Fish Curry

 

About Fish curries

Few days back some of my friends from Patna arrived in Ranchi on some assignment. So it was pure courtesy that I invited them on lunch one day. In the mean time I talked to my wife who is a great culinary expert and requested her to prepare fish curry with rusting tinge. At first she showed reluctance but by pampering her that most of my friends know about expertise and they always praised your skill. And after few sugar coated words she smiled and relented and ordered (not requested) me to fetch the listed ingredients.

Fish curry is a very delicious and staple diet all over world. There are many types of fishes mostly Rehu, Katla, Tangra and Singhi (not fresh water) are available in this region and are prepared with  the help of  locally made spices which are available in abundant. Most delicious fishes relished in this region are Rehu, Katla,Tengra and   locally caught fish Garai, Telapia which are prepared after neatly washed, cleaned and sharply cut into pieces with the help of  spices with rustic aroma of onion, tomatoes, garlic, ginger paste and with mustard seeds and herbs after marinated them for ½ hours then  fried into hot and shallow edible oil ( not deeply) and after that put them into pre prepared curry which is ready with the help of ginger garlic paste mixed with turmeric, chili, coriander powders and with locale herbs. It is prepared in very spicy way and slight tinge of sour added, for that lemon juice or tamarind juice is mixed. Once I was in Kerala there I found fish curries are served with every meal with tinge of sour for that they use tamarind mix to make the fish curry a special taste in every meal. Just its color is very luring and enticing.

            It is a must dish for non vegetarian or our Bengali brethren not only for taste but also for health reasons. As it is said that a Kerala chef named M J Gomez first invented it in Singapore. Fish curry is believed to be originated from India where plentiful fishes and curries spices are available. And later it’s spread over all over Asia and Europe and become a favorite dish of British cuisine. If you go to Bihar you will find mutton curry shops named Champaran mutton which are prepared in very ethnic way in earthen pot and coocked with the help of charcoal and it is very popular and mouth watering spicy dish is the most favorite platter among the denizens. Champaran mutton also spreading its wings in Jharkhand state too and people are queuing for it.

In this way if any one goes to Patna, there one can find Daniyawan fish curry joint on Gola road near Danapur. Where live fishes of different verities are kept in ponds and in huge tanks. The customers select their choice, in the mean time the customer are served with starters the fish curry prepared and served with boiled hot rice or with roti as they like. Daniyawan is a place about 35 Kms from Patna. This Daniyawan fish joint is also spreading its wings slowly and fetching the attention of locale folks in this region too. About twenty years back I had gone to Digha a small hamlet on sea beach about three hr drives from Kolkata. Where I found a fish whole sale market where fishes of different varieties such as Tiger Prawan, Bhetki, and of other different varieties are caught by fishermen into the sea with the help of trawlers, who brought tons of fishes and just poured them at the beach making fishes mountains. And in the evening tourists gather on the beaches and relished fried and curry fishes of different varieties. In this way once I was in Australia where I found most favorite platter called Fish and Chips people in abundant relish it. The fish curry also sending me into down memory lane, that when I was a kid I use to catch fishes during rainy reason by hand or with the help of anglers with my younger brother and friends during village sojourn in childhood, there I use to catch fishes into the muddy ponds and rivulets and enjoying the childhood days which will never be come again.  

Text and Photo by--- Ashok Karan.

ashokkaran@gmail.com

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