Maspatotia
Fish fillets are coated in a pungent green chilli and mustard paste, wrapped securely in banana leaves, and pan-grilled until smoky and charred.
Marinade mustard seeds
3.3 gBlended into the marinade paste (step 2)Everything else
Method
- Arrange 800 g fish in a shallow dish.
- Combine the marinade mustard seeds, 24 g green chilli, and 4.5 g mustard oil in a small blender and grind to a smooth paste. Smear the paste evenly across the fish, cover, and refrigerate for 15 minutes.
- Soften 3 banana leaves and slice them into rectangular wraps, or prepare equivalent sheets of foil.
- Place a portion of fish onto each leaf, fold the edges inward to make a tight packet, and tie securely with kitchen twine.
- Set a griddle pan or tawa over medium heat. Grill the packets in batches for 3 minutes on each side until the leaves are visibly scorched.
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Firm white fishUse the same weight, clean and cut into fillet-sized pieces. Cooking time is the same; remove any bones.
Firm fish filletUse the same weight. Check thickness; thick pieces may need 2–3 minutes more simmering.
Skinless firm white fish filletUse the same weight. Skinless flakes more; handle gently and add late.
Chilli powderUse 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 chilliUse 1 dried pod per fresh green chilli; snap in half and temper in hot oil for a deeper, toastier heat.
Black mustard seedUse the same weight. The seeds are smaller and hotter; fry in hot oil until they pop, about 20–30 seconds, and reduce the heat if they darken too fast. The dish will be a little sharper.
Yellow mustard seedsUse the same weight. They are milder and larger; fry a few seconds longer until they pop. The finished dish will have less pungency.
Ground mustard seedUse 70% of the weight of whole seed, added with the other ground spices rather than fried whole. You lose the popping texture and the heat comes through more evenly.
Peanut oilUse equal weight. It handles high-heat cooking well, but lacks the signature pungent, nasal heat of mustard oil.
Vegetable oilUse equal weight. Neutral in flavour, so your curry will lack the characteristic Bengali or North Indian pungent punch.
Green cabbageBlanch large outer leaves for 30 seconds and use as a parcel; use the same size to wrap. No banana aroma.
Collard greensBlanch whole leaves for 1 minute and use as a wrap; slightly tougher and more peppery.
Similar dishes
- Same: Doi Maachh shares the core profile of fish seasoned with pungent mustard seeds, green chillies, and mustard oil.
- Different: Instead of being wrapped in banana leaves and pan-grilled, Doi Maachh is lightly seared and simmered in a copious yogurt gravy with far more mustard oil and added salt.
- Same: Mathok Brenga also seasons fish with fresh green chillies and cooks it inside natural plant material.
- Different: Instead of being coated in mustard seeds and mustard oil and pan-grilled in banana leaves, Mathok Brenga is seasoned only with green chillies and salt and steamed inside hollow bamboo stalks over embers.
- Same: Samudri Seekh shares firm white fish and green chilli with this dish, and both are cooked over high heat.
- Different: Samudri Seekh adds prawns, ginger-garlic paste, white pepper, coriander, cream, and a melted butter glaze, and it is minced and skewered, while this dish uses mustard seed, mustard oil, and a banana-leaf wrap.
- Same: Chapa Pulussu shares firm white fish and mustard seed with this dish.
- Different: Chapa Pulussu is a coconut-milk curry built on onion, tomato, sesame, curry leaf, turmeric, garlic, dried red chilli and vegetable oil, while this dish is a banana-leaf-wrapped pan-grilled fish with green chilli, mustard oil and no coconut milk, onion, tomato or sesame.