A typical Bengali fish curry, maacher jhol is a light fish stew, seasoned with ground spices: ginger, cumin, coriander, chilli and turmeric. The sauce is thin yet packed with flavour. Whole green chillies are usually added at the end of the cooking. Hoki is a succulent, white fish with a meaty texture that is perfect for this dish.

Picture by Jason Lowe

Serves 2-3

½ tsp turmeric

1 tsp ground cumin

1 tsp ground coriander

2 green finger chillies, chopped

¼ tsp salt

30g coriander leaves, chopped

500gh hoki or haddock fillets, skinned and cut into pieces, 7.5-9cm long

3 tbsp groundnut oil

¼ tsp cumin seeds

½ tsp brown or black mustard seeds

2 garlic cloves, crushed

1 tsp peeled and grated root ginger

1 onion, finely chopped

2 medium tomatoes, roughly chopped

Preparation:

Mix together the turmeric, ground cumin, ground coriander, chillies, salt and 20g coriander leaves. Coat the fish evenly with the spice mixture. Heat 2tbsp oil in a frying pan. Fry the fish for 2 minutes on each side or until lightly browned. Drain on kitchen paper and set aside.

Heat the remaining oil in the same pan and add the cumin and mustard seeds. When they pop, add the garlic, ginger, onion, and tomatoes. Fry gently for 8 minutes. Add about 200ml boiling water and stir for a minute. Return he fish to the pan and simmer for 10-12 minutes or until the sauce is brownish and not too thick and the fish is cooked. Garnish with the remaining coriander and serve hot with plain basmati rice.