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When one was young the advice given by elders was to eschew fish during the months that did not have the letter ‘r’ in their name. No one could explain the logic behind the prohibition. As one grew older, scientific reasoning was deployed to reinforce the ban. Monsoon carries all the muck from overflowing drains to the sea; it is the spawning season when the fish breed and should be left untouched etc. What intrigued us was that all our Bengali friends seemed to be none the worse for flouting this dictum. There were other equally incomprehensible warnings: fish followed by milk is almost poisonous, take care not to swallow the bones they can choke you; fish tastes best cooked only in mustard oil and is better if kept cooked in the gravy overnight. Life in land-locked Himalayan village enveloped the Piscean delicacies with a mystique that was overpowering for years. It needed an exposure to brethren from the seaboard, Goans particularly, to disabuse us from such notions. Monsoon is magical in that
state and once there who would dream of doing away with fish? There is a
great variety of seafood — prawns, shrimps, mussels, but for us
nothing matches the good old fish curry. The gravy is based on coconut
milk and the incorporation of tamarind adds a delightful touch of tangy
sour. The dish can be and often is fiery hot but can easily be softened
without compromising the basic taste that is quite distinct from the Bangla
macher jhol or the North Indian tari wali macchi. It is
usually paired with steamed rice but is equally enjoyable with roti.
What we like the most about this recipe is its utter simplicity. None of
the careful pirouetting in the kitchen that accompanies the mahi
kaliyas and gulnar qorma of Awadh. (Here, a grudging
confession must be made the Kashmiri muli macchali — a most
unusual combo — our friend Rashmiji cooks is made by her to look as
easy and compares favourably in refreshing taste). One will have to try
really hard to botch it up. By the way, if you take the bit about
avoiding fish through May to August, fret not. September is not far
away.
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