Mixed Vegetable Curry with Hilsa Head

 

I love mixed vegetable curries. They are not only tasty, they are healthy. But one of the very essential

 ingredients in Bengali way of preparing mixed veggies is pumpkin. Pumpkin and Bhetki fish are

two things not very easily available in Perrysburg. Pumpkin though available once in a while,

Bhetki fish is totally unavailable, at least I haven't come across any. So in desperation recently I

placed an order in the Bangladeshi grocery store we frequent to for Bhetki with hope that we would

finally get to taste some Bhetki; though the proprietor of the store didn't sound assuring but

keeping our hopes high.

Okay now I have this hilsa head resting in the refrigerator for a while, and when I laid my hand on

fresh pumpkin yesterday, I knew I had to concoct a mixed curry using the fish head. I tossed

together all the vegetables I had in the fridge in equal quantity and made this awesome veg

concoction.

 

 

Ingredients:                                                  Cooking time: 30 minutes ü  1 hilsa head (coated in a pinch of turmeric powder and salt) ü  3/4 th of a medium size brinjal (chopped into medium size chunks) ü  1/2 of a radish or mulo (chopped) ü  1 large potato (chopped) ü  1 cup of pumpkin (chopped) ü  1/2 cup of cabbage (chopped) ü  5-6 green chillies (chopped) ü  2 tsp cumin powder (soaked in 2 tbsp of water) or cumin paste ü  1 tsp turmeric powder ü  100 gm spinach (chopped) ü  Salt to taste ü  3 tsp sugar ü  1 tsp panch phoron & 2 dry red chillies ü  Mustard oil for cooking Method: 1) Heat mustard oil in a wok. Fry hilsa head till it turns golden brown in color. Take off the flame and break into pieces. Keep aside. 2) Into the same oil, add panchphoron and dry red chillies and when they begin to crackle, add potatoes and shallow fry. 3) One after another, add all the vegetables - brinjal, pumpkin, radish and cabbage. Shallow fry the veggies. 4) Add turmeric powder, cumin paste or powder, ginger paste, green chillies and salt. Cook covered on medium low heat till veggies are 3/4th tender, stirring occasionally. 5) Add spinach and sugar. Cook covered till veggies are cooked through. 6) Finally, add the fish head pieces and stir in to mix. 7) Serve hot with steamed rice.