Of weddings, Family, Food and some Fish in Mustard Sauce.

Today while browsing an old album, I came across this picture of a prized wedding fish on its way to the bride to be’s family . It was a part of the Gai Holud ceremony.I can still almost taste the delicious lunch that followed the ceremony. Oh dear Fish.

Growing up in a lose knit Bengali family, weddings were a cause of major celebrations, for me it meant: Phamily and Phood , especially Pheesh (Bong babu’s way of pronouncing things, pun intended) ! It meant waking up to the robust smell of fish slices being friend in sharp mustard oil. Fried fish is definitely not a breakfast food, now even for us bongs. The early preparation was perhaps the cooks way of ensuring that the food is done in time for lunch. You see, we bongs have a huge appetite for food, especially on festive gatherings like wedding.

Actually the food or more importantly the fish fetish has a lot bigger role to play during weddings than just being the family favorite dish. In traditional Bengali wedding’s the bride walks in to her new home with a live fish in hand. As the folklore goes, it signifies harmony and healthy children.

Nowadays people make is easier on the new bride by making her carry a dead fish but, that’s only if you allow the bending of rituals and traditions. I  generally don’t , and perhaps it’s not me speaking but my grandmother’s spirit who is peeping at my post from the heaven above is  making me write it. She was so focused on these traditions, right from the symbolism of these rituals to how these fishes should be cooked and served in a correct order, that I now feel it’s my personal responsibility to see that the traditional lineage continues. Afterall they come with a promise of good fortune and prosperity. Greedy me! 

Who can deny.

Now that we are in the topic of traditions, presenting a traditional dish of Fish in Mustard sauce or Sorse Maach.  I have tried to be as authentic as possible, but feel free reason out what proportions will actually make for the best Sorse Maach, which suits your family's taste buds.

Fish in Bengali Mustard Sauce or Sorse Mach

Ingredients

Fish pieces/fillets around 4-5 pieces

Yellow mustard seeds (soaked for a few hours in water) 4-5 tbsp

Green chilies as per taste

Ginger paste 1 ½ tsp

Turmeric powder 1 tsp

Salt and sugar to taste

Mustard oil 2-3 tbsp (Plus 1 tbsp more for drizzling) (you can substitute with other oils if you want)

Cilantro for garnish

Method:

Clean the fish pieces and rub the turmeric and salt over it. Keep it aside for 15 minutes.

Now grind the soaked mustard seeds with a few green chilies in mortar and pestle, or a mixer to a smooth and creamy paste.

In a deep bottomed pan, heat the mustard oil and fry the fish pieces till they are golden brown in color. Keep the fish pieces aside. Now temper the oil with ginger paste and a little salt. Now add the mustard paste and fry on low heat. Add the whole green chilies along with salt and sugar. Adjust according to taste. Add the fish pieces along with half a cup of water and let it cook for few more minutes. The consistency is creamy and thick, not runny. So adjust the liquid accordingly.

Once done, garnish with cilantro and drizzle fresh mustard oil on top.

Serve the fish in mustard sauce over bed of rice.

The Rainy Rishikesh and some Bengali Tomato Chutney

I have been conspicuous by my absence, haven’t I? But the reality is that every now and then, I had this inexplicable itch to come to this virtual world of mine and share these teeny meeny details of life…of what’s making me uber happy…or something that making me cringe”. But then, I kept fighting my feelings and waited.  (Perhaps I’m not alone in this, ask any blogger and they’d tell you how overwhelming this desire to blog about everything around us is)

I waited for a glorious noon like today, for my daughter to take a slightly longer nap so that I could give you a tip toed visit.

And tell you that over the last few weeks I have been:-

Out and about camping with little S and lots of lovely crazy family in the rainy Rishikesh.

Id-eating my little S’s 2nd B’day party

Spending a few lush weeks with my best bud. My mom

Looking for a new play school for little S

Almost forgetting that I have an office to go to,

Reluctantly getting work ready.

Let’s start with my camping trip. So we went to Rishikesh to a secluded beach camp.  Our rafting and other adventurous sport plans were marred as it kept raining throughout. Still it was kind of relaxing to be huddled with close family, away from all electronics and modern trappings which sidetrack us away from the business of being a family.

The toddlers in the group got all the adult attention they could dream of …they did act goofy , got into silly fights , but they gotta be themselves. We gossiped and guffawed, visited the regular touristy spots, rested well and ate even better and came back halfheartedly to the usual humdrum of regular lives.

Disbelievingly I’m already on a countdown for the next smallish trip. I don’t know where I might be heading to next, but I’m impatient for it to be planned. Sometimes I think my life’s so much like these bright firm red ripe tomatoes. Bittersweet, but you want to do away with the odds and hold onto all that's bright red and beautiful, and that’s when I turn to the kitchen to cook and seal the happiness in a jar. If you are anything like the, you too would perhaps head to your kitchen right away and make a pot of Tomato chutney. Once done,be patient enough to cool it and then have a large dollop of it with your rice and lentil curry, or anything else you might want to care to add it to… Making it is easy. You’ll be happy you did!

And I didn't tell any of it any sooner than today as I didn't want my family with all the extended versions of it… tell me one day that “oh – she forgot to talk to us, as she was so busy chronicling about how happy she was in our presence!!”

