There is so many things going on in my head at the same time, I am unable to give form on any one of them. At one end, I am excited about a recipe requested from a childhood friend, on the other I am forcing my urge not to write about my new chapter. Why I am stopping myself from writing about it? Is it too early, too new, and too unknown! Or is it the fear of being found critiquing too early? I used the word fear and that is that! There is so many do’s and do not’s in the place that it feels very regressive. ‘This is what our policy says and we do not do otherwise as then we will have to do for others’. Isn’t that a very statist response: we have a policy that fits all and we do not discriminate. Both actually takes away the importance of context and assume that person who is asking to be considered or challenging the decision is total irresponsible. Can advocacy organisation have policies that cannot accommodate individual context (assume that person who is asking is responsible not a moron)
Well, I am too tired to think now. Let me just get on with cooking my Muri Ghonto. NKK this is for you and your husband and thank you for asking! I am cooking Muri Ghonto (Bengali Fish head Dish) in Noakhali ‘Hindu’ style of my mother or didon (maternal grandmother). I like everything my didon cooks and I feel privileged to be able to carry her recipes forward. Talking to my ghoti friends, I realised that ghoti’s (people who are originally from west Bengal, India) cooks Muri Ghonto very differently from Bangal (people who are originally from then East Bengal now Bangladesh but settled in West Bengal, India now). And interestingly enough, as per one of my friend’s mother the cooking of Muri Ghonto differs between religion: Hindu’s from and in Bangladesh cook the dish very differently from Muslims from and in Bangladesh. According to her, a Muslim kitchen whether Bangal or ghoti would use garlic and onion in the Muri Ghonto, which many of my ghoti (Hindu) friends uses as well. However, Hindu bangal’s or Bangladeshi’s will not use any garlic but may use onion depending on which district of Bangladesh they come from. Complicated isn’t it? Nevertheless, very interesting.
Most important thing is Bangal, ghoti, Hindu or Muslim: every Bengali speaking mortal loves Muri Ghonto. So does the Assamese and Oriyas. Hey, Kids do not forget, YOU MUST EAT FISH HEAD FOR BUDDHI and to do well in onkya (mathematics) porikhya (exam) and if you do not eat, you will fail and not get into IIT. Therefore, you know why it is so very loved by the intel bongs!
Eat Muri Ghonto and be cleaver.
Ingredients
1-Fish Head (I used Rui/Rahu fish (Labeo rohita) head but you can use sea bass too)
5-Potatoes (each potatoes cut to four pieces)
1-cup rice or chira (Flatten or Beaten rice), (I used chira)
2-teaspoon turmeric
½-teaspoon red chili powder (depending on taste)
½ -teaspoon cumin powder
1-teaspoon ginger paste
½- teaspoon fennel seed
3/4 cardamom
1-inch cinnamon
2-bay leafs
4 tablespoon oil (make your own judgment. I use very little oil in my cooking and used 2 tablespoon)
Salt to taste
Method:
1. Marinate the fish head with salt and turmeric
2. Soak chili powder, cumin powder, ginger paste and turmeric in little water
3. Heat oil and fry the fish head. Fry it well and try to break it into medium size pieces. Keep aside.
From here on, I am giving three different ways of cooking the Muri Ghonto:
Version 1: traditional version of my didon using fried rice:
1. Fry the rice, it will take a lot of oil and keep aside. Do not deep fry.
2. Heat oil and add fennel seed and fry for 1 mins
3. Add the potatoes and fry for a while. Add bay leafs
4. Add soaked spices to the potatoes and fry the spices with potatoes
5. When spices are fried and separated from oil, add the fish head and mix well with the spices
6. Add water and add the fried rice, add salt
7. Cook until potatoes are soft, rice is cooked, and the consistency of the gravy is thick but not dry
8. Add cinnamon and cardamom
9. Serve with white steamed rice
Version 2: my mother’s version using just washed rice:
1. Heat oil and add fennel seed and fry for 1 mins
2. Add the potatoes and fry for a while. Add bay leafs
3. Add soaked spices to the potatoes and fry the spices with potatoes
4. When spices are fried and separated from oil, add the fish head and mix well with the spices
5. Add water and add the washed rice, add salt
6. Cook until potatoes are soft, rice is cooked, and the consistency of the gravy is thick but not dry
7. Add cinnamon and cardamom
8. Serve with white steamed rice
Version 3: what I did-used chira
1. Heat oil and add fennel seed and let them fry for 1 mins
2. Add the potatoes and fry for a while. Add bay leafs
3. Add soaked spices to the potatoes and fry the spices with potatoes
4. When spices are fried and separated from oil, add the fish head and mix well with the spices
5. Add water
6. Cook until potatoes are soft and cooked
7. Add chira and cook until the consistency of the gravy is thick but not dry
8. Add cinnamon and cardamom
9. Serve with white steamed rice
khide peye gelo 🙁
GREAT SHANKAR CHAKRABORTY JABALPUR
I came across your blog while looking for some bengali food recipes and liked a lot. How amazing! I will keep an eye on your post.
I came across your blog while looking for some bengali food recipes and liked a lot. How amazing! I will keep an eye on your post.