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Bengali’s have always been known for their love for fish and rice and the love just doesn’t end there. Give them a fish and they will leave no stone to get the best out of it. Be it a muri ghonto to a macher kalia to macher dimer bodar jhaal, there’s always a fishy affair in a Bengali home.
One such dish is biyebari’r Chhyachra, a "mishmash" style is made with a variety of vegetables, including green ones like Malabar spinach or Pui Saag, potatoes, pumpkin, eggplant, onions, and fish heads or fish bones. A perfect example of Bengali head-to-tail eating, the origin of this fish might not be clear but it’s a known fact that Bengali’s know how to use every part of the fish as it’s edible and this dish makes for a good option when one doenst want to have the whole fish head at one go. Paired with b
The chhyachra being the most sought-after dish during the reception day lunch or what we call as the afternoon feast, don’t mix it with the well-known "kantachochchori" at all. This dish surely is dear to all fish lovers in the bong clan. The pui saag or Malabar spinach and fish head along with the pungency of mustard oil imparts a much sought after flavour to the dish.
And not just Bengali’s even Odia’s too have a similar dish named ‘chencheda‘. This wonderful and delectable dish that sees a hearty mix of fish and vegetables goes best when paired with some steam rice
Here’s the recipe
• 3–4 kg fish's head
• 1 Bunch Malabar Pui Saag
• 2 potatoes
• 250 g Pumpkin
• 200 g Brinjal
• 125 g Ridge Gourd (Jhinge)
• 200 g Cabbage
• 100 g Potato
• 100 g Raddish (Mulo)
• 150 g Flat Bean (Sim)
• Onion: 2 (medium Size)
• 1/2 tsp Ginger Paste
• ½ spoon Panch Phoron, or Five Spices
• 3-4 Dried Red Chili,
• 2 teaspoons Turmeric,
• 1 teaspoon, and Red
• 1/2 teaspoon Chili
• 1 teaspoon Sugar
• Salt: as desired
• 5 Tbsp. of mustard oil.
Method
• Clean the fish fat, and fish heads and then apply salt and turmeric powder
• Fish bones (if any) and the head of the fish should be fried in 6 tablespoons of mustard oil until golden brown on all sides. Take it out of the pan.
• In the same oil, add the fish fat and guts (if you choose to eat them), cover the pan, and cook the fish until it is golden brown on all sides.
• Wash, peel, and chop the vegetables into medium-sized cubes.
• Cut the pui shak stem lengthwise into pieces
• Heat oil and add 3 whole red chillies and 1½ tsp paanch phoron for tempering.
• Then add all the veggies one by one, saute well, and then lastly add the pui shak in the cooker.
• Now once the veggies are cooked add the fish head and fish oil. Mix it well with the veggies.
• Now cook all of them in low flame for 15 mins and then, raise the heat to high and cook it until dry
• Now the Biyebari Style Chanchra is ready. Enjoy with some gorm bhat.
