A tradition runs in our family to eat Ilish on or before Bijoya Dashami, after which we wait for few months and have a pair of Ilish on the day of Saraswati Puja. I have seen this happening all my life. So I try to follow this ritual as well. Durga Puja for the Bongs is incomplete without a good fish recipe. So to satisfy the fish cravings, I prepared this Ilish Barishali, a different kind of recipe from the usual paturi and jhol.
Where is Barishal?
Barishal is a place in Bangladesh, where the love for fish is even more, especially the Ilish. I have heard stories about Barishal from my grandmom during my childhood. Though she was from Dhaka but her father’s job took her and her family to Barishal. Each year during Durga puja her family used to travel to Dhaka on a steamer boat and attend the few days of the festivity.
My Childhood Nostalgia
As a child I used to listen to her stories in awe and thought that it was so much fun to travel to places on a boat! So when I came through this recipe a few years back from a magazine the very name caught my attention. When I went through the recipe, it seemed to be interesting as well. So I thought of giving this a try. The recipe of Ilish Barishali was a super hit in my family and since then I have prepared quite a few times.
The recipe is quite simple and is done in a jiffy. If you have your ingredients ready, it hardly takes time to cook. The ingredients are also very common, mostly staples from a Bong kitchen. The flavor of the fish is enhanced by the mix of mustard, posto and coconut. The mustard gives a pungent taste, the posto a nutty flavor, whereas the sweetness from the coconut balances off the tanginess from the yogurt. A complete balance of flavor and taste it is.
For us Bengali’s the best combination for Ilish is white steamed rice and needs no other sides other than some fried steaks of Ilish. We can devour a whole plate of rice with Ilish! Give it a try if you have some Ilish on hand! Enjoy the rest of the days of festivities.
Tips:
Do not use any other oil other than mustard oil. Mustard oil imparts a flavor that goes great with HIlsa. If you find the black mustard seeds too strong for your pallete you may use the white mustard or use half of black and white. Do not cook the gravy too long. Cooking the gravy too long will make it taste bitter.
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ILISH BARISHALI
- YIELD: 4 Servings
- PREP: 15 mins
- COOK: 20 mins
- READY IN: 35 mins
The flavor of the fish is enhanced by the mix of mustard, posto and coconut. The mustard gives a pungent taste, the posto a nutty flavor, whereas the sweetness from the coconut balances off the tanginess from the yogurt. A complete balance of flavor and taste it is.
INGREDIENTS
- 4 large pieces hilsa or ilish cut into steak
- 11/2 teaspoons turmeric powder
- 2 teaspoons salt
- 1/2 teaspoon red chili powder
- 1/4 teaspoon kalajeera/kalonji
- 2 tablespoons black mustard seeds
- 1 tablespoon posto /khuskhus
- 2 tablespoons coconut paste
- 2 tablespoons plain yogurt lightly beaten
- 3-4 medium green chilies
- 2 tablespoons mustard oil
INSTRUCTIONS
-
- Marinade the ilish pieces with a pinch of salt and turmeric. Keep aside. Meanwhile make a smooth paste of mustard, 1-2 green chilies and posto . Keep aside.
- Heat oil in a wok at medium heat. Gently transfer the steaks of fish to the hot oil and fry until light brown in color. Drain and keep aside. In the same wok, add the kalojeere/kalonji and let it splutter. In a small bowl combine mustard+posto+coconut paste, remaining salt and turmeric powder, red chili powder and mix well. Add the mix to the oil and cook at medium heat for couple of minutes. Lightly beat the yogurt and add to the wok. Mix well. Add 1/4 cup of water and cook until gentle simmer. Gently transfer back the fried fish pieces. Coat with the masala and cover. Cook for 5 minutes at medium to low flame.
- Uncover and taste for seasoning. Add few slit green chilies. Switch off the flame.
- Transfer to a serving bowl and serve hot with white steamed rice. Enjoy!
Darrun go.kal kheyechi..akhane bhalo ilish paina.jodi pai to ata banaboi.darun dekhte lagche
Yes this is a great recipe! Thank you!
Do you actually get Ilish there? I am surprised. 🙂
Yes Shreyashi we get all the varieties of Bengali fish here from the Bangladeshi stores. They are frozen so do not taste that good. But this time the Ilish was very good and tasty 🙂