Katla Maacher Shorshe Jhal – a Bengali Mustard Fish Curry

Name: Katla Maacher Shorshe Jhal | Bengali Mustard Fish Curry
Prep time: 5 min
Cook time: 30 min
Total time: 35 min
Ingredients: 500 gram Katla Maach; 3 tsp Black Mustard Seeds; 1 Tomato; 6 Green Chillies; 1/4 tsp Kalojeere; 3 tbsp Doi/yogurt; 1 ½ tsp Salt; 1 + 3/4 tsp Turmeric Powder; 10 tbsp Mustard Oil; A Handful of Coriander leaves

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Katla Maacher shorshe Jhal(aka shorshe katla) is a traditional Bengali mustard fish curry. This Bengali mustard fish curry is made with katla fish(or rohu fish), mustard paste, tomato, green chilli, and yoghurt. To prepare this mustard fish curry no onion and no garlic is used; however, this dish also tastes damn good even beyond expectation. Today, I will share how to make this mouthwatering Bengali mustard fish curry at home in a most easiest way.

About Katla Maacher Shorshe Jhal

Bengali term, “katla maach” means katla fish, “shorshe ” means mustard seeds, and jhal means a spicy curry. For making this spicy mustard fish curry, Katla fish (or rohu fish) is first deep fry in oil(mainly mustard oil), later cooked in a creamy smooth gravy of mustard paste with green chilli and yoghurt. Plain steamed rice pairs well with this mustard fish curry at Bengali lunch meal.

Tips

1. To make this fish curry, I have used black mustard seeds (kalo shorshe). You can also make this mustard paste with only yellow mustard seeds(sada shorshe). Or you can even use a mix of half black mustard and half yellow mustard seeds.

2. Advice for those who avoid mustard skin: stain the mustard paste after grinding. You can check my other Bengali mustard fish curry – Shorshe Pabda recipe for a clear idea of how to strain the mustard paste to nicely remove the skin of mustard seeds.

3. Shorshe or mustard seeds sometimes leave a bitter taste while grinding. That also makes the mustard curry bitter. Only adding a little salt while grinding the mustard seeds prevents that bitterness. Grinding with salt, every time nicely worked for me, never leaves the mustard paste bitter. If you make the mustard paste this way, any dish with mustard paste will never taste bitter.

4. Here, using yoghurt or tomato in this fish curry helps balance the pungency of the mustard paste.

Katla Maacher Shorshe Jhal | Bengali Mustard Fish Curry

Recipe by Moumita PaulCourse: Lunch, Main CourseCuisine: Bengali, IndianDifficulty: Easy

Servings

servings

Prep time

minutes

Cooking time

minutes

Calories

300

kcal

Katla Maacher Shorshe Jhal(shorshe katla) is a very popular Bengali dish made with katla fish, mustard paste, green chilli, tomato and yoghurt. Piping hot steamed rice goes well with this Bengali mustard fish curry.

Ingredients

500 gram Katla Maach
3 tsp Black Mustard Seeds
1 Tomato
6 Green Chillies
1/4 tsp Kalojeere
3 tbsp Doi/yogurt
1 ½ tsp Salt
1 + 3/4 tsp Turmeric Powder
10 tbsp Mustard Oil
A Handful of Coriander leaves

