Katla Jhol

Name: Katla Jhol
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 20 min
Total time: 30 min
Yield: 4 servings
Cuisine: Indian (Westbengal)
Ingredients: Katla steaks: 600g (4 pieces); Potato: 150g, peeled, cut in wedges; Tomato: 100g, quartered; Green chillies: 3, slit; Turmeric: 1 tsp; Red chilli powder: ½ tsp; Cumin powder: ½ tsp; Nigella seeds (kalonji): ¼ tsp; Mustard oil: 3 tbsp; Salt: 1 tsp; Water: 400ml; Fresh coriander: 2 tbsp; Jhol must be thin — never thicken it with starch; that ruins its character; Do not over-fry the fish — light gold only, it continues cooking in the jhol; Katla has sweet, firm flesh that stays intact in the thin broth; Serve in a bowl so the jhol can be mixed into rice

🍗 Non-veg🌾 Gluten-free📊 Easy

Katla carp steaks in a thin, turmeric-bright, gently spiced jhol with potato and tomato — the everyday Bengali dinner of deep comfort.

⏱️10 minPrep

🔥20 minCook

🕒30 minTotal

🍽️4Serves

🧺 Ingredients

👩‍🍳 How to make Katla Jhol

Season fish; fry 2–3 min per side until light golden — not deep brown.
Remove.
Fry potato wedges in same oil until light golden on edges.
Add nigella seeds; let splutter.
Add turmeric, chilli, cumin; stir 1 min.
Add water, tomato, green chillies, salt; bring to simmer.
Cook potato until tender, 8 min.
Return fish; simmer 6 min.
The jhol should be thin and light — not thick.
Add coriander.
Drizzle 1 tsp raw mustard oil.
Serve piping hot with mounds of rice.

📖 Cultural notes

|---|---|---|---|---| | 295 kcal | 30g | 14g | 13g | 2g | Jhol is the soul of Bengali daily cooking — a light, watery curry that runs freely when you tip the bowl. Every Bengali household makes fish jhol 4–5 evenings a week; it is the default dinner. The smell of nigella seeds in hot mustard oil with turmeric is the smell of a Bengali kitchen at 7pm. Katla Jhol is comfort food of the highest order — its simplicity IS the point. ---

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