Bihari Rohu Fish Curry (using mustard seeds and mustard oil)

Watch my video on the preparation of Rohu fish curry in the Bihari style on my youtube channel by clicking on the link below.

Rohu is one of the most commonly consumed fish in our country. It’s known for its soft and tender texture and fine taste. It’s rich in Vitamin C along with other minerals like proteins, amino acids, Vitamin A, Vitamin D and Zinc. You can grill the fish or make Fish curry.

INGREDIENTS:

For marinating the fish:

(1) 1 Kg Rohu fish
(2) 1 teaspoon of Turmeric powder / Haldi
(3) 2-3 teaspoon of Red Chilli powder
(4) 2 teaspoon of Salt

Note: Never marinate the fish for longer hours as it will only break down the proteins and result in a mushy fish. Marinating for an hour is sufficient.

For fish curry:

(1) 1 medium sized Onion, coarsely chopped
(2) 2 small Tomatoes, coarsely chopped
(3) 2 green Chillies (Hari Mirch)
(4) 4 red whole Chillies (Add as per spicy taste required)
(5) 5 garlic cloves (Lehsun)
(6) 2 teaspoons of Cumin seeds (Jeera)
(7) 4 teaspoons of yellow Mustard seeds (Peela Sarso)
(8) 4 teaspoons of whole Coriander seeds (Akkha Dhaniya)
(9) Half teaspoon of Black Pepper (Kali Mirch)
(10) 3 pieces of Cloves (Lavang)
(11) 3 pieces of green Cardamom (Hari Elaichi)
(12) One pinch or one fourth teaspoon of Fenugreek seeds (Methi dana)
(13) One fourth teaspoon of Turmeric powder (Haldi)
(14) 6 tablespoons of Mustard Oil (Sarso ka tel)
(15) Cooking oil, preferably Mustard Oil for frying fish steaks
(16) Salt as required
(17) Coriander leaves for garnish
(18) Water for cooking

PREPARATION :

Chop one medium sized Onion and two small Tomatoes coarsely.

METHOD :

MARINATING FISH STEAKS / PIECES

Clean the fish steaks / pieces thoroughly under running tap water. Marinate it with 1 teaspoon of Turmeric powder, 2 teaspoons of Red Chilli powder and 2 teaspoons of salt or as required.

Mix well with hands. Refrigerate for 1 hour.

Note: Never marinate the fish for longer hours as it will only break down the proteins. The resulting fish will be mushy and fall apart. Marinating for an hour is sufficient. Marinating at room temperature can allow dangerous bacteria to grow on the fish and lead to food borne illnesses. So after marinating, immediately refrigerate it and let it be there for 1 hour.

PREPARING CURRY MASALA

(1) Add chopped Onions, chopped Tomatoes, 4 teaspoons of Whole Coriander Seeds (Akkha Dhaniya), 4 teaspoons of Yellow Mustard Seeds (Peela Sarso), 2 teaspoons of Cumin Seeds (Jeera), half teaspoon of Black Pepper, 3 Cloves (Lavang), 3 green Cardamoms (Hari Elaichi), 2 green Chillies, 4 Whole Red Chillies, 5 Garlic Cloves, 100 ml of Water in the jar of the mixer grinder.

(2) Cover the lid of the mixer jar and grind the mixture to form a smooth paste.

3) Masala for Curry is ready.

FRYING THE FISH STEAKS

(1) Heat mustard oil or a cooking oil in a kadhai on a low to medium flame of the gas stove.

(2) Put few fish steaks to fry in the hot oil.

(3) You can fry all the fish steaks in two batches.

(4) After 4-5 minutes or as required, flip the fish pieces to fry on the other side.

(5) Keep flipping sides and fry the fish pieces.

(6) It will take 5-8 minutes per batch to fry the fishes depending on the intensity of the flame.

(7) Once the fish pieces are completely fried, collect them with a perforated ladle and transfer to a plate. I transferred to a tawa.

(8) Fried fish pieces are ready and can be relished with onion rings and chutney.

PREPARING THE FISH CURRY (Time taken – 1 hour)

Note : The process is lengthy due to the fact that we have to fry the masala till the oil separates. Frying curry masala separately is necessary to prevent the raw taste of it later in the final dish.

(1) Keep a separate kadhai / wok on a gas stove. Keep the flame low.