Prawns are the prized catch of the kitchen

Three fourths of the Earth is water and, water means fish and thousands of varieties from the tiny ornamental ones meant for the aquarium to the huge fish like tuna that can weigh in tonnes. Fish is an integral part of any Bengali’s life and, those who live in Bengal can have their choice of the best ones, subject to the strength of the purse while those who are denied such a privilege have to be content with whatever is available.
Therefore, prawns win hands down because of its easy availability all over the world. In India, it is called chemeen in down South in Kerala and jhinga in Mumbai. We, Bengalis, call them chingri and, the different methods of cooking can make the dish an unforgettable one.

Of course, it is a fish that has wastages in the form of the scales, but, the stuff inside the scales are something that one would get hooked on to and savor again and again.
If the size is too small, the method is to cook it in a base of lauki – the resultant lau-chingri with the typical kumro-bari, a unique Bengali food item, can bowl anyone over.
Once the size of the prawn is large enough, the fish can be cooked in a number of ways. One popular method is in a coconut base. The coconut is grated and the fish with mustard oil and a few green chilies thrown in is steam cooked in a closed container. The fish is not fried but, kept in the raw condition. When the lid is opened, the flavor of the prawns will hit you hard and, you will want to sit down to taste it.
The third equally tasty preparation of prawns is the spicy one. The shell of the fish is usually not removed fully and, once fried, it turns reddish in color and imparts an unmistakable glow to the final product. The fish is fried and then cooked in a paste of onion and garlic with the addition of regular spices. (to be continued …)
(Image courtesy wikimediacommons.org)

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Fishy tales about Bengali fish lovers

Bengalis love fish – it is immaterial whether the fish are tiny kucho chingri or huge rohu or katla meant for marriage celebrations. The fact is that the menu of Bengalis are incomplete unless there is at least one item related to fish in it. Given the scarcity of this all important food item and sky rocketing price of whatever is available, Bengalis have to not just innovate but also go in for economy measures to the extent possible.
Of course, when one hears about Ilish festivals and when the cooking reality shows on TV make it a point to showcase different preparations of this wonder fish called Ilish, one wonders how many Bengalis can really afford to go in for such luxurious food items – it was rumored that Ilish from Bangladesh was selling for up to Rs 1500 per Kg and the fish on show weighed at least 2-Kg which translates into Rs 3000 for one fish!!

Obviously, there are Bengalis who can afford such luxuries and that the cry about unemployment and poor Bengalis are far removed from reality.
I stay in Nashik and there are fish but, not the wide variety that is available in Bengal. I get rui, katla, pabda, tangra and, of course, prawns that come from the Arabian Sea. Of late, lobsters are also seen – these are being cultivated locally in the Gangapur Dam that supplies water to the city. Ilish does come once in a while but these are again the Arabian Sea variety and size is never more than one Kg. Hence, the taste of Ilish of Bengal never comes through.
However, in Bangalore or in Pune, the varieties of fish are much more and, in fact, the fishmongers arrange to airlift the fish directly from Kolkata – the fish are fresh but the cost is more due to the air freight charges.
One thing I have noticed – nowadays, the fishmongers have a system to descale and cut the fish to size as per your requirements. The reason is that the housewives of today do not know just how to go about this work. They just store the fish in separate packets and put in the freezer – to be removed and cooked on as and when required basis. (to be continued …)
(Image courtesy wikimediacommons.org)

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