Zamin doz machhli

Zamin doz machhli is a traditional fish dish from the royal kitchens of Awadh. In this old recipe, a whole fish is stuffed with spices, sealed in an earthenware case, buried in the ground and cooked by placing cowdung-cake fire on the ground above. It is a strenuous effort and takes 6-8 hrs. This dish has a hearty earthy flavor. In days of yore, this dish was prepared in special earthenware cases according to the size and shape of the fish to be cooked. The case would fit the fish like a glove and moisture would be absorbed by it. The final product would have an extraordinary earthy flavour. As such luxuries are rare these days we thought of substituting the fish-shaped case with the easily available roti-dish or the flat curd dish.