Macher dim er kalia

Indrani’s Macher Dimer Kalia is a Bengali fish-roe curry built around already fried roe vadas. Her preparation uses Hilsa roe fritters in a rich onion, ginger, garlic and tomato gravy, finished with optional ghee and a freshly ground garam masala.

The fried roe vadas are set aside. Onion is sliced lengthwise, ginger and garlic are made into a paste, and cardamom, cloves and cinnamon are ground together for the finishing garam masala.

Oil is tempered with bay leaf, cinnamon, cardamom and cloves, then the sliced onion cooks with a pinch of sugar until dark brown. The author keeps the onion soft rather than crisp to give the curry its darker shade.

The ginger-garlic paste is stirred in, followed by chopped tomato and green chilli, which cook until the tomato is soft and pulpy. Ground spices and a little water are added and cooked until oil separates, then the fried roe vadas are mixed through the masala.

Further water is added and the curry cooks until it becomes a dry gravy. The selected ghee and freshly ground garam masala are mixed through before the pan is removed from the heat; Indrani serves the finished curry hot with rice.