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.

DSC_5662

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
Steps of Preparation for fish marination and vegetables:
  1. Clean the Rohu fish and pat dry.
    DSC_5468
  2. Marinate the fish with Turmeric and Salt.
    DSC_5472DSC_5476
  3. Make sure you use your hands to properly mix the turmeric and salt with the fish evenly so that it coats well.
    DSC_5484
  4. Cut the potatoes into medium wedges and soak in water to avoid the browning of potatoes.
    DSC_5489
Steps of Preparation for masalas:
  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.
    DSC_5492DSC_5520
  4. Coarsely dry grind the Cardamom and Cinnamon.
    DSC_5594DSC_5596
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.
    DSC_5499
  2. Place the marinated fish pieces and shallow fry till it’s golden brown from both the sides.
    DSC_5504
  3. If it’s not possible to fry all the pieces in one go, cook it in batches to enhance the flavor and color.
    DSC_5515
  4. Once all the fishes are fried properly, place it in a bowl.
    DSC_5540
  5. In the same oil, cook the potatoes till golden brown on both the sides as shown below.
    DSC_5524DSC_5544
  6. Once the potatoes are cooked, check if there is enough oil to cook the gravy. If not, add 1 tbsp of oil.
    DSC_5549
  7. In the oil, add the Onion Paste and cook till the rawness of onion is gone and it smells cooked.
    DSC_5545
  8. After the onion paste is cooked, add the Ginger Garlic paste and saute it for 2-3 mins.
    DSC_5551
  9. Add the Chili powder, Cumin powder, Coriander powder and garam masala and cook it for more 2 mins.
    DSC_5558DSC_5559DSC_5560DSC_5565
  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.
    DSC_5567DSC_5571DSC_5582
  11. Add the fried potatoes to the cooked masala.
    DSC_5586
  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.
    DSC_5588
  13. Add two cups of water, and bring the potato and gravy to a boil, so that the potato is properly cooked and softens.
    DSC_5592
  14. After the gravy is properly cooked, add the fried fish pieces and cook for 1-2 mins.
    DSC_5597
  15. Sprinkle the freshly ground cardamom and cinnamon powder to the curry.
    DSC_5603
  16. Switch off the stove and garnish with finely chopped coriander leaves.
    DSC_5607DSC_5609
Serve the spicy gravy with plain rice. It would be itself a complete meal and an amazing treat for your appetite.
DSC_5656
Rohi Maccha Jhola or Rohu Macher Jhol or Rohu Fish Cooked in a thick rich Gravy
Recipe Type: Main
Cuisine: Indian
Author: Shreemaa Bhadra
Prep time:
Cook time:
Total time:
Machha Jhola is the fish cooked in a rich spicy gravy. It’s assorted with garam masala to bring unique flavors and does justice to your taste buds. Generally served with Plain Rice.
Ingredients
Instructions

Be First to Comment

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *