Odia cuisine
Machha Besara
Odia-style fish curry in a tangy mustard-turmeric gravy with raw mango — a dish where cold-press mustard oil is both the cooking medium and the flavour backbone.
Why cold press mustard oil?
Besara means mustard paste — and the dish is cooked in mustard oil to double the mustard intensity. Cold-press oil carries the paste's flavour without overpowering it.
Ingredients
- 500g rohu or catla fish
- 3 tbsp Dune Aura Cold-Press Mustard Oil
- 2 tbsp yellow mustard seeds, ground to paste
- 1 raw mango, sliced
- 2 dried red chillies
- ½ tsp panch phoron (five-spice mix)
- ½ tsp turmeric
- Salt to taste
Step-by-step method
- 1
Marinate fish with turmeric, salt and a little mustard oil. Shallow fry until golden. Set aside.
- 2
Heat remaining mustard oil. Add panch phoron and dried red chillies.
- 3
Add mustard paste mixed with turmeric and ½ cup water. Simmer 3 minutes.
- 4
Add raw mango slices. Cook 5 minutes.
- 5
Add fried fish. Simmer 8 minutes on low heat.
- 6
Serve with steamed rice.
Pro tip
Raw mango adds sourness — if unavailable, use tamarind paste.
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