Aar macher kalia or fish kalia is an inimitable Bengali recipe of fish which is immensely popular in Bengal and the subcontinents of East India. Any Bengali wedding ceremony is incomplete without Fish Kalia. It is known for its exemplary taste, texture and flavour. In this preparation, fried fish chunks are simmered in spicy onion-tomato gravy. This flavoured delight is mostly relished with steamed Basmati rice.
Table of Contents
About the recipe
Health Benefits of Aar mach
Tips and Suggestions
How to make Aar macher kalia (step wise photos)
Recipe Card
About the recipe
As a Bong, I have grown up eating Macher kalia on many special occasions like marriage ceremonies, Annaprasan, Griha-prabesh and even in small get together. There is an eternal bonding between fish and Bengalis and I completely agree with it. Any occasion is incomplete for us without fish, especially macher kalia. For Bengalis, fishes are much more than an edible component. According to our old ancestors, fishes are auspicious and it’s an important part of any celebration.
Both Bengal and Bangladesh are surrounded by numerous rivers. They have been a superb source of freshwater fish for ages. The availability of fish is the main reason behind the vogue of Fish Curries in these regions. This is the secret behind the huge variations of Fish curries in Bengali cuisine.
Fish kalia or macher kalia is one of the most desired fish curry recipe for any celebration. In wedding ceremonies or reception parties, fish kalia is mostly prepared with large Rui Mach (Rohu fish) or Katla Mach (Catla fish), preferably weighing more than 3 kilograms. But fish kalia recipe can also be prepared with any large fish like Aar mach, chitol mach etc. In Bengali houses, aar macher kalia is frequently prepared on special days like birthday parties, small get together etc.
Aar macher kalia or fish Kalia is a simple recipe and the difficulty level of its cooking is below moderate. You would need a little bit of preparation to cook biye bari style macher kalia. Other than that, the ingredients required for the recipe can be regularly found in the Bengali kitchen pantry.
I am a huge fan of macher kalia recipe and it always drives me to the sweet memories of my childhood. I still remember how I used to ask my mom to prepare this special aar macher kalia whenever my dad used to bring fresh water aar mach from market.
I have learnt this macher kalia recipe from my mom. She has got a huge interest in cooking and different ranges of fish curries are her forte. I have learnt many fish curries from her and aar macher kalia is one of them. It is a full-proof recipe and it will surely take you to the authentic taste of kalia recipe.
Aar macher kalia with step-by-step photos and instructions have been provided in the ‘Instructions’ section of the recipe. I have shared all the tips and tricks below to prepare a perfect aar macher recipe. But before directly jumping into the recipe, let me share a few interesting facts about Aar Mach (long whiskered catfish) and the recipe.
Health benefits of Aar mach
- The Omega 3 contained in the fish helps to make our hearts healthy.
- Aar mach is high in protein and low in fat which makes it beneficial for growing kids to adults.
- They are a very good source of Vitamin D which is essential for our bones.
Tips to prepare perfect Aar macher jhol
- Always marinate the fish slices with salt and turmeric powder for 10-15 minutes.
- Always use mustard oil for cooking this fish recipe. It will give amazing flavour and taste to the fish curry.
- Fry the fish moderately before adding it to the gravy. Over frying makes the fish chewy.
- Make a paste of spice powders before adding to the curry to make the step handy.
- Adjust the number of green chillies and the amount of red chilli powder according to your own preference.
- Kalia preparation is slightly sweet in taste. Don’t forget to add sugar to the gravy.
- The texture of aar macher kalia is thick but you can adjust the amount of water for gravy according to your own preference.
How to make macher kalia?
For the Bengali Fish kalia, first, clean the fish pieces and wash them gently. Then marinate them with salt and turmeric powder for at least ten minutes.
Add onion chunks, ginger, garlic, green chilli into the jar of a grinder and make a smooth paste of it. Keep it aside.
Then add tomato chunks into a jar of a grinder and close the lid. Pulse it to a smooth paste and keep it aside.
Take a bowl and add 1 teaspoon turmeric powder, 1 teaspoon red chilli powder,1 teaspoon coriander powder, 1 teaspoon cumin powder and 2-3 tablespoons of water into it. Mix it thoroughly and make a smooth paste of the spices. Keep it aside.
Now, put a pan on flame and allow it to become completely dry. Then add mustard oil into the pan and wait until the oil is hot. Generally, most of the traditional Bengali food is cooked in mustard oil. It gives an outstanding flavour to the dish.
Fry the marinated fish pieces over medium flame for 3-4 minutes on each side. Then flip the pieces very carefully and fry the other side in the same way. Strain the excess oil and keep the aar mach pieces aside on a plate.
Then in the same pan add dry red chilli, cinnamon stick, cardamoms, cloves, bay leaf, cumin seeds and let them crackle.
