In typical Bengali families, Fish with moong daal is a common recipe. Whenever any Rui (Ruhi) or Katla (Catla) fish is brought into any house; the fish head and tail part is cooked with moong daal and this dish is called murighonto. Murighonto means Macher matha diye dal (Lentil soup with fish head).                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                             

This dal with fish head holds the greatest position in the recipe list of daals in Bengali cuisine. You can definitely have this on your menu to impress your guests. In Bangladesh, this fish with moong daal is also served with rice at some weddings, mostly at village weddings. We Bengalis can’t help but add a non-vegetarian flavor to everything. Murighonto is just another example of it!

In my childhood and still, Baba and I used to get the body pieces of the fish whereas Ma used to have the lej or the tailpiece The matha or fish head has always kept cooking later with moong daal dish. Nothing is wasted in a typical Bengali kitchen. Basically, every part of the fish must be used after it is bought from the market. This dish has two purposes – it helps not to waste a fish’s head, and also It adds a rich taste to a bland dal without costing so much.

This is a heavy version of Bengali dal since it has onions, garlic, ginger, and other regular spices, which makes it particularly rich in comparison to other recipes, which only use a few tempered spices. It is a full-flavored meal because of the fish head’s flavor and the moong dal’s thick consistency.

You may have seen or gotten advice for having moong dal when looking for healthier foods to include in your diet. Since green gram is low in fat and high in proteins and fiber, it is known as also being beneficial for weight loss. It reduces your cravings and keeps you fuller for longer. Additionally, it can cleanse your body and strengthen your immune system and metabolism.

On the other hand, eating fish heads will help your brain gain the iron and calcium they need. The tissues that envelop and maintain the walls of the brain benefit from iron and calcium. It also gives the brain the nourishment it needs to fend off conditions like brain tumors and seizures.

For this dish and daal recipe, you will need to have a super fresh fish head, because without fresh fish you will not have the actual taste of this dish. And guess what is the best way to be sure that the fish head is fresh? You have to buy a live fish! The eyes of the fish should be clear and shiny. Bengali has a weakness for big freshwater rui or katla fish’s head for this delicious daal dish. But you can use any fish head for this recipe.

At first, the Fish head is lightly fried in mustard oil before mixing with roasted and boiled moong dal (the green gram beans) and a simple seasoning of onions and basic spices such as cumin seeds, coriander powder, bay leaf, and so on. When I first learned about the habit of eating fish heads, it seemed so strange to me. My dad used to push me to eat this. Then, after cooking any fish meal, I felt horrible throwing away the fish head, so I chose to try this recipe. Unsurprisingly, I was in love with it. 

The fish gives our regular dal a delightful taste and elevates a basic dal chaal (lentils and rice) dinner to a whole new level. This daal may be one where veggies are not necessary to serve as a side dish. I usually skip the traditional fish curry while I prepare this at home. It goes best with steamed rice and ruti. But you just have to be a little bit concerned when you are eating because it may contain fish bones and make sure you check and remove fishbones from fish flesh.