Bhetki Macher Chop(Fish Chop) and lao Shaaker Chorchori

Life is very hectic for me these days and also I don’t find time to blog often or visit my fav blogs ,due to some personal reasons.My apologies to all well wishers, readers and faithful friends who love to visit here.
I will try to blog in future also but there are many other issues which I need to work on.Meanwhile friends enjoy your stay here and try recipes from here and let me know how it turns out.
This post, I dedicate to bhetki fish, one of our fav fish and this bhetki fish chops are regulars in biye Bari (marriages) in every Bengali homes.And of course there is lao shaker chorchori which is the greens of bottle gourd cooked with potatoes/pumpkins/ridge gourd.This is just perfect for any vegetarian starters.

So I start with Bhetki macher Chop First

Recipe Requirements

Bhetki fish fillet 6-8 or any white fish fillet /Tilapia fish fillet can also be used.
1 cup of bread-crumbs or lero in Bengali or enough to coat the fish fillet well.
3-4 tbs of corn flour
3-4 tbs of rice powder
1 lemon and take the juice out of it.
Onion/ginger/garlic paste 4-5 tsp or enough to coat well the fish fillets.
Green chilly paste 3-4 tsp (depend on the level of spice you want, add less for less hotness or you may use green Tobassco sauce also)

Pinch of soda powder
2 eggs
Salt as per taste

Marinating the fish fillet

Marinate it with garlic/ginger/onion paste and salt and green chilly paste ( this time,i was short of green chilly so added red pepper powder instead of, but I guess the original taste comes well with fresh green chilly paste )
Squeeze in the juice of lemon juice over it .let it sit there for ½ hour. (TIP-And if you are not in hurry marinate the fish fillet and store in refrigerator ,let it sit there the whole night and then other day fry them well.This way the smell of raw fish is also gone and it turns more soft.)
Now professional cooks usually don’t fry these fish fillets, they just go to the next step of rolling it over bread crumbs…..if you feel so do it.

I was little skeptical of eating fish like this ,so I just fried the marinated fish fillets for few mints or you may say just a splash of hot oil over the fillets …just to get rid of the raw smell.

Coating of the fish fillet
Now break two eggs in a bowl.
Mix in bread crumbs, rice powder, corn flour and pinch of baking soda and salt as per taste in a flat plate.The plate if flat helps even coating of the fillets.
Dip the fish fillets in egg first and then roll it over the crumb mixture, pat it well with the crumbs.let it sit there few mintues so that the coat is well soaked up.
TIP-If you feel just repeat this step after few mintues for double coating/crusting which is good for deep frying purpose.
Now roll other fish fillets like this.
Now heat up a kadai and oil upt half of the kadai for deep frying purpose.( that much of oil is required as fish fillets need to be deep fried right)

Let the oil heat up properly before you drop in fish chops to fry.Tip- you may drop some cumin seeds to check if the oil is properly heated or not.If the cumin seeds sizzles I oil ,the oil is ready for deep fry.

Frying the fish chops
Fry them well for 4-5 minst on both sides.Flame should be at med to low- med depending on the heat it transfers to the saucepan/kadai ,if you feel you may raise the bar ,but be careful ,you may burn the fillets while frying at high and the fish inside might turn out little undercooked which I am sure you don’t want.
Take out when it turns a nice golden-brown on both sides and have it with green coriander chutney or peanut chutney.
Note

measurementas mentioned here are approx.

And to other recipe for this post ,vegetarian chorchori with lao shak.
Lao Shaker Chorchori

Lao shaker chorchori
1 bunch green leaves of bottle gourds with tender twigs and branches.
1 medium size potato
1-2 ridge gourd (jhinge)
Few pumkin pieces (kumro)
1 tsp of turmeric powder
1tsp of red pepper powder (add more for more hotness)
1 -2 tsp of panch phoron (or can add kalounji/nigella seeds)
1 tsp of sugar
2-3 tbs of mustard oil

lao/lauki/Bottle gourd belongs to family cucurbitaceae.I have kept my lil ones pencil to show ,how wide and broad bottle gourd leaves are.This is the main ingredients.The twigs after being cooked taste kind of sweet and leaves much more flavourful.This Chorchori has a nice blend of other vegetables like pumpkin and ridge gourd also .

Method
Clean the green leaves of lao/lauki/bottle gourd, discard torn or wilted leaves. Clean the chopped leaves thoroughly in water 2-3 times to get rid of mud /sand if any.

Cut the tender twigs in 1inch long pieces also.
Heat up kadhai or any heavy bottom Pan/Wok, add mustard oil, add the panch phoron mix, and let it splutter.
Now add diced potatoes .Fry it for 1-2 mints at high and add ridge gourd/pumkin pieces.
Add turmeric powder, red pepper powder, salt, sugar.
Add the cleaned leaves n twigs of green bottle gourd.
Cook at high for 2-3 mints, lower the flames and cover the kadhai/Pan.
Cook the leaves till soft and deep-green in color.

Cook another 7-8 mints at low covered.
Take out when the vegetables are cooked thoroughly and somewhat mushy in texture and serve with warm cooked rice.
Note

you may add in radish also if you like them.

dont throw away the twigs while cleaning and chopping the leaves ,do add them they taste wonderful and are kind of sweet.
Happy Cooking Friends