It’s not everyday that my fishmonger calls to inform that he’s got some gorgeous boal maach. And that he has taken the liberty of sending some boal steaks home.
Lucky me !!! I am elated.
Boal was available in abundance in Assam.
And many a fond memory I nurture of Manikkaka returning home on mellow winter-turning-to-spring mornings from the local maacher baajaar (fish-market), plump steaks of boal, caught overnight, in his ancient well-past-its-prime blue and green striped nylon bag (exclusively reserved for fish and Grandma’s alert eyes never missing a careless-for-a-moment Manikkaka fishing out an odd vegetable from the bag) and Maa cooking a sublime boal maacher jhal.
What do I prepare ? I wonder though this morning.
And before I even realize, the couch is a confusion of cookbooks, newspaper clips and diaries replete with scribbles.
The quintessential Bengali boal maacher jhal ?
A more ambitious boal biryani ?
Nothing seems though to satiate my attention.
Or am I just being fussy ?
Finally a call to Maa.
What’s that dish you had cooked when Bapi’s cousins had come home for lunch ?
You expect me to remember what I cooked decades back, Maa protests in mock agony.
But that taste still lingers on my taste-buds. I complaint.
More conversation
Finally Maa takes over.
Try a boal maacher dom.
How do I go about it ?
It’s so simple. And she rattles off. A little this and a little that. And you are done.
Slow down Maa, I interject. Scribbling as furiously as I can with a phone balanced precariously between my ear and my shoulder.
How much is a little ? A teaspoon ? I enquire.
Just a little, she responds.
Mothers never measure quantities, I should know better.
Finally armed with the recipe, I return to the kitchen.
And what a divine boal maacher dom it turns out to be !!!
Boal maacher dom. Gorgeous boal steaks. A generous slather of onion and ginger paste. Maa’s secret masala. Some wicked chillies and a glug of mustard oil.
This is what I call food heaven !!!
Boal Maacher Dom
Ingredients
- 4-5 boal maach steaks
- 1/2 cup onion paste
- 2 tsp ginger paste
- 2-3 dry red chilies
- 2 bay leaves
- 2 tsp cumin seeds
- 1 tsp turmeric powder
- 2 tsp red chili powder
- 5 tbsp mustard oil
- salt to taste
Instructions
- Soak the bay leaves and cumin seeds in warm water, 20 minutes or so. Drain from water, grind to a smooth paste with a splash of water. Keep aside in a bowl.
- To the bay leaves-cumin seeds paste, add the onion paste, ginger paste, turmeric powder, red chili powder, 1 tbsp mustard oil and a generous pinch of salt. Mix well.
- Add the fish steaks to the masala, coat well. Keep aside for 10 minutes.
- Heat 2 tbsp mustard oil in a flat pan. Gently place the marinated fish along with the marinade in the pan, cook over a low flame.
- Heat 2 tbsp mustard oil in a flat pan. Throw red chilies and fry till it release the aroma.
- Gently place the marinated fish along with the marinade in the pan, cook over a low flame For 7-8 minutes.
- Add ¼ cup of warm water, cover and cook for 3-4 odd minutes.
- Finish with a generous drizzle of mustard oil. Serve hot with steamed rice.
Can I use Aar mach instead of boal?
Yes Namita, you can !! 🙂
It turned out really well!! It would be nice if you could share a few variations of aar mach. There are none right now.
Excellent Receipe. I cooked & enjoyed the use of bay leave pate & aroma of red chill
@Sanjay Thank you for trying this one. Im glad you like it 🙂
Many thanks for your prompt reply to my request for the recipe of your mother’s bol macher dom, Maumita. I am not at home just now, but will surely try it out once I return. Warm regards.
@Walter Vaz Thanks for stopping by! Do let me know how it turns out. 🙂