Rui Mach

The English word for Rui mach is Rohu fish. 

Rui mach is a very popular and a traditional Bangladeshi fish. It has bones so it's best eaten with bare hands. You would break off a chunk of Rui mach, you would bite into the piece in such a way so as to be able to detect and grip the bones with your teeth. Part of the fish will stay in you mouth and part of the fish will come away with your hand as you pull it away. You will deposit the fish pieces in your hand on the plate and return it to your mouth to then remove the aforementioned fish bone/s that your mouth has been so patiently gripping leaving your teeth then free to chew the fish pieces in your mouth. 

The translucent fish bones which can deceivingly mix in with the remainder of the food is precariously placed on the edge of the plate so that the offending item is clearly marked to be avoided. 

Fish bones are dangerous because they can get lodged into your throat. The pointy ends of the fish bone ensures that their presence is felt - sometimes painfully - and so it's important to learn the art of eating fish with your hands if you want to eat Bangladeshi Rui mach.

Scrummy Tuna Patties

1. Take a can of tuna. 

2. Sieve the liquid (oil/ brine) from the tuna chunks.

3. Repeat with two more tuna cans.

4. Add some potato mash. 

5. Add one whole egg ...

6. And the egg white of a second egg.

7. Mix it all together.

8. Create balls of the mixture by rolling it in between your hands.

9. Pat down the edges with the palm of your hands.

10. You are then left with a plateful of uncooked tuna patties.

11. Heat some vegetable oil in a deep frying pan. 

12. Make sure that the oil is hot before adding the patties - so that the patties start sizzling as soon as it hits the oil. 

13. Fry the patties until brown and your done.

The Mushroom Bhaji - with an eggy twist

1. Take a handful of mushrooms and peel away the outer skin. 

2. Chop up the mushrooms.

3. Add a generous glug of vegetable oil.

4. Take three chillies,

5. Chop 'em up.

6. Place the chillies in the heated veggie oil.

7. When the chillies are sizzling add in the mushrooms.

8. Take a stock cube, veggie or chicken.

9. Crumble one of the stock cubes up in between your fingers and add to the mushrooms. 

(like Kabir Bedi in Octopussy when he powders a roller-dice in anger)

10. Take two eggs and add half a teaspoon of salt.

11. Whisk away.

12. Stir the mushroom aside to one side of the saucepan.

13. Add in the whisked eggs into the saucepan.

14. As you start scrambling up the whisked egg mix in the mushrooms.

15. Stir away until the egg mixture and mushroom are mixed in.

16. And you have a very tasty side-dish to go with the rest of the meal.

The Boiled Egg Curry - Tastier Than It Sounds

1. Hard Boiled Six Eggs and Peel.

 2. Add in a small hint of orange/red food colouring for a more dramatic aesthetic effect. 

 3. Chop up one large onion and a few cloves of garlic (about half a bulb).

4. Shallow fry the eggs so that there is slight crispy texture.

Afterwards put aside the eggs.

5. Fry the onions and garlic in some vegetable oil. 

6. Add in a teaspoon of salt to soften up the onions.

7. Add in one teaspoon of each of the following spices:- tumeric, chilli, ginger and garlic.

8. Stir in the spices into the onions for a few minutes.

9. Add in a few peppercorn, cinnamon sticks and mashed up cardamoms.

 10. Once you are satisfied that all the spices have mixed properly together add in the eggs.

 11. Allow the eggs to cook in the sauce for a few minutes.

 12. And now the secret ingredients ....... half a cup of milk. 

13. Allow it to all cook.

12. And in the following minutes that come by you would've made yourself an amazing dish of boiled egg curry. 

The Spicy Mash Up

1. Boil a few medium sized potatoes.

                                        2. Fry one large onion in vegetable oil in high heat.

3. Take some dried red chillies.

4. Add the chillies to the hissing onions. 

5. Mash up the boiled potatoes and season.

6. Fry the onions and the chillies to the point where the onions start reddening. 

7. Add the potato mash and stir into the onion-chilli mix.

                                           8. Add in a handful of chopped-up coriander.

8. Add in two table spoons of mustard oil; this adds fragrance and a zingy taste.

9. Leave it to cook for a few minutes.

10. .....And Voila.......