Maacher Deem Bhaja - Fried Fish Roe

Maacher Deem Bhaja

Sometimes, I wake up in the morning with an incredible feeling of being blessed beyond imagination. This feeling persists as hot water pours out of the taps and I find a comfortable spot to enjoy my iced coffee with an almond biscotti. Our stress-free life in the most comfortable place in the world is just one of the ways in which we benefit from growing older. Going away on vacation is very exciting, but the best part is returning home. There is no place on earth I'd rather be than exactly where I am today.

In my recent blogs, I've mentioned Hubby's ex-colleague & fisherman who has been supplying us with fresh fish. His last batch included an enormous amount of fish roe which to a Bengali is as precious as gold. In its fried form fried roe is served as a starter but the fried nuggets are also cooked in mustard gravy or any fish gravy. They have to be pan-fried first in any case, so here is how fish roe is prepared, using just five simple ingredients.

Ingredients:

1/2 lb. fish roe, cleaned of all extraneous materials & washed well

1/4 tsp. turmeric powder

1/4 tsp. Kashmiri mirch/paprika

salt to taste

4 Tbsp. mustard oil for pan-frying

Directions:

1. Cut roe into bite-size pieces and marinate in next 3 ingredients for at least 20 minutes.
2. Heat oil in a skillet and pan-fry roe until golden brown.

Serve with steamed basmati rice as a first course.