Chital macher muitha | Chitol macher muitha | How to make chital macher muitha

Chital macher muitha aka chitol macher muitha is a pure Bengali delicacy and one of the authentic Bengali fish curry recipes. It is a spicy, flavoured and slobbering chital macher recipe where chital fish nuggets are cooked in spicy onion-tomato gravy. It is hugely popular in West Bengal and Bangladesh. Any authentic Bengali restaurant’s menu card is incomplete without this exotic Bengali fish curry. It is mostly relished with plain rice and sometimes even with basanti pulao too.

About the recipe
Tips and Suggestions
How to make Chital macher muitha (step wise photos)
Recipe Card

Chital macher muitha is an exemplary old Bengali recipe of fish which has been conserved by our old ancestors and carried forwarded to many generations. Chital macher muitha, the name itself gives some idea about the recipe. Chital mach means clown knifefish and muitha means fist and its muthhi in hindi. In this preparation, boneless chital mach fillet is shaped with the help of hands and fingers and then slightly boiled and fried before cooking into the spicy onion-tomato gravy.

It is a kind of scrumptious Bengali fish curry which requires ample amount of time and effort to prepare it. So, Bengalis always consider it as a special dish which is mostly prepared on special occasions rather than on regular days.

Though fishes are integral part of Bengali culinary and any occasion or celebration is incomplete without a fish curry, but Bengalis love to include different types of macher jhol recipes in their daily food menu. Honestly for Bengalis, fishes are much more than an edible component.

Both Bengal and Bangladesh are surrounded by numerous rivers. They have been a superb source of freshwater fishes from ages. The availability of these fishes 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.

The difficulty level of cooking chital macher muitha is moderate. You would need little bit of preparation to cook this authentic Bengali fish curry. But I must say this recipe is not preferable for a novice. All the ingredients required for the recipe can be easily found in any Bengali kitchen pantry.

Chitol macher muitha is one of my most favourite chital fish recipes which I have learned from my mother and she got the recipe from her grandmother in law (My dad’s granny). Doesn’t it sound amazing? As the recipe is so old and authentic, so I couldn’t stop myself to share it with you.

My husband never had chital macher muitha until I had prepared it for him on his promotion treat. Honestly, he is not a chital fish fan, but he just loved the preparation and couldn’t stop himself to devour the muithas. Since then chitol macher muitha has become one of his favourites and every year he insists me to prepare this authentic dish before durga puja.

Every family has their own style of preparing this recipe. But in each little variation Chital macher muitha always tastes divine with hot steamed basmati rice. This is one of the main reasons that it is one of the most selling fish curries from any authentic Bengali restaurants of Kolkata.

In fact, due to the vast popularity of the fish curry, readymade muitha, I mean ready to fry muitha is also available in Kolkata. But I must say it does not taste as great as the homemade chitol macher muitha recipe from scratch.

Chital macher muitha recipe step by step photos and instructions have been provided in the ‘Instructions’ section of the recipe. But before jumping into the recipe, let me share few interesting facts about Chital fish and the chitol macher muitha.

Chital fish is quite different from other fishes which are regularly used in Bengali culinary. It is a big sized carnivorous freshwater fish which generally eats small fishes, snails, shrimps etc. They normally live in clean water rivers or ponds. It is mostly available in India, Bangladesh and some other Asian countries. Chital fish is known by many other names too, like clown knifefish in English other than chitol fish, chitala fish, chittal fish etc.

• Add mashed potato into the chital fillet for muitha. It gives better binding and helps to moisten the muitha after cooking.
• Don’t skip onion paste, ginger-garlic paste and spices during the time of preparing the muitha mixture. It induces nice flavour to the muithas.
• Be careful during the time of boiling the muithas in water. Over-boiling can result in chewy and rubbery chitol macher muitha. When the muithas start floating in water, strain them immediately from water.
• Allow the muithas to cool down before slicing them.
• Fry the muithas carefully till golden to golden brown but not more than that or else the muithas will turn hard.
• Use the fish broth (where the muithas got boiled) for the gravy. It gives better flavour to the dish.
• Don’t skip to add bengali garam masala at the final stage of the gravy. It makes a huge difference in flavour and taste both.

