Machha besara (ମାଛ ବେସର) is a traditional Odia fish curry in which pieces of fried fish, most often rohu, are simmered in a sharp, pungent sauce of freshly ground mustard seeds with garlic and chilli. In Odia cooking, besara is the name of this mustard-based sauce, and machha means fish. It is one of the dishes most Odias think of first when they think of home food, and Incredible India lists it among the essential dishes to try in Bhubaneswar.
What is besara?
Besara is less a single recipe than a style of cooking. Its base is sorisa bata, mustard seed ground to a paste, usually with garlic, green or red chilli and salt. Odias use besara for vegetables (besara of mixed vegetables tempered with panch phutana, as Wikipedia describes), for leafy greens, for prawns and above all for fish. Incredible India's Puri food guide describes besara as a vegetable or fish curry thickened with mustard paste.
Origin and region
Fish is central to the diet of coastal and riverine Odisha, from the Mahanadi delta around Cuttack to Chilika Lake and the coast. Mustard grows widely in eastern India, and mustard oil is the traditional cooking fat. Machha besara grows out of these two facts. No documented date or place of origin exists; the dish is cooked in homes across the state.
Ingredients
Quantities serve about four people.
| Ingredient | Typical quantity | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Rohu or other freshwater fish, cut into steaks | 500 g | Cleaned, washed |
| Turmeric | 1 teaspoon | Half for marinating, half for the curry |
| Salt | to taste | |
| Mustard seeds (black or yellow, or a mix) | 2 to 3 tablespoons | Soaked for about 30 minutes to 1 hour |
| Garlic | 4 to 6 cloves | Ground with the mustard |
| Green or dried red chilli | 2 to 3 | Ground with the mustard |
| Cumin seeds | 1/2 teaspoon | Optional, in the paste |
| Mustard oil | 3 to 4 tablespoons | For frying the fish and the curry |
| Panch phutana | 1/2 teaspoon | Tempering |
| Tomato | 1 medium | Optional, for sourness |
| Dried mango (ambula) or raw mango | a few pieces | Optional, for sourness |
| Potato or brinjal pieces | 1 small | Optional |
| Water | about 1 to 1.5 cups |
How is machha besara made?
- Marinate the fish. Rub the fish with turmeric and salt and set it aside for 10 to 15 minutes.
- Make the paste. Grind the soaked mustard seeds with garlic, chilli, a pinch of salt and a little water into a smooth paste. Grind briefly to avoid bitterness.
- Fry the fish. Heat mustard oil until it smokes lightly, then fry the fish pieces on both sides until golden. Set them aside.
- Temper. In the same oil, crackle panch phutana and a dried chilli. Add potato or brinjal pieces if using and fry briefly.
- Build the sauce. Add turmeric, then the mustard paste diluted with water. Bring to a gentle simmer. Add tomato or ambula for sourness.
- Simmer the fish. Slide in the fried fish and simmer for a few minutes until the sauce thickens slightly. Do not boil the mustard sauce hard for long.
- Finish. Some cooks add a few drops of raw mustard oil or chopped coriander at the end.
Some restaurant recipes add onion, or finish the sauce with coconut milk, as in the version described by Incredible India's Bhubaneswar guide. Many home cooks make it without either.
Variations
- Rohi machha besara: Rohu in mustard sauce, the everyday classic.
- Dahi machha besara: Curd is added to the mustard sauce for a milder, tangier curry.
- Ambula besara: Soured with sun-dried mango (ambula), a common household style.
- Chingudi (prawn) besara: Prawns cooked in the same sauce.
- Vegetable besara: Mixed vegetables, pumpkin or leafy greens in mustard sauce. A vegetarian besara is also part of the Mahaprasad of the Jagannath Temple, made without garlic.
- Machha besara with coconut milk: A richer restaurant style.
When is machha besara eaten?
Machha besara is everyday food for fish-eating Odia households. It is cooked for lunch with plain rice, and in summer it is eaten with pakhala bhata. It also appears at family celebrations.
Many Odia households avoid fish and meat on certain religious occasions, such as the month of Kartika and fasting days. Practice varies from family to family. On those days a vegetable besara often replaces the fish.
Where to try machha besara in Odisha
- Cuttack and the Mahanadi delta towns, where river fish is plentiful
- Bhubaneswar, at Odia-cuisine restaurants and thali places
- Puri and coastal towns such as Balasore and Gopalpur, where sea fish versions are also common
- Towns around Chilika Lake, known for fresh fish and prawns
Ask for "rohi besara" or "machha besara" with rice at a local meals hotel. Odiapedia does not list or rate restaurants.
Nutrition notes
Fish is a source of protein, and freshwater fish such as rohu is widely eaten in eastern India. The fish in this dish is fried in mustard oil before simmering. Odiapedia has not found a reliable published nutritional analysis of machha besara itself and does not give figures.