Siakap Fish Curry with cauliflowers/ Phulkopi diye Bhetki mach'er jhol

Even though one can find visible differences, while travelling or residing in other countries, one gets evenly surprised, when faced with a familiar thing but with different name for it. And that exactly happened to me , when I was purchasing fish here , I noticed a familiar fish, but I was surprised to hear the name as Siakap.Now siakap reminded me something similar we get in Bengal- ‘Bhetki ‘ and I wasn’t  wrong either, when I made the fish curry with cauliflower. And yes it is bhetki but instead of bhetki , people over here call this fish -Siakap. To all of you, who don’t even have any clue, what I am talking of, if you have heard about Barramundi, then you know these all are different name for the same fish Bhetki. While there are various ways we prepare bhetki, one of our favourite way of consuming this fish is making a light and runny jhol/curry with cauliflower florets .And with warm cooked rice, this is a great meal combo one can have on a lazy and rainy afternoon.

Now to the recipe

Bhetki mach’er jhol phulkopi diye – Siakap fish curry with cauliflowers

Recipe requirements-( makes for 3-4 )

1 whole siakap/bhetki/Barramundi fish cut into 4-5 pieces

About 2-3 cups of cauliflower florets

1-2 medium size potatoes cut into long slices

 1 medium size onion

 1 tsp of red pepper powder

½ tsp of turmeric powder

For marinating fish

¾ tsp of turmeric powder

Salt as per taste

For tempering

1 tsp of cumin seeds

2 dry red chillies

5-6 tbs of cooking oil/mustard oil

  1 tsp of Salt or as per taste

Method

Clean Siakap /bhetki/barramundi  fish pieces well in water. Marinate them with turmeric powder and salt and keep aside.

Heat up a fry pan/wok/kadai, add in cauliflower florets and stir/fry them well till they turn light brownish. Take out and keep aside.

Add in more oil to it and slowly add in fish pieces and fry both sides well.Take out fish pieces.

In that oil itself, add cumin seeds, dry red pepper and finely chopped onions. Stir/fry it for 4-5 mints at med-high flame.

Now add in potato pieces, and keep on stir/fry for about 3-4 mints. Add in bird eye red chilly slit in between and finely chopped tomato pieces.

Add in all the dry spices- turmeric powder+red pepper powder+salt in a cup of water, mix it well.

Add this spices mixture to the above fried mix and keep on stir/fry for about 3-4 mints.

Add in more water if you need a light and runny curry/jhol.

Lower the flame and add in fried fish pieces and cauliflower florets. Cook it covered till potatoes are tender and once done switch off the flame. Let it sit there for about half an hour.

Serve and enjoy with warm cooked rice.

From archived post- Bhetki mach'er chop ...

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