Bengali spiced Light Bluegill Stew

Fish, specially fresh kind is staple in Bengali households. My father often bought small carp type live fish from a local morning market for light fish curry which my mother would cook for lunch. When we visited grandparents(from father's side) house in a countryside surrounded by many vegetable plants, tropical trees and two medium ponds, sometimes we were served pan fried fish, simple fish stew and other home grown vegetarian items for lunch. This simple fish stew with bluegill surely brings back my childhood memories.

Luckily we caught some medium size bluegills(almost the size of my palm)from a local pond and made light curry that I make often with store bought fresh fish served over plain rice. It's healthy, comforting and simply out of this world! The core ingredient for this type of stew is local freshwater fish. It's super simple to make with minimal ingredients, just ginger paste, cumin powder and a few pieces of potato. In this particular stew we never use onion and garlic for their strong flavors that easily overpower the fish. Whenever I have some Bengali bori on hand, I add it for another level of deliciousness.

We used to catch cat fish from a local lake some years back and enjoyed same type of stew/light curry with potato, bori and cauliflower. Last time we caught some small ones and just pan fried. Only messy job was to clean the fish and I had no choice. First cut the fins with kitchen scissors and scale the fish with the back of a knife from the tail to the head. Cut the gills and slightly slit belly horizontally and pull the gut out. Score slightly twice each side so they get cooked through evenly. Wash each fish pieces. Pat dry with paper towel. 

Ingredients~
4 pieces bluegill about 1 lb.
1 medium potato, cut into wide strips
1 medium tomato or just a few cherry tomatoes
1/2 tsp salt or as per taste
1/2 tsp turmeric powder
1 tsp ginger paste
1/4 tsp cumin powder
1 bay leaf
1/8 tsp whole cumin seeds
3-4 green chilies, slightly slit 
1 fistful bori
4 tbsp oil
2 1/4 cups warm water

Method~
Smear fish pieces with some turmeric and salt. Heat oil in a pan fry bori first till light brown on medium low heat. Fry  both sides of each fish to light brown and set aside. In the same oil temper bay leaf and cumin seeds. Fry potato for a few minutes. Add in ginger paste, cumin powder, tomato, salt and turmeric powder. Saute potato and spice mixture until potato is semi cooked on low medium heat, then pour warm water and bring it to a boil. Carefully add the fish pieces, green chilies and fried boris. Cook on high heat for 6-8 minutes until boris are soft. Taste and adjust salt amount as needed. Turn the heat off and let it cool for a while. Serve with plain rice. It's simply delicious!

Happy Cooking!