• Macher matha diye moong dal is ready serve it hot with rice and your favourite side dish. To get Bengali biye bari style taste must serve it with jhur jhure aloo bhaja and enjoy the meal.

Notes

• Macher matha diye dal must have a thick gravy, a soup-like light gravy-like other dal recipes will spoil the taste of this dal.

How to make macher matha diye moong dal (with step by step)

Step 1: Boil the moong dal

1. Dry roast the dal until golden. Remove from the heat. 
2. Wash the dal 4-5 times under running water.
3. Drain the water and add 3 -4 cups (US cup) of water with the dal.
4. Cook the dal on medium heat until soft. Turn off the heat.
5. Lightly mash the dal (with a masher), remove it in a bowl, and keep aside.

Step 2: Prepare the fish head

1. Wash the fish head, drain the water, marinate the fish head with 1 tsp salt and 1 tsp turmeric powder.

2. Heat a pan, add mustard oil, and put the marinated fish head into the hot oil.

3. Fry the fish head until golden brown from all sides. Remove it from the pan.

Step 3: Cooking macher matha diye dal

1. Heat the pan (used for frying fish head), add bay leaves and cumin seeds into the pan, and saute a little.
2. Then add onion in oil, and fry the onion until golden.
3. Add chopped tomato, and stir well. Add 1/2 tsp salt, mix well, and cover the pan.
4. Cook the tomato until gets soft.
5. Add ginger and green chilli paste to the oil.
6. Then add cumin(jeera) powder, red chilli powder, kashmiri red chilli powder, salt, sugar, and turmeric powder.
7. Roast the masala until the masala’s raw smell goes off and the masala leaves oil from the sides.
8. Then add a cup of water, mix it well, and make a gravy, cook the gravy for a minute.
9. Break the fish head into pieces (by hand) before putting them into the pan. Stir it well.
10. Cook the fish head pieces (into the masala gravy) until the gravy gets almost dry.
11. In the meantime, add the dal to the pan. Mix well with the masala and fish head.
12. Add about a half cup of water and bring it to a boil. 
13. Once the dal comes to a thick consistency, add garam masala powder and ghee, and stir it well. 
14. Cook the dal for a minute and turn off the heat.
15. Macher matha diye moong dal is ready serve it hot with rice and your favourite side dish. To get Bengali biye bari style taste must serve it with jhur jhure aloo bhaja and enjoy the meal.