Preparation of sour fish
This is a very ancient dish of Bengal mainly from the Burdwan and Murshidabad districts of West Bengal. The marinated fish chunks are fried and then simmered in a thin stew made with tamarind and sometimes added with eggplant and bori/sun-dried lentil dumplings finished in a warm, spicy, tangy flavored sauce and this is How to Make Macher Tok.
The main ingredients are fish and tamarind, but raw mango also can be used instead of tamarind. This dish has been prepared usually in the summer season to fight against excessive heat. It goes very well with hot or normal rice maybe with panta (cooked rice soaked and fermented in water). You can choose any type of fish to make this amazing but very simple dish. You can also see tuna macher tok, Bata macher tok, and Mourola macher tok. Here I am preparing the tok which is a little dry, if you want you can keep some liquid by adding more water.
The main equipment
- Kadai
- Frying pan
- Serving plate
- Spatula
Ingredients required to make Macher Tok
- Rohu fish-2 chunks
- Mustard oil
- Egg-plant/brinjal-100 gm( small slice cut)
- Sun-dried lentil dumplings-4
- Tamarind pulp-10 gm
- Green chili-2
- Panch phoron-1/2 tbsp (It comprises mouri (fennel seeds), methi (fenugreek seeds), Kalo jeera (black cumin seeds), jeera(cumin seeds), and a typically Bengali spice, called radhuni
- Turmeric powder-1 tbsp ( ½ used for marinating the fish and another half for tok)
- Salt
- Coriander leaves for garnishing
How to Make Macher Tok
- Prepare all the items. Clean and wash the fish chunks, rub with salt and turmeric powder and keep it for half an hour to marinate. Take out the seeds from the tamarind pulp, soak them, and make a fine solution.
- Take a hard-bottomed wok (pre-seasoned), heat oil in it
- When it comes to smoky temperature put the fish chunks to fry.
- When fried on one side, then turn it over to another side, as the fish is very fresh, need not over fry it.
- Fry the bori/sun-dried lentil dumplings in the same oil and take them off the oven.
- Take another pan. Heat oil and throw some panchphoron for tempering
- As they splutter and sizzle add the pieces of eggplant and stir them for a minute
- Add green chili, and turmeric and stir it for two minutes then pour the tamarind water with an additional half cup of water; allow it to cook for five minutes in low to medium flame. As the brinjals are very soft, need very less time to cook.
- Slowly drop the fish chunks and cook for another 3-4 minutes to allow the fish chunks to soak in the tangy stew.
- Now the fish chunks have soaked almost all the liquid. (If you want you can keep some stew by adding more water while adding the tamarind, you can refer to my post mourola macher tok). Take it off from the oven, and allow it to cool at room temperature.
- Transfer it to a serving plate, garnish with coriander leaves and serve with rice.
How to Make Macher Tok
This is a very ancient dish of Bengal mainly from Burdwanand murshidabad district of West Bengal. The marinated fish chunks are friedand then simmered in a thin stew made with tamarind and sometimes added with eggplant and bori/sun dried lentil dumplings finished in a warm, spicy, tangy flavoredsauce and this is How to Make Macher Tok.
Equipment
- A kadai or a fry pan
- A hard bottomed kadai or a fry pan
- Serving plate
- Spatula
Ingredients
- 2 Rohu fish chunks
- 100 gm Egg-plant/brinjal( small slice cut)
- 4 Sun dried lentil dumplings-4
- 3 tbsp Mustard oil-3 tbsp
- 10 gm tamarind pulp
- 2 Green chili
- 1/2 tbsp panchphoron
- 1 tbsp turmeric powder
- salt to taste
- coriander leaves for garnishing
Instructions
- Prepare all the items. Clean and wash the fish chunks, rubwith salt and turmeric powder and keep it for half an hour to marinate. Takeout the seeds from the tamarind pulp, soak it, and make a fine solution.
- Take a hard bottomed wok (pre seasoned), heat oil in it
- When it comes to smoky temperature put the fish chunks to fry.
- When fried one side, then turn it over to another side, asthe fish is very fresh, need not to over fry it.
- Fry the bori/ sun dried lentil dumplings in the same oil andtake it off from the oven.
- Take another pan. Heat oil and throw some panchphoron fortempering
- Asthey splutter and sizzle add the pieces of eggplant and stir it for a minute
- Addgreen chili, turmeric and stir it for two minutes then pour the tamarind waterwith additional half cup of water; allow it to cook for five minutes in low tomedium flame. As the brinjals are very soft, needs very less time to cook.
- Slowlydrop the fish chunks and cook for another 3-4 minutes to allow the fish chunksto soak the tangy stew.
- Nowthe fish chunks have soaked almost all the liquid. (If you want you can keepsome stew by adding more water while adding the tamarind, you can refer my post mourola macher tok). Take it off from the oven , allow it to cool at roomtemperature.
- Transfer it to a serving plate, garnish with coriander leaves and serve with rice.