Muri ghonto, Bengali fish head rice

Ingredients

• 1 large whole fish (such as a rohu or catla)
• 200 g of fragrant rice (gobindobhog) or round-grain rice
• 2 cups of diced apples
• 150 g of chopped onion
• 1 tablespoon of ginger paste
• 1 teaspoon of garlic paste
• 1 teaspoon of ground cumin
• 1 teaspoon of ground cilantro
• 1/2 teaspoon of turmeric
• 1 teaspoon of chili powder
• 1/2 teaspoon of garam masala
• 2 bay leaves
• 2 sticks of cinnamon
• 2 cardamom pods
• 4 green chili peppers
• 1 tablespoon of ghee
• mustard oil
• salt
• 600 ml of hot water

Thoroughly wash the fish head and cut it into large pieces. Rub it with salt and turmeric, and let it sit for a while.

Heat the mustard oil in a wok and fry the fish heads until they are crispy. Set aside.

In the meantime, lightly brown the apples in a separate pan. Wash the rice, drain it, and briefly brown it in the wok.

Heat the oil in a pan with the bay leaf, cinnamon, and cardamom. Add the onions, and when they are golden brown, add the ginger and garlic paste and cook until browned.

Mix the cumin, cilantro, turmeric, and chili pepper in a small amount of water, then add them to the spices and cook until the oil separates. Add the rice and potatoes, and stir for a moment.

Pour the hot water over the rice and cover. When the rice is halfway cooked, crumble the fried fish head into the wok.

Add the green chili peppers and cook over low heat until the rice is cooked through and tender.

Finish with garam masala and ghee, then remove from the heat.