Bengali Bhetki Begum Bahar Recipe (Spicy Fish Fillets Curry)
Bhetki Begum Bahar is one rich and spicy fish curry that comes from Bengali Cuisine. A very popular dish is Bengali marriages and special occasions. The fish fillets have a typical shape that are marinated and later fried golden. The curry is typically cooked in mustard oil where the richness comes from the poppy seeds and the cashew paste used. The extensive use of mace and nutmeg powder gives the curry an amazing aroma and flavor and also gives a rich look. Serve Bhetki Begum Bahar Recipe with hot Steamed rice and Chapatis.
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10 M
90 M
100 M
4 Servings
Ingredients
- 8 Fish fillet , Bhetki (Barramundi/Asian sea bass)
- 1 cup Onion , paste
- 1/2 cup Homemade tomato puree
- 1 tablespoon Ginger , paste
- 4 Green Chillies
- 2 tablespoons Poppy seeds , paste
- 2 tablespoons Cashew nuts , paste
- 1 teaspoon Turmeric powder (Haldi)
- 1 tablespoon Coriander Powder (Dhania)
- 1-1/2 tablespoons Kashmiri red chilli powder
- 1 teaspoon Cumin powder (Jeera)
- 1 teaspoon Garam masala powder
- 1/2 teaspoon Nutmeg powder
- 1/2 teaspoon Mace (Javitri) For Marination
- 1 teaspoon Lemon juice
- 1 teaspoon Salt
- 1 Whole Eggs , peeled and beaten
- 3 tablespoons Corn flour
- 1 teaspoon Ginger , paste
- 1 teaspoon Black pepper powder
- 1 teaspoon Green Chilli
How to make Bengali Bhetki Begum Bahar Recipe (Spicy Fish Fillets Curry)
To cook Bengali Bhetki Begum Bahar Recipe, wash and clean fish nicely, apply enough salt, and lemon juice all over and marinate for 1 hour.
In a large mixing bowl, add beaten egg, cornflour, green chili paste, ginger paste, pepper powder, and salt. Mix well and keep aside.
Heat a little oil in a Shallow fry pan and meanwhile, take the marinated fish fillets and dip in the egg mix one by one and shallow fry on a medium flame on both sides till deep golden in color. Close the lid for a minute to help the fish fillet get cooked. Then continue shallow frying without lid till deep golden.
Transfer the fried fillets on a paper towel and keep aside.
Add a little oil in a Kadai, add mace and just after few seconds, add onion paste and sauté for few minutes till rawness disappears.
Now add ginger paste and slit green chilies, and fry till the mix turns golden in color.
Add the tomato puree along with turmeric powder, coriander powder, cumin powder, Kashmiri red chili powder and garam masala powder. Fry till cooked well and deeper in color.
Now add poppy seeds paste and cashew paste and stir well. Sauté for another 3-4 minute.
Now add around 1/2 cup of hot water or as per required consistency.
Add salt and stir well. Let the curry get a boil. Simmer the flame and cook for 2-3 minutes with lid closed.
Once the curry is done, mix-in some nutmeg powder and fresh coriander.
Slide the fish fillets carefully into the gravy and turn off flame.
Serve Bengali Bhetki Begum Bahar Recipe hot with Steamed rice and Chapatis.
Shaheen Ali
Born and raised in a gastronomic family where cooking is most relied on approximation and eyeballing the ingredients or ratios and proportions for measurements. A physiotherapist by profession who came into blogging almost a year back with a motive to pen down my experience of learning and refining in the journey with food from home and the world beyond, from street food to the fine dining. I live with a motto in life that is 'Life is beautiful if you have good food around'
