What is the first thing that comes to your mind when you think of Bengal? No, don’t kid me with answers like Howrah Bridge or Hoogly bridge. Not even Eden Gardens or Victoria Memorial. Buses, black-n-yellow taxis and hand-pulled rickshaws, you say? Well may be. But I’m sure that one thing which tops your list is fish. Yes, Rui, Katla, Tyangra, Chingri, Parshe, Paabda, Maagur, Chitol, Ilish, Shutki…we have them in abundance. Bongs eat fish like there’s no tomorrow, mostly river-water fish because of proximity to the Ganges. We’ve been the subject of amazement as well as of ridicule at our fish-eating abilities. People gape at awe when we masterfully dig out the intricate bones from an ilish (hilsa) to savour its worth. And what more? We are even known for chomping away the entire fish — head, tail included!
Needless to say, when we have weddings fish items galore in the menu. You cannot NOT have fish in every occasion. Society will castigate you if you don’t. A Bong biyer menu usually starts with Luchi, Chholar Dal and Alu Dum..and then meanders into a variety of fishy affairs. When I was a kid, the hottest item on the menu was fish fry. People used to pounce on those like eccentrics…so much so that there would be fish-fry-eating competitions as well. Then came the era of Fish Batter Fry (mostly pronounced as butter fry by caterers). That too passed. Now we have the new and improved age of Baked Bhetki, Fish Tandoori, Fish Florentine and the works. But one thing that has never gone out of fashion and hopefully never will is the Rui Maachher Kaliya. Thick pieces of rohu neatly studded on a bed of rich red gravy, this is one thing that still makes me salivate.
A biye bari (wedding reception) is not complete without the quintessential Rui Maachher Kaliya. So how can a Bong food series be complete without that, huh? I have given it the fancy name of Rui Maachher Nawabi Kaliya because it’s not just a thick gravy made out of onions and tomatoes (which go into making a normal kaliya). It has the richness imparted by cashews and raisins that is definitely fit for the Nawabs. But really, what’s in a name? It all lies in the dish…err…fish!

Tags:
nawabi semai,katla fish,doi katla recipe,nawabi fish curry,doi katla,nawabi rui,katla mach,katla vapa,nawabi egg korma,nawabi rui recipe,nawabi dimer korma,nawabi semai cream,katla recipe,nawabi semai recipe,nawabi sewai recipe,nawabi semai by umme,nawabi semai recipe bangla,nawabi semai by aleya,nawabi laccha shemai recipe,nawabi fish curry 2022,nawabi seviyan recipe,nawabi semai recipe in bangla,katla fish gravy,how to make nawabi sewai

свернуть