Bhapa Katla / Rui - Steamed sweet water fish in my homely style

Bhapa Rui or Steamed Rohu is a traditional Bengali recipe of cooking fish which is very healthy and gives an excellent smell. It is very simple - need very less ingredients and very less time to cook this dish. I used to observe my mother preparing this dish when sudden guests arrive in our house. Last weekend we came back from the PTM of my son’s school, we were exhausted and need to cook something quick and easy. I prepared this dish and everybody in my household liked.

Preparation Time: - 10 min

Cooking Time: - 10~12 min (It all depends upon the way you steam the mixture. You can cook in a steel bowl in a big pressure cooker or as I did in a small pressure cooker. Time will be different in each of them)

Servings: - 1~3 persons (varies from person to person)

Ingredients:-

1. 3 pieces of Katla/Rohu fishes (I used Katla). Approximate weight will be 200 gm. Not only Rohu or Katla any sweet water fish can be cooked using this recipe. Shrimp and big prawns are also cooked too using this recipe and you can find the same in one of my earlier recipe.
2. 1 small onion chopped
3. 2 tsp Turmeric powder
4. 1 tbsp mustard paste (I used readymade paste from Sunrise mustard powder but you may grind mustard seeds to make mustard paste)
5. 1 tsp Ginger paste (I made paste by pestle and mortar but readymade paste can be used)
6. Few coriander leaves chopped
7. 2 green chilli slited
8. 2 tbsp mustard oil
9. Salt to taste
10. Pinch of Sugar (optional)

Preparation:-

1. Wash the fish, drain and then marinate it with a little salt and turmeric powder. Keep aside for 15 minutes.
   
2. Meanwhile soak the mustard in a little water for about 15 minutes.
3. After 15 min grind to make a smooth paste with mustard paste, 2 green chilies, a little salt, coriander leaves and water.
4. Chop the onion and make the ginger paste from fresh ginger. Keep aside both.
5. Take a small pressure cooker. You can use a steel container in bigger pressure cooker. I used a 2L pressure cooker and put everything in it.
   
6. Mix everything (mustard paste from step 3, onion, ginger paste and fish).
   
7. Add 1 ½ tbsp. mustard oil from top. Optionally add sugar if you are Bengali
   and have no issue with sugar.
8. Close the pressure container and put it in pressure cooker if you are using container.
9. Pour sufficient water in the cooker so that only one-third of the container is submerged. In my case I pour the water so that one-third of the cooker is filled.
10. Close the pressure cooker and put it on the burner. Wait for one whistle.
11. Put off the flame and wait for some time.
12. Take it out and sprinkle ½ tbsp. mustard oil if you like the smell of raw mustard oil.
    
    

Serve this as side dish with hot steamed rice.

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