To make chital macher muitha, few preparations are required. First, make smooth paste of onion and green chillies and keep it aside. Then make a smooth paste of tomatoes and keep it aside. I have used readymade ginger-garlic paste for the chital macher recipe. You can prepare the paste at home as well.

I have used readymade chital fish fillet from market to prepare the recipe. If you don’t get it, no need to worry. You can scoop out the flesh of the fish from gada pieces with the help of a sharp-edged spoon. The bones will remain stuck to the the skin of the fish pieces.

Take the fish fillet into a large mixing bowl and add mashed potato into it. Add some onion paste, ginger paste, garlic paste, salt, turmeric powder, red chilli powder, black peeper powder, cumin powder and mix all the ingredients thoroughly.

Then divide the fish mixture into equal parts and make large cylindrical shape with each portion by putting pressure with your palm and fingers. Many people prefer to make small balls too with the fish fillet mixture. It’s completely your own choice to shape the muitha accordingly.

Chital fish is very delicate in texture and it turns rubbery and chewy due to over cooking. Dropping small balls one by one into the boiled water may cause over cooking of few balls which are dropped initially in water. So, I always prefer to make large cylindrical shapes for the muitha and sliced them after boiling. This process even saves our time and effort too. Most of the reputed restaurants follow the same trick for the perfect textured chitol macher muitha.

Put a large pan on flame and add enough water to boil the cylindrical shaped fish fillet mixture. Once the water stars boiling, add the cylinders one by one into the boiled water and cook it in high flame for 5-6 minutes. But not more than that. Then strain the shaped fillets and keep them on a separate plate. Allow them to rest for 15 minutes to cool down. Then slice them into 1-inch thick medium pieces. Preserve the broth for later use of preparing gravy.

Now put a pan on flame and add enough mustard oil to fry the muithas. Once the oil is hot, add the sliced muitha pieces into the oil and fry them till golden brown from each side. Don’t overcrowd the pan. Also, don’t over fry the muithas or else they will turn hard. Strain the fried pieces and keep it aside on a separate plate.

Now in the same pan, add bay leaf, cumin seeds and let them crackle. Add onion-green chilli paste and cook them over medium flame for 7-8 minutes until the oil gets released. Add ginger-garlic paste and give a nice mix. Cook it in low flame for another 2-3 minutes until the raw smell goes away.

Add green chillies, salt, turmeric powder, red chilli powder and give a nice mix. Cover the pan and cook it in low flame for another 2-3 minutes. Add the tomato paste and give nice mix. Cover the pan and cook it in low flame for another 5-6 minutes. Stir in between.

Add some ghee (Clarified butter) and give a nice mix. Cook the masala until it releases oil. Add cumin powder, coriander powder and give a nice mix. Cover the pan and cook it in low flame for another 2-3 minutes. Stir in between.

Add the preserved broth into the pan and give a nice stir. Cover the pan and cook it in high flame until the gravy simmers. Add Bengali garam masala powder, sugar into the gravy and give a nice mix. Bengali garam masala is the combination of equal proportions of cinnamon, cardamom and cloves powder.

Put the flame in low and add all the fried muithas carefully into the pan. Cover the pan and cook it in low flame for another 5-6 minutes. Check the seasoning of the gravy. Switch off the flame and put the pan down.

Many recipe for Bengali Fish Curry have already been shared in my previous posts. You can check few of them like

Rui macher kalia
Barishali Ilish
Shorshe Tangrar Jhal
Pabda bhuna

..And Many more…

• 400 Grams Chital fish fillet
• 1 medium boiled Potato
• ½ tablespoon Onion paste
• 1 tablespoon Ginger-Garlic paste
• 1 teaspoon Turmeric powder
• 1 teaspoon Chilli powder
• 1 teaspoon Cumin powder
• ¼ teaspoon Black Pepper powder
• 1 teaspoon Salt
• 1 litre water to boil the muitha

