Recipe for Murighonto: Rice and Fish head cooked with Indian Spices

I was in a real fix to describe this particular dish.I did not exactly know what would fit the ideal description. After considerable brain storming I came to the conclusion that I should use my own creative way to depict this one rather than the traditional way. According to me, it is a great amalgamation of rice and catla fish head (broken into small pieces), swimming together in a bed of spices consisting of ginger, garlic, coriander and cumin. Half of the taste of any dish lies in its smell. The unique combination of the smell of these ingredients (rice, fish head, spices) topped with ghee and garam masala really titillates your nostrils and you could feel you are "sucking up the taste units".

Ingredients:

• Catla fish head: 1
• Mustard oil: 3 tbsp
• Onion sliced: 2 large sized
• Potato: 1 big cubed
• Garlic chopped: 1 tbsp
• Ginger paste: 1 tbsp
• Garlic paste: 1 tbsp
• Bay leaves: 1 or 2
• Cinnamon stick: 2 (1/2 ich each)
• Cardamom: 2-3
• Rice: 1/2 cup(Basmati or Govind Bhog)
• Tomato chopped: 1
• Cumin Powder: 1 tbsp
• Coriander Powder: 1 tbsp
• Red chilli Powder: 1 teaspoon
• Green chillies: 2 slitted
• Turmeric Powder: 1/2 tbsp
• Garam Masala Powder: 1 tbsp
• Ghee: 1/2 tbsp
• Sugar: 1/2 tbp
• Salt

Procedure:

1. Wash and marinate the fish head with a pinch of turmeric and salt for about 15 minutes.
2. Fry the cubed potatoes with a little salt in oil and keep it aside.
3. Heat mustard oil in a kadai(wok) and fry the fish head until brown.Break it in small pieces and keep it aside.
4. Now in another kadai, heat mustard oil, add bay leaves, cardamom and cinnamon.
5. Add sliced onions, minced garlic and cook for 5 minutes.
6. Add ginger paste,garlic paste, chopped tomatoes,red chilli powder,coriander powder and cumin powder.
7. Add salt, green chillies and sugar and stir until the oil starts separating.
8. Add fried pieces of fish head and potatoes and cook until it is mixed well.
9. Wash the rice and add it, mix it well with the spices.
10.  Now add 3 cups of water, cover and cook on medium flame till the rice and the potatoes are done and the water is dried out.
11.  Add garam masala powder and ghee.

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Serve hot with steamed basmati rice.