Fishy Delish

Photo: LS Archive/Sazzad Ibne Sayed

HILSHA IN MUSTARD GRAVY (SHORSHE ILISH)

Serves: 6

Preparation time: 15 minutes

Cooking time: 10 minutes

Complexity: Easy

Ingredients                 

6 pieces hilsa fish

½ cup onion, chopped

2 tbsp onion paste

2 tbsp mustard paste

2 tbsp red chilli powder

10 green chillies

½ tsp turmeric powder

4 tbsp mustard oil

1 tsp sugar

Salt, to taste

1 cup water

Method  

Marinate the hilsa pieces with salt and turmeric powder for 10 minutes. Take chopped onion, onion paste, mustard paste, red chilli powder, sugar, and 3 tablespoons of mustard oil together in a cooking bowl and mix them very well. Now put this paste over the hilsa pieces. Add water, adjust the salt and cover the lid. Cook for 10 minutes. Add green chillies and 1 tablespoon of mustard oil. Turn off the heat. Cover the lid for five more minutes, and then serve hot with plain rice.

ORANGE HILSA (KOMLA ILISH)

Serves: 6

Preparation time: 15 minutes

Marinating: 2 hours

Cooking time: 25 minutes

Complexity: Difficult

Ingredients                

1 hilsa fish

2 cups fresh orange juice

1 tbsp lemon juice

Salt, to taste

1 tbsp sugar

1 cup onion, sliced

10 green chillies, sliced

10 green chillies, whole

½ cup onion paste

¼ tsp turmeric powder

2 tsp Kashmiri red chilli powder

1 tbsp orange rind

1 pinch orange food colour

½ cup vegetable oil

Method

Clean the whole hilsa, and marinate it with half a cup of orange juice, lemon juice, salt and Kashmiri chilli powder for 2 hours. Heat the oil and fry sliced onion and green chillies. When the onion turns translucent and pale golden in colour, add onion paste, turmeric powder, sugar and food colour. Mix them well, when the oil is separated from the masala, add the whole hilsa.

Cook it for 4/5 minutes, flip, and add the rest of the orange juice. Close the lid and cook till the fish becomes tender. Adjust salt, add orange rind and whole green chillies. Turn off the heat and cover the lid for 5/6 minutes. Serve with plain rice or polao.

HILSA PILAF (ILISH POLAO)

Serves: 4

Preparation time: 15 minutes

Cooking time: 45 minutes

Complexity: Difficult

Ingredients                             

For the hilsa—

6 pieces hilsa fish

½ cup onion, chopped

½ cup onion paste

1 tbsp garlic paste

½ tbsp ginger paste

2/3 tsp turmeric powder

1 tsp chilli powder

1 tsp salt

1 tbsp sugar

1 tsp lemon juice

½ cup vegetable oil

½ cup whisked yoghurt

½ cup water

For the polao—  

½ kg kalijeera/chinigura rice

2 tbsp ghee

1 cup fried onion

2 inch cinnamon stick

5 crushed clovers

5 cardamoms

1 bay leaf

8 green chillies

Salt, to taste

3 cups water, boiled

Method  

For the hilsa —       

Heat oil in a deep bottomed pot and fry the chopped onions until they turn brown. Add onion, garlic and ginger paste with turmeric and chilli powder, salt, and sugar. Stir and simmer for a minute. Sprinkle little amount of water and stir well. Add whisked yoghurt, and mix them well.

Place the fish pieces carefully in this gravy in a single layer and cook for 4/5 minutes. Add water. Keep the fish covered until cooked. Once the water dries up and the gravy thickens, add lemon juice and green chillies. Turn off the stove. Keep the fish covered for 3/4 minutes.

For the polao—   

Heat 1 tablespoon of ghee and add cinnamon, cardamoms, clovers and bay leaf for 30 seconds. Add the rice and fry it for 5/6 minutes. Add salt, green chillies and boiled water. Cover the pot and cook on medium heat until all the water is absorbed.

Assembling—

Take out half of the rice and pour in all the fish pieces, along with gravy, in a single layer. Spread the fried onions, 1 tablespoon of ghee, and green chillies over it, and cover with separated rice. Turn down the heat to low, and cook for 10 minutes. Turn off the stove once the fragrance has spread. Keep it covered for more 10 to 15 minutes, and garnish with fried onions and serve hot.