Bengali Muri ghonto recipe – How to make muri ghonto – Fish head rice curry

Muri ghonto is an authentic Bengali fish head curry recipe cooked with rice flavoured with ghee and garam masala. Fried fish head (katla or rohu fish head), cooked with dry roasted gobindo bhog rice (tiny scented Bengali rice) and fried potatoes with a melange of simple spices. This Bengali preparation is popular in Bangladesh and loved by West Bengal Bengalis too, served with steamed rice.

What is Muri Ghonto?

In Bengali language, Muri ghonto means, a fish head and rice cooked Mishmash curry recipe. As in Bengali “Muri” means “macher matha” (fish head in English) and “Ghonto” means a “Mishmash curry”. Here “Macher matha or Muro” is turned into “Muri” but does not denote Bengali muri or moori (called puffed rice in English).

How to Cook Bengali Muri ghonto?

For making Bengali muri ghonto, Katla /rohu fish head is marinated in salt and turmeric and deep fried in oil. Gobindo bhog rice is dry roasted and soaked in water until cooked. Cube-cut potatoes are fried until golden. A spicy gravy is made containing fried onion, ginger, garlic and green chilli paste, ghee & garam masala powder. Fried fish head, dry roasted soaked rice and fried potatoes are cooked into that spicy gravy until the rice and potatoes are perfectly cooked. This fish head curry is completely cooked in mustard oil however, you can make this dish with any other vegetable oil too.

Muri ghonto is originally rooted in the east part of Bengal (now Bangladesh) cuisine when India was not even parted away. The origin of this curry started in India far before the British period started in India. So this fish head dish is most favourable to the Bengalis, especially those who have Bangladeshi origins.

Such as muri ghonto is one of their favourite fish head preparation loved by my in-law’s family as they are originally from Bangladesh. They often prepare this dish at home. This fish head curry is one of the favourite dishes of my husband too. Though I am not a huge fan of this muri ghonto, however, just because of my husband, I also often prepare this dish at home. So this muri ghonto is a foolproof recipe as many times I prepared it in my kitchen.

Let’s see how to make bengali muri ghonto recipe at home with simple ingredients and step-by-step pictures.

Check out a few more famous Bengali dishes

Mochar Ghonto

Bengali Biye Bari Style Shukto

Biye Bari Style Chanchra

Payesh

Bengali Muri ghonto recipe – How to make muri ghonto -Fish head rice curry

Recipe by Moumita PaulCourse: Side dishCuisine: Bengali, BangladeshiDifficulty: Easy

Servings

4

servings

Prep time

30

minutes

Cooking time

40

minutes

Calories

300

kcal

Muri ghonto is a Bengali fish head rice porridge cooked with fried potatoes by roasting in a few simple flavorful spices. Fried fish head and dry roasted gobindo bhog rice are cooked with fried onion, ginger, garlic, green chillies paste, ghee & garam masala powder for making this dish. This dish is perfectly accompanied by boiled rice or steamed white rice.

Ingredients of muri ghonto

• 1 Medium Fish head (Katla / Rohu Fish head)

• 1/2 cup Gobindo Bhog rice

• 2 Medium Potatoes

• 2 Finely Chopped Medium Onions

• 8 pcs Garlic cloves

• 1/2 inch Ginger

• 1 Green Chilli

• 8 tbsp Mustard Oil

• 3/4 tsp Turmeric powder

• 1/2 tsp Red chilli powder (As per taste)

• 1/4 tsp Sugar

• 1 tsp Salt (As per taste)

• 1/2 tsp Garam masala powder

• 2 tsp Ghee

• Spices for tempering in oil

• 1 Bay leaf

• 1/2 tsp Whole cumin seeds

• 2 Green cardamom

• 4 Cloves

• 2 small pieces of Cinnamon stick

Preparation

• For making muri ghonto recipe, first, dry roast the rice (gobindobhog rice /Bengali atop chaal / pulao rice) on medium heat for 1-2 mins.
• Remove the rice from the pan. Wash the rice 4-5 times and soak it in water until used in cooking.
• Then heat the same pan with 5-6 tbsp mustard oil, and fry the alu (cut into cubes) until golden from all sides.
• Take out the fried potatoes from the pan & keep them aside.
• Then smear the fish head (Katla macher matha or rui macher muro) with turmeric & salt seasonings.
• Fry the turmeric & salt seasoned fish head in the same oil until golden on both sides.
• Remove the fried fish head from the pan, and keep it aside to cool down.
• Then, add 2 tbsp mustard oil to the same pan.
• Tempering the oil with 1 bay leaf, 2 green cardamoms, 1/2 inch cinnamon stick, 4 cloves and 1/2 tsp cumin seeds. 
• Let the cumin crackle and comes out the aroma of whole spices, then add sliced onion to the pan. 
• Fry the onion until soft & golden. Then add ginger-garlic-green chilli paste. Stir it well. 
• Then add salt, turmeric powder, red chilli powder & a little salt one by one. Give it a good stir.
  
