Shorshe Maach

I've been trying to re-create this dish ever since I had it at Number 6 Ballygunj Lane. At that time, I had it with luchis (deep fried wheat bread), which isn't the ideal compliment to the dish as gravy is quite thin. This dish is best served with plain rice, which soaks up that wonderful mustard gravy. While making it, be careful with the quantity of mustard used, its a temperamental spice, and has this incredibly strong and bitter flavour. I used yellow mustard seeds, but if you're using black mustard seeds, use 1/3 of the listed amount. With the fish, I used a filets of a sweet river fish, called roopchand, but any other sweet river fish, such as basa, can be used. This dish can also be made as a vegetarian gravy with the use of parboiled potatoes and aubergines.

Ingredients

• 300 g filets of any sweet river fish, cut into bite sized pieces
• 3 tsp yellow mustard seeds
• 3 tsp poppy seeds
• 2 tsp turmeric powder
• 1/2 cup warm water
• 1 cup water, at room temperature
• 1 tsp nigella seeds
• 1 tsp mustard oil
• 2 green chilies, roughly chopped
• salt to taste

Method

1. Add the mustard and poppy seeds to the warm water and set aside for 20 minutes.
2. Add 1 tsp of the turmeric and some salt to the fish, coat it evenly on the pieces of fish and set aside for 20 minutes.
3. After soaking the mustard and poppy seeds, filter out half the water and add the water, mustard and poppy seeds to a grinder. Add the green chilies and grind into a coarse paste. I would caution against tasting it, as the paste is extremely bitter and will leave you in a coughing fit.
4. Add the oil to a pan on high heat, and once it starts smoking, add the nigella seeds and the remaining turmeric and lower the heat to medium. 
5. Let the nigella seeds release their aroma before adding the fish filets. 
6. Fry lightly on both sides and then add the mustard paste. Stir around to ensure that it coats the fish and add the remaining cup of water.
7. Add salt to taste and bring the water to a boil before reducing the heat to low. Cover and let it cook for 3-4 minutes. If the gravy seems too thick, add some water to get the desired amount of gravy.
8. Once the fish is cooked through, take it off the heat, and let it stand for 5-6 minutes.
9. Serve hot with plain rice, or rice lightly flavoured with a few cardamoms and cumin.

Egg Ribbon Salad

Was headed to a buffet for dinner the other night (a friend had sold it to me with such zeal that I had to have a light lunch to do it justice), and so decided to make a light salad for lunch. This salad is incredibly quick to make, and lightly dressed with a sweet and sour asian style dressing. I used fish sauce in my dressing, to add a nice sour and salty zing, but if you're making a vegetarian version, any flavoured salad vinegar, such as a sherry or cider vinegar can be used to add sourness. The preparation time is around 10 minutes, and the cooking and assembling another 10 minutes. 

Ingredients

• 3 eggs
• 1 tbsp butter
• 1 medium purple onion, chopped into cubes
• 1 tomato, chopped into cubes
• 1 inch ginger, sliced into matchsticks
• 1 tbsp jalapeños, roughly chopped
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 1 tsp soy sauce
• 1 tbsp fish sauce
• 1 tsp honey
• pepper to taste

Method

1. Beat the eggs and add a little salt and pepper to taste.
2. Heat the butter in a pan, and when hot, and turning brown, add the eggs, spread around and then lower the heat and cover.
3. Cook for a minute on low heat to create a thin and firm omlette and flip it around.
4. Cook on the other side on a low flame to create a thin and brightly yellow omelet.
5. Take it off the pan and set aside to cool.
6. Mix the olive oil, fish sauce, soy sauce and honey and beat around in a large bowl with a fork to create an emulsion. The fish sauce adds the required saltiness to the salad, but in case you're using salad vinegar in its place, add a little salt to the dressing.
7. Add the chopped onion, ginger, jalapeños and tomato to the dressing and toss around.
8. In the meantime, the omelet would have cooled. Roll it and cut it into ribbons.
9. Add these ribbons of egg to the salad and toss it around to ensure that the dressing evenly coats the egg. Be careful while tossing the egg to prevent the egg ribbons from snapping.
10. Serve up either by itself or as an accompaniment to the main.