Madam Nupur Sen’s Mudi Ghanto (Fish Head with Rice) ππ
Description: Imagine stumbling upon the delightful revelation that your former Statistics lecturer, Madam Nupur Sen, clinched the coveted spot in this week’s contest! The sheer joy! Congrats, Madam Nupur! It’s no surprise her culinary prowess mirrors her teaching finesseβno wonder you excelled in her class!
Ingredients:
- 1 fish head (preferably from a larger fish)
- 50g basmati rice
- 2 potatoes
- 1 onion
- 1-inch ginger
- 1 garlic clove
- 2 tsp turmeric powder
- 1 1/2 tsp cumin powder
- 1 1/2 tsp coriander powder
- 3/4 tsp red chili powder
- 1 tsp cumin seeds
- 1/2 tsp whole cardamoms
- 4 cloves
- 1 cinnamon stick
- 3 tsp sugar
- 1 tbsp ghee
- 1 bay leaf
- Salt, to taste
Instructions:
- Firstly, thoroughly wash the fish head pieces under cold running water to remove any impurities.
- Rub the fish head pieces with a mixture of turmeric powder and salt. Set aside.
- In a dry frying pan, roast the cumin and coriander seeds until fragrant. Grind them along with ginger and garlic to form a coarse paste. Set aside.
- Roast half of the cardamoms, cloves, and cinnamon. Powder them finely and store the mixture in a tightly sealed jar.
- Heat oil in a frying pan over medium heat. Fry the fish head pieces until they turn dark brown. Remove from heat and set aside on a plate.
- In the same oil, lightly fry the basmati rice until golden brown. Set aside.
- Fry the potatoes until golden brown and set aside.
- Coarsely crush the remaining half of the cardamoms, cloves, and cinnamon.
- In the same pan, add bay leaf and cumin seeds. Once the cumin seeds crackle, add the crushed spices from step 8.
- Add grated onion and fry until it turns golden brown.
- Add turmeric powder, red chili powder, salt, and the paste made earlier. Fry until the oil separates.
- Add the fried fish head pieces, potatoes, and rice to the pan. Fry for a few more minutes, being careful not to break the fish head pieces.
- Pour in 1 cup of water and cover the pan. Allow the water to be absorbed and the rice to cook thoroughly.
- Once the rice is cooked, add ghee, sugar, and the previously prepared roasted masala powder.
- Serve hot with plain steamed white Basmati rice.
Tip: The larger the fish head, the richer and more flavorful the dish will be! Enjoy this tantalizing Bengali delicacy with your loved ones.
