Chital or clown knife fish is a very special type of fish available in Asian countries.It is a type of carnivorous freshwater fish which feeds on other small fishes.The preparation is exotic and the specialty lies in the flesh of the fish which hardens when it gets cooked.The flesh becomes chewy and elastic and is tasty.
The fish is huge in size and the flesh needs to be scooped with a spoon..very unusual process.But nowadays this fish flesh is ready-made available in packets in the supermarkets of different countries.
The word muitha comes from “mutho” which means fist in Bengali. The meat is spooned from the er part of the fish which consists of bones , which needs to be removed manually using your fingers.
Ingredients
1.Fish flesh of Chital (400 gms)
2.Potato (1 boiled with a little salt)
3.Coriander leaves (1/3 rd cup finely chopped)
5.Green chillies (3 to 4) finely chopped
6.Ginger garlic paste(2 tbsp)
7.Lemon juice (2 tbsp)
8.Salt (as per taste)
9.red chilly powder(1/2 tbsp)
Preparation
1.Scoop the fish flesh without bones from the chital fish with a spoon.
2.Mash the boiled potato .
3.Mix all the above ingredients.
4.Make small balls from the above mixture
5.Add the balls in boiling water and boil them for 5 to 7 minutes,until the balls start floating on top.
6.You can now bake the balls in preheated oven at 170 degrees for 5 minutes or deep fry them.
7.Serve them hot with Coriander chutney or ketchup.
8.Most people prepare a gravy and add these fried balls to make a delicious curry.But I like them both ways.This time I enjoyed them as starters.
One cannot perform a similar preparation with any other kind of fish because there are no binding material used here.
Chital machher muitha
Ingredients
Ingredients( for fish dumplings)
- Fish flesh of Chital 400 gms
- Potato 1 boiled with a little salt
- Coriander leaves 1/3 rd cup finely chopped
- Green chilies 3 to 4 finely chopped
- Ginger garlic paste 2 tbsp
- Lemon juice 2 tbsp
- Salt as per taste
- Red chilly powder 1/2 tbsp
Ingredients for curry
- 4 to 5 cloves
- 3 to 4 cardamom
- 1 bay leaf
- 1 tbsp ginger paste
- 1 onion
- A handful coriander leaves
- 1 tsp turmeric powder
- 1 tsp coriander powder
- 1 tsp cumin powder
- 1 tsp red chilli powder
Instructions
Preparation for fish dumpling
-
Scoop the fish flesh without bones from the chital fish with a spoon.
-
Mash the boiled potato .
-
Mix all the above ingredients.
-
Make small balls from the above mixture
-
Add the balls in boiling water and boil them for 5 to 7 minutes,until the balls start floating on top.
-
You can now bake the balls in preheated oven at 170 degrees for 5 minutes or deep fry them.
-
You can serve them hot with Coriander chutney or ketchup.
-
Most people prepare a gravy and add these fried balls to make a delicious curry.But I like them both ways.This time I enjoyed them as starters.
-
One cannot perform a similar preparation with any other kind of fish because there are no binding material used here.
Method for preparing curry
-
Heat the oil
-
Add bay leaves
-
Add cardamom, cloves and cinnamon stick
-
fry ginger paste
-
ground onion and coriander leaves.
-
Add this in the oil
-
saute this mixture
-
Add the spices and fry till oil starts separating.
-
Add 1/2 cup of water and salt.
-
cook for 2 to 3 minutes covered .
-
Add green chillies.
-
Add the fish dumplings and saute.
-
Take off from the oven.
Recipe Video
(1379)
Bengali authentic fish dumpling curry
