Machha Besara

The defining Odia fish preparation — rohu, catla, or hilsa marinated in turmeric and salt, lightly fried, then simmered in a thick besara paste of stone-ground mustard seeds, garlic, green chilli, and coconut, sharpened with a piece of dried mango or tamarind. The mustard paste is made fresh each time using a flat stone grinder; its raw, pungent depth is unlike any commercial mustard product. The dish represents the marriage of Odia mustard culture with the abundant river and coastal fish of Odisha.