Chhinchada (Non - Veg)

Ingredients:

Head of Katla /Rohu fish (bhakura / rohi machha munda)
(head portion of a 1.5 to 2 kg fish)
250 gms pumpkin (boiti kakharu)
100 gms Taro (saru)
150 gms brinjal (baigana)
1 medium size green plantain (kanchcha kadali)
2 medium size potatoes (aalu)
1 medium size tomato (tamatar)
1 big onion (piaja)
1 inch ginger (ada)
1 teaspoon minced garlic (kata rasuna)
1 teaspoon turmeric powder (haladi gunda)
1 teaspoon chilli powder (lanka gunda)
1/2 teaspoon cumin seeds (jeera)
1/2 teaspoon mustard seeds (sorisha)
1 bayleaf (teja patra)
2 red chillies (sukhila lanka)
1 table spoon chana dal (chana / buta dali)
3 tablespoon mustard oil (sorisha tela)
Salt to taste

Method:

Soak the chana dal in water for half an hour. Clean and wash the fish head and cut it into small pieces to the extent possible. Then marinate the same with half-a-teaspoon turmeric powder and 1/4 teaspoon salt. Peel and cut the vegetables ito cubes. Grind onion, garlic and ginger to a smooth paste. Heat one-and-a-half tablespoon of oil in a pan/ kadai. Then hot fry the fish head pieces for about 5 minutes on medium flame. Remove and keep aside. Now put one-and-a-half-tablespoon oil in a pan / kadai (of bigger size, so that it can hold all the vegetables). Heat oil on medium flame. Add cumin seeds, mustard seeds, red chillies and bay leaf. Subsequently add the onion-ginger-garlic paste, turmeric powdr and chilli powder and saute. When oil separates from he masala add tomatoes, salt and the fish heads. Then saute till tomatoes are cooked. The fish heads need not be intact. They should get crushed while stirring the pieces. If they don't by this time, don't worry. Add the vegetables and soaked chana dal and cover. Add a little water so that the veggies don't stick to the bottom of the kadai until cooked. Cook on medium to low flame for about 10 minutes stirring once / twice. By this time the fish heads would get crushed and the vegetables become cooked. Serve hot with boiled rice and dal for a sumptuous meal.

For a variation, you could also replace all the vegetables (except potato and tomato) with cabbage of equal qauantity.