Add finely chopped onion and fry it over medium flame for 3-4 minutes. Then add the onion-ginger-garlic paste into the pan and give a nice stir. Put the flame on low initially because the paste may splatter. Then put the flame on medium and cook the onion paste for 7-8 minutes. Stir frequently in between.
Add tomato paste into the masala and give a nice mix. Cook the masala over medium flame for another 4-5 minutes. Stir in between.
Add the masala paste into the pan and mix it well. Cook it on low flame for some time so that the masala can get cooked properly and the raw smell disappears. Add salt and give a nice mix. Cook it until the masala releases oil.
Add water into the pan and give a nice stir and add green chillies into it. Cover the pan and put the flame on high until the gravy starts boiling. Take off the lid of the pan and put the flame on low.
Add fried fish pieces to the gravy carefully. Cover the pan and cook it on low flame for 5 minutes. Take off the lid and flip the pieces very carefully. Again, cover the pan and cook it on low flame for another few minutes.
At the final stage of cooking add sugar, Bengali garam masala powder into the pan and give a nice stir. Switch off the flame and put the pan down.
Many recipe for Bengali Fish Curry has already been shared in my previous posts. You can check a few of them like
Doi mach
Shorshe mach
Shorshe Tangrar Jhal
Fulkopi diye Rui Macher Jhol
..And Many more…
Ingredients:
To marinate the fish
- 4 large Aar mach pieces (long whiskered Catfish)
- 1 teaspoon Salt
- 1 teaspoon Turmeric powder (Haldi)
For the spice paste
- 1 teaspoon Turmeric powder (Haldi)
- 1 teaspoon red Chilli powder (Mirchi powder)
- 1 teaspoon Cumin powder (Jeera powder)
- 1 teaspoon Coriander powder (Dhaniya powder)
- 2-3 tablespoons Water
Other ingredients for Aar macher kalia
- 1 small Onion, finely chopped
- 1 large Onion, for paste
- 2 large cloves of Garlic, for paste
- 1 inch Ginger, for paste
- 1 green Chilli, for paste
- 2 Tomatoes, for paste
- 3-4 green Chillies
- 1 Bay leaf (Tej Patta)
- 1 Cinnamon stick, 2 inches (Dalchini)
- 4 Cloves (Laung)
- 3 Cardamoms (Elaichi)
- 1 dry red Chilli (sukhi Lal Mirch)
- ¼ teaspoon Cumin seeds (Jeera)
- ½ teaspoon Bengali Garam masala
- 1-2 teaspoons Sugar, adjust accordingly
- Salt to taste
- ¼ cup Mustard oil
- 1½ cup Water for gravy
Instructions:
- Clean the Aar mach slices and wash them nicely in running water. Then transfer the fish slices to a plate.
- Marinate the fish slices with 1 teaspoon salt, and 1 teaspoon turmeric powder. Make sure all the pieces get coated evenly. Keep them aside for 10 minutes.
- Add onion chunks, ginger, garlic, 1 green chilli into the jar of a grinder and make a smooth paste of it. Keep it aside.
- Add tomato chunks into a jar of a grinder and close the lid. Pulse it to a smooth paste and keep it aside.
- Take a bowl and add 1 teaspoon turmeric powder, 1 teaspoon red chilli powder, 1 teaspoon coriander powder, 1 teaspoon cumin powder and 2-3 tablespoons of water into it. Mix it thoroughly and make a smooth paste of the spices. Keep it aside.
- Put a pan on flame and allow it to become completely dry. Add ¼ cup mustard oil into the pan and wait until the oil is hot.
- Put the flame on low and add the marinated fish pieces (Step 2) into the pan. Fry each side of the fish pieces for 3-4 minutes on medium flame. Then flip the pieces very carefully and fry the other side in the same way. I have used a splatter guard when frying fish pieces to avoid hot oil splattering.
- Strain the excess oil and keep the aar mach pieces aside on a plate.
Tip: Don’t overcook the fish, otherwise the fish will become chewy. - In the same pan, if required, add some more mustard oil and wait until the oil becomes hot.
- Once the oil is hot, add 2 inches cinnamon stick, 3 cardamoms, 4 cloves, 1 bay leaf, 1 dry red chilli, ¼ teaspoon of cumin seeds and let them crackle.
- Add finely chopped onion and fry it over medium flame for 3-4 minutes.
- Add the onion paste (Step 3) into the pan and give a nice stir. Put the flame on low initially because the paste may splatter. Then put the flame on medium and cook the onion paste for 7-8 minutes. Stir frequently in between.
- Add tomato paste (Step 4) into the masala and give a nice mix. Cook the masala over medium flame for another 4-5 minutes. Stir in between.
- Add the masala paste (Step 5) into the pan and mix it well. Cook it on low flame for some time so that the masala can get cooked properly and the raw smell disappears.
- Add salt and give a nice mix. Cook it until the masala releases oil.
- Add 1½ cups of water into the pan and give a nice stir.
