Bengali Chitol Macher Muitha
An exquisite Bengali delicacy featuring delicate, hand-shaped fish meatballs simmered in a rich, aromatic tomato-onion gravy. This traditional festive dish offers a luxurious melt-in-the-mouth texture infused with warm whole spices.
85min
Total Time
4
Servings
Bengali
Cuisine
Recipe
1
If using whole fish fillets, scrape the flesh off the bones carefully, ensuring no bones remain, and mince it into a smooth paste.
2
In a bowl, mix the fish paste with a pinch of salt, a little turmeric, and a few drops of mustard oil. Shape the mixture into small oval dumplings (muitha) and set aside.
3
Heat mustard oil in a heavy-bottomed pan and lightly fry the potato cubes until golden. Remove and set aside.
4
In the same oil, carefully slide in the fish dumplings and shallow fry them until they turn light golden and firm. Remove and drain on paper towels.
5
Add more mustard oil to the pan if needed. Temper with bay leaf, green cardamoms, cinnamon stick, and cloves until fragrant.
6
Add the minced onion and sauté until golden brown, then stir in the ginger-garlic paste and cook until the raw aroma disappears.
7
Add the tomato puree, cumin powder, coriander powder, turmeric powder, and Kashmiri red chili powder. Sauté the masala until oil separates from the edges.
8
Whisk in the yogurt gradually on low heat to prevent curdling, followed by the sugar and salt to balance flavors.
9
Add the fried potato cubes and enough warm water to create a medium-consistency gravy. Bring it to a boil.
10
Gently drop the fried fish dumplings into the simmering gravy, add slit green chilies, cover, and let it simmer on medium-low heat for 10 minutes.
11
Sprinkle garam masala powder over the top, turn off the heat, and let it rest covered for 5 minutes before serving hot with steamed white rice.
Ingredients
500 grams Chitol fish meat (or boneless featherback/catfish fillet)
1 medium potato, peeled and cut into cubes
1 large onion, finely minced
2 tablespoons ginger-garlic paste
1 large tomato, pureed
1/2 cup plain yogurt, whisked
1 teaspoon cumin powder
1 teaspoon coriander powder
1/2 teaspoon turmeric powder
1 teaspoon Kashmiri red chili powder
1/2 teaspoon warm garam masala powder
2 green chilies, slit
1 bay leaf
3 green cardamom pods
1-inch cinnamon stick
3 cloves
1/2 teaspoon sugar
Mustard oil for frying and cooking
Salt to taste
Warm water as needed
*This AI-generated recipe may contain inaccuracies.