As a child I remember my mum sometimes cooking a curry that would have the whole family up in arms, if you’re Bengali the chances are you will know what curry I’m talking about – Hutki Shira! This fermented fish curry was often the source of arguments in our house, primarily because the curry would make the entire house smell fishy and my siblings (my brothers in particular) and dad hated that! Although the aroma was less than pleasant, the taste of the dish was actually quite delicious! The hutki (fermented fish, also known as shutki) have a pungent fishy smell that’s very hard to describe (think of something rotten, et voila you have fermented fish aroma, lol). This particular recipe uses eddoes which are known as Mukhi in Bengali and thus this particular version is known as Mukhir Hutki Shira.

My mum’s version of Hutki Shira was very different to the one I’m sharing here, her version was almost always a mix of vegetables, leafy greens and fish/prawns. The strength of hutki in my mum’s dish was fairly mild as was the spice strength. My in law’s version (which is the style of recipe I’m sharing) involves a lot more chilli powder, more hutki and usually (not always) consists of one particular vegetable; so a Lotar Hutki (Stolon of Taro), Mular Hutki (Daikon) or Baingonor Hutki (Chinese/Japanese Eggplant). Depending on where one originates from in Bangladesh (and where one ends up marrying, lol), the style of Hutki Shira can vary a fair bit. My mum used to joke about my in law’s hutki curry being super concentrated, lol!

The type of fermented fish I’ve used (called Hidol/Feuwar in Sylheti) may not be accessible to everyone, if this is the case you may replace the hutki with another type such as Lotia, which is easily available from most Bengali grocery stores. Alternatively you may use many of the ready made dried shrimp based satnis/chutneys to add a fermented fish flavour to your curry, Balachaung satni for example. I have used eddoes in this dish but this same curry can be cooked simply by replacing them with a vegetable of your choice. You may also replace the green chillies with Naga Morris/Morich (known in English as Serpent Chilli or Dorset Naga) or Scotch Bonnet Peppers for added heat, but be warned you may only feel the after effects of this the morning after…….lol!

There are MANY ways of cooking this one curry, there is no right or wrong way, there is only deliciousness if the curry is cooked well. I really hope that this recipe provides you with some insight into how to create your own delicious Hutki Shira, which is a staple in most Bengali homes!

Serves 6 – 8

You will need: for Mukhir Hutki Shira

800g Boal/Gual fish (I like using a lot of fish in my hutki but some people prefer this curry using less fish, adjust to suit)
1/2 tsp salt (for washing/soaking fish)
1/2 an onion
1/2 pint of water (for cooking the curry)
1.5 tsp chilli powder
1 tsp turmeric powder
1.25 tsp salt
50g feuwar hutki (about 5/6 fish)
3/4 pint of water (for boiling hutki with)
500g eddoes
extra water if needed
4 cloves of garlic (I crushed 6 cloves but used 2/3 of this quantity)
6 – 8 green chillies (adjust to suit your taste)

Method:

The amount of hutki you use will determine the strength of hutki taste in your finished dish. If you want a mild hutki taste use 3 – 4 hutki, if you want a strong taste use 5 – 6 hutki.

Start by cutting the fish pieces into sizes similar to the ones shown in the top left hand photo. If your fish pieces have fins attached, you may trim the excess off, I do this for the tail of the fish.

Use 1/2 a tsp of salt and rub the fish pieces, top up with cold water and leave to soak in the salt water solution.

Finely slice 1/2 a medium onion, it is better to use less onion for this curry as it is supposed to be quite thin and watery.

Measure 1/2 pint of water and add the sliced onion, followed by the spices; 1.5 tsp of chilli powder, 1 tsp of turmeric powder and 1.25 tsp of salt (you can use less or more if you prefer).

Cover the saucepan and simmer to allow the onions to cook and soften for between 8 – 10 minutes, top up with more water if the onions become too dry.

Begin to clean the hidol/feuwar hutki by removing the head on each of the fermented fish (bottom left photo) and then pulling out the guts (bottom right photo)….

….wet the hutki and gently lift the scales on the either sides, use running water to remove the scales until the hutki are clean (top right photo). Repeat this process for each hutki.

Measure 3/4 a pint of water and add to a saucepan, along with the hutki and gently bring to a boil. We will be using the stock from the hutki and discarding the bones once the hutki have disintegrated.

Top and tail the eddoes and peel using a potato peeler, then cut the eddoes into smaller pieces.

Wash the eddoes with cold water until the water runs clear and soak till needed.

By now the onion should be soft….

….mash using a potato masher (this will mean there are no visible onion pieces).

Add the eddoes, mix and cover and leave to cook for 8 – 10 minutes over a medium flame.

Using a pestle and mortar, finely crush the garlic.

If the eddoes take longer to cook through (which they did on this occasion), ensure there is enough moisture in the saucepan to stop the curry from burning, I added a small splash of water to help them cook through.

Using cold running water, massage the fish pieces to clean and rinse all the salt water. When the water runs clear, the fish is clean and ready to be added to the saucepan.

Turn the heat down to low and add the washed fish pieces, followed by the crushed garlic (I used 2/3 of the 6 cloves I crushed).

Slice 6 – 8 green chillies (adjust to your preference)….

….add the chillies to the saucepan.

The hidol/feuwar hutki will have completely disintegrated by now (as shown in top right photo).

Use a sieve and strain the hutki stock into the saucepan, discard the bones (bottom right photo).

Finally, top the curry up with cold water if you feel you need it. I used enough extra water to completely cover my ingredients, use as little or as much water as you like depending on how thin you want the curry to be. Don’t forget some water will evaporate when the curry boils so it’s always a good idea to add a little extra.

Cover and let this boil for 15 minutes. Test for salt before removing from the heat and adjust if necessary.

The curry is ready when the ingredients are all cooked and the eddoes are soft (bottom right photo shows you what a cooked eddo looks like).

Serve this delicious Mukhir Hutki Shira with a plate of plain rice, I’m sure you’ll be wanting seconds!

Bon Appetit!

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