Chital with two onions, in the Bengali style

Ingredients

• 8 pieces of freshwater carp (a type of fish)
• 300 g of chopped onion
• 2 tablespoons of onion paste
• 1 tablespoon of ginger paste
• 1 teaspoon of garlic paste
• 1 chopped tomato
• 5 to 6 green chili peppers
• 1 teaspoon of turmeric
• 1 teaspoon of red chili powder
• 1 teaspoon of ground cilantro
• 1/4 teaspoon of ground cumin
• 1/2 teaspoon of garam masala
• 2 bay leaves
• 1 cinnamon stick
• 2 cardamom pods
• 120 ml of mustard oil
• 2 tablespoons of freshly chopped cilantro
• 1/2 cup of sugar
• salt, to taste
• Hot water, as needed

Rinse the chital pieces, season them, add a little turmeric, and let them rest for 10 to 15 minutes.

Heat some mustard oil in a frying pan and lightly brown the fish. Remove it from the pan before it becomes too firm.

In the same pan, brown the bay leaves, cinnamon, and cardamom.

Add half of the chopped onion and cook over medium heat until softened.

Once the onions are tender, add the onion paste, ginger paste, and garlic paste, and mix well.

Mix the turmeric, chili pepper, cilantro, and cumin in a small amount of warm water, then pour the mixture into the frying pan.

Cook the spices over low heat until the oil starts to bubble to the surface.

Add the chopped tomatoes and sugar, then continue cooking for a few more minutes.

Add the remaining chopped onion and green chili peppers.

Pour each desired amount, pour the hot water into the container and bring to a boil.

Place the fish pieces in the broth.

Cover and cook over low heat for 8 to 10 minutes, allowing the fish to fully absorb the sauce.

Once the sauce thickens, sprinkle with garam masala and fresh cilantro.

Cover and let it rest for a few minutes before serving with hot rice.