Shutki diye Haasher Dim
Duck eggs cooked with dried fish
- Cooking time40 mins
Calories285kcal
We're kicking off a new set of Pasher Barir Ranna episodes today, this time with Raina Talukder, who over six instalments, will be sharing Chakma recipes from her family, which hails from the town of Rangamati in the Chittagong hilltracts. Raina, whose grandfather was the first Chakma person to settle in Kolkata, describes her family's cooking as deeply connected to their origins, but having imbibed local influences from living for generations in Kolkata.
Dried fish and fermented fish (shutki and shidol, respectively) form the backbone of Chakma cuisine, which is otherwise characterised by food cooked simply, using fresh, locally available ingredients—fish, vegetables and foraged herbs.
This recipe, duck eggs (haasher dim) cooked with sun-dried Bombay duck (lote shutki), is a hearty preparation made with just a handful of ingredients, and comes together super quickly. The unique thing about this, besides the combination of eggs and shutki, is the use of brinjal to form the base of the sauce. The duck eggs add a layer of complexity that can match the strong, bold flavours of the dried fish.
The recipe is also super flexible in that you can dial up or dial down the intense flavour of the dried fish based on your preference. Raina uses a good handful in her recipe, but she recommends that if you like just a hint of shutki flavour, 3–4 pieces of will suffice. She likes to enjoy this dish with hot rice and a dash of lime for a kick of acidity.
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Ingredients
- 4 duck eggs
- 30 g loitta shutki (dried Bombay duck; )
- 60 g onion (sliced)
- 150 g tomatoes (chopped)
- 2 g salt
- ½ tsp turmeric
- 1 tsp red chilli powder
- 15 g mustard oil
For the sauce
- 40 g mustard oil
- 150 g brinjal (2-cm cubes)
- 25 g onions (sliced)
- 4 g salt
- 150 ml hot water
- 2 sprigs fresh parsley
Method
- Starting in boiling hot water, cook the duck eggs for 8 mins. Then shock them in cold water to stop the cooking, and retain a jammy centre. Peel, halve, and set aside.
- Soak the shutki in lukewarm water for 15 mins. Then clean it thoroughly, and allow the water to drain.
- Marinate the shutki with sliced onions, chopped tomatoes, red chilli powder, turmeric, salt and mustard oil. Set aside.
- Prep for the base: divide the brinjal in 2-cm cubes. Slice 25 g onions.
- Heat mustard oil in a pan. Add the brinjals and cook for 2 mins until softened.
- Add the onions and cook for another minute, then add the shutki mixture along with 4 g salt.
- Sauté on medium heat, covered, for 10 minutes until everything has softened.
- Add hot water and allow it to come to a boil.
- When the sauce has reached the desired consistency, add the halved duck eggs and simmer for a couple more minutes before turning off the heat.
- Garnish with fresh parley.
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