• 3 Onions, diced for the paste
• 2 green Chillies for the paste
• 3 tablespoons Ginger-Garlic paste
• 3 Tomatoes, diced for the paste
• 3 whole green Chillies, for the gravy
• 2 Bay leaves
• ½ teaspoon Cumin seeds
• 1 teaspoon Turmeric powder
• 1 teaspoon Chilli powder
• 2 teaspoons Cumin powder
• 2 teaspoons Coriander powder
• 1 teaspoon Bengali Garam Masala powder
• 1 teaspoon Ghee (Clarified butter)
• 1-2 teaspoons Sugar
• Salt to taste
• ¼ cup Mustard oil
• 2½ cups fish broth for the gravy

1. First add onion chunks, green chillies into a jar of a mixer grinder and close the lid. Run the mixer grinder for 1-2 minutes till smooth paste. Keep the paste aside.
2. Again, into a jar of a mixer grinder, add tomato chunks and run the mixer grinder for a minute to make a smooth paste. Keep the paste aside.
3. For the muitha preparation, take 400 grams chital fillet in a large mixing bowl.
4. Add mashed potato, ½ tablespoon onion green chilli paste (Step 1), 1 tablespoon ginger-garlic paste, 1 teaspoon turmeric powder, 1 teaspoon red chilli powder, 1 teaspoon cumin powder, ¼ teaspoon black pepper powder, 1 teaspoon salt and mix all the ingredients thoroughly.
5. Divide the fish mixture into 4 equal parts and make large cylindrical shape with each portion by putting pressure with your palm and fingers.
6. Put a large pan on flame and add enough water to boil the cylindrical shaped fish fillet mixture. Once the water stars boiling, add the cylinders one by one into the boiled water and cook it in high flame for 5-6 minutes or until the muithas start floating in water.
7. Drain the shaped fillets and keep them on a separate plate. Allow them to rest for 15 minutes to cool down. Then slice them into 1-inch thick medium pieces.
8. Preserve the broth for later use of preparing gravy.
9. On the other hand, add Mustard oil into a pan and wait until the oil is hot.
10. Put the flame in low and add the muitha pieces (Step 7) into the pan. Fry them on medium high flame for 2-3 minutes on each side till golden brown. Strain the muithas and transfer them on a separate plate.
11. Now in the same pan, add 2 bay leaf, ½ teaspoon cumin seeds and let them crackle.
12. Add onion-green chilli paste (Step 1) and cook them over medium flame for 7-8 minutes until the oil gets released.
13. Add 3 tablespoons ginger-garlic paste and give a nice mix. Cook it in low flame for another 2-3 minutes until the raw smell goes away.
14. Add 2 green chillies, salt, 1 teaspoon turmeric powder, 1 teaspoon red chilli powder and give a nice mix. Cover the pan and cook it in low flame for another 2-3 minutes.
15. Add the tomato paste (Step 2) and give nice mix. Cook it in low flame for another 5-6 minutes. Stir in regular intervals.
16. Add 1 teaspoon ghee (Clarified butter) and give a nice mix. Cook the masala until it releases oil.
17. Add 2 teaspoons cumin powder, 2 teaspoons coriander powder and give a nice mix. Cover the pan and cook it in low flame for another 2-3 minutes. Stir in between.
18. Add the 2½ cups of preserved broth (Step 8) into the pan and give a nice stir. Cover the pan and cook it in high flame until the gravy simmers.
19. Add 1 teaspoon Bengali garam masala powder, 1-2 teaspoons sugar into the gravy and give a nice mix.
20. Put the flame in low and add all the fried muithas (Step 10) carefully into the pan. Cover the pan and cook it in low flame for another 5-6 minutes.
21. Add ½ teaspoon of ghee (Clarified butter) and give a nice mix.
22. Switch off the flame and put the pan down.

Transfer the Chital macher muitha 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.

