Hilsa Pulao

Hilsa Pulao

Hilsa Pulao is a famous rice dish, often cooked in special occasions. It is delicious by itself, but can be also eaten with achar (pickles), begun (eggplant) or potol (pointed gourd) bhaji. I personally like to have Hilsa Pulao by sprinkling some lemon extract on the rice before I eat.

Ingredients::: 

Ingredients

• Hilsa Fish (Ilish)-6-7 pieces
• Bashmati rice-2 cup
• Onion-1 cup(chopped)
• Onion paste-1 Tbs
• Red chili powder-1 ts
• Cumin powder-1/2 ts
• Ginger paste-1 Tbs
• Tomato - 1pc
• Cardamom-5 pieces
• Bay leaves-3 pieces
• Cinnamon stick-3 pieces
• Green chili-5-6 pieces(whole)
• Green peas-1/2 cup
• Plain yogurt-2 Tbs
• Lemon juice-1 Tbs
• Oil-around 1/2 cup
• Ghee-1 Tbs
• Salt-2 ts or according to your taste

 Method:::

1. Clean and wash fish. Add onion paste,red chili powder,cumin powder,ginger paste,plain yogurt,lemon juice and 1 ts salt to the fish. 
2. Mix all of them well and keep it for marinate around 30 minutes.
3. Heat oil in a deep pan. Add cardamom,bay leaves and cinnamon stick and stir for a while. Add chopped onion and stir until tender. 
4. Add marinated fish and green chili to the pan. Cook it in lower medium heat around 10 minutes.(after 5 minutes you may turn over the fish carefully). 
5. In the mean time wash rice and keep aside.
6. Remove only fish from the pan and keep aside. 
7. Add green peas & tomato and stir for few seconds. Add rice and 1 ts salt to the pan. Stir around 2-3 minutes. 
8. Take 4 cup hot water in the bowl you marinated the fish. 
9. Add the water to the rice,cover the pan and cook it in medium heat until rice almost done.
10. Remove 2/3 portion of rice from the pan. Add fish and rice layer by layer.Cover the pan with lid  and keep it in low heat around 20 minutes.
11. Spread ghee over the rice. Before serve carefully mix rice and fish.

Ilish Macher Paturi

Ilish macher Paturi is a dish of Ilish Mach or Hilsha Fish cooked in Banana Leaf. It is one of the traditional Bengali Food The name of the dish itself speaks a lot about it. Its steamed in coconut by wrapping in Banana or Cabbage leaf.

Ingredients:::

• 4-5 pieces of Hilsha (cleaned and cut in round shape, picture 1)
• 5-6 tbs of grated Coconut/Coconut Milk
• 1tbs of Poppy seed paste
• 1/2 tbs of  Mustard seed paste
• 1 tea spoon of  Turmeric powder
• 4tbs of  Mustard oil
• 4 green Chillies cut length wise (seeds removed)
• 4-5 pieces of Cabbage leaves or Banana leaves (square in shape) I will use Cabbage leaves
• Salt to taste

Method:::

Marinate the fish pieces with Turmeric powder, Salt, grated Coconut, Poppy seed paste, Mustard seed paste and Mustard oil. Leave it for 1 hour.
Take the Cabbage leaves and put each pieces of fish along with a portion of gravy in each leaf.

Now wrap the pieces. Tie them with thread gently.

Place  these wrapped pieces in idli stand. Heat water in a Pressure cooker. 

When the water starts steaming, put the idli stand in the cooker and cover the cooker removing the whistle. 

Steam it for 20 minutes. Ilish Paturi is ready to be served with steamed white rice.

Tips::: For steaming one can use a rice strainer,or any thing as per the convenience.