Something Fishy

‘You can take a Bong out of Bengal but you cannot take Bengal out of a Bong’

I am a Bong..:-) and like almost all Bongs for me fish is vegetarian…:-). I say almost as I have many Bong friends who wouldn’t even look at a fish forget eating it; except maybe those lil ones in an aquarium
When Bongs say fish we mean fresh water fish like Rohu, Katla, Hilsha, Pabda etc. Having said that I can and like to eat fish in any size, shape or form -cooked or raw..even shellfish of any kind are welcome to my tummy.
But fresh water fish is another deal altogether. I live in West London and the only place I go to to buy my fave fish is far East.. There is this one shop that is yet to fail me.. Mas Bazar in Shadwell.. My fellow fish eaters, if you are in ‘Fishy’ mood.. that shop is ‘The place’ to go.. its even open till 7 pm on Sundays. And we all know (I hope most atleast know) weekend tube travel in London is not delightful. Any Saturday/Sunday you plan to go somewhere, the tube line to the destination will be ‘Suspended’ for sure..So the bong in me travelled for 2 hours each way to get hold of my Fish..:-)

So Sunday dinner was ‘Patla Macher Jhol’ ( watery fish curry) with steamed rice. This dish does not have any spice other than turmeric and salt, some green chillies and some kala jeera (black cumin/nigella seeds). This is healthy as it contains lots of veggies like tomato, aubergine, green papaya, parwal ( not grown outside india so not sure of its english name)etc.. Its refreshing for a hot summer lunch or dinner time.. Freshness comes with garnishing with coriander and aromatic lime. And boy was it tasty!!!

So guess its safe to say.. I will go to any length for a Fish.. And no matter how tiresome the whole experience is, I promise its well worth it..:-)