Bhapa Rui Mach | Bengali Steamed Rohu Recipe

Gluten Free

ভাপা রুই: Bhapa Rui Mach | Bengali Rohu Fish Recipe That You Must Try!

This Bengali fish recipe of bhapa rui is probably one of the healthiest preparations of all. It is steamed, with a minimum of spices and helps retain the flavour and goodness of the fish intact while cooking. For greater ease, we are going to cook this bhapa rui macher recipe in a regular microwave oven.

Like most other Indian fish recipes, this rohu recipe is gluten-free. It is also dairy-free as we are using coconut cream instead, and nuts-free. Another plus is this recipe for bhapa fish in microwave comes together in flat 10 minutes.

rohu recipe in mustard

How to cook Rohu fish in Bengali style?

For as long as I can remember, fish has been a compulsory side-dish for lunches at home. There would be rice accompanied with a serving of dal or lentils, a sabji or vegetable side dish and a fish to fulfil our daily protein need.

Though we have a wide range of Bengali fish recipes to choose from. For regular meals, most of the time we would get Rohu or rui mach. Reason being its availability in abundance at much cheaper rates.

There is no getting around this fact that we Bengalis cannot live without our daily share of fish in our meals. So, at one point of time it becomes imperative to look for a source of protein that is easily available and equally good in taste.  Rui mach or rohu fish ticks all boxes in the criteria list. This riverine fish is sweet in taste and perfectly complements the flavors it is cooked with. Whether it is the pungency of mustard seeds or tartness of yogurt, this fish is the man-friday of all.

This Bengali steamed mustard fish recipe is probably one of the easiest as well and can be cooked within 20 minutes tops. Needless to say, it has saved me on many hurried mornings or when I am expecting guests at short notice.

How to make Bhapa Rui recipe – Ingredient list

  • Rui Mach or Rohu Fish, an alternate would be Basa, Barramundi, or any other freshwater fish
  • Mustard seeds
  • Mustard Oil
  • Poppy seeds – optional; alternate would be white sesame seeds
  • Salt
  • Turmeric Powder
  • Green Chilies
  • Lemon juice
  • Coconut Milk
Bhapa Rui mach recipe ingredients

This rui mach bhapa recipe is so healthy and absolutely fuss-free. You can either steam it on your stove-top steamer or cook it in your microwave oven. Both ways, it is absolutely delicious!

To start with we need to clean the fish pieces and make sure that there are no scales on them. Then rub some salt and turmeric powder on them. Keep it so for at least 30 minutes or so while we prepare the mustard gravy for this bhapa rohu recipe.

Grind the poppy seeds first till its a white smooth paste. I have used my NutriBullet here which is perfect for grinding small quantity ingredients like poppy seeds perfectly. Only then add the mustard seeds and give it a quick buzz a couple of times. This is to avoid them turning rancid by over grinding.

These mustard seeds & poppy seeds are going to be the base of the gravy of this bhapa rui mach recipe. Mix the rest of the ingredients and some water to create the gravy.

Finally, lay down the pieces of fish in a baking dish and pour the gravy on them. See that they are well submerged. Finally drizzle some mustard oil if you are partial to the pungency of raw mustard oil just as we are. Place a couple of sliced green chillies before sealing the dish with some clingfilm sheet. Poke a couple of holes in the clingfilm so that it doesn’t burst open while cooking in the Microwave oven.

If you can get a few Kafir lime leaves or Kafir limes (Gondhoraj Lebu), then you can use it as well. Place the leaves on top of the fish along with the chillies and you will get a wonderful aroma to this dish. In case of lemons, just drizzle some of its juice on the top.

It is my absolute guarantee that in next 10 minutes you will have some delicious rui mach bhapa, ready for your dinner table!

Make-ahead or Freezing Option for this Rui Macher Bhapa recipe

You can easily make a double batch of this bhapa rui mach in Microwave oven. This dish has very little gravy to it, hence a longer shelf life. In fact, this rui maach bhapa recipe tastes even better the next day after it has rested in that gravy and soaked in all the favors for over a day.

In case you are looking for more interesting and delicious fish recipes, here are a few of them from my blog.

Katla Mach / Rohu Fish or Rui Maach Recipes

Baramundi / Basa/ Tilapia Recipes

Fish Head Recipes

Ilish Mach or Hilsa Recipes

Some other fish or seafood recipes

Have you tried this recipe? I would love to hear about it. Leave a comment below along with a rating to let me and others know about it.
Tag me on Instagram @priyankabhattacharya.sa or Facebook @hashdiaries and I will share it further.

Bhapa Rui | ভাপা রুই
Prep Time
10 mins
Cook Time
15 mins
Total Time
25 mins
 

This Bengali fish recipe of bhapa rui is probably one of the healthiest preparations of all. It is steamed, with a minimum of spices and helps retain the flavour and goodness of the fish intact while cooking.

Course: Side Dish
Cuisine: Bengali
Keyword: Fish Recipes, Gluten Free Recipes, Non vegetarian Recipe
Servings: 4 People
Ingredients
  • 4 nos. Rui maach / Rohu Fish / Carp
  • 1 tsp Mustard Seed Powder
  • 1,1/2 tsp Poppy Seeds
  • 1/2 tsp Turmeric Powder
  • 3 Green Chilies
  • Salt to Taste
  • 2 tbsp Mustard Oil
  • Juice of 1/2 Lemon
Instructions
  1. If you are using Mustard Seeds powder like me, then soak it with some salt in warm to tepid water for 10 minutes.
  2. Take Poppy seeds and buzz them with some water to make a smooth paste of it. Now, add the soaked mustard powder in it and pulse it together with some turmeric powder, lemon juice and a green chili.

  3. Take a glass baking dish and put it in your steamer. Now, dip each piece of fish in the mustard-poppy paste and lay it in the baking dish. Once all the fish pieces are laid side-by-side, pour the remaining paste over the fishes.
  4. Drizzle some mustard oil on top and lay 2 green chilies slit in halves.
  5. Now, steam it for 7-10 minutes or till the fish has been cooked properly. Once done you will see that the flesh has turned white inside.
  6. Serve hot with steamed rice.

Recipe Video

This post was first published on October 6, 2017, later republished on February 26, 2021 with new images and a more elaborate description of the recipe.

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Indian Food Blogger Priyanka Bhattacharya

Hi! I’m Priyanka!

A passionate home cook and food lover who loves nothing more than sharing my favourite recipes with the world.

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