Chital macher muitha | Chitol macher muitha | How to make chital macher muitha

Serves: 6 Prep Time: 10 Minutes Cooking Time: 50 Minutes 50 Minutes

Nutrition facts: NA calories NA fat

Rating: 4.5/5

( 2 voted )

Pin

Print

Ingredients

For the Muitha

• 400 Grams Chital fish fillet
• 1 medium boiled Potato
• ½ tablespoon Onion paste
• 1 tablespoon Ginger-Garlic paste
• 1 teaspoon Turmeric powder
• 1 teaspoon Chilli powder
• 1 teaspoon Cumin powder
• ¼ teaspoon Black Pepper powder
• 1 teaspoon Salt
• 1 litre water to boil the muitha

Other ingredients for Chital macher Muitha

• 3 Onions, diced for the paste
• 2 green Chillies for the paste
• 3 tablespoons Ginger-Garlic paste
• 3 Tomatoes, diced for the paste
• 3 whole green Chillies, for the gravy
• 2 Bay leaves
• ½ teaspoon Cumin seeds
• 1 teaspoon Turmeric powder
• 1 teaspoon Chilli powder
• 2 teaspoons Cumin powder
• 2 teaspoons Coriander powder
• 1 teaspoon Bengali Garam Masala powder
• 1 teaspoon Ghee (Clarified butter)
• 1-2 teaspoons Sugar
• Salt to taste
• ¼ cup Mustard oil
• 2½ cups fish broth for the gravy

Instructions

1. First add onion chunks, green chillies into a jar of a mixer grinder and close the lid. Run the mixer grinder for 1-2 minutes till smooth paste. Keep the paste aside.
2. Again, into a jar of a mixer grinder, add tomato chunks and run the mixer grinder for a minute to make a smooth paste. Keep the paste aside.
3. For the muitha preparation, take 400 grams chital fillet in a large mixing bowl.
4. Add mashed potato, ½ tablespoon onion green chilli paste (Step 1), 1 tablespoon ginger-garlic paste, 1 teaspoon turmeric powder, 1 teaspoon red chilli powder, 1 teaspoon cumin powder, ¼ teaspoon black pepper powder, 1 teaspoon salt and mix all the ingredients thoroughly.
5. Divide the fish mixture into 4 equal parts and make large cylindrical shape with each portion by putting pressure with your palm and fingers.
6. Put a large pan on flame and add enough water to boil the cylindrical shaped fish fillet mixture. Once the water stars boiling, add the cylinders one by one into the boiled water and cook it in high flame for 5-6 minutes or until the muithas start floating in water.
7. Drain the shaped fillets and keep them on a separate plate. Allow them to rest for 15 minutes to cool down. Then slice them into 1-inch thick medium pieces.
8. Preserve the broth for later use of preparing gravy.
9. On the other hand, add Mustard oil into a pan and wait until the oil is hot.
10. Put the flame in low and add the muitha pieces (Step 7) into the pan. Fry them on medium high flame for 2-3 minutes on each side till golden brown. Strain the muithas and transfer them on a separate plate.
11. Now in the same pan, add 2 bay leaf, ½ teaspoon cumin seeds and let them crackle.
12. Add onion-green chilli paste (Step 1) and cook them over medium flame for 7-8 minutes until the oil gets released.
13. Add 3 tablespoons ginger-garlic paste and give a nice mix. Cook it in low flame for another 2-3 minutes until the raw smell goes away.
14. Add 2 green chillies, salt, 1 teaspoon turmeric powder, 1 teaspoon red chilli powder and give a nice mix. Cover the pan and cook it in low flame for another 2-3 minutes.
15. Add the tomato paste (Step 2) and give nice mix. Cook it in low flame for another 5-6 minutes. Stir in regular intervals.
16. Add 1 teaspoon ghee (Clarified butter) and give a nice mix. Cook the masala until it releases oil.
17. Add 2 teaspoons cumin powder, 2 teaspoons coriander powder and give a nice mix. Cover the pan and cook it in low flame for another 2-3 minutes. Stir in between.
18. Add the 2½ cups of preserved broth (Step 8) into the pan and give a nice stir. Cover the pan and cook it in high flame until the gravy simmers.
19. Add 1 teaspoon Bengali garam masala powder, 1-2 teaspoons sugar into the gravy and give a nice mix.
20. Put the flame in low and add all the fried muithas (Step 10) carefully into the pan. Cover the pan and cook it in low flame for another 5-6 minutes.
21. Add ½ teaspoon of ghee (Clarified butter) and give a nice mix.
22. Switch off the flame and put the pan down.