By Jheelum Basu
January 24, 2026
A classic Bengali delicacy featuring dry-cured Bombay Duck fish cooked in mustard oil with spices, garlic, onions, and chillies. Known for a pungent, spicy flavour profile, it is often enjoyed with hot steamed rice.
1 cup loitta shutki (dried and cured Bombay Duck fish) ¼ tbsp turmeric powder 1 tbsp salt 3/4 cup water 10-12 green chillies ½ cup garlic 1 cup chopped onions 1/4 cup mustard oil 1 pc dried red chilli 1 pinch nigella seeds ¼ cup tomato ½ tsp red chilli powder ½ tsp Kashmiri red chilli powder
Start by cutting the shutki into small pieces. Soaking them in water. Wash and rinse well to remove sand.
Transfer the fish to a saucepan. Add turmeric, salt and water. Cover and steam on low heat. Then, strain and transfer the shutki to a blender.
Grind the shutki with green chillies and garlic. Grind onions, garlic, and green chillies separately as well.
Heat mustard oil in a kadai. Add shutki. Fry it on low heat for 5 minutes.
Temper mustard oil with dried red chilli and nigella seeds. Also, add sliced onions and onion-garlic-chilli paste and sauté them.
Next, add all the spices and a splash of hot water. Sauté the spices on medium heat for 10 minutes.
Add chopped tomatoes. Fry for 2 minutes before adding the fried shutki. Continue cooking until the colour darkens. Once done, serve with chopped green chillies.