Shutki Mach Bhuna

Shutki mach bhuna is a dish of Chittagong and the southern coast of Bangladesh, where dried fish (shutki) has been a staple for centuries. Fish is sun-dried on racks along the coast during the dry season, preserving it for the monsoon months when fresh fish is scarce. The dried fish (usually loitta or small shrimp) is rehydrated, then fried in a bhuna (dry-fried) curry with onions, garlic, chili and mustard oil. The result is one of the most pungent, intensely flavoured dishes in Bengali cooking, the dried fish giving an umami concentration that fresh fish cannot match. The dish is divisive: those who grew up with it love it passionately; those who did not find the smell overpowering. It is eaten with rice and is particularly associated with the Chittagong and Cox's Bazar coastal regions.

Intensely pungent, salty and umami-rich, the dried fish concentrated in a dry, spicy onion-garlic-chili coating. Each bite is an explosion of flavour, assertive and deeply savoury, unlike anything made with fresh fish.

The technique is rehydration followed by a bhuna (dry-fried) curry. The dried fish is soaked in warm water for 30 to 60 minutes until softened, then drained and cut into pieces. Mustard oil is heated, onions fried until dark golden, then garlic paste, ginger and turmeric added. The rehydrated fish is added and stir-fried over high heat, the coating of spices thickening as the moisture evaporates. Dried red chilies and slit green chilies add heat. The dish is cooked uncovered throughout, the high heat concentrating the flavours. The result is dry (not saucy), intensely spiced, with the dried fish's concentrated umami dominating. The pungent smell is part of the dish; it is cooked in well-ventilated kitchens.