Mixed Chuna Macha ( River Fishes ) cooked with Mustard Paste and raw cashew nuts

Mixed Chuna Macha cooked with mustard paste and raw cashew nuts is a popular dish from the Puri district of India. This dish is made with small river fishes such as kerandi, jarali, mahurali, todi, and small chingudi, and is cooked with raw cashew nuts and mustard paste to add flavor and texture.

Mixed Chuna Macha refers to small river fishes such as kerandi, jarali, mahurali, todi, and small chingudi. In the Puri district near Brhamana Sashana, it is a popular dish to cook these fishes with raw cashew nuts, which are locally known as Lanka Amba Manji. The process is similar to making macha thukthuka. The cashew nut tree used to be a primary source of income for people in the Puri Shasani village.

The native villagers in Puri use a gamucha and luga, which are traditional fishing tools, to collect small river fishes like kerandi, jarali, mahurali, todi, and small chingudi from nearby rivers or ponds. They then prepare a dish called “macha chachadi” by cooking these small fishes with green matar, which is a type of peas.

To make the mixed Chuna Macha dish with raw cashew nuts, they replace the green matar with the nuts and add a small amount of garlic and mustard paste to the dish. This variation adds a unique flavor to the dish and is a popular way to enjoy these small river fishes.

Mixed Chuna Macha ( River Fishes ) cooked with mustard paste and raw cashew nuts

Mixed Chuna Macha cooked with mustard paste and raw cashew nuts is a popular dish from the Puri district of India. This dish is made with small river fishes such as kerandi, jarali, mahurali, todi, and small chingudi, and is cooked with raw cashew nuts and mustard paste to add flavor and texture.

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Prep Time 15 minutes mins

Cook Time 15 minutes mins

Total Time 30 minutes mins

Course Side Dish

Cuisine Odia Cuisine

Ingredients

  

• 500 Gram 500g mixed Chuna Macha kerandi, jarali, mahurali, todi, small chingudi, include any small river fishes
• 1 Cup raw cashew nuts
• 2 Tablespoons mustard paste
• 2 green chilies, slit lengthwise
• 1 Tablespoons turmeric powder
• 1 teaspoon garlic paste
• 2 tablespoons mustard oil
• Salt to taste

Instructions

 

• Clean and wash the Chuna Macha fishes thoroughly. Drain the excess water and keep it aside.
  
• Soak the raw cashew nuts in warm water for 30 minutes. Drain the water and keep the cashew nuts aside.
  
• Heat mustard oil in a pan. Add the green chilies and garlic paste. Fry until the garlic turns golden brown.
• Add the mixed Chuna Macha and turmeric powder. Fry for 5 minutes.
• Add the soaked cashew nuts and salt to taste. Stir well.
• Add the mustard paste and 1 cup of water. Mix well and bring it to a boil.
• Lower the heat, cover the pan and let it simmer for 10-15 minutes or until the fish is cooked and the gravy thickens.
• Turn off the heat and let it rest for 5 minutes before serving.
  

Notes

This Mixed Chuna Macha dish cooked with mustard paste and raw cashew nuts goes well with steamed rice or chapati. Enjoy!

Keyword besara, chuna macha