Go Back
Print

Machha Besara - Odisha style Salmon Curry

Machha Besara is a fish curry from Odisha. This mustard based curry is delicious and super easy to make. It goes with any type of fish and taste amazing served with piping hot rice

Course Main Course
Cuisine Indian, odisha
Keyword besara, fish curry, mustard fish curry

Ingredients

Marinate the fish

  • 1 pack of Morey’s steakhouse salmon You can use any other fish, see notes for marination
  • 1 tsp Turmeric powder
  • 1 tsp mustard oil

Masala Paste

  • 1 Tbsp Black mustard seeds
  • 1 Tbsp Yellow mustard seeds
  • 1/2 Tbsp cumin seeds
  • 6-7 garlic cloves
  • 3-4 dry red chilies

Tadka and other

  • 1/2 Cup Mustard Oil Please see notes
  • 1 tsp Panch phodan Please see notes
  • 1 onion chopped finely
  • 1 tomato chopped in medium sized pieces
  • 1 piece of dry mango or 1 tsp amchoor powder
  • 1/2 tsp sugar
  • 2 green chilies slit
  • Chopped cilantro for garnish

Instructions

  1. Marinate the fish & potatoes with turmeric and mustard powder

Make the masala Paste

  1. Soak all the ingredients in warm water for 20-30 mins and grind to a fine paste

Fry the fish

  1. Heat mustard oil in a pan and fry the fish for about 2 mins on either side

  2. Take it out on a plate

Make Tadka and Gravy

  1. In the same pan, add panch phoran, sauté for a min
  2. Add onions and sauté till golden brown
  3. Add the mustard paste and sauté for 2-3 mins
  4. Add chopped tomatoes and sauté for a min
  5. Add hot water( to get the consistency you want) and cook on medium flame

  6. Add dry mango or Ambula and a pinch of sugar

  7. Add water as needed to get the right curry consistency
  8. Add slit green chilies

  9. Add fried fish and cook for another 2 mins

Garnish

  1. Drizzle with more mustard oil if you like and garnish with chopped cilantro

Recipe Notes

  1. Make sure you heat the mustard oil to a smoking point, let it cool completely. When you are ready to cook, heat it again to desired temperature
  2. Soaking and draining the mustard seeds helps remove the bitterness 
  3. I have used Salmon but this curry can be made with any fish 
  4. Ambula is raw mango thats dried in the sun, it  adds a unique tanginess to the curry.