Macher Chop

Bengali fish cakes with a tomato and mustard dip

• CuisineIndian
• CategoryFish
• CourseEntree

Ingredients

• 500 gmsWhite fish
• ½ cupMustard oil
• 500 gmsPotatoes
• 200 gmsOnions
• 50 gmsGarlic
• 50 gmsGinger
• 200 gmsTomatoes, chopped fine
• 2Green chillies, chopped
• 1 bunchFresh coriander, chopped
• 1 tspSalt
• 1 tbspSugar
• 1 tspChilli powder
• 1 tspGaram masala
• 1Egg, beaten
• 1 cupBreadcrumbs
•  Oil for frying
• Tomato and Mustard Dip
• 600 gmsFresh Tomatoes
• 1 tspChilli powder
• ½ tspTurmeric
• 1 tspCumin powder
• 1 tspSalt
• 1 tbspSugar
• 4 tbspMustard oil
• 1 tspMustard seeds

Preparation

1. Heat mustard oil in a pan and pan fry the white fish till it just starts flaking
2. Boil potatoes, peel and crumble
3. Grate onion, ginger and garlic on a microplane or fine grater
4. Crumble the fish and mix with the oil it was fried in along with the potatoes, chillies, tomatoes, onion, ginger, garlic and coriander
5. Add salt, sugar, chilli powder, garam masala
6. Make small flattened balls, dip in beaten egg and roll in breadcrumbs
7. Pan fry in oil turning over once


8. Blanch tomatoes and peel and finely dice
9. Put in a pan and cook till soft
10. Add chilli powder, turmeric, cumin powder, sugar and salt
11. Simmer for 30 minutes adding water as needed
12. In a separate small pan, heat mustard oil and add mustard seeds when hot and fry till they pop
13. Add to the simmering tomatoes

This dish is of Bengali origin and is made with riverwater fish. Pick any white mild fish - I used King Dory. There is mustard in both seed and oil form. The taste of mustard oil is part of the dish so don't heat it to smoking point. The fish cakes are deep fried but I opted for a healthier pan fry. The onions, garlic and ginger may not lose their sting when pan fried, so you may need to tone them down a bit or lightly fry them after the fish. The use of sugar is another Bengali touch although it is often found in Konkani cooking as well.

Tomato skin in the dip spoils its texture so this is one of the few cases where I prefer starting with fresh tomatoes and blanching them. Heat water to boiling. Make a small cross incision on the surface of the base of each tomato and plunge into boiling water for 30 seconds. The skin will start to come off. Put them in ice water to stop the cooking process and then peel off the skin. I usually gouge out the white stalk portion as it doesn't taste as good and will refuse to disintegrate once cooked. Chop tomatoes finely and simmer for 30 minutes to get a smooth texture (but not a paste) that will not need further grinding.