Rituparna’r Thamma’r Maakha Maach

Some people never let you down when it comes to traditional home cooking. And if its a recipe of your grandmother’s you are proud of, you most certainly will pass it on. And so did one of the readers of my Blog - Rituparna Tah. Her Thamma’s (paternal grandmother in Bengali) Maakha Maach recipe, a quick mishmash of shallow fried Rohu fish.

Ingredients for Rituparna’r Thamma’r Maakha Maach are:

4-5 pieces of paka rui/ large rohu, cleaned and washed
1 teaspoon turmeric
1 small red onion, thinly sliced
6-8 green chillies, broken from the middle
Juice of half a lemon
Mustard oil for shallow frying the fish + to finally drizzle on the fish
Salt

Start by rubbing turmeric and salt on the pieces of fish.

Heat mustard oil in a wok/pan and shallow fry the fish, turning mid way. It takes about 3-4 minutes on each side for the fish to be done.

Remove with a slotted spoon and keep in the dish you will serve the Maakha Maach in. With a fork, gently mash the fish, carefully removing with your fingers as many bones you can. For the ones you cannot, don’t sweat over them much. The people eating this Maakha Maach will figure it all out!

Add the onions, green chillies and lemon juice to the fish. Season with salt. Give it a quick mix again and squirt some raw mustard oil on them.

I ate Rituparna’r Thamma’r Maakha Maach with some plain rice and patla mushurir dal. And I did go for seconds of the Maakha too. Thank you, Thamma!