Quite out of the blogging world for some time now, though getting the urge every now and then to open the laptop, browse through the endless number of folders containing endless number of photos captured during many of my cooking spree but somehow not able to manage the expectations in other areas of my life effectively to get some me-time for myself to indulge into blogging.Today morning when I was working on my laptop, suddenly felt the same urge again, and this time decided to write something, post something new, how trivial it may seem, but, yes, I am having my blog mostly for myself, so why not post a simple Bombay Duck fry !
We cook Bombay duck, known as Loitya machh in this part of India, in typical bengali style too, I already have posted some here.
The recipe for this fry is taken from a Parsi cookbook. You may check my other parsi delicacies here.




Ingredients

• Bombay Duck - 8-10 pieces
• Ginger Paste - 1 tsp
• Garlic Paste - 1 tsp
• Gren chilli paste - as per taste
• Salt
• Turmeric
• Kashmiri red chilli powder
• Rice flour - as required
• Oil for Frying

Marinate the fish pieces with ginger garlic paste and green chilli paste and put some heavy weights onto the fish pieces. 

Make a thick paste of rice flour, salt, turmeric, chilli powder and juice of ginger.

Heat oil in a frying pan. Dip the marinated fish pieces into the batter and fry well.

Fry carefully in batches till the outer layer is crisp. Make sure not to break the fish, since bombay duck is a very tender fish.

Serve immediately with a dash of lemon.

Shutki or Dry Fish has this typical smelly characteristics, a pungent smell that may evoke nausea in its uncooked form. Before marriage, I never had Shutki, it was never an item in my Mom's or even in my Grandmom's kitchen. After marriage, my Mother-in-law asked me affectionately whether I like to have it once and the adventurous foodie in me jumped out of excitement, why not. Yes, it smells terrible, you feel like, your kitchen exhaust is not working at all, whole house is filled with the pungent fishy odour, but once it is done, and once you have it with your plain rice, you will reach heaven. You need to cook it with lots of chilli and garlic, two must must ingredients to tame the smell and enhance the taste. Once I have started loving it, there is no looking back. I picked up the recipe from my Mother in law, she usually cooks it with Brinjal. Here is her signature recipe.
This time, I tried mashing it with masalas, and it tastes awesome. You can have it with rice, or use it as a chutney or side dish with your dal and rice.




Ingredients

• Dried fish, Bombay Duck - 5-6 piece
• Onion - 4, chopped
• Garlic Paste - 1 tbsp
• Ginger Paste - 1 tsp
• Tomato - 1, chopped
• Green Chilli - as per taste
• Salt
• Turmeric
• Coriander Powder
• Mustard oil

To remove the smell, soak the dry fish in water after micro it for 3 minutes. Terrible smell, remember !! :-D

Discard the water, then fry the soaked dry fish in mustard oil till golden.

Remove from heat and keep aside.

Once it is cook, mash it in a grinder with lots of green chillies, and keep aside.

In the same pan, add some oil, then add a green chilli with kalonji seeds / kalojire. Once it splutters, add onions with a pinch of salt and fry till golden. Next goes the ginger garlic paste followed by chopped tomatoes.

When tomatoes are cooked, add salt, turmeric and coriander powder and fry well.

Next add the fish mash with sprinkle of water. Mix well with the spices and continue frying.

Fry till oil comes out of the mash. Adjust the seasoning. The dish should be Bharta type.

Serve with plain rice and some more green chilli.

A different way to cook Loittya / Bombay Duck. Simple and Yummy. 


Ingredients

• Bombay duck - 500 gm, halved
• Salt, turmeric
• Lemon juice
• Onions - 2
• Garlic Paste - 1 tsp
• Garlic chopped - 1 tsp
• Ginger Paste - 1 tsp
• Green Chilli - 6 - 7 or as per paste
• Coriander Leaves - a bunch

Marinate the fish with salt, turmeric powder and lemon juice for ½ - 1 hour.

Make paste of one medium sized onion and finely chop another medium sized one. make paste of 4 green chilies with the coriander leaves and take 2 whole green chilies with slit at the mouth. 
Heat mustard oil, put the chopped garlic first, add the whole green chilies with slit and stir.

When fried a little, add the chopped onions, stir till golden brown. Then add the onion paste and ginger garlic paste and stir. Add the coriander paste, and fry well till the raw smell goes off.

Add the fish pieces carefully.

Shake the pan so as to cover the fishes with the masala mixture. After some time, turn the fishes carefully, shake the pan. Sprinkle very little water if the contents in pan becomes dry, otherwise not required since the fish usually releases lot of water.

Add the remaining ginger paste spreading around the pan. Shake vigorously,cook on low heat, if possible turn the fish pieces carefully in between. Adjust the salt. Add chopped coriander leaves. Serve with plain rice.

Seriously, this loittya machh in Bengal, (Bombay duck or Bombil in Mumbai), is the ugliest fish I have ever seen. But, truly speaking,, they are really delicious, both the fresh as well as the dried one, provided you can handle the pungent smell of dried fish. I used to make jhuro of fresh loittya fish with potato or brinjal, but this time it is made in the curry form. You may have to adjust the amount of chilli you add depending on your taste bud and tolerance level though.


Ingredients

• Bombay duck / Loittya fish - 6 - 7
• Garlic Paste - 1 tbsp.
• Medium Onions - 2, chopped
• Green Chilli - 6 -7, chopped
• Ginger Paste - 1 tsp
• Kashmiri Chilli Powder - 1 tsp
• Salt and Turmeric Powder - as required
• Mustard Oil - 3 tbsp.
• Coriander Leaves - a handful
• Tomato Sauce - 1 tbsp

Clean and Cut the fish into 2 pieces. Discard the head and tail. Smear with salt and turmeric and keep aside.

Heat oil in a wide pan and put the garlic first, stir.

put the chopped onion and stir … then put the chopped green chilies and stir.

Put the loittey pieces …… stir carefully turning only once ……. After 2-3 min cover the pan with a heavy lid.

After 4-5 min, remove the cover, put salt, remaining turmeric powder , the red chili powder, all mixed in little water and the ginger paste.

Pour the water and gently stir the fish pieces and shake the pan holding the handles and cover again.

Cook for further 10-12 min in low heat ………check once in between and if dried up, add little water. Remove from heat … put the tomato sauce, shake the pan holding the handles …… spread chopped coriander leaves. Serve with plain rice.