Rui Katla Macher Kalia recipe – Bengali style Fish kalia recipe with step-by-step detail

Macher kalia is a simply delectable Bengali style fish curry prepared with Rui/ Katla fish in simple spices. Kalia is a most popular dish from Bengali biye barir food menu recipe. Best to prepare kalia by choosing heavyweight rui (rohu)/ katla (catla carp) fish for having a thick fat portion under the skin of each fish piece. Macher Kalia is prepared by frying fish & cooked in a red rich gravy consisting of onion-ginger-garlic-tomato-green chilli with a few dry spices, yogurt/curd (bengali tok doi) & garam masala. Along with piping hot rice macher kalia is just an unbeatable combination for any Bengali (who loves eating fish) and suits the Bengali term “Machh- E- Bhat-E- Bangali“. 

Macher kalia is nothing but a spicy Bengali fish curry, kalia in one word, an old, traditional, exotic recipe of rui or katla macher jhal. A dish can be easily made from scratch with common kitchen spices. Generally, Kalia is prepared with Bengali pona mach (Rui or Katla fish), however, I mostly make this recipe with Katla.

The taste of this fish curry does not only depend on the spices used in this recipe but also on the taste of the fish too. That taste of this curry comes with live or fresh heavyweight Rui or Katla fish (called paka Paka pona Machh in bengali). However, only paka rui or katla is used in making Bengali biye bari, annoprashon or poite barir macher kalia which makes the kalia scrumptious. As if for making this fish kalia, today I used 8-9 kg weight katla machh. Though if you often cook kalia at home, try to use live(jyanto) fish suits best for health.

Even curd/unflavoured yoghurt & tomato are 2 more most important ingredients used in making Bengali fish Kalia recipe. Generally used by professional Bengali cooks, to make the gravy rich, and creamy & bring a delicious taste as well. 

If you are bored with regular bengali fish curry then must try this traditional & exotic finger-licking macher kalia recipe. No matter whether you are a beginner or a bachelor, my step-by-step recipe detail (with pictures) surely guides you to make a perfect kalia recipe. Please let me know your valuable feedback about this dish.

Other than this fish kalia you can try other Bengali fish curry recipes from my website- the list is given below,

Doi Maach recipe (Biye Bari Style)

Aloo diye Shol macher jhal jhol

Pabda Macher Sorse Jhal

Pomfret Macher Jhal

Chital macher peti kaliya

Tel koi (Koi macher recipe)

Chingri macher Malai curry

Kolkata patai Bhetki Macher Paturi (in banana leaf)

Aloo phulkopi bori diye winter time katla macher jhol (without Onion)

Alu jhinge danta jeera ada bata diye katla macher patla jhol (without Onion)

Recipe card of Macher Kalia recipe (with rui/ katla fish)

Rui Katla Macher Kalia recipe – Bengali style Fish kalia recipe with step-by-step detail

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

Servings

7

servings

Prep time

5

minutes

Cooking time

25

minutes

Calories

300

kcal

Total time

30

minutes

Macher kalia is a simply delectable Bengali fish curry prepared with Rui/Katla fish in simple spices. For making kalia, heavy-weight Katla/Rohu fish steaks are fried & cooking in a red rich gravy of onion-ginger-garlic-tomato-green chilli, a few dry spices, yogurt/tok doi & garam masala. Made it just in 30 mins.

Ingredients of Macher Kalia

• ○ 770 g Katla/Rui Fish (Machh)

• ○ 2 Medium Onion

• ○ 1 Medium Tomato

• ○ 7 pcs Garlic cloves

• ○ 5 g(1/4 inch) Ginger

• ○ 5 pcs Green Chillies(as per taste)