How to make Katla Maacher Shorshe Jhal

To make this fish curry, first, soak the mustard seeds for 10 minutes.
In the meantime, wash the fish pieces(you can take medium-sized pieces of Katla or Rui fish) first.
Drain the water well from the fish and smear them with 3/4 tsp salt and 1 tsp turmeric powder.
Next, heat a pan on medium heat, add 8 tbsp mustard oil, let the oil heat until releases smoke, and leave the fish in oil one by one. Do not overcrowd the pan.
In the meantime, mustards are soaked well, so first strain the mustard seeds. In a grinder jar keep the mustard seeds with 4 green chillies, 1 tomato and 1/2 tsp salt. Grind until the mixture turns into a smooth paste. Do not need to mix water here as tomatoes will release water.
Turn the fish when one side gets golden, and fry the other side of the fish until golden as well. To get the golden colour of both sides of the fish hardly takes 10-15 mins(5-7 mins needed for each side of frying).
Take the fish out of the pan and keep them aside.
Then add 1/4 tsp kalojeere(kalonji/nigella seeds) to the pan, and stir a little.
Once the kalojeere starts to splutter, add the mustard paste to the pan. Mix about 1/2 cup water with the leftover masala from the grinder jar and add it to the pan. Mix all well.
Once the mustard gravy starts boiling, add 3/4 tsp turmeric powder and 1/2 tsp red chilli powder. Mix them well.
Frequently stir the gravy until release oil from the sides of the gravy, then 3 tbsp curd(whisked well before adding). Mix well.
Cook the gravy with frequent stirring until the volume of the gravy is reduced and almost accumulates in the centre of the pan.
Then add 3 cups of water(the quantity of water should be sufficient for dipping the fish well). Mix well so that no lump of mustard can be left in the gravy.
Once the gravy starts boiling, add 2 slit green chillies. Add 1/4 tsp salt(as salt is also added while making the mustard paste).
Boil the gravy for 1 minute, then add the fried katla fish into the mustard paste gravy. Turn the fish, then cover the pan, slow down the heat and cook the fish for 5 minutes.
After 5 mins, remove the lid, turn the fish pieces again, cover the pan and cook the other side of the fish for another 5 minutes.
After 5 minutes, again remove the lid, add a handful of chopped fresh coriander leaves and stir well. Again, cover the pan for 1 min to infuse the fish with the smell of fresh coriander.
Then remove the lid and add 2 tbsp of raw mustard oil. Mix well, cover the pan and turn off the heat.
Katla macher shorshe jhal, or Shorshe Bata Diye Katla Maacher Jhal is ready for serving.

Notes

If you are using a small or medium pan to fry the fish, do not overcrowd the pan, fry in 2 batches.

How to make Katla Maacher Shorshe Jhal step by step

1. For making this Bengali mustard fish curry, first, soak the mustard seeds for 10 mins.

2. In the meantime, wash the fish (medium-sized pieces of Katla or Rui fish) first.

3. Drain the water well from the fish and smear them with 3/4 tsp salt and 1 tsp turmeric powder.

4. Next, heat a pan on medium heat, add 8 tbsp mustard oil, let heat the oil and release smoke, and leave the fish in oil one by one. Do not overcrowd the pan.

5. In the meantime, mustard soaked well, so first strain the mustard seeds. In a grinder jar keep the mustard seeds with 4 green chilies, 1 tomato and 1/2 tsp salt. Grind the mixture until turns into a smooth paste. Do not need to mix water as tomatoes will release water.

6. Turn the fish when one side gets golden, and fry the other side of the fish until golden as well. To get the golden colour of both sides of the fish hardly takes 10-15 mins(5-7 mins needed for each side to fry).

7. Take out the fish from the pan, and keep them aside.

8. Then add 1/4 tsp kalojeere(kalonjee/nigella seeds) in the pan, stir a little.

9. Once kalojeere starts to splutter, add the mustard paste to the pan. Also, add the water(around 1/2 a cup), which mixes with the leftover masala in the grinder jar to the pan. Mix all well.

10. Once the mustard gravy starts boiling, add 3/4 tsp turmeric powder and 1/2 tsp red chilli powder. Mix them well.

11. Frequently stir the gravy until release oil releases from the sides of the gravy, then add 3 tbsp curd(whisked well before adding). Mix well.

12. Cook the gravy with frequent stirring until the volume of the gravy gets reduced and almost accumulates to the centre of the pan.

13. Then add 3 cups of water(the quantity of water should be sufficient for dipping the fish well). Mix well so that no lump of mustard can be left in the gravy.

14. Once the gravy starts boiling, add 2 slit green chillies. Add 1/4 tsp salt(as salt is also added while making the mustard paste).

15. Boil the gravy for 1 minute, then add the fried fish to the gravy. Turn the fish, then cover the pan, slow down the heat and cook the fish for 5 mins.

16. After 5 mins, remove the lid, turn the fish pieces, again cover the pan and cook the other side of the fish for another 5 mins.

17. After 5 minutes, remove the lid, add a handful of chopped fresh coriander leaves and stir well. Again, cover the pan for 1 min to infuse the fish with the smell of fresh coriander.

18. Lastly, remove the lid and add 2 tbsp of raw mustard oil. Mix well, cover the pan and turn off the heat.

19. Katla Maacher shorshe Jhal aka shorshe katla is ready to serve.