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Shutki bhorta
শুঁটকি ভর্তা (shutki bhorta): Bangladeshi dried fish toasted and pounded with onion, garlic and plenty of chilli
A bhorta lunch, half a dozen little mounds of mashed things around a plate of rice, is the heart of Bangladeshi home cooking, and the shutki bhorta is always the one people fight over. Sun-dried fish from Cox's Bazar or Kuakata is toasted until crisp and aromatic, then pounded or mashed with fried onion, garlic, red and green chilli and raw mustard oil until it becomes a rough, punchy paste, salty, smoky and hot. A spoonful is enough to flavour a whole plate of rice. Buy dried fish from a trusted grocer, choose pieces that are dry and firm with no mould or damp patches, and always wash and cook them. The mistake people make most often is burning the fish while toasting, which turns it bitter; keep the heat moderate. Chef's tip: small dried prawns or loitta shutki give the mildest, most beginner-friendly bhorta.
- Total time
- 30 min
- Difficulty
- easy
- Serves
- 4
Ingredients
For the bhorta
- 3 ½ oz dried fish (loitta, chhuri or dried small prawns)broken into pieces
- 3 tbsp mustard oildivided
- 2 onionsthinly sliced
- 10 cloves garlicpeeled
- 3 green chillieschopped
- 3 tbsp fresh corianderchopped
- saltto taste, if needed
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Method
0/6 doneStep 1: Soak 3 ½ oz dried fish (loitta, chhuri or dried small prawns) in hot water for 10 minutes, then rub and rinse it under running water until clean of grit and scales. Squeeze dry and pat with kitchen paper.
10 minStep 2: Dry-roast the fish in a heavy pan over a medium heat for 5–6 minutes, turning often, until crisp, golden and fragrant, but not dark. Cool, then pick out any hard bones.
6 minStep 3: Heat 1 ¾ tbsp mustard oil in the pan and fry 6 dried red chillies for 30 seconds until they darken; lift out.
2 minStep 5: Pound or pulse the fish to coarse flakes, then add the onion, garlic, chillies and 3 green chillies and pound or pulse to a rough paste.
5 minStep 6: Mix in 3 tbsp fresh coriander and the remaining 1 ¼ tbsp mustard oil, taste, add salt only if needed, and shape into a mound. Serve with hot rice.
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 160 kcal
- Protein
- 15 g
- Carbs
- 6 g
- Fat
- 9 g
- Fibre
- 1 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does shutki bhorta take?
- About 30 minutes in total: 15 minutes to prepare and 15 minutes to cook.
- How many people does it serve?
- 4 as written. Change the servings above the ingredients and every amount scales to match.
- Is it gluten free?
- Yes, as written. Check the labels on stock, sauces and spice mixes, which sometimes contain gluten.
- Is it very spicy?
- It has some heat. Use less chilli for a milder version, or more if you like it hot.
- What can I use instead of onions?
- 2 shallots per onion.
- What can I use instead of garlic?
- ½ tsp garlic paste or ⅛ tsp garlic powder per clove.
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