Dahi Machha - The Oriya Connection

This is the first time I tried cooking fish on my own! I love Oriya fish preparations, and Dahi Machha is one of my favourites. This may not be the most authentic way to make it, but I had limited resources. So this is it! My version of Dahi Machha:

What I used:

  Rohu fish pieces, cut and cleaned

1 Large Onion, chopped

1/2 Tomato, chopped

2 Small Green Chillies, chopped

5 cloves of Garlic, minced

1/2 inch piece of Ginger, minced

2 tsp Garam Masala powder

1 tsp Cumin (Jeera) Powder

2 cups Curd

2 cups Water

Mustard oil to cook

Salt

Turmeric

What I did:

Wash and dry the fish thoroughly. Rub salt and turmeric into the fish and leave aside for half an hour.

Shallow fry the fish in mustard oil, till done. Remove from pan and set aside.

In the same pan, add a little more mustard oil, and fry the onions and green chillies together for about 2 minutes. Add the minced garlic and ginger (paste can be used instead), then the tomatoes, and finally garam masala powder and cumin powder. Cook everything together gently.

Stir together curd and water, add to the pan. Let it cook for about a minute, then place the pieces of fried fish in it. Cover the pan, let it simmer till everything is cooked through, together.

Serve with white rice. And, in proper Oriya fashion, with lemon, salt and green chillies on the side :)