Maach-er jhaal (Fish curry with mustard paste)

The main difference between jhol and jhaal is that the latter has a thicker gravy and is spicier. “Jhaal” literally means (spicy-hot, like the taste of chilly-pepper). In its most common form, jhaal gravy is based on mustard paste. Fish with strong smell (like most sea-fish and some carnivorous catfish like boal [wallago] ) are almost exclusively cooked this way as the mustard covers up the smell.

Ingredients:

Fish - 250 g

Mustard - 1 teaspoonful

Nigella seeds - ½ teaspoonful (optional)

Onion - 2 medium (optional)

Green chilly - 2 (each slit into two)

Turmeric powder - 1 teaspoonful

Potatoes - 2 medium (optional).

Procedure:

1. Marinate the fish the same way as in jhol.
2. You may fry the fish as in jhol. But this is optional as some people like the fishy-smell mixed with mustard smell.
3. Potatoes, if added, are to be cut into long thin pieces (longitudinally | | - _ ) and can be fried beforehand (just like jhol).
4. Chop the onions into long thin pieces.
5. The mustard should soaked in water to soften them (~10-15 minutes) and then ground to fine paste.
6. In heated oil, add the green chillies (and optionally the nigella seeds). After 10-15 seconds add the onion and fry until golden brown.
7. You may add the mustard paste now and stir it for about a minute so that it loses any excess water and becomes slightly darker in colour. You can skip the mustard at this stage and add it after adding water.
8. (Optional) Add the potatoes and fry for ~2 minutes
9. Add water. In jhaal the gravy is very thick. So control the amount of water so that after boiling it will reduce to just enough for dipping the fish. Some prefer the gravy to be like a thick coating of sauce on the fish.
10. Once the water starts boiling, add the turmeric powder and salt to taste. If you skipped the mustard paste in step 7, add it now. Stir and mix it well into the water.
11. Just like jhol, add the fish when the potatoes are almost done. If you are not adding potatoes, add the fish when the gravy starts to look uniform and well mixed. The onions should have become very soft by that time.
12. Cook until the fish gets done.