I find fish irresistible. All kinds of fish, especially — and this is because of where I grew up — river fish cooked in light curries. When it comes to fish, size matters. For me as well as many fellow Indians from the eastern part of the country, the smaller the fish the better it tastes.

Take the smallest catch in the basket — mourola maach (mola carplet) in Bengali. We usually have it as a starter at home, deep-fried until crunchy, with a light squeeze of lime. They are like non-vegetarian chips, and the trick is to chew until they dissolve, bones and all, in your mouth. I had a similar fish while researching for a TV show in Coimbatore with a Nadar family. In that version, I clearly remember the lady of the house first drowning the live fish in milk before starting the dish. I felt the sauce was pungent, but the fish was lost in the crowd.

Living in Delhi, the choice of river fish is sometimes limited to the larger varieties, so I crave the joys of eating the smaller lot. I don’t know about you, but for me particular dishes have strong connections with incidents in my life — they are like time machines. And one such dish that I absolutely love is a catfish curry made with plantains, bori (or vadi, dried marble-sized balls of dal, sometimes flavoured with asafoetida) and very few spices. It’s simple, homely fare but, somehow, it always makes me happy.

This curry was eaten at home when your fever broke and you were particularly hungry. I remember relishing a plate of rice and fish curry, specially mixed with lime by my father, who would come back from office just to do that. That taste is unbeatable. For years, I’ve tried to recreate the combination, but failed miserably. There must have been magic in my father’s hand and in the kagji lebu (kaffir lime).

The star of the curry, though, was the plantain and not the fish, and I dare say it because I have also had a vegetarian version that’s equally delicious. The secret of the recipe is to fry the vegetables before starting the curry and to get the mix of coriander (which cools the stomach and is medicinal), cumin and turmeric powder used to flavour the base just right. Catfish is favoured here above other fish because it is light, quite bland and easy to digest. Most people would turn up their noses at this curry and call it rugir jhol or curry for the ailing. But I beg to differ.

Getting the recipe has been a bit of an adventure in itself, since everyone I know has a different version and the person whose recipe I have grown up eating is no more.

What I have here is courtesy of my kakima (aunt) Sreelata. She sacrificed her siesta in Kolkata to honour my request. Her version is the closest to the one I would be served at home. A word of caution: the measures are based on guesswork, which, in the case of most seasoned chefs like my aunt, is mostly on the mark.

As mentioned earlier, the base recipe for this dish can also be enjoyed in a vegetarian avatar. It is cooling and perfect for the day when you want to go easy on the stomach. I have treated myself to this curry on many a delicate occasion and I can safely declare that you will digest this in no time.

Magur Machh’er Jhol (a light catfish curry)

2 catfish, cut and cleaned

1 large potato, peeled and cut into wedges

1 plantain, peeled and cut into wedges

1tsp whole cumin seeds

1.5tsp ginger paste

2tbsp fried bori (the Bengali version of vadi)

1tsp coriander powder

1tsp cumin powder

2tsp turmeric powder

Salt to taste

Oil

Water

1) Clean the catfish and rub it with salt and turmeric.

2) Fry in oil until the flesh turns white. Remove and keep aside.

3) In the same oil, add the cumin seeds followed by the potatoes and the plantain. Cook until the vegetables get a reddish tinge.

4) In a small bowl, mix the dry spices with water to form a paste. The right colour for this mix is a very light green, so keep trying till you get it right.

5) Add this paste to the vegetables and mix well.

6) Put in the bori and then add water (a couple of cups at least) and let the vegetables boil until done. Add salt to taste.

7) Once the vegetables and the bori are done, add the fish and bring it to another boil until all the ingredients are combined.

PS: If you are going vegetarian, the dish is ready to eat once the vegetables and bori are cooked.

Bikramjit Ray is executive editor of BW Hotelier. You can tweet to him @bikramjitray

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