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Aa (Fish Stew)

Aa

Fish Stew
Non-vegetarian●●●Origin Tribal North East IndiaPrep 15 minutesCook 25 minutes

A simple fish stew with soft onion, chilli warmth and a savoury fermented-fish note. It is light and brothy, thickening slightly as it simmers.

Aromatics for the stew

0 gStirred in after the fish has boiled (step 4)
Chop the chilli and garlic; add them with the fermented fish.

Everything else

01
Fish fillet · Machhlicleaned
800 g
fish
02
Green chilli · Hari Mirchchopped
18–24 g3–4 chillies
vegetable
03
Onion · Pyazchopped
600 g4 onions
vegetable
04
Garlic · Lehsunchopped
12 g4 cloves
aromatic
05
Fermented fish · Ngari
20 g2 fishes
fish
06
Salt · Namak
to taste
salt

Method

  1. Slice 800 g fish fillet into 5 cm / 2 in pieces.
  2. Pour 750 ml water into a large pan and heat until it boils.
  3. Slide in the fish and boil for 2 minutes.
  4. Stir in 600 g onion, salt to taste and the aromatics for the stew.
  5. Turn the heat down and simmer for 20 minutes, until the fish flakes easily and the liquid thickens into a sauce.

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Fish fillet
  • Firm white fish fillet

    Use the same weight, cut to the same thickness. Cooking time is almost identical; check after 5 minutes.

  • Firm fish fillet

    Use the same weight. If thicker, add 2–3 minutes simmering; do not stir roughly.

  • Boneless fish

    Use the same weight, cut into fillet-like pieces. Check carefully for bones; cooking time is similar.

Green chilli
  • Chilli powder

    Use 10 to 15% of the weight (about 1/4 teaspoon per chilli); imparts dry pungent heat and reddens the dish without the grassy crunch.

  • Dried red chilli

    Use 1 dried pod per fresh green chilli; snap in half and temper in hot oil for a deeper, toastier heat.

Onion
  • Shallot

    Use equal weight, finely sliced. Shallots soften and brown faster, giving a slightly sweeter and more delicate base to curries.

  • Cabbage

    Use 80% of the weight, finely shredded and browned slowly with a pinch of asafoetida. Replicates the bulk and natural sweetness in gravies without allium.

Garlic
  • Garlic paste

    Use equal weight. Fry gently in oil or ghee with the ginger; incorporates smoothly into curries without visible minced bits.

  • Garlic powder

    Use 15% to 20% of the weight (about 1 g for every 5 to 6 g fresh cloves). Whisk into sauces; gives a savoury, toasted garlic flavour without raw pungency.

  • Shallot

    Use 1.5 times the weight, very finely minced. Sauté until golden; provides savoury allium sweetness, though it lacks garlic's pungent sulphur bite.

Fermented fish
  • Dried prawn

    Use 50% of the weight, soak in warm water for 10 minutes and pound or chop. Salty seafood umami; reduce added salt.

  • Worcestershire sauce

    Use 25% of the weight. Has anchovy and sour-sweet notes; add late and reduce salt.

  • Soy sauce

    Use 20% of the weight. Gives salt and umami but no fish funk; adjust salt carefully.

Similar dishes

Mathok Brenga
Fish in Hollow Bamboo
Mathok Brenga tastes smokier and sharper from the direct green chilli heat, lacking the sweet, savoury onion-and-garlic broth found in this dish.
  • Same: Mathok Brenga also seasons fish simply using only fresh green chillies and salt without any cooking oil.
  • Different: Instead of being poached in a broth with onions and garlic like this dish, Mathok Brenga is steamed inside a sealed bamboo stalk over embers with no aromatics other than chillies.
Maachher Roast
Roast Fish
Maachher Roast tastes sweet, sour, and mildly pungent, while this dish is clean, savoury, and warmly peppery.
  • Same: Maachher Roast shares fish fillet, onion, green chilli, and salt with this dish.
  • Different: Maachher Roast adds turmeric, ginger, ghee, chilli powder, Kashmiri chilli powder, vinegar, and sugar, while this dish uses garlic and fermented fish and is a brothy poached stew rather than a lightly fried fish finished in sauce.
Fish Fry
Fried Fish Fillets
Fish Fry is richer and crisp with a sharp, peppery bite from ginger and black pepper, rather than light, savoury, and brothy.
  • Same: Fish Fry also features fish seasoned with green chillies, garlic, onion, and salt.
  • Different: Instead of poaching fish in an onion-heavy broth, Fish Fry adds fresh ginger and ground black pepper to the fish and fries it in vegetable oil.
Maspatotia
Fish Roasted in Banana Leaves
Maspatotia tastes sharp, pungent, and smoky from the mustard and charred leaves, whereas this dish has a milder, light, and onion-sweet broth.
  • Same: Both recipes feature fish seasoned simply with fresh green chillies.
  • Different: Instead of being poached in an onion and garlic broth, Maspatotia is coated with mustard seeds and mustard oil, wrapped in banana leaves, and pan-grilled.