Muri Ghonto
Recipe: A Bengali Melange Of Fish Head And Rice

Name: ~Muri Ghonto~ Recipe: A Bengali Melange Of Fish Head And Rice
Total time: 90 min
Yield: 1
Cuisine: Indian
Ingredients: 2¼ cups Fish head (preferably rui/rohu) (cut pieces, loosely packed); 1¾ tsp Salt (for marinating); 1 tsp Turmeric (for marinating); 1½ cups Gobindobhog rice; 3-3⅓ cups Hot water; ¼ cup Mustard oil; 2 tbsp + 1 tbsp Ghee (for finishing); 1¾ cups Potatoes (cut into 3-cm cubes); ⅓ cup Green peas; ¼ cup Cashew nuts; ¼ cup Raisins; 2 Dried red chillies; 2 Bay leaves; 4 pods Cardamom; 1 stick Cinnamon (about 1 inch); 4 Cloves; 1 tsp Cumin seeds; 1 tsp Turmeric powder; 2 tsp Cumin powder; ½ tsp Red chilli powder; 1 tbsp Ginger paste; 6-8 Green chillies (slit); 2 tsp Salt; 2½ tbsp Sugar; ½ tsp Garam masala (extra for garnish)

90 mins

Cooking Time

Intermediate

Difficulty

Ingredients

Seafood

Diet

Muri ghonto is a Bengali fish head curry that transforms what many cultures discard into a celebrated delicacy. The word derives from the Bengali ‘muro’ or ‘muri’ meaning head, while ‘ghonto’ refers to a mixture or mish-mash. Large freshwater fish heads from the region, typically rohu or katla, are fried, then braised with the fragrant gobindobhog rice, potatoes, and spices. There’s a Bangladeshi version which uses moong dal, while West Bengal preparations incorporate aromatic rice. The final dish is soft and mushy, infused with ghee and garam masala, creating an aroma that defines Bengali comfort food.

Ingredients

UNITSIngredients

2¼ cupsFish head (preferably rui/rohu) (cut pieces, loosely packed)

1¾ tspSalt (for marinating)

1 tspTurmeric (for marinating)

1½ cupsGobindobhog rice

3-3⅓ cupsHot water

¼ cupMustard oil

2 tbsp + 1 tbspGhee (for finishing)

1¾ cupsPotatoes (cut into 3-cm cubes)

⅓ cupGreen peas

¼ cupCashew nuts

¼ cupRaisins

2Dried red chillies

2Bay leaves

4 podsCardamom

1 stickCinnamon (about 1 inch)

4Cloves

1 tspCumin seeds

1 tspTurmeric powder

2 tspCumin powder

½ tspRed chilli powder

1 tbspGinger paste

6-8Green chillies (slit)

2 tspSalt

2½ tbspSugar

½ tspGaram masala (extra for garnish)

Muri Ghonto

Muri Ghonto Recipe: A Bengali Melange Of Fish Head And Rice

Ingredients

Muri Ghonto
Recipe: A Bengali Melange Of Fish Head And Rice