Assamese fish curries are mostly light, watery but packed with flavor. Assamese cuisine pairs a lot of locally available greens and vegetables with their fish curry preparations. This Assamese fish curry with cauliflower and potatoes is very close to my heart.
I have had this recipe an innumerable number of times in my childhood years, and I absolutely loved it every time. Delicious light gravy poured over hot steaming rice with chunks of potatoes and cauliflower was pure bliss! I miss it a lot now, but I do whip this up from time to time. My mom’s version is slightly different than mine, tastes better because her hands are magical when it comes to Assamese food. This version is delicious nonetheless and a savior on those hot summer days.
This Assamese fish curry with cauliflower and potatoes is not very challenging as the vegetables are easily available in most parts of the world. Along with the fish and the vegetables, the rest of the ingredients are pretty basic and can be easily found in an Indian pantry. And you can enjoy a delightful Assamese meal in your own house.
What I love the most about this fish curry is its simplicity. For the best results, make sure your fish is as fresh as you can get your hands on. Also, the quality of your spice mixes will create a world of a difference. I usually grind my own spices and use them in my curries. For the ginger and garlic paste, use fresh ginger and garlic and pound them in a mortar or pestle or grind them in a mixer just before you make the curry.
The key highlight of Assamese recipes is the oil that we use. Most Assamese dishes are made with cold-pressed mustard oil. The pungency and flavor that mustard oil lends to a recipe are unmatched. So make sure you have some good quality mustard oil near you for this recipe.
Cooking the fish
The fish in this curry is cooked in three phases. In the first phase, the fish is marinated with salt and turmeric powder for about ten minutes. The fish pieces are then fried in hot and smoking mustard oil till they are 80 percent cooked and are crunchy. Finally, there are added to the gravy and allowed to get into an aggressive boil with the rest of the ingredients, so that they soak in the flavors of the curry as well, but do not lose the crunch of the skin.
The biggest mistake most of us make while frying the fish is that we do not dry it well. With a wet fish, marinated with a wet batter, the fish will never turn crunchy and instead might just taste bland. So make sure you pat dry your fish pieces till they are completely dry before you marinate them. There should not be any water in them.
| Prep Time | 20 minutes |
| Cook Time | 40 minutes |
| Servings |
people
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- 2 tbsp mustard oil
- 135 grams onions about 2 medium onions
- 7 grams garlic ground to a paste
- 16 grams ginger ground to a paste
- 100 grams tomato finely chopped
- 140 grams potatoes cut into thick slices
- 180 grams cauliflower florets thoroughly washed and dried
- 1.5 tsp cumin powder
- 1 tsp black pepper powder
- 1 tsp turmeric powder
- 1 tsp garam masala powder
- 2 green chillies slit in half
- 7 grams Chopped coriander leaves for garnish
- 1 dried red chili
- 200 ml hot water
- 400 grams Rohu fish thoroughly washed and dried
- 1 tbsp salt adjust as per your taste
- 1 tbsp turmeric powder
Ingredients
For the marination
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- Thoroughly wash the fish pieces. Pat them dry with a kitchen towel. Make sure to soak all the excess water away.
- Marinate the fish pieces with salt and turmeric powder. Mix well with your hands, ensuring every part of the fish is coated in the masala. Let it rest for ten minutes.
- Heat mustard oil in a kadhai. Let it get hot and once it starts smoking and takes a pale colour, carefully add the fish pieces to it. Fry them for three minutes on both sides. Do not cook all the pieces in one go, do it in batches. The fish needs to be fried in low to medium flame till the skin on both sides turns crunchy. Set aside once done.
- In the same kadhai, add the dry red chili fand temper for five seconds.
- Add the finely sliced onions and saute till they turn translucent.
- Once the onions turn tender, add the ginger and garlic paste and saute till its raw aroma disappears.
- Add in the cauliflower florets and potatoes. Mix well in a medium flame. Fry everything together for about a minute and then cover and cook for five minutes on a low flame.
- Take the lid off and season with salt, turmeric powder, cumin powder and black pepper powder. Mix for thirty seconds on low flame.
- Add in the chopped tomatoes to the vegetables and give it a light mix. Cover and cook for another ten minutes in the lowest flame possible till the potatoes are tender and the cauliflower florets are cooked.
- Take the lid off and add the hot water to the gravy. Give it a light mix. Increase the flame to high and let the curry come to an aggressive boil.
- Add in the fried fish pieces and the slit green chillies. Let it simmer uncovered for another 3-4 minutes.
- Season with garam masala and stir. Turn the flame off.
- Garnish with fresh coriander leaves. Serve hot with rice.
