Rui Mach'er Matha diye Bandhakopir Ghonto(Cabbage stir/fry with fish head)-200th post

My dashboard is pointing towards my 200th post today. I am happy to accomplish this, Oh! Yes, finally.
It took me almost 4 years of blogging to reach my 200th post. In that way I am feeling like a tortoise in this blogging world.
No jokes apart, I have thoroughly liked the time, I have spent in blogging world. I just love to read your feedbacks everday. It gives me the same kind of excitement as it gave when I received my first feedback.
Thanks all for being with me in this journey.







Bengalis love their fish.And when rui fish or for that matter ilish fish is concerned , no part is wasted. Rui fish and bandhakopi , I mean cabbage is a fantastic way how fish is incorporated in a normal vegetables stir/fry.Then there is a green leafy variation of making it with Malabar spinach/puin called as Puin Shak'er chorchori and again Ilish/hilsa fish head and cabbage preparation - Ilish mach diye bandhakopir chenchra .

So, when it comes to fish head ,they have great variation of making it with moong dal as Mach'er matha diye Moong'er dal , and of course bandhakopir ghonto(cabbage stir/fry).Some even like to prepare fish head as tok/Ambol- a wonderful recipe with ilish fish head at Kichu-Khon-Ilish macher matha diye tok ( sweet/tangy/sour runny chutney- a last course meal idea) and also at Home makers diary- Ilish macher tak .

Today, it’s usual ghonto recipe with rui fish.

Rui mach’er matha diye bandhakopir ghonto

Serves-3-4

Ingredients

Half a cabbage

1 medium size potato cut into cubes

Seasonings

1 tsp of cumin seeds/Jeerey

1 tsp of cumin powder/bhaja jeerey paste

2-3 tsp of coriander powder/dhone goron

2-3 tsp of red pepper powder/sokhno lonka goron or paprika

Salt as per taste

Pinch of sugar

2-3 bay leaf

2-3 tbs of cooking oil/shorsher tel preferably

2 tsp of garam masala

1-2 tsp of butter or ghee

About 2 tsp of chopped ginger or ginger paste

For the preparation of fish head

Fry the fish head marinated with turmeric powder and salt in hot cooking oil. Cover the pan with lid while frying the fish head, this way the oil won’t splutter out.

Make a curry/ rui mach’er moron jhaal

Seasonings

2 tsp of red pepper powder/sokhno lonka goron

Salt as per taste

1 tbs of cooking oil/shorsher tel preferably

In a saucepan, add about 1 to 1 ½ cups of water. Add in red pepper powder, turmeric powder, salt and oil. Cover the pan with lid and let it simmer slowly till the fish head turn soft with all the seasonings.

Meanwhile the fish head curry is being prepared, chop cabbage finely. I would highly recommend using British green Cabbage which is slightly soft as compared to green plu.And in India ,winter cabbage taste awesome.

Heat up a saucepan; add cooking oil preferably mustard oil. If you don’t have mustard oil, prepare it with normal cooking oil like canola or sunflower oil.

Add cumin seeds and chopped ginger+ 1-2 bay leaf.

Add chopped potato. Fry at medium for 3 mints.

Add all the seasoning materials-red pepper powder, cumin+coriander powder.

If possible make fresh cumin+coriander powder or paste.

To make fresh powder

Dry roast cumin seeds +coriander seeds over hot skillet for 3-5 mints at med-low. Now grind this in a spice grinder or coffee grinder. You may add turmeric powder and red pepper powder and salt at this time or you can add in later while preparing the stir/fry.

Or else you may use the normal masala available in Indian groceries stores as macula packets.

Now add all the seasonings to the above fried potatoes. Coat well with spices. At this time add half a chopped tomato.

Now it’s time to add finely chopped cabbage. Mix in with a spatula.

Cover with lid, lower the flame and cook 7-10 mints till cabbage shrinks and potatoes turn soft. You may like to add or rather sprinkle some water in between stir/fry and mix well so that it doesn’t stick at the bottom of the pan.

Don’t forget to add sugar+ghee+garam masala at the end.

Now mix the prepared fish head curry with the cabbage stir/fry. Mix in well and with the spatula just mash the fish head to mingle with the cabbage stir/fry.

I like to have it little runny with some gravy, however if you don’t like that way then probably you should fry little more uncovered for 4-5 mints till the gravy dries up well.

Serve with roti or luchi whatever way you like. I like it to have with garam bhaat even.

Thanks for visiting Spice and Curry.