Ingredients:

•  Marinate the rohu pieces with turmeric and salt for half an hour.

• Meanwhile soak the black, yellow mustard and the poppy seed in a little water for about 30 minutes.  After 30 minutes grind the soaked mustard and poppy seed along with 1 green chili and a little salt to a fine paste.

• Fry the fish in hot mustard oil. Make sure you do not deep fry the fish. The fish should just be fried lightly to get rid of the rawness.

• In a bowl, take yoghurt, above prepared paste , salt to taste. Mix together and keep aside.

• First take a steel tiffin box or any steel vessel with tight-fitting lid in a single layer (not one on top of the other). Place the fish pieces as well as the gravy in this vessel and drizzle a little mustard oil over the bowl. Drop 1-2 slitted green chillies and thinly sliced tomatoes. Sprinkle some chopped coriander leaves. close the lid tightly and  steam it for 10-15 minutes.

• Alternatively you may even bake in the fish in a preheated oven at 200 degrees C for about 15-18 minutes.

• Remove from the steamer (or oven if used) and serve with steaming hot rice.

Let us Learn how to make oriya/odia fish curry recipe:

• Wash the fish and apply  turmeric and salt to the fish. Marinate and keep aside for 15 minutes.

• Chop the onions and tomatoes finely.

• Peel and cut the potatoes into medium side wedges and apply turmeric and salt to it.

• Pour some mustard oil and heat it to smoking point. Slowly add the fish pieces one by one and shallow fry them in batches. Take out the fishes and keep them on a kitchen towel .

• Add the potatoes and shallow fry them in the same oil and keep aside.

• Add bay leaf, cinnamon, green cardamom to the oil and when it starts to release it’s aroma, put a pinch of panch phutan .

• Next add the onion and fry till it turns a little brown, add ginger garlic paste to the oil. Stir and fry the masala till the masala is cooked and there is no raw smell.

• Add chopped tomato, potatoes, turmeric, cumin powder,coriander powder, chili powder and salt. Cook for few more minutes till the masala starts to leave oil at the sides.

•  Add a cup of warm water ,cover and let the curry simmer on medium heat till potatoes get soft. Add fish to it and cook for 2 to 3 minutes on slow heat . Remove from heat and add the garam masala powder and chopped coriander leaves on top to garnish.

•  Serve hot with plain rice. 

For more fish recipes you can try: 

Masor Tenga (Tangy Fish Curry)

PATRANI MACHCHI

DAHI MACHA- Fish Cooked In Rich Yoghurt And Mustard Paste

• 2 whole Pomfret fish
• salt
• ¼ cup lemon juice
• 1 cup fresh coriander coarsely chopped
• 4 green chillies chopped
• ½ cup fresh grated coconut
• 2 teaspoon cumin seeds
• 6 to 8 large garlic cloves
• 1 teaspoon sugar
• curry leaves( Optional)
• 2 nos of Banana leaves

• Cut and clean the fish. you can make fillets out of it or can cook the whole fish. If using the whole fish make some cut in the body of the fish, so that the fish can absorb the marinade easily.

• Sprinkle salt and half  of the lemon juice over the fish and set aside for 30 minutes preferably in the refrigerator.

• Grind the fresh coriander, green chillies, coconut, cumin seeds, garlic to a fine paste.Add salt, sugar and the remaining lemon juice and mix well.

• Apply this marinade to the fish and set aside for at least 15 minutes in the refrigerator.

• Cut out the vein of the Banana leaf with a sharp knife after it is cleaned and washed. Fold it lightly and toss it around on the burner for a little while, till it starts to wilt a little. This will make sure that the Banana leaf is softer and easier to handle and not hard and brittle.

•  Place the marinated fish in the center of each banana leaf and smear rest of  the chutney on them.Fold in the ends to make a parcel.

•  Place the fish parcels on a greased Microwave safe platter. Pour some water in another microwave safe dish which is larger than the one with the fish in it. Place the dish with fish parcel in them and microwave at 900W for five minutes.

• At this point you will see the  banana leaves turning light brown.Serve immediately with a steamed bowl of hot rice.

• Do not open the parcels while serving. Let the person eat by opening them.

• Add 1/2 cup of water and put the pan on the gas on low heat. Cook till there is a boil and slowly push the fish with the help of a serving spoon to allow it to cook evenly.

• The entire process will take 15 to 20 minutes on slow flame. But you can adjust your time as per the thickness of the gravy you want.Turn off the heat and before serving put 1 tbsp of mustard oil over it.

• Serve it along with Plain Rice for a taste of authentic odia cuisine.