Macher matha diye lau tarkari - Bottle gourd curry with fish head

Bottle gourd or lauki specifically has many health benefits. It is mentioned in ayurveda it is very good for diabetes, constipation and urinary disorders. Bottle gourd juice is very effective in the treatment of stomach acidity, ulcers, and indigestion. It is also great in summer for quenching your thirst, preventing fatigue, and keeping you refreshed throughout the day.

Few head of the fish gets gathered every week as we, Bengalis eat a lot of fish and now-a-days nobody likes to eat the fish head. To use them I cook this dish sometimes. I like the fishy smell of this and my family likes it too. Without wasting much words or time here it is:-

Preparation Time: - 20 min

Cooking Time: - 40 min

Servings: - 4~5 persons

Ingredients: 

1. Bottle gourd: 1 ½ medium
2. Fish head: 1 big (I used the head of a 1 ½ kg Katla fish.)
3. Onion : 1 large chopped fine
4. Ginger paste: 1 tbsp
5. Cumin powder: 1 tsp
6. Coriander leaves: ¼ cup chopped for cooking and garnishing
7. Turmeric Powder: 1 tsp
8. Cumin seeds: 1 ½ tsp
9. Bay leaves: 2
10. Dry red chili: 1 optional
11. Green chili: 1 silted  (I did not use red chili as in my family nobody likes it)
12. Mustard Oil: 5~6 tbsp (I used fully mustard oil as it is fish based dish but you can use any vegetable oil or 1:1  proportion of vegetable and mustard oil)
13. Salt to taste
14. Sugar: ½ tsp

 Preparation:-

1. Peel and chop the bottle gourd in small cubes. (If the bottle gourd is old then throw the seeds away.)
   
2. Wash, drain and keep aside. If the bottle gourd is not fresh then place the cubes in a cup of water for 4-5 minutes. It will soak water and freshen up.
3. Smear the fish head with salt and turmeric powder. Keep aside for minimum 20 minutes.
   
4. Take a non-stick Kadai/wok and heat the oil in high flame. Then turn the heat to medium flame and fry the fish head till golden brown on all sides This should take approx 8~10 minutes. Drain the oil and keep aside.
   
5. Use the same kadai and heat oil again.
6. Now put cumin seeds, bay leaf, green and red chilies.
7. Once they start to splutter put the finely chopped onion. Once they turn golden brown put ginger paste.
8. Wait for 30 seconds and put cumin powder in the mix.
9. Cook on low flame till oil starts to separate at the sides. Then pour in the gourd cubes.
   
10. Add turmeric powder and little salt.
11. Add coriander leaves
12. Break the fried fish head in 8~9 pieces and put in the mix. Saute` the vegetables and cover. It will release lot of juice.
    
13. Cook covered on medium flame till the juice dries up and the vegetables are soft.
14. You may need to add some warm water if the gourd is overripe.
15. Add the sugar. Cook for 1 min more and add some chopped coriander leaves for garnishing
16. Now the dish is ready. Optionally if you ware not calorie conscious you can sprinkle a little bit ghee and mix it well. This will enhance the aroma of the preparation

The final dish should look moist but with no extra juice.

That’s all folks. Serve hot with white rice and enjoy your meal.

As a note always add less salt while cooking bottlegourd because the finally this vegetable reduces a lot when cooked. 

As always please feel free to comment, criticize and seek if any help is required. I am all ears.