Machha Jhola

Rohi Maccha Jhola or Rohu Macher Jhol or Rohu Fish Cooked in a thick rich Gravy

Fishy Fish has finally got a place in cook’s pan. Whoa!! The greatest delight to any person kin to coastal India is Fish. We love fish, we can cook it in umpteen ways. We can eat it many times a week. We can always think and dream of innovating it so that the main ingredient fish gets its best form. Being so native to Fish doesn’t make you run away from the fishy smell rather it attracts your appetite.

Machha Jhola (called in Odiya) or Macher Jhol (referred in Bengali) is the common, homely fish dish that is cooked in the gravy of Onion, Ginger and Garlic paste along with tomatoes and finally sprinkled with the aroma of the Garam masala to give it the best blend of smell and taste. This is an easy recipe for a lip smacking lunch platter.

Here goes the recipe for the Machha Jhola:

Ingredients:

1. Rohu Fish: 500 gms
2. Potato: 2 medium sized, cut into medium sized wedges
3. Onion: 2 medium sized, ground into a smooth paste
4. Garlic: 8 – 9 cloves, ground along with Ginger
5. Ginger: 2 cm long, ground along with Garlic into fine paste
6. Tomato: 1 big sized, ground into puree
7. Cumin Powder: 2 tsp
8. Coriander Powder: 2 tsp
9. Chili Powder: 2 tsp
10. Garam Masala: 1 tsp
11. Cardamom or Elaichi: 3-4 pieces
12. Cinnamon or Dalchini: 1 stick, broken into pieces, and coarsely dry ground with Elaichi
13. Mustard Oil – 3-4 tbsp
14. Turmeric – 3 tsp
15. Salt – according to the taste
16. Coriander Leaves – Finely chopped for Garnishing

1. Finely chop the Tomatoes and grind it into a thick puree.
2. Finely chop the Onion and grind it into a smooth paste.
3. Peel the Ginger and separate the Garlic cloves to prepare the smooth Ginger- Garlic Paste.
   
4. Coarsely dry grind the Cardamom and Cinnamon.
   

Steps of Cooking for the Machha Jhola:

1. In a wide bottomed vessel or Kadhai or wok, put 3-4 tbsp of Mustard Oil and let it heat for 2 mins.
   
2. Place the marinated fish pieces and shallow fry till it’s golden brown from both the sides.
   
3. If it’s not possible to fry all the pieces in one go, cook it in batches to enhance the flavor and color.
   
4. Once all the fishes are fried properly, place it in a bowl.
   
5. In the same oil, cook the potatoes till golden brown on both the sides as shown below.
   
6. Once the potatoes are cooked, check if there is enough oil to cook the gravy. If not, add 1 tbsp of oil.
   
7. In the oil, add the Onion Paste and cook till the rawness of onion is gone and it smells cooked.
   
8. After the onion paste is cooked, add the Ginger Garlic paste and saute it for 2-3 mins.
   
9. Add the Chili powder, Cumin powder, Coriander powder and garam masala and cook it for more 2 mins.
   
10. After the masala is properly cooked and smell of raw ingredients are gone, add the tomato puree and cook for 2-3 mins till the oil oozes out.
    
11. Add the fried potatoes to the cooked masala.
    
12. Add the salt according to the taste, you have to be very cautious while adding salt as the salt was initially added in the fish.
    
13. Add two cups of water, and bring the potato and gravy to a boil, so that the potato is properly cooked and softens.
    
14. After the gravy is properly cooked, add the fried fish pieces and cook for 1-2 mins.
    
15. Sprinkle the freshly ground cardamom and cinnamon powder to the curry.
    
16. Switch off the stove and garnish with finely chopped coriander leaves.
    

Serve the spicy gravy with plain rice. It would be itself a complete meal and an amazing treat for your appetite.