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When it comes to simple and easy meals at home, it has to be something that brings comfort to all your senses. Growing up in a Bengali household, being a Bengali, I’ve had the chance to eat home-cooked food that is so rich in its taste, it is hard to believe it is cooked in my kitchen. Eating bhaat, siddho daal, boiled eggs and aloo siddho for lunch or dinner is a lazy comfort meal we have once in a while. Sometimes, we add our own twists to the entire thali too. For example, we mash eggs and boiled potatoes together in one bowl, add lots of red chillis, mustard oil and have it with gola bhaat or extremely boiled rice. It's basically a mash of all things into one.
Experimenting with food is one of the core childhood memories I have. As a child, I was always told how my ancestors fought tooth and nail to survive during the partition of Bengal, how they had to give up their land, settle in Calcutta and how fish became not only a staple but a way of life that reminded of home, back in East Bengal (now, Bangladesh). It didn't matter to them, what they were having for lunch or dinner. They just wanted a piece of home on their plates.
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This is where, a recipe which very few families make, seeped into our daily life. There are many recipes I’ve learnt throughout my years watching my grandma cook and now my mum. But one that stood out to me most was called ‘Maach-er Khichimichi’, which roughly translates to a random mixture of leftover fish pieces into a dry keema-like dish. It’s supposed to be eaten with a bowl of steaming rice with some ghee or butter. And trust me, it tastes divine. Anything to do with leftover fish always tasted different, maybe it was the same type of serotonin boost we feel when we eat leftover pizza or biryani from the day before? I'm saying this because, the moment we get to know this dish is being cooked, we plan our entire day around it.
Plus, fish is always there in every Bengali household. Even if they rarely have it for meals, they will at least have 4 pieces of any type of fish – rohu, katla, chingri, or pomfret – in the freezer. We usually just have maach bhaja, daal and bhaat when there's nothing left to make and we do not want to consume heavy meals. This is a staple and creating recipes like Maach-er Khichimichi makes the experience of eating fish reach a whole new level.
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It’s quite easy to make. First you fry the pieces of fish in mustard oil, making them crispy and golden. Then once they have cooled down, you pick the bones out and place chunks of fish into a separate bowl until you’re left with the fried skin – which is also something you can snack on because it tastes amazing.
Once you’re done with that, just toss it in a pan and sauté it in some salt and sugar to taste, add red chillis, onions, ginger paste, onion paste, turmeric powder, red chilli powder, coriander powder and sprinkle with coriander. The best part about this dish is that it does not involve any heavy ingredients. Maach-er Khichimichi is light on the stomach, made with either rohu or katla that is rich in protein, Omega-3 fatty acids.
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More Bengali Recipes With Leftover Fish
Maach-er Matha Diye Daal
Now, many of you love experimenting with food, right? This recipe was born out of the same train of thought. There are multiple recipes like this one that a Bengali household cooks on a day-to-day basis. The first one is called 'Maach-er Matha Diye Daal,' which translates to lentil soup with fish head. For this recipe, you have to have fresh water fish heads fried on low heat in mustard which has been tempered with dried red chilli, bay leaves, whole cardamom, cloves, cinnamon and cumin seeds. Add it to the boiled moong daal and let it braise the spices for a few minutes.
Fish Koftas
Fish koftas are also a big part of a Bengali household's diet. When, there's leftover fish, fish kofta curry is the easiest dish to cook. It's quick and easy. Boil the fish, discard the tiny bones and then add mustard oil in a pan with chopped onions. Then, go ahead and add turmeric powder, green chilli, salt and sugar to taste and let it cook. Add a cup of water and let it cook. Sprinkle with garam masala once the curry is thick and oozy.
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Fish Roll
The last recipe that comes to mind, is so simple. You just fry the left over fish pieces until they are golden brown or crispy red. Mash it up, remove the bones and skin, add your preferred sauces and spices and mix well and just wrap it in a roti. You basically have a home-made snack called fish roll. It's that easy.
A lesser known fact about fish that everyone should know, is that fish as a whole is a very easy food item to cook. It has its own taste and when you cook with all the spices and ingredients, the flavours just get more enhanced. Ask anyone and they'll say agree. There are different variations of the same fish recipes, from kitchen to kitchen but at the core, all remains same.
