Fish Stew, Bengali Style

What is it about winter that makes me yearn for comfort food ? I muse this morning.
Maybe its the nip in the air, the mist-veiled morning, the sun playing bo-peep through the blanket of fog. That make me wallow in honey-sweet nostalgia. And I wish I could laze all day – remain curled up in bed. Tucked under my blanket. With a book that has been imploring me to finish reading her for weeks now. A cup of Darjeeling. And when I do feel the pangs of hunger, a huge bowl of comfort food.

Comfort food !! What do I want this morning ? I ask myself.
A bowl of piping hot thupka ?
A rustic dalna of potatoes and cauliflower, may be some green peas thrown in ? With a bowl of fragrant gobindobhog rice.
Or just a bowl of fish stew ? As i remember that gorgeous bhekti that’s resting in my refrigerator.

And a fish stew, Bengali style, it finally is. Fish and a medley of winter vegetables. Cauliflowers and carrots. Peas and cabbage leaves. Some fresh spinach that I snip and throw in at the very end. Cooked in milk. Perfumed with grated ginger and the holy troika of whole spices, cinnamon, cloves and green cardamom, pummeled with my pestle. Finished with a profligate abundance of coarsely ground black pepper.
Some bread I had baked last evening to mop all that goodness with.

Enjoy !!! As I return to my book.Save

Fish Stew, Bengali Style

Fish Stew, Bengali Style. Fish and a medley of winter vegetables. Perfumed with ginger and whole spices. Finished with a lavish abundance of black pepper.

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Prep Time 10 minutes mins

Cook Time 30 minutes mins

Total Time 40 minutes mins

Course Main Course

Cuisine Bengali, Indian

Ingredients

  

• 3-4 slices of bhetki maach or seabass
• 10-12 medium florets of cauliflower
• 1 potato quartered
• 2 carrots cut into long batons
• 1/4 cup cabbage leaves roughly chopped
• 1/4 cup spinach leaves roughly chopped
• 1/4 cup fresh green peas
• 1/2 cup milk
• 1 tomato pureed
• 2 onion roughly chopped
• 2 tsp ginger paste
• 2-3 bay leaves
• 2 green cardamom
• 1 one inch cinnamon stick
• 8-10 black peppercorns
• 2 tbsp black pepper freshly ground
• 1 tbsp oil
• 1/2 tbsp butter

Instructions

 

• Marinate the fish slices with salt and black pepper powder.
• Heat oil in a pan, shallow fry the fish slices.
• In the same pan, add the remaining oil, when smoking hot, throw in the black peppercorn, cinnamon, crushed green cardamom and bay leaves. Saute for a minute or so, allow the spices to release their aroma.
• Now add the onions, saute till light brown. Stir in the tomato puree and ginger paste, saute for 5-7 odd minutes till the raw smell of tomato is gone.
• Throw in the potatoes, cauliflower florets, carrots and green peas, sprinkle in the salt and black pepper, continue to cook till the vegetables turn a light brown.
• Add 2 cups of warm water, bring to a simmer. When the vegetables are almost tender, gently add the fried fish. Cook for a further 3-4 minutes over a high flame.
• Reduce the flame, add the cabbage leaves and spinach. Pour in the milk, while stirring continuously and cook for 5-7 odd minutes.
• Finish with black pepper and a dollop of butter.

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