Fish Curry with Bitter Gourd and Potato Recipe 

Fish curry, alongside boiled rice, is the single most important dish in Bengali cuisine. There is a prominent Bangla saying “’মাছে-ভাতে বাঙালি’” (Mache Bhate Bengali). The literal translation is fish and boiled are what make Bengali people. This is an old saying that every Bengali has heard. I do not know when or where it originated, but it still holds true. Fish and rice are literally what make Bengali people. These are THE everyday food of Bengali people on both sides of the border.

Bengali cuisine is one of the most varied cuisines in the world. But the core, everyday meal of a regular Bangladeshi includes fish curry. Yes, meat and vegetables are also an integral part of Bengali cuisine and everyday meals of Bangladeshi people. But Bangladeshi cuisine, culture, and heritage relies on fish unlike anything else.

Bangladesh’s bond with fish curry is because of all the rivers crisscrossing the country. And Bangladesh has access to the sea. Combining all the water bodies, Bangladesh has over 650 different species of fish. So there is a type of fish for everyone, regardless of their geographical location, their socio-economic status, their culture, their race.

In Bangladesh, two of the most common ways to eat fish are fried or in curry. Fried fish is really good but there is only so much you can do with it. Curries are where you can get truly creative with your culinary arts. You can use almost every vegetable and spice to make up some kind of curry. Potatoes, eggplants, and tomatoes are some vegetables you can use with almost every fish. But vegetables like bitter gourds are not something you would like with say Rui, Hilsa, or most other fish.

I have never tasted fish curry with bitter gourd and potato before. Bitter gourd (Korola) is not a vegetable for everyone, I myself am not a fan of bitter gourd. The strong bitterness is not for me and can you blame me for that? But that does not mean I do not eat Korola at all. My mother prepares a Korola-Alu Bhaji (Bitter gourd and potato fry). The subtle sweet and mild taste of potato helps balance the bitterness of bitter gourd. And the bitter taste is particularly of interest to Bangladeshi people.

My mother always said that Korola is good for hot summer days. She would just say, “It’s really hot today, so I’ll make Korola-Alu Bhaji.” I thought it’s just something she said to make bitter gourd more edible. But no, today I looked up and found out that there is actual ground for the claims. Bitter tasting food helps to prevent water retention and reduces heat. There are a bunch of other health benefits of eating bitter food as well, like reducing the risk of cancer, diabetes and heart disease. Bitter food even works as anti-oxidants, anti-inflammatories and prebiotics.

The latter mentioned benefits are more significant but to the simple, traditional Bengali people these mattered very little. Most cuisines we enjoy in Bangladesh originated in rural areas where people were much less aware about these long term fatal diseases. Their concerns were much more basic and rooted in daily life; like getting through the hot summer days. Hence bitter gourd became a staple summer food. And of course it had to somehow be cooked in a fish curry and that is exactly what led to today’s dish.

But as i mentioned, bitter gourd cannot be just cooked with any fish. You want the strong flavor and aridity of mustard (Sorshe) with Hilsa, not the bitterness of Korola. Similarly most other fish will not taste good with Korola. But there is one fish that actually tastes good as a bitter curry and it is Foli fish (Bronze featherback).

Bronze featherback is a native fish mostly going around in freshwater bodies and it can be found almost everywhere in Bangladesh. So of course fish curry with bitter gourd and potato itself is a popular dish as well. Though the bitter taste might not be for everyone, including me. But I would still recommend you give the dish a try for yourself.