Fiery Everyday Fish Curry

Fish curry is sacrosanct to Bengali cuisine, and while every household has its own signature recipe that is prepared daily, most feature a spice grouping that I’ve dubbed the “holy Bong trifecta”—paanch phoron,* turmeric and chilli. There is an unparalleled chemical and olfactory magic that happens when paanch phoron meets turmeric and chilli in a watery curry. It is a supremely simple combination, but if used disproportionately, can result in a bitter aftertaste that ruins the dish.

Over the years, I’ve managed to replicate the aroma of the dish that I grew up eating, but I’ve had great difficulty with the texture of the curry base—I invariably end up with something that either is too runny and bland, or too thick and over-spiced. The key culprit is the hard water here in New York, which doesn’t allow the turmeric and chilli to meld into a light and silky curry. After much trial and error, I concluded that I had to use the minimum turmeric and chilli to get the desired flavour, and then boost the body of the curry with a third ingredient.

My secret, very unorthodox ingredient—concentrated tomato paste! Now, before the purists start to hyperventilate, let me assuage all fears with this disclaimer. Tomato paste is NOT traditional by any means. But what it does is to unobtrusively give weight and body to the curry without impeding the spice alchemy. And the sweetness of the tomato balances any potential bitterness from over-frying the paanch phoron.

If you are lucky to be able to cook without hard water, then by all means forego the tomato paste. But if, like me, you encounter curry drama due to an overzealous civic water authority, then call upon my secret weapon to come to the rescue!

Ingredients 

2 lbs [1 kg] skin-on Halibut steaks cut into 3-inch-wide pieces
(I used halibut here, but you can substitute with any flaky white fish like sea bass, sole, or flounder.)
4 tbsp Turmeric
Salt, to taste
6 tbsp Vegetable Oil
1 tbsp Paanch Phoron
1 tbsp concentrated Tomato Paste
1½–2 tbsp Chilli powder (adjust to taste)
6–8 fresh whole Green Chillies
1 cup, plus 4 tbsp, Water

1. Rub fish steaks with 3 tbsp turmeric and salt and set aside for at least 30 mins, and up to 4 hours. 
2. Heat 4 tbsp oil in a large skillet or frying pan over high heat. Add fish and brown well on both sides. Remove fish and set aside on a platter. Discard oil in pan and wipe clean. 
3. Heat remaining 2 tbsp oil in same pan over high heat. When the oil is smoking, add paanch phoron and let sputter for a few seconds. Add tomato paste, stir and fry for about 2 mins. 
4. Mix remaining 1 tbsp turmeric and chilli powder with 4 tbsp water to make a paste, add to pan, and stir to incorporate. Turn heat to low, add green chillis, salt, and remaining water, and let simmer for about a minute.
5. Transfer browned fish to the pan, and spoon sauce over the fish. Put a lid on the pan and let simmer for about 5–7 mins, until the fish is cooked-through and the oil has separated from the sauce. Turn off heat and let sit for 10 mins. Serve with rice. 

[*Paanch Phoron is a five-spice blend used extensively in Eastern India, especially in the cuisines of Bengal, Orissa and Assam. The five whole spices are blended in equal parts— Fenugreek seeds (methi), Nigella seeds (kalonji, or kaalo jirey), Fennel seeds (mouri), Carom (radhuni), Mustard seed (shorshey). In my family, the fifth spice, mustard, is not used, but the blend is still referred to as “five spice.”]

Cheatin’ Chicken

Why Cheatin’ Chicken? Because it’s a decidedly simple curry recipe which yields surprisingly complex flavours. I remember the first time I made it seven years ago—Tastey Boy and I had just moved in together and we were still surrounded with packing boxes. Sick of ordering pizza for the umpteenth time, I fished out the one pot I had unpacked so far and came up with this curry with whatever meager ingredients I had on hand. I was certain it was going to be bland and blah, but the minute we mixed the light, broth-ey curry (jhol in Bengali) with rice, I knew I had a winner and an instant favourite. Hubby dubbed it Cheatin’ Chicken saying it could fool anybody, and it even passed muster with discerning chicken curry-obsessed gourmands like my sister!

Ingredients 

6 tbsp Vegetable oil
2 large Onions, chopped
3-4 Bay Leaves
3 tbsp whole Cumin
2 Tomatoes, chopped
6-8 tsp Chilli powder (adjust to your taste)
2 tbsp crushed Garlic
4lbs [2 kgs] bone-in Chicken pieces with skin removed (combination of thigh, leg, and breast)
Salt (to taste)
½ cup plain Yogurt (whisked with 3½ cups water)

1. Heat oil in a large, heavy-bottomed pot over medium-high heat until smoking. Add onions, bay leaves and cumin, and fry until the onions are golden brown and well caramelized, about 8–10 mins.
2. Add chopped tomatoes and stir well for 5 mins until they disintegrate into the onions. 
3. Mix chilli powder in a little water to make into a paste and add to the pot. Stir briskly for about 5 mins and add garlic. Continue stirring, scraping any brown bits from the bottom of the pot, until the oil starts to separate from the spice mixture, about 5–7 mins. 
4. Add chicken and stir well to coat the chicken pieces thoroughly in the spices. Continue stirring the chicken until it loses its raw, pink colour. Add salt and yogurt, stir and bring to a boil. Then lower heat, cover the pot, and simmer for 40–45 mins. Check the pot occasionally and stir to make sure nothing is sticking to the bottom. You know it is ready when all of the onions and tomato have amalgamated into the curry, and the oil separates into a glossy topcoat. Turn off heat and let sit for 10 mins before serving.