SEASON'S BOUNTIES
Hilsa
Hilsa is undoubtedly one of the nation's most prized possessions and we revel in the pride of the sweet water hilsa from the Padma, which has no compare. Hilsa has such a fragrant and powerful taste which can be emphasised with just mustard oil, green chillies and onions.
Hilsa is so flavourful that just cooking with its scraps can turn a simple pumpkin curry into a mouthwatering dish. Sometimes just having warm rice with crispy fried hilsa is just the biggest comfort food there is.
Hilsa shorshe
The best food in the world and I think no Bengali will disagree. It's really easy to make and is cooked on low to medium heat. Slow cooking helps to break down the protein; so give ample time to cook and let the ingredients mix well.
Ingredients:
5 pieces of hilsa steaks
1½ tbsp mustard paste (use a little water while doing that)
2 tbsp mustard oil
2 tbsp soya bean oil
½ cup sliced onions
½ water
5 split green chillies
1 tsp turmeric powder
2 tsp red chilli powder
1 tsp salt
Method:
Mix all the ingredients except the water. Put it all in a pan and put it on medium heat. Pour in the water. Cook for 20-25 minutes. Serve.
Hilsa eggs
Ingredients:
6 pieces of hilsa eggs
2 tbsp mustard oil
2 tbsp soya bean oil
½ cup sliced onions
Handful of chopped fresh coriander
3 split green chillies
1 tsp turmeric powder
2 tsp red chilli powder
1 tsp salt
Method:
Using your hands, squish the eggs and beat them with a pinch of salt.
In a pan heat the oil and throw in the onions and cook till the onions are brown. At this point add the turmeric and chilli powder, as well as the green chilli. Add the eggs and scramble like you would to get the same effect for scrambled eggs. Add the fresh coriander, remove from heat and serve.
Hilsa with spinach
Just a little something special to make your greens taste much better than they already do!
Ingredients:
3 tbsp soya bean oil
1 tsp turmeric powder
1 tsp red chili powder
1 onion sliced
½ tsp salt
1 bunch spinach
4 split green chillies
Leftover pieces of hilsa head and tail
Method:
Marinate the fish head and tail with turmeric and chilli powder and keep aside for 20 minutes. Heat a wok or pan and warm the oil, add the onions and wait for them to turn brown. Add the fish and fry for 4 minutes. Add the spinach and salt at this point. When the leaves have wilted it's done. Serve with hot rice.
Hilsa polao
Polao itself is amazing enough, but when there is the addition of hilsa in it there is an explosion of flavours. This is a recipe everyone will appreciate on a Friday lunch.
Ingredients:
8 pieces of hilsa
Salt to taste
500g kalijeera rice
1 cup of sliced onions
1 tsp ginger paste
½ tsp garlic paste
1 tsp coriander powder
8-10 green chillies (as preferred)
4 bay leaves
1 cup ghee
1 litre water
½ cup fried golden brown onions (peyajberesta)
Method:
Cover the cleaned fish pieces with some salt and set aside. Add washed polao rice, sliced onions, ginger and garlic pastes, coriander powder, green chillies and bay leaves in a bowl. Mix well and set aside.
Heat ghee in a pan and add the spice mixed rice. Stir continuously, until the oil starts to simmer on top. Now add around 1 litre water, lower the heat and put the lid on.
Stir for a bit every now and then, and when the rice starts to swell, add the fish pieces. Mix the fish with the rice very carefully so that the fish pieces do not break. Put the lid back on to the pan on low heat.
Check every now and then if the rice and fish have cooked. When the rice and fish have softened, serve with fried golden brown onions (peyajberesta).
Baked Hilsa
Ingredients:
1 (2 to 3-pound) whole hilsa
Extra-virgin olive oil
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 lemon, cut into 1-inch slices
1 onion, sliced
1 lemon, washed and cut into wedges
Method:
Preheat the oven to 500 degrees F. Put a baking sheet on the rack in the center of the oven and close the door. Drizzle both sides of the fish with olive oil and season the inside and the outside with salt. Stuff the cavity with the lemon slices and onions.
Put the fish in the center of the hot sheet pan and quickly close the door so minimal heat escapes. The fish will sizzle slightly as it hits the hot sheet pan. Reduce the heat to 450 degrees F and cook for about 20 to 25 minutes, then open the door to look at the fish. The eyes will turn white when it is cooked. Touch the fish near the head. It should feel fairly firm if cooked. Remove the sheet pan from the oven and allow it to rest a few minutes as is.
Use 2 spatulas, 1 under the head and the other under the midsection, to transfer the fish to a serving platter. Use a knife to gently cut around the head and the tail. Cut down the length of the back until you can insert 1 of your spatulas down the length of the top fillet and lift it off the bone and follow the rest of the instructions on how to debone an hilsa. Season the fish with a pinch of salt and lemon juice. Serve with lemon slices.
Deboning the Hilsa
It is one of the most difficult fish to debone. Learning to debone hilsa allows the cook to prepare the dish in various ways.
Step 1: Remove the head.
Step 2: Clip the fins on the side.
Step 3: Clean the fish.
Step 4: To make fillets, slice it along the central bone starting from the tail. Keep the knife as close as possible to it.
Step 5 Cut off the tail.
Here is the main secret of deboning an hilsa -- always debone after cooking. The heat and the marinade help loosen the bones from the flesh. Meaning if you are making shorshe hilsa you have to do the above process first and then after steaming, or baking you have to take it out and go at it with a tweezer.
Step 6: Cut the fillet down the middle.
Step 7: Slice each portion into two halves. The moment you do this, you will be able to see fine bones peeping out.
Step 3: Press hard on the bones with the knife on one of the edges of the fillet and pull them out. The move has to be quick yet firm. You may have to repeat it a couple of times to get that perfect boneless fillet.
Photo: Rukhsara Osman
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