Begun - Aloo diye Bata Maach'er Jhol

I am in Siliguri for another super 'long - haul' trip . The initial few weeks were mayhem-like for us , where we spent days straddling in and out of hospital rooms , masks , ppe suits and doctors . In short - not the best spot to be in the midst of this horrible horrible pandemic & for once , I am so glad some part of it is over as I write this . This paradigm shift in my state of affairs paired along with some amount of office madness resulted in absolute no 'self time ' and therefore the missed blog updates - leave alone , cooking or anything alike . Today , after quite a bit , Sunday feels partly like one - as we are all finally back at home and at little ease in our own space . I say partly , as i am still miles away from being back to my own home in beautiful Bangalore , which happens to be a much loved second space in my heart .

Being at my native in North Bengal brings along with it it's biggest perk of enjoying fresh and indigenous ingredients to cook with . The kitchen squabbles with excitement when local fish , meat and vege's are brought straight from the local farmers into the home kitchen counter - some varieties which i have long since eaten or experienced ! The small fish variants come 'live' in a plastic bags and are salted , just before the preparation. Glistening bright like new silver - this Bata Maach ( Labeo Bata or Reba ) is a pure Bengal delicacy and a comfort food in most households of North Bengal .

Originating in the kitchens of Bangladesh kitchens - this recipe is super easy to make and requires very limited ingredients to prepare . The beauty of this fish variant is that it has imparts its own amazing flavor into the gravy , which takes the simple recipe notches higher. Paired together with steamed rice , this curry makes a heart rendering soul food . If you don't have access to Bata Maach ( Labeo Bata or Reba ) , you can also alternate this preparation with fresh Par-she ( Grey Mullet ) or Catla ( Indian Carp ) .

Let me take you through this easy cook :

Things you will need

• 06- 08 pieces of cleaned Bata fish or Labeo Bata / Reba

• 01 brinjal , cut into halves and diced

• 01 potato , cut in quarters

• 01 onion , finely sliced

• 01 tsp cumin seeds

• 01 tbsp cumin powder

• 02 tsp turmeric powder

• 01 tsp ginger paste

• 01 Bayleaf

• Salt to taste

• 1/3 cup mustard oil , to fry

• Handful of chopped coriander leaves

• 02 cup of water

Steps to follow

• Cut and clean the Bata mach (Labeo Bata ) and marinate them with some salt and turmeric powder and keep them aside for 10 minutes.

• Add 02 tbsp mustard oil into the pan and wait until the oil is smoking hot - lower the heat and add the marinated fish into the pan and saute the the fish lightly - keep aside.

• Add another 02 tbsp oil and fry the potatoes and brinjal separately - keep aside .

• Next , temper the remaining oil with whole cumin seeds , bay leaf and sliced onion and saute till onion is translucent .

• To this , add turmeric power , cumin powder , ginger paste and salt to taste

• Fry for another 02-03 minutes , till the spices are cooked.

• Add 02 cups of water and bring the gravy to a boil .

• Next , add in the potatoes and cover cook for 10-15 mins , till done.

• Lastly , add in the fried brinjal and the fish into the gravy and boil for another 2-3 minutes. Garnish with coriander leaves and serve hot with basmati rice.