- Add 3-4 green chillies into it. Cover the pan and put the flame on high until the gravy starts boiling. Take off the lid of the pan and put the flame on low.
- Add fried fish pieces to the gravy carefully. Cover the pan and cook it on low flame for 5 minutes. Take off the lid and flip the pieces very carefully. Again, cover the pan and cook it on low flame for another few minutes.
- At the final stage of cooking add 1-2 teaspoons sugar, ½ teaspoon Bengali garam masala powder into the pan and give a nice stir.
- Switch off the flame and put the pan down.
Serving Instruction
Transfer the Aar macher Kalia into a serving bowl or on a serving plate. Serve hot or warm to enjoy its best taste. Pair up the dish with steamed Basmati rice and enjoy the Bengali delicacy with your family and friends.
Ingredients
To marinate the fish
- 4 large Aar mach pieces (long whiskered Catfish)
- 1 teaspoon Salt
- 1 teaspoon Turmeric powder (Haldi)
For the spice paste
- 1 teaspoon Turmeric powder (Haldi)
- 1 teaspoon red Chilli powder (Mirchi powder)
- 1 teaspoon Cumin powder (Jeera powder)
- 1 teaspoon Coriander powder (Dhaniya powder)
- 2-3 tablespoons Water
Other ingredients for Aar macher kalia
- 1 small Onion, finely chopped
- 1 large Onion, for paste
- 2 large cloves of Garlic, for paste
- 1 inch Ginger, for paste
- 1 green Chilli, for paste
- 2 Tomatoes, for paste
- 3-4 green Chillies
- 1 Bay leaf (Tej Patta)
- 1 Cinnamon stick, 2 inches (Dalchini)
- 4 Cloves (Laung)
- 3 Cardamoms (Elaichi)
- 1 dry red Chilli (sukhi Lal Mirch)
- ¼ teaspoon Cumin seeds (Jeera)
- ½ teaspoon Bengali Garam masala
- 1-2 teaspoons Sugar, adjust accordingly
- Salt to taste
- ¼ cup Mustard oil
- 1½ cup Water for gravy
Instructions
-
- Clean the Aar mach slices and wash them nicely in running water. Then transfer the fish slices to a plate.
- Marinate the fish slices with 1 teaspoon salt, and 1 teaspoon turmeric powder. Make sure all the pieces get coated evenly. Keep them aside for 10 minutes.
- Add onion chunks, ginger, garlic, 1 green chilli into the jar of a grinder and make a smooth paste of it. Keep it aside.
- Add tomato chunks into a jar of a grinder and close the lid. Pulse it to a smooth paste and keep it aside.
- Take a bowl and add 1 teaspoon turmeric powder, 1 teaspoon red chilli powder, 1 teaspoon coriander powder, 1 teaspoon cumin powder and 2-3 tablespoons of water into it. Mix it thoroughly and make a smooth paste of the spices. Keep it aside.
- Put a pan on flame and allow it to become completely dry. Add ¼ cup mustard oil into the pan and wait until the oil is hot.
- Put the flame on low and add the marinated fish pieces (Step 2) into the pan. Fry each side of the fish pieces for 3-4 minutes on medium flame. Then flip the pieces very carefully and fry the other side in the same way. I have used a splatter guard when frying fish pieces to avoid hot oil splattering.
- Strain the excess oil and keep the aar mach pieces aside on a plate. Tip: Don’t overcook the fish, otherwise the fish will become chewy.
- In the same pan, if required, add some more mustard oil and wait until the oil becomes hot.
- Once the oil is hot, add 2 inches cinnamon stick, 3 cardamoms, 4 cloves, 1 bay leaf, 1 dry red chilli, ¼ teaspoon of cumin seeds and let them crackle.
- Add finely chopped onion and fry it over medium flame for 3-4 minutes.
- Add the onion paste (Step 3) into the pan and give a nice stir. Put the flame on low initially because the paste may splatter. Then put the flame on medium and cook the onion paste for 7-8 minutes. Stir frequently in between.
- Add tomato paste (Step 4) into the masala and give a nice mix. Cook the masala over medium flame for another 4-5 minutes. Stir in between.
- Add the masala paste (Step 5) into the pan and mix it well. Cook it on low flame for some time so that the masala can get cooked properly and the raw smell disappears.
- Add salt and give a nice mix. Cook it until the masala releases oil.
- Add 1½ cups of water into the pan and give a nice stir.
- Add 3-4 green chillies into it. Cover the pan and put the flame on high until the gravy starts boiling. Take off the lid of the pan and put the flame on low.
- Add fried fish pieces to the gravy carefully. Cover the pan and cook it on low flame for 5 minutes. Take off the lid and flip the pieces very carefully. Again, cover the pan and cook it on low flame for another few minutes.
- At the final stage of cooking add 1-2 teaspoons sugar, ½ teaspoon Bengali garam masala powder into the pan and give a nice stir.
- Switch off the flame and put the pan down.
