Boal machher jhal

Wash & clean fish carefully under running water. Take fish pieces in a large bowl and smear them with ½ tsp turmeric powder, ½ tsp salt. Drizzle ¼ tsp mustard oil on fish pieces and set aside for 15-20 mins. It will ensure less oil splutterring while frying.

Chop onion and ginger roughly and blend with garlic to make a thick puree. Add only 2-3 tsp of water if neccessary.

Roughly chop tomato and make puree. Do not add water at all.

Heat rest of the mustard oil in a flat bottomed pan/wok. Add fish pieces one by one and fry until the bottom side turn golden brown. Flip fish pieces (after 2-3 mins) and do the same for other side too. Flip once again if necessary. It will take around 8-10 mins to fry all 4 large pieces of fish. My fish was extra large so it took me 15 mins to fry all of them. Remove fish from oil and save for later.

Transfer the oil (same in which fish is fried) to a heavy bottomed pan(preferably wok). Add dried red chili and cumin seeds in hot oil and allow to splutter.

Add onion mixture along with sugar & salt and fry for 1-2 mins or until paste becomes translucent.

Add tomato puree with half of the red chili powder and stir for 1 min.

Add rest of red chili powder along with other ground spices and continue stirring until moisture in masala evaporates and oil floats on top.

Now begin the art of 'koshano' or 'bhuna'. Add little water at a time and keep stirring until oil is spotted on the side of the pan. Once masala mixture turn into deep red colour and oil covers the surface add 2 cups of warm water and bring it to boil.

Add fried fish pieces one by one very carefully to the jhol/curry and allow to boil. Once curry starts boiling cover the pan and cooke for 10 mins on simmer. Remove cover and check if fish is cooked throughly. Adjust seasoning.

Remove fish pieces very gently as cooked fish is soft and delicate. Adjust the amount of curry as needed. If you want less curry cook for few more mins until it reaches to your desired consistency. If you want more curry, add ½ cup of warm water and cook for 3-5 mins on high flame. Transfer fish pieces in serving bowls and cover it with curry. Serve with seatming hot rice. Enjoy!