• ○ 2 tbsp Curd(Tok doi)/yogurt

• ○ 3/4 tsp Cumin Powder

• ○ 1/2 tsp Red Chilli powder

• ○ 3/4 tsp Kashmiri red chilli powder

• ○ 1 tsp Turmeric powder

• ○ 3/4 tsp Garam masala powder

• ○ 1/2 tsp Sugar

• ○ 1/2 tsp Salt(as per taste) F

• ○ 2 pcs Bay leaves

• ○ 1/2 cup(7-8 tbsp) Mustard Oil

• Cooking tools used

• ○ A Flat Non-stick Pan
  ○ A wooden Spatula

How to Cook Bengali Machher Kalia

• Clean & wash the fish (≈770 g rui or rohu / katla), drain it well and smear it with 3/4 tsp salt & 1/2 tsp turmeric powder.
• Heat the pan, add 7-8 tbsp(1/2 US cup) mustard oil, and heat the oil until releases smoke.
• Fish goes into hot oil, and fry it until golden from both sides. Remove the fish from the pan.
• Add 2 bay leaves to the pan, little fry, then add 1 medium-sized sliced onion, fry until soft, succulent & golden. 
• Then add the masala paste(which contains 1 medium onion, 1 tomato, 1/2 inch(5 g) ginger, 7 garlic cloves & 5 green chillies), mix well, and sauté for a few seconds.
• Next, add 3/4 tsp cumin powder, 1/2 tsp red chilli powder, 3/4 tsp Kashmiri red chilli powder along with 1/2 tsp turmeric & 1/2 tsp salt, and mix it well.
• Afterwards, add 1/4 tsp garam masala powder. Then add 2 tbsp curd/unflavoured yoghurt/tok doi(beat well before use) and 1/2 tsp sugar. Mix well.
• Cook the masalas until leave oil & release the aroma. Then add 1+ 1/2 cups of water.
• Let the gravy boil, after 1 min of boiling, add the fried fish into the gravy.
• Slow down the flame & cover the pan for 5 mins.
• After 5 mins, remove the lid and turn the fish, again cover the pan.
• After the next 3-4 mins of cooking, add 1/8 tsp of garam masala powder and 1 tsp of ghee. Mix it well.
•  Cook it for 1 more min. Turn off the heat.
• Mouthwatering Katla Macher Kalia is ready, serve with piping hot rice and enjoy your meal.

How to make Rui Katla Macher Kalia recipe (with step-by-step detailed pictures)

Fish smeared with turmeric and salt

• Clean & wash the fish(≈770 g Rui or rohu /Katla fish) pcs, drain the water well and smear them with 3/4 tsp salt & 1/2 tsp turmeric. As shown in the pic below.

Frying fish in mustard oil

• Heat the pan, add 7-8 tbsp(around 1/2 US cup) mustard oil, and heat the oil until releases smoke.
• Fish goes into hot oil, and fry it until golden from both sides. Remove the fish from the pan.

Frying onion in the same oil

• Add 2 bay leaves to the pan, little fry, then add 1 sliced onion(medium size), fry until soft, succulent & golden. 

Make Kalia masala and roast in oil with fried onion

• Then add the masala paste(which contains 1 medium onion, 1 tomato(medium), 1/2 inch(5 g) ginger, 7 garlic cloves & 5 green chillies), mix well, and sauté for a few seconds.

Add dry spice powder and seasoning

• Then add 3/4 tsp cumin powder, 1/2 tsp red chilli powder, 3/4 tsp Kashmiri red chilli powder along with 1/2 tsp turmeric & 1/2 tsp salt, and mix it well.

Garam masala powder and curd

• Afterwards, add 1/4 tsp garam masala powder. Then add 2 tbsp curd/unflavoured yoghurt/tok doi(beat well before use) and 1/2 tsp sugar. Mix well.

Pour water to make kalia gravy

• Cook the masalas until leave oil & release the aroma. Then add 1+1/2 cups of water.

Cook fish in boiling gravy

• Let the gravy boil, after 1 min of boiling, add the fried fish into the gravy. Slow down the flame & cover the pan for 5 mins.

• After 5 mins, remove the lid and turn the fish, again cover the pan.

Add ghee and garam masala powder at last

• After 3-4 mins of cooking, add 1/8 tsp of garam masala powder and 1 tsp of ghee kalia gravy. Mix it well. Cook it for 1 more min. Turn off the heat.

• Mouthwatering Katla Macher Kalia is ready, serve along with piping hot rice and enjoy your meal.

Simple notes about Kalia recipe

• To avoid the fat of paka pona, you can make kalia with jyanto rui or katla machh weight around 1.5 kg-1.8 kg.
• Now the question is, does Ghee mandatory for making this recipe? The answer is no, ghee is not mandatory in kalia however I use it to enhance the taste & aroma. Though you can make it without ghee.
• You must have noticed, here I used little sugar. I used it to balance the sourness of curd & tomato. Though if you prefer the tanginess skip adding sugar.