Machha Jhola

Everyday Odia fish curry — rohu or katla pieces fried in mustard oil until the exterior is sealed, then simmered in a thin, pungent gravy of onion, tomato, ginger-garlic, turmeric, and cumin with a tempering of panch phoron. Less thick and mustard-forward than machha besara; the everyday fish preparation of the Odia household eaten with steamed rice at lunch and dinner, the tomato-onion base giving the gravy a lighter, cleaner character.