Gondhoraj is Bengal’s favourite lime, as the name suggests the fragrance of this lime is one of a kind, clean, floral, and unmatchable. Apart from serving as a condiment with every day Bengali meal, its zest, juice, and fragrant lime leaves are getting used nowadays in cooking, baking, etc. It’s hard to get Gondhoraj lime or its leaves in this part of the country where lockdown is still going on, but recently my friend Rhea shared a bunch of Gondhoraj leaves with me that she received from Shantiniketan. And I couldn’t stop gushing over it, had planned quite a few things to make with the leaves, but Fish first! So, I cooked fish curry with Gondhoraj leaves. This is not your known version of Gondhoraj Bhetki, where we either steam or simply cook the marinated Bhetki fillets. It’s a Curried version of Gondhoraj Bhetki to be more precise, where we can cook the dish with regular pieces of Bhetki. The little twists and turns in this dish finally turned into a flavour-packed curry that has a prominent fragrance from Gondhoraj leaves, or should I call it the signature smell of Gondhoraj? Of course, yes. As we mixed the curry with rice, and continue eating with fish, which has absorbed all the flavours we gave in.
The ingredients of this recipe and Lebu Lonka Murgi are almost the same, but both are different dishes in many senses. I cook a fish curry with Lemon leaves also, Lebupata Mach is a summer staple in our home.
I hope you’ll enjoy cooking Gondhoraj Bhetki for your family, and friends. Do share your experience with me if you’re trying the recipe. 🙂
Gondhoraj Bhetki / Gondhoraj Barramundi Fish Curry
A curried version of Gondhoraj Bhetki, this recipe creates a dish to remember. A subtle, clean-flavoured curry that tastes great with steamed rice.
Ingredients
- 9 pieces- Bhetki/Barramundi Fish
- 2 medium-sized- Onion
- 4-5- Green Chillies
- 10- Garlic cloves
- 1 ½ tbsp- Lemon juice (read note)
- 4- Gondhoraj leaves (read note)
- ¾ tbsp- Ginger paste
- 1/3 cup- Yogurt/Curd (whisked)
- Salt
- ½ tsp- Tumeric powder
- 1 tsp- Sugar
- ½ tsp- Cumin seeds
- 1 tbsp- Coriander powder
- ½ cup- Mustard oil
Instructions
-
In a food processor blitz onion, garlic, and green chillies until smooth paste forms, keep aside.
-
Rub 1 tsp salt and a ½ tsp of turmeric powder on the freshly washed pieces of Bhetki.
-
Heat oil in a kadai/deep frying pan and shallow fry the fish. Remove and keep aside. In the remaining oil (4 tbsp oil should be there in the kadai, otherwise add some more oil) temper with cumin seeds.
-
Add the onion-garlic-chilli paste, keep stirring over medium heat until the paste turns one shade darker in colour.
-
Now add Coriander powder, ginger paste, and salt. Mix and cook over medium heat for a few seconds. Now add a few tablespoons of water, keep stirring the masala until it starts leaving oil. Adding water at this stage prevents the spices from burning, helps to dissolve the masala, and enhances the flavour.
-
Lower the heat, add yogurt, and lemon juice mix well. Next to add 1 cup of water, mix and cook over high heat until the curry starts to boil.
-
Lower the heat, add the Gondhoraj leaves, and fried fish pieces. Cook the curry until it lightly thickens. We’re not looking for thick gravy here, a curry with little-bit thick consistency is desired.
-
Add sugar at the end, gently stir, and cook over low heat for 2-3 minutes more.
-
Remove from the heat. Serve hot with steamed rice.
Recipe Notes
- If you can get Gondhoraj lime, use its juice for this recipe instead of Lemon juice.
- You can use Lemon leaves or the leaves of Kaffir lime if you don’t have Gondhoraj leaves.
