Bengali Mustard Fish Curry/Shorshe Maach – The Intense Flavour of Traditional Bengal

If there’s one thing everyone knows about Bengali cuisine, it’s that they make delicious, rich fish curries. And one of the most popular fish used is the freshwater fish Rohu.

In this recipe, we cook a unique yet simple Bengali dish with Rohu – Shorshe Maach. The key element to this dish – besides the fish, of course – is mustard. The gravy is made with yellow and black mustard, while the rohu is lightly pan-fried in mustard oil.

To try out this recipe, order from our range of Rohu cuts. This recipe can be made with other Bengali fish as well, such as Hilsa or Catla.

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Sorshe Maach Recipe
Mustard seeds are highly aromatic when cooked and have a slightly nutty and smoky flavour, it’s almost indescribable. However, this dish, on the whole, is spicy and smells inviting. The ingredient list is not long either - only about 10, including two different types of mustard seeds.
Course Main Dish
Cuisine Indian
Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 25 minutes
Servings
people
Course Main Dish
Cuisine Indian
Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 25 minutes
Servings
people
Instructions
  1. Begin by soaking all your mustard seeds in water for 30 minutes (This can be done in advance)
  2. Grab your chopped green chillies and soaked mustard seeds and blend them together to form a paste
  3. Add 1 tsp of turmeric and a bit of salt to your rui; make sure every piece is coated evenly
  4. Heat 2 tbsp of your mustard oil in a wok and fry each piece of rui gently on both sides, this is just for colour
  5. Remove the pieces and let them rest
  6. Add the rest of your oil to the wok and pop in your fenugreek seeds, wait for them to crackle
  7. Next you will need to add in your tomato, give that a good stir and then follow it up with the mustard paste you made earlier, a ½ tsp turmeric and some more salt
  8. Pour in your water; cover your wok and let the whole thing come to a boil on a low flame
  9. The last thing to do is add your fish pieces in. Give it all a gentle stir and then on a medium flame allow your curry to cook for roughly 10 minutes or until the fish is just done
  10. Once your curry is cooked fully, garnish with the other 5 slit chillies and let it rest for an additional 5 minutes. That’s all!
Recipe Notes

This rohu curry in mustard gravy is certainly the star of the show and is usually accompanied by nothing other than plain white rice.  We do not recommend substituting the mustard oil with any other oil. That’s because the flavour of this dish is drastically altered without it, and the authenticity disappears. We hope you enjoy this wonderful and simple fish curry!

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