Basa Fish Curry with Sim er Bichi

Seem or sim is a vegetable that is widely known in the Asias. They are a close relative of the snow peas. In fact, they look very much like snow peas but are just thicker, darker and longer. The flavor also is similar but instead of the sweetness that snow peas have, seem have a sharp yet mellow flavor. Sim er bichi can be bought at any bangali grocery store. If not available though, it can be substituted with lima beans and the taste wouldn't change drastically.



About the fish. Any boneless, skinless fish fillets will do but Basa works wonders in this dish.

One additional thing I wanted to talk about is the Panch Puran masala or pach foron. This an extremely aromatic blend of spices that originates from the bengals consisting of fenugreek seeds (methi), fennel seeds (mauri), black seed (kalonji/kali jeera), mustard seed (shorisha) and cumin seeds (jeera). This can also be bought at any bangali or indian grocery store or be made at home.

So in conclusion, this dish that has these tender, flavorful Seem er Bichi in combination with the succulent Basa fish flavored with various spices including panch puran is  really something worth trying!

Ingredients
3 tbsp oil
2 cups water
1 Basa fillet cubed
1/2 pound seemer bichi
1 medium onion sliced
1 tsp each ginger and garlic
2 geen chillies or o taste
1 tsp panch puran
1 tsp tomato paste
2 tsp tumeric divided
1 tsp cumin powder
1/2 tsp coriender powder
salt to taste
 coriender leave for garnishing

Method
1) Marinate the fish cubes with salt and 1 tsp turmeric and set aside.
2) In a medium pot, add oil and drop in the onions and chillies.
3) Once the onions turn brown, add the ginger, garlic and tomato pastes.
4) After the pastes have cooked down, add the panch puran and immediately add the cumin, coriander, and turmeric. Add some water so the spices don't burn.
5) After a minute, add the sim er bichi and some water and salt and cover and cook on medium flame for 10 minutes or untill tender.
6)Meanwhile, in a small frying pan add some oil and once hot, add the marinated fish fillets and fry till cooked.
7) Once the Seemer Bichi are cooked, add the fish and a little more water and cook till all the flavors come together.
8) Garnish with cilantro and serve with steamed rice.

Happy Cooking!