A (Fish) Bone Of Contention and Some Delicious Resolutions

Though I have been rather fond of eating fish right from my childhood days, the 'fish head' was one part of the anatomy that was strictly off limits for me. I always found it too intimidating and it was much later (sometime in my mid twenties) that I gathered the courage (plus some accompanying good sense) to attempt a go at it. And it was made possible only because some good Samaritan introduced me to a fish head curry without giving away the secret ingredient. Most of them are quite delicious and with a multitude of ingredients, it is tough to pick out the fish unless one encounters the bony pieces.

But in most Odia homes, the head of the family and the fish head are considered to be a match made in heaven. The uncanny Odia folks do know a thing or two about good (read nutritious) food. While many communities discard the fish head or dress it up to a such an extent that whatever remains is barely a few pieces of bone joined together by a bit of cartilage. The Odia people however place a lot of stress on preserving every possible bit of the fish head which they believe to be highly nutritious. And regular consumption is rumored to make a person intelligent. Although the last statement is highly debatable, the fish head contains high levels of Vitamin A, Omega 3 fatty acids, iron, zinc and calcium. No wonder the head of the family, who is often the one making the highest contribution to the household kitty, stakes a n undisputed claim to it.

But during the community feasts, there would have been too many claimants on this bounty. Any kind of refusal could only lead to slighted egos and fights. Hence, some devious chef might have come up with this idea to appease everyone's egos and palates. Instead of dunking the fish heads into the gravy, they were cooked with an assortment of vegetables, leafy greens or even lentils. Not only a new non-vegetarian dish was added to the menu, it was also extremely delicious . And it also spared me the horror of looking into those lifeless eyes. Or the guilt of tossing it into the waste.

Here is a list of those delectable 'Fish Head' preparations that grace Odia cuisine. These are the more common ones  -

1. Fish Head cooked with Malabar spinach and other vegetables ( Poi Chenchedda ) -

Read recipe HERE.

2. Fish Head cooked with Cabbage (Bandha Kobi Chenchedda ) -

Read recipe HERE.

3. Fish head cooked with lentil dumplings (badi), potatoes and mustard paste
 ( Maccha Munda Besara ) -

Read recipe HERE.

4. Fish head cooked with split Bengal gram and few vegetables (Mudhi Ghanta) -

Read recipe HERE.

5. Fish Head cooked with a medley of seasonal vegetables (Maccha Mahura) -

Read recipe HERE.

Maccha Mahura

Mahura. Ghanta. Chencheda. Fish cooked with a medley of vegetables but known by different names by people from various parts of Odisha. Phew...it can get quite confusing at times. While Ghanta is usually vegetarian with loads of sprouts and fresh coconut ( Ex - Ghanta made on Dwitibahana Osa ), Chencheda is usually made by combining some kind of leafy vegetable with the fish ( Ex- Poi (malabar spinach) Chencheda or Bandha kobi Chencheda ). Even for Mahura, it can be either Niramish (no onion-no garlic, ex - Mahura besara prasad from Puri temple) or amish ( Chingudi mahura or maccha mahura ). Hence, there is no wrong or right categorization but yes the spices are different.

Traditionally, only the head and tail of a fish like Rohu/Bhakura is used in this recipe but one can also make it with the other parts. IMO, given the demands of a fast moving world, one needs to adapt rather than end up in the league of dinosaurs. And that requirement will dictate the future of most traditional recipes. So fret not.

Read on for the recipe -

Preparation Time - 30 mins

Ingredients -

2 pieces of Bhakura/Rohu fish ( I used a tail and a fillet )
1/2 cup chopped eggplant
1/2 cup chopped pumpkin
1/2 cup cauliflower florets
1 small potato
1/2 of a green banana
1 medium sized tomato
1 small onion
4-5 garlic cloves
1 inch ginger
1/2 tsp coriander seeds
1/2 tsp fennel
1/2 tsp cumin seeds
1-2 dry red chilli
1 large bay leaf
2-3 cloves
8-10 peppercorns
1 inch cinnamon stick
1 green cardamom
1/4 tsp turmeric
oil (as per requirement)
salt to taste


Preparation - Marinate the fish with salt and a pinch of turmeric.

Grind the onion, garlic and ginger into a coarse paste. Chop the tomato into small pieces.


Cooking - All the vegetables (except tomato) should be chopped into similar sized cubes. Clean and transfer them to a cooker with 1/4 cup water. Add a pinch of turmeric and salt. Cook on high flame for 2 whistles.

Set aside for allowing steam to escape. Drain excess water and keep aside.

Dry roast the coriander, cumin, chili, bay leaf, peppercorn, cinnamon, cloves and cardamom till fragrant. Remove and allow to cool down. Grind into a fine powder.

Heat 2-3 tsp oil in wok. Add the fish and fry for 6-7 minutes. Remove and keep aside.
In the same wok, add some more oil. Add the onion-garlic-ginger paste and fry till raw smell goes away.

Add the fried fish to the wok. Slightly crush it and fry for 3-4 minutes.

Add the chopped tomatoes and sprinkle a little salt. Allow to soften a bit. Add the boiled vegetables at this stage. Turn up the flame and fry for 3 minutes.

Finally add half of the powdered masala along with some water for cooking the vegetables. Cover with a lid and simmer on low flame for 8-10 mins.

Once done, add the remaining masala and remove from the flame.

Serve hot with white rice or rotis.

Note - Grinding the onions along with the ginger and garlic makes the curry rich. If you want to keep it light, chop onions in medium sizes pieces and fry to a golden before adding the ginger garlic paste. Proceed as above.

One can even skip the onions if one wishes to as it is the 'mahura' spices that bring this dish together.