Tomato Chutney or Tomator Chaatni 


 Ingredients for Tomato Chutney

3-4, ripe tomatoes
1 Tbsp ginger julienne
2 green chilies, deseeded
2 tbsp raisins
1 teaspoon cumin seeds
2 bay leaves
1 tsp fenugreek/methi seeds
2-3 tablespoons vegetable oil
3-4 tablespoons sugar or palm jaggery
Salt

Heat oil in a heavy bottomed pan. once it smokes, temper the oil with de-seeded green chillies,fenugreek seeds, cumin seeds, bay leaves and lastly add the raisins. Let them all cook together for around 30 seconds, and now add the coarsely chopped pieces of tomatoes and the grated ginger. Mix all of till till mushy.

Add the sugar and salt once its all in a juicy mush. lick -check the spices, as its predominantly sweet.Cook well till most juices are soaked up and consistency is chutney like. Remove from heat. Cool and enjoy with whatever you please.I love mine with rice and dal.

Echorer Dalna (JackFruit Curry) - Veg meets Non-veg Dish

Sometimes I wish I had a pause button.

A button that allows me time. Some time to me and the rest to carry out things at my pace.
Like, time to stop and take the pictures of the things I cooked and I so wanted to share. Time to pause and write the story which had been brewing in my head that day while I was cooking.Time to smell the flowers. I agree . There will never be enough time for it all. Clothes will always be dirty. Toys always strewn across. A mountain of clothes always waiting to be folded. Diapers to be stacked. Noses to wipe. Vegetables to buy. 

As I rush through my day. Something cuts into my soul. My mom never hurried. Neither screamed mad. Yet, laughter was abound. House always brimming with love and enough food for all the unannounced guests. We were not sitcom type families. Below the belt jokes were conspicuously absent.Foul words out of the window. Even speaking any language other than Bengali in the house was sniggered at.Good bong houses of yore never had PDA between parents, yet we knew it was there.

And look at what hurry has done to me.

I am angry. Little one screaming. Profanity flows.Anxiety overload and love is nowhere to be found.

Let me help love find its way back into my house.

Let me get it the old school way…through the stomach. What else…

With this thought I get to chop a gummy tender and green Jackfruit. The complication ends at chopping as the rest of it is quite simple and quick.  Jackfruit is actually the vegetarian option for the hardcore non-veg Bengalis. A delicacy which most often than not finds its place in the vegetarian buffet section of the weddings and always cooked when you are serving vegetarian guests a Bengali meal. A win win option to keep both meal hemispheres happy.

Today's Recipe is the most most popular and commonly made using up the very basic Bengali pantry staples.


Echor er Dalna

Ingredients:

Vegetables you will need 

Tender green Jack fruit  - around 400 gms
Potatoe - 1 nos boiled (optional)
Onion - 1 medium sized, chopped
Tomatoes -1 medium,chopped
Ginger - 2-3" piece, finely grated
Garlic - 5-6 cloves, finely minced
Green Chilies- 2 nos (you can also use red chili powder for an extra  kick)

Masalas
Turmeric Powder - 1 tsp
Red Chili Powder  - 1 tsp
Cumin Powder - 1 tsp
Cumin Seeds - ½ tsp
Whole Cardamom - 3-4

Whole Cinnamon - 1" sticks
Whole Cloves - 4-5
Bay Leaf - 1 whole
Garam Masala Powder - ½ tsp

The grease :

 Mustard oil (this is what adds the flavor, trust me . Don't substitute.) - 2 tbsp
Ghee (Clarified Butter) - 1 tsp



Method:

Pressure cook the raw Jackfruit pieces.1-2 whistles. Remember to add salt to the water.

Heat oil in a pan and temper with the whole Spices , namely the Cumin,Cardamom, Cinnamon and Cloves and Bay leaf . Once they stop spluttering add chopped onions and fry till slightly browned.Add the ginger and garlic and fry lightly.

Now time to add the salt, turmeric powder, and cumin powder and fry till the masala is well blended and cooked through.sprinkle water every now and then. add tomatoes. cook and stir till well blended.

Time to add the chopped pressure cooked jack fruit pieces and mix well in the above spice mix.

Lastly add a cup full of water to the mixture and keep simmering on low heat for around 10-12 minutes. This will allow the spices to seep into the jackfruit In case you like it dry, keep cooking till most water is evaporated. Top it with a teaspoon of ghee (clarified butter) and a teaspoon of Garam Masala Powder. Mix. Serve with steamed rice.


My thakuma 'grandmother' used to say that if cooked well you cant make a difference between this and Kosha Mangsho.  In reality the texture of a green jack fruit is quite meaty, hence the nickname earned "Gaach Pantha" literally translated it means 'this meat grows on trees'!. You can cook green jackfruit any which way you want, the most popular is cooking it the like the  way we cooked above, with thick and sinful gravy topped with a dollop of ghee. You can also add plain yogurt to the gravy and make it Doi Enchor. One more popular way is to add Shrimps and call it Enchor Chingri. Or go the Vaishnav way without onion or garlic and call it the Niramish Enchor (Vegetarian Jackfruit curry).