Photo: Sazzad Ibne Sayed

Hilsa with sesame seed
Hilsa is the most popular fish in Bangladesh. It is rich in omega3 fatty acids. The most amazing fact about hilsa is that it a salt-water fish but lays eggs in large rivers, especially in Padma, Meghna and Jamuna delta at the Bay of Bengal. In Bangladesh this fish is cooked in a numbers of ways. It can be smoked, fried, steamed, baked with different ingredients like mustard, curd, egg-plant and others. It takes very little oil to cook hilsa as the fish itself is very oily.
Ingredients:
1 hilsa fish                                
2 tbsp sesame seed paste                 
1 tbsp white mustard paste             
3 tbsp onion paste                             
½ tsp garlic paste                             
8 pieces green chilli                               
Salt to taste
Oil ¼ cup
Method:
Wash the fish and cut into pieces. Marinate the fish with a pinch of salt for about 15 minutes. Beat all the ingredients, except the green chilli and oil, in small amount of water. Now heat oil in a pan. Put the spice mixture and cook it until the oil floats on the surface.
Add some water, fish and green chilli and cook for about 10 minutes. When the gravy turns thick, remove the pan and prepare to serve.

Aam daal (red lentil with green mango)
Daal is included almost every day in our meal and it is a major part of Bangladeshi cuisine. It is cooked in the form of a thick spicy stew. Daal is eaten with rice in our country, and sometimes with roti.
 
Ingredients:                      
5 slice green mango slice                
2 cups red lentil                              
2 tbsp grated onion                          
½ tsp grated garlic                          
¼ tsp cumin seed                            
¼ tsp turmeric powder                   
2 pieces dry red chilli                            
2 tbsp corinder leaves                       
Salt to taste
3 tbsp oil

Method:
Soak daal for half an hour and let the water drain. Heat oil in a pan. Add red chilli and cumin seed to it. As it starts giving out flavours, add onion and garlic to it and fry them until brown. Now put other ingredients, except the green mango slice, with some water. Cook for 10 minutes with the lid on. When the water is reduced to half, put the green mango slices and cook for another 10 minutes. When it is done, garnish it with the coriander leaves and serve.

Kachki macher bora
Ingredients:                    
1 cup kachki fish                     
¼ cup grated potato                 
2 tbsp gram flour                       
½ cup grated onion                   
½ tsp grated garlic                    
1 tsp red chilli powder              
½ tsp turmeric powder               
1 tsp grated green chilli             
1 tbsp grated coriander leaves   
Salt to taste
Oil for deep frying
Method:
Wash the fish. Mix all the ingredients (except the oil) with the fish. Now heat oil in a pan for deep frying. Fry the 'bora' until golden brown. Serve it with rice or tea.
Tip: When storing kachki-fish in your freezer, keep them in a pot full with water. This will keep the fish fresh for a long time.

Photo: Sazzad Ibne Sayed

Chapa-shutkir bharta
Although known as shutki, it is actually not a dried fish. Unlike other shutkis, it is not dried in the sun. It is kept in an earthen pot for about 5-6 months buried underground. Hence the name -- chapa. Chapa is usually made from puti fish.

Ingredients:                                    
250g chapa shutki                                 
½ cup grated onion                                  
1 tbsp grated garlic                                  
20 pieces dry chilli                                          
Salt to taste
3 tbsp oil                                                    

Method:
Wash the shutki. Blend all the ingredients except the oil. Make a smooth paste. Now heat oil in a pan. Add the paste and stir continuously. When the oil floats on the surface, remove the pan and prepare to serve.

Chirar (flat-rice) naru
Chirar naru is a traditional and popular snack item throughout Bangladesh. But now-a-days it is no longer seen in the cities because it is quite difficult to make. Different types of naru are made from different ingredients, like, coconut-naru, sesame-naru, puffed rice-naru etc.
Ingredients:                                     
2 cups flat rice                                       
1 cup grated coconut                               
1 cup jaggery                                            
4 tbsp ghee                                                
4 tbsp water   

Method:
Fry the flat-rice without oil until light brown. Crush the rice and keep it aside. Mix coconut, jaggery and water together. Cook the mixture for five minutes. When it takes a sticky texture, add the flat-rice and ghee to it. Mix thoroughly and remove the pan. Let the mixture cool down.
Take a small amount of mixture at a time and give them round shape with your hand. It can be preserved in a air-tight container for a long time.
Tip: You can keep the naru crispy for a long time by wrapping them inside butter-paper or kitchen tissue.

Bel-er (wood apple) lassi
Wood apple is known as bel in Bangla. It has a smooth woody shell with a green, gray or yellow peel. The fibrous yellow pulp is very fragrant. Bel is a good  source of vitamin A, B, C and dietary fibre.
Ingredients:                                   
2 cups bel pulp (without seeds and fibre)
3 cups yoghurt                                          
1 cup sugar                                           
2 tbsp grated mix nuts                            
5 glasses water                                            
Crushed or cubed ice                                                 

Method:
Blend the pulp, yoghurt, sugar and water in a food processor. Make a smooth and thick lassi. Now pour in the glasses and add ice to it. Garnish with the grated nuts and serve.

Photo: Sazzad Ibne Sayed
Food arrangement by Star Lifestyle