Useful notes

Frying fish (sauteeing with little oil)

 Fish tends to stick to the pot  (steel/cast iron, not nonstick) and break into pieces when you try to turn it. The trick is to

1. heat the pan/wok on high
2. Reduce heat to medium and add oil
3. Wait for a few seconds to let the oil become hot. The visual indication is that when you pour the oil, initially it will stay high on the pan surface due to surface tension and stay in a limited area due to higher viscosity. As it gets hot, it will flatten out more and spread out. White vapours will start coming out when it starts to get too hot. Don't wait any longer than that, as it may catch fire.
4. Reduce heat to medium low/low and lay down the fish pieces. Spread them out because they tend to stick to each other if in contact.

 (Courtesy: my mother)

 It helps to use a round bottom kadai (wok) for bengali style frying, where the fish is usually cut into small pieces 5cm x 7.5 cm or smaller). The oil stays deep in the center, where the currently cooking piece will be, and as it gets almost done you move it up along the sides where the heat is lower and the oil can drip out back tonthe center. In case of large pieces, like a whole pomphret, a flat bottom pan is better suited.

Ginger paste when sauteeing spices ( when cooking jhol/gravy items)

Ginger paste, when added to hot oil, tends to splatter dengerously. It can be reduced by first adding turmeric powder to the oil and then adding ginger paste. Don't leave the former for too long, as it will quickly burn black. After ginger put chopped onions on top and that will contain the splatter. (Courtesy: my mother)

Eggs

I have been struggling to make good fried eggs, and found out that the same technique as frying fish works for this. Add oil to hot steel pan and bring to medium heat. Break the egg on top (I bring them to room temperature first, as cold egg makes the pan cool down). Reduce to low / medium low. If you prefer a solidified layer over the yoke, either cover with a lid or turn it over (metal spatula works better than wooden or nonstick).

For poaching, adding a little acid (vinegar/ lemon juice) to the water really helps in coagulation. (Courtesy Quora)