• Saute the masalas until the raw smell of spices goes off, then add 1/2 cup of water. Mix it well. 
• Let the gravy boil, once the gravy starts boiling, then break the fried fish head into medium pieces and add them to the gravy. Stir it well. 
  
• Roast the fish head well into the gravy.
• Then add the fried alu into the gravy, and stir it well too.
• Next, add the soaked rice (after discarding the water) into the gravy and mix it well. Then cover the pan.
• Check the gravy, once the gravy dries off, again add 1 cup of hot or lukewarm water, stir it well, raise the heat to maximum and let the gravy boil. 
• Once the gravy starts boiling, add salt (as per taste), then slow down the heat to a minimum and cover the pan. 
• Cook it until the rice and alu are perfectly cooked and can be easily mashed if pressed with fingertips. 
• Then again raise the heat to get the required consistency of this gravy (as per taste). 
• Add garam masala powder & ghee and mix it well and immediately cover the pan to infuse the ghee & garam masala aroma into the curry. 
• Bengali Muri ghonto is ready, serve this dish with piping hot rice & enjoy your meal.

Notes

• Dry roasting the rice before cooking to keep the rice intact and not mushy.
• Instead of Gobindo bhog rice any scented atop chaal, even scented pulao rice, basmati rice or Dehradun rice can be used.
• Must use hot water to cook the rice (while cooking with masala, fish head & alu), otherwise get a bland taste.
• I did not use tomato, as tomato is not part of the traditional murighonto recipe and can change its authentic taste. If you want to use tomato, then must use it when adding ginger garlic paste and roast it well in oil. If added later tomato’s smell can remain and spoil the taste of this dish.
• I prepare muri ghonto in mustard oil however you can use any vegetable oil around.

How to make Bengali Muri ghonto recipe

Dry roast the rice

1. First, dry roast the rice (Gobindo Bhog /scented Bengali Atop Chaal or Pulao Rice or Basmati Rice or Dehradun Rice) on medium heat for 1-2 mins.
2. Remove the rice from the pan. Wash the rice 4-5 times and soak it in water until used in cooking.

Frying potatoes

1. Then heat the same pan with 5-6 tbsp mustard oil, add the alu (cut into cubes), and immediately cover the pan (prevent spluttering).
2. Fry the alu until golden from all sides.
3. Take out the fried potatoes from the pan & keep them aside.

Frying katla fish head

1. Then smear the fish head ( I used Katla macher matha, can use rui macher matha too) with turmeric & salt seasonings.
2. Fry it in the same oil until golden on both sides.
3. Remove the fried fish head from the pan, and keep it aside to cool down.

How to cook Muri ghonto

• After frying the fish, add 2 tbsp oil to the same pan.
• Then tempering the oil with 1 bay leaf, 2 green cardamoms, 1/2 inch cinnamon stick, 4 cloves and 1/2 tsp cumin seeds. 
• Let the cumin crackle and comes out the aroma of whole spices, then add sliced onion to the pan. 

• Fry the onion until soft & golden. Then add ginger-garlic-green chilli paste. Stir it well.
• Then add salt, turmeric powder, red chilli powder & a little sugar one by one. Give it a good stir.

• Saute the masalas until masalas’ raw smell goes off, then add 1/2 cup of water. Mix it well. 
• Let the gravy boil, once the gravy starts boiling, then break the fried fish head into medium pieces and add them to the gravy. Stir it well.
• Roast the fish head well into the gravy. 

• Then add the fried alu into the gravy, and stir it well too.
• Next, add the soaked rice (after discarding the water) into the gravy and mix it well. Then cover the pan.

• Check the gravy, once the gravy dries off, again add 2 cups (500 ml) of hot or lukewarm water, stir it well, raise the heat to maximum and let the gravy boil. 
• Once the gravy starts boiling, add salt (as per taste), then slow down the heat to a minimum and cover the pan again. 

• Cook it until the rice and alu are perfectly cooked and can be easily mashed if pressed with fingertips. 

• Then again raise the heat to get the required consistency of this gravy (as per taste). 
• Add garam masala powder & ghee and mix it well and immediately cover the pan to infuse the ghee & garam masala aroma into the curry. 

• Bengali Muri ghonto is ready, serve it this dish with piping hot rice & enjoy your meal.