Farsi Fish in Mustard Gravy

Being a coastal state, fish is one staple diet to odiya/bengali people. Macha besara is a simple yet tasty cuisine from this place. 
In days when I crave for some fish, this is the tried and tested recipe that always comes to mind. Fish, I believe, is one of those delicate pieces of art in the culinary world which demands to be handled with the gentlest of hands.
Every fish has its own unique taste and a best way to make it. The fish should be prepared in such a way that the delicacy and the tenderness of the fish is not lost. Cooking with light spices is what makes any fish recipe as finger-licking delicious recipe. Here I have used mustard seed paste.

One important component of Odiya cuisine is mustard seeds. Mustard seeds and mustard oil is used very frequently in odiya cuisine. Mustard oil has a typical pungent smell. It’s usually heated to its smoking point to decrease its pungency. At eastern part of india, it is mostly used for frying fish and making fish curries since it imparts a very distinct taste.

There are two different variants for for this recipe. You can prepare it as gravy style and also little bit dry (fry) style with mustard paste. 


Ingredients:

Farsi fish 6
1 medium Onion, chopped
2 medium Tomatoes, diced
1 medium Potato sliced (optional)
4 tbsp Mustard seeds soaked in water for 2-3 hrs
4 cloves Garlic
1 inch Ginger
1/2 cumin seeds
1/2 mustard seeds
1 tsp Red chilli powder
1/2 tsp Turmeric powder
3 Green chillies
Dry mango pieces (optional)
Salt to taste
1 1/2 cup Water
Mustard Oil
Coriander leaves to garnish

Method:

1. Grind mustard seeds, ginger and garlic together to a fine paste. Keep aside.
2. Clean the fish properly and marinate for 10 mins with 1/2 tsp chilli, 1 tsp turmeric and 2 tbsp mustard oil.
3. In a frying pan in medium heat, shallow fry the fish (approximately in 100gm oil) until they turn brown/orange on each side. Take aside.
4. Shallow fry the sliced potatoes.
5. Keep 3 Tsp oil in the same pan and remove extra oil from the pan (if more oil left after fish fry).
6. Add cumin seeds and mustard seeds. 
7. Once seeds splutter, add sliced onion, fry until golden in color.
8. Add turmeric, salt and chilli powder.
9. Add tomatoes and fry till it melts.
10. Add the blended mustard paste and immediately add water and cover the pan for the water to simmer. Cook it at least for 10 minutes.
11. (Optional) Add dry mango pieces to the gravy. Specially Bengali and Odisha people use this dry mango with mustard fish (mach besara) recipe.
12. Slit the green chillies and add to gravy. Cook it for 3 minutes.
13. Add fish to the pan without overcrowding, lay the fish flat in the pan and not on each other.
14. Cover the pan and let it boil for 5 mins then turn the fish to cook on the other side.

Garnish with coriander leaves and enjoy