Khichuri R Ilish Mach Bhaja (Hilsa fish fry)

In Bengali tradition it is customary to cook khichuri on rainy days. It is also traditional in Bengal to cook khichuri for lunch at the Saraswati Puja during the month of February—the invocation of the goddess of learning—and for other popular pujas such as Durga Puja.

Ingredients:::

• Rice -1 cup
• Mong dal /small yellow lentil-1- 1 ½ cup
• Peas -1/2 cup
• Cauliflower –broken into big florets 8-10 pieces
• Onion -1 medium size chopped
• Garlic 2 cloves
• Ginger -1/2 inch chopped finely
• 1-2 tej patta
• 1-2 dry whole red pepper
• 1tsp of turmeric powder
• 1tsp of salt
• Pinch of sugar
• 1tsp of ghee for flavoring (optional)
• 1 tsp of garam masala (optional)
• 2-4 tbs of oil for frying

Method:::

1. In a kadai/saucepan slighltly roast mong dal till golden brown ,You will get a fine smell of roasted mong dal also .Stop and take out in a vessel ,clean it thoroughly under tap water .Repeat the cleaning step 2-3 times till you get a clear image of the dal soaked in water ,this help to cook dal efficiently .Wash and rinse rice also in the same manner.

2. In a large heavy bottom pan ,we call dekchi in Bengali ,add water upto the half ,add dal and cook for 4-5 mints ,at this time if you see white froth forming ,with the help of spatula gently lift all and discard .

3. Now add turmeric powder ,salt and sugar .Add rice also. Let it simmer for another 10-12 mints .

4. Meanwhile in a frying pan add oil and let it heat up properly .Fry the cauliflower florets till little bit of brown at low.(Before frying cauliflowers make sure they are properly dried and there is no trace of water on them For that matter cut and clean them before cooking them, otherwise while frying, oil will splutter that makes cooking them difficult)

5. Now take the cauliflowers out ,add little more oil ,Add cumin seeds, tej patta,ginger and garlic ,whole red pepper ,fry for 1-2 mints and then add onions .Fry onions till brown .Stop and check the gravy that is cooking .

6. If you find rice and lentil are evenly mixed you can add the above fried masala .Take out 2-3 grains of rice and dal and if you can mash them easily ,your khichuri is soon to be ready.Add cauliflowers and peas and let it simmer for another 5-7 mints.

7. Stop and cover the khichuri , at this step ,if you feel there is not enough gravy in the khichuri ,add little water , by heating the water in a separate vessel .For me Khichuri with extra gravy is always welcome because that gives you the real pleasure of eating it .

8. Meanwhile clean Fish and marinade them with turmeric powder and salt .Fry them till brown and crisp .Check this post about fish fry and Fish Curry.You will require little less oil for frying them as they release oil while frying them a lot .

Take out in serving plates ,eat and enjoy this rainy day .

Happy Cooking