Machha Ghanta
fish head cooked down with roasted moong dal and mixed vegetables into a thick one-pot stew
Allergens in Machha Ghanta: fish, mustard.
Ingredients
Quantities for 4.
- 400g rohu head and collar, or thick steaks, cut into 6 pieces Fish
- 80g Moong Dal
- 1 large, cut into 2cm cubes Potato
- 150g, cut into 2cm cubes Pumpkin
- 1, peeled and cut into 2cm rounds Raw Banana
- 1 small, cut into chunks Eggplantoptional
- 5 tbsp Mustard Oil
- 1 tsp Panch Phoron
- 2 Bay Leaf
- 2, broken Dried Red Chilli
- 5 cloves, crushed Garlic
- 2cm piece, grated Ginger
- 3, slit Green Chilli
- 1 tsp Turmeric
- 1 tsp Cumin Powder
- 1 tsp Coriander Powder
- 700ml, hot Water
- 3 tbsp, chopped Coriander Leavesoptional
- to taste Salt
Cookware
stovetop, kadhai
Checked against the ingredient list for ten allergens: milk, egg, fish, crustaceans, tree nuts, peanuts, sesame, mustard, soy and gluten. Brands vary, so read the label on anything new to you.
Before you start
- Rub the fish with 1/2 tsp turmeric and 1/2 tsp salt and leave 15 minutes while you cut the vegetables.
- Dry-roast the moong dal in a pan over low heat for 5 minutes until it smells like toast and turns a shade darker, then rinse and drain it.
- Cut all the vegetables to a similar 2cm size so they finish together.
Method
- Heat 3 tbsp mustard oil until smoking, drop to medium and fry the fish pieces 2 minutes a side until the skin is set and golden.Do not move the fish for the first 2 minutes or the skin tears and sticks. It releases itself when it is ready.
- Lift the fish out, and when it is cool enough to handle break the head into large pieces and flake the collar meat off the bone.
- Add the remaining 2 tbsp oil to the same pan and crackle the panch-phoron, bay leaves and red chillies for 20 seconds.
- Stir in the garlic and ginger and fry 90 seconds until the raw smell lifts.
- Add the potato, raw banana and pumpkin with the turmeric, cumin powder, coriander powder and 1 tsp salt, and fry 5 minutes until the pieces are coated and glossy.
- Tip in the roasted moong dal and stir for 2 minutes so each grain takes on oil.
- Pour in the hot water, add the eggplant and the slit green chillies, bring to a boil then cover and simmer 20 minutes.
- Uncover and check: the dal should be soft but still holding shape and the liquid reduced by about half.Ghanta means a jumble, not a soup. Keep cooking uncovered until a spoon drawn through leaves a brief track.
- Fold the flaked fish and head pieces back in and simmer 5 minutes more, stirring gently so the fish stays in pieces.
- Take off the heat, scatter the coriander and rest 10 minutes before serving with plain rice.
Safe temperatures: Fish is done at 63°C / 145°F, or when it turns opaque and flakes easily. Reheat leftovers to 74°C / 165°F. FoodSafety.gov
Storage
Keeps 2 days refrigerated in a covered container. Reheat on the stovetop with 3 tbsp water over low heat; do not microwave on full power, the fish goes rubbery.
Nutrition Medium estimate
One serving of Machha Ghanta (466 g) is about 480 calories, or 104 calories per 100 g.
High protein: 28 g a serving, 24% of the calories
| Per serving466 g | Per 100 g | |
|---|---|---|
| Calories | 480 kcal | 104 kcal |
| Protein | 28.5 g | 6 g |
| Carbohydrate | 48.7 g | 10 g |
| of which sugars | 15.5 g | 3 g |
| Fibre | 7.0 g | 2 g |
| Fat | 20.8 g | 4 g |
| of which saturated | 2.6 g | 0 g |
| of which unsaturated | 16.0 g | 3 g |
Ingredients given to taste count as zero, so the real figures run a little higher. Nearest database match used for panch phoron. Estimated from raw ingredients using USDA FoodData Central.
More like this: Gluten-free Indian recipes · Dairy-free Indian recipes · Odia recipes
Times, yields, allergens and nutrition are guidance. Use your own judgement on doneness and on storing. More in About.