Machha munda ghanta/Chhenchada

Ingredients:

Head of Katla /Rohu fish (bhakura / rohi machha munda)
(head portion of a 1.5 to 2 kg fish)
250 gms pumpkin
150 gms brinjal
1 medium size raw banana
2 medium size potatoes
1 medium size tomato
1 big onion
1" ginger
1 tsp minced garlic (kata rasuna)
1 tsp turmeric powder
1 tsp chilli powder
1/2 tsp cumin seeds
1/2 tsp mustard seeds
1 bayleaf (teja patra)
2 red chillies
1 table spoon chana dal (chana / buta dali)
Mustard oil (sorisha tela)
salt to taste

Method:

Soak the chana dal in water for half an hour.
Clean and wash the fish head and cut it into small pieces to the extent possible.
Then marinate the same with 1/2tsp turmeric powder and 1/4 tsp salt.
Peel and cut the vegetables ito cubes.
Grind onion, garlic and ginger to a smooth paste.
Heat oil in a pan/ kadai.
Then hot fry the fish head pieces for about 5 minutes on medium flame.
Remove and keep aside. Now put oil in a pan / kadai on medium flame.
Add cumin seeds, mustard seeds, red chillies and bay leaf.
Subsequently add the onion-ginger-garlic paste, turmeric powdr and chilli powder and saute. When oil separates from the masala add tomatoes, salt and the fish heads.
Then saute till tomatoes are cooked.
The fish heads need not be intact. They should get crushed while stirring the pieces.
Add the vegetables and soaked chana dal and cover.
Add a little water so that the vegetables don't stick to the bottom of the kadai until cooked.
Cook on medium to low flame for about 10 minutes stirring once / twice.
By this time the fish heads would get crushed and the vegetables become cooked.
Serve hot.

Note:For a variation, you could also replace all the vegetables (except potato and tomato) with cabbage or palakh of equal qauantity.