Baked Bekti Bong style

 

         I am really tired today. And a little unwell too. But dad had brought fresh Bekti from New Market this morning and there was no way he was going to let me rest in peace until I made something with them. 
        So, I had to ….poor me!
        And then, though I had no plans of posting on the blog today, I just couldn’t wait to share the product of my labour today. 
        The recipe originally was my attempt at recreating a dish I have had at Bengali restaurant here in town but now this dish has evolved into something I can call my own, though the inspiration remains this particular restaurant.  So, I am not going to write much today, just share the recipe instead. 
  In this dish, creamy hung curd, the goodness of cashews and the zing of mustard comes together to give good old Bekti a mouthwatering makeover. 

Ingredients

Bekti fillet – 15 pieces

Hung curd – 150 gms 
Garlic paste - 1 tsp

Cashew nut paste - 3 tbsp

Poppy seed paste (posto) – 2 tbsp

Mustard paste – 2 tbsp

Mustard oil – 6-8 tbsp

Salt to taste

Green chili paste – 1 tsp

Whole green chili – 7-8 

 Method

• Blend together hung curd, cashew nut paste, poppy seed paste, mustard paste, green chili paste, salt and mustard oil, to make a creamy mix.  Add salt to taste. 

• Pour the marinade on the fish and keep aside for half an hour.
• Preheat oven at 180 degree centigrade.
• Line the fish on a baking tray, placing the fish close together and finally pour the marinade over it. Now slit the whole green chilies placing one half on each piece of fish. 
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• Slip the tray into the oven and bake at 180 degree centigrade for 35-40 minutes. For the final 3-4 minutes turn up the heat to 200 degree centigrade for a lovely crust.
• Serve hot with steamed rice.

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Choppy affair

What's a Bengali festival without Bangali's legendary chop-cutlet. So here's another family recipe of my favourite machher chop. 

This one makes me very nostalgic. As a child I would wait for the day in the week when machher chop would be made. Usually they made it on Fridays. Ours was (is) a big joint family and exactly two pieces and no more were made for each member, Ponchu Nona (the cook, I mentioned him in a previous post) wouldn't make an extra, except for me. I always got 3. 

Ponchu Nona is long gone and nowadays machher chop is no longer a weekly ritual. It's a special treat. My aunt is an awesome cook and makes great chop-cutlet and the kind, and she makes beautiful machher chop too, but not quite like the ones I had in my childhood. So I took things in my hand. And after many trials (and errors) I have been able to recreate that machher chop – same taste, texture and aroma. And now everyone looks to me hen they are in the mood for machher chop. 

Now this version is nothing like the biye bari (wedding feasts) version. Those are tasty too but there's too little fish in them. And they are too hot and too rich. But they are tasty nonetheless. This one however, has a paper thin crust, is spicy and sweet with bursts of tangy sweetness from raisins. Make them for snacks or for lunch, as an entrée. 

Machher chop (Fish chop)

Ingredients

Rohu fish - 1/2 kilo

Boiled potatoes - 5-6 medium sized 

Chopped onion - 3/4 cup packed

Ginger paste - 1 1/2  tbsp

Garlic paste - 1 tbsp

Chopped coriander - 1 1/2 cup packed

Raisins - 50 gms

Red Chilli powder - 1 tsp

Coriander powder - 1 tsp

Roasted cumin powder (roasted with a couple some dry red chillies and ground) - 3 tbsp ) heaped.

Salt to taste

Sugar - 2 tbsp (I like the it hot and sweet, you could alter the amount of sugar according to taste)

2 eggs

Breadcrumbs - 1 cup

Oil

Oil for deep frying

Method

Deep fry the pieces of wish, remove skin and de-bone to get a flaky mince  of fish. Do not literally mince the fish though.

Mash the potatoes with little salt and keep.

Now heat oil in a kadhai, add the onions and fry till they are soft and begin to get colour, preferably on low heat.

Add the ginger paste followed by the garlic and fry. Then add the fish and fry well. Now one by one add the spices — chilli powder, coriander powder, roasted cumin powder, salt and sugar and on medium flame keep stir frying the mix. Be careful it doesn't stick to the bottom of the kadhai. (When you add salt remember you have salt in the potatoes too.)

Add raisins and coriander leaves at this point. Mix well and toss in the potato mash. Combine well but make sure it doesn't become too pasty. It should be a slightly oily, brown, textured mash. remove from heat and cool.

Once cool, make egg-like chop. Beat egg in a bowl. Dip you chops in it, roll in breadcrumbs. Keep aside for about 15 minutes. And then deep fry them. 

Serve the crisp machher chop with Kashundi and ketchup.

You know how I like it, between bread or with steamed rice even.