Bangladeshi Shutki Bhuna with Rice

Ingredients

• 4 oz dried fish
• 1 1/2 cups rice
• 4 tbsp mustard oil or neutral oil
• 3 large onions, thinly sliced
• 6 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 tbsp freshly grated ginger
• 3 to 4 dried red chilies
• 1 tsp ground cumin
• 1/2 tsp ground turmeric
• 1 tsp garam masala
• 3 ripe tomatoes, diced
• 2 limes, cut into wedges
• 1/4 cup chopped cilantro
• Salt and black pepper

Steps

1. Rinse the dried fish thoroughly under running water, then soak it in warm water for 20 minutes. Drain and rinse again, pressing out the water.
2. That soak and double rinse is essential. Unsoaked dried fish is overpoweringly salty and tough, and no amount of cooking fixes it.
3. Toast the drained fish in a dry pan over medium heat for 3 to 4 minutes, until it smells nutty and firms up, then break it into small pieces.
4. Rinse the rice and simmer it in 2 1/4 cups salted water, covered, over the lowest heat for 15 minutes, then leave it covered off the heat.
5. Heat the oil in a wide pan over medium heat and cook the onions with a pinch of salt for 12 to 15 minutes, until deeply golden and jammy. This long browning is the backbone of a bhuna.
6. Add the garlic, ginger, dried chilies, cumin, turmeric, and garam masala and stir for 1 minute.
7. Add the tomatoes and 1/2 cup water and cook for 10 minutes, until the oil separates and pools at the edges of the pan.
8. Fold in the fish and cook for 10 minutes more, stirring often, until the mixture is dark, dry, and glossy. Taste before adding salt, then serve with the rice, cilantro, and lime wedges.

Allergen note: Contains fish and mustard.

Use the listed quantities as a guide, adjust seasoning to taste, and cook proteins to a safe internal temperature.