Pôddar Ilish Paturi in the Microwave

Apparently the best and the most precious Ilish (Hilsa) comes from the river Padma of Bangladesh. Pôdda is the Bengali name for the same river.

When I moved to Canada, I wasn’t quite surprised that I got to eat better Ilish here than in India (Bihar and Delhi). Obviously the best produce of any country is exported to the western countries. Plus the Ilish we get here from the Bangladeshi store in Danforth is straight from Padma rather than the Rupnarayan River in Kolaghat.

The best quality of Ilish is known by its silver skin, which almost scintillates to your touch. Its scales are softer compared to a Rohu or Katla, two other voraciously consumed river fish by the Bengalis.

A fresh Ilish’s taste is the avatar of butter. Silken and oily, Ilish has a distinct taste, probably from the freshwater plankton it feeds on. You don’t have to be an Ilish connoisseur to quickly separate a fresh from a not-so-fresh Ilish. The latter will become chewy and also not have its deep and distinct flavor.

I do not know what exactly the word “Paturi” means. But the connotation is “steamed” or bhapa. Traditionally, Paturi is made by wrapping the fish in fresh banana leaves and steaming it. Though I do get to eat the best quality Ilish in Canada, I am not quite close to finding banana leaves (or a tree!) in layers of snow outside. Thus I am forced to settle with something that every city-dweller has convenient access to. The microwave.

Oh, a rather important thing about Ilish, please do not “thoroughly” wash Ilish. You will just wash off all its flavor and taste. Ideally the scales of the fish are first removed, then the whole fish is washed and cut. But if you get your fish monger to cut the fish for you, bring it home and only lightly wash the pieces.

Ingredients for Ilish Maacher Paturi are:

4-6 slices of Ilish
Half teaspoon + 1 teaspoon turmeric powder
4-5 heaped tablespoons yellow mustard seeds
1 tablespoon khus khus/posto/poppy seeds
2.5 tablespoons plain yogurt
5 + 7-8 green chilies
5-6 tablespoons mustard oil
Salt

Grind to a smooth paste the mustard seeds, poppy seeds, half teaspoon turmeric powder and 4-5 green chilies. Use little water to wet grind. What I do is, first dry grind the mustard and poppy seeds and then introduce the green chilies with very little water to get the smooth consistency.

Arrange the slices of fish in a shallow microwaveable glass dish.

Slobber the spice mixture on the fish. Add the yogurt, slice lengthwise the remaining green chilies and add them too. Top the fish pieces up with a teaspoon of turmeric powder, salt and drizzle the mustard oil. With a small spatula, evenly coat everything onto the fish pieces.

I start with a spatula but usually end up using my hand to get the spices on both sides of the fish.

Cover with a cling wrap and keep for at least 10 minutes. Microwave the fish for 10 minutes.

Serve the Ilish Maacher Paturi with steaming plain white rice.

Ilish Encore

They say Bengalis make the best fish. But really, you don’t have to be a Mukherjee or a Banerjee or even a Basu to make the Ilish Maach Bhaja, culinarily translated as Fried Hilsa Fish.

I could have included this post and the photos with the Ilish-Pui Chorchori, I posted earlier today. But I chose not to. Simply because I wanted to give Ilish its due. Its the King of Fish and so shall it be treated. That’s a very biased opinion of an ardent Ilish fan, and you have to indulge me…at least for this post!

So after we finished mopping clean our plates from the double helping of the Chorchori, we eyed the piping hot Ilish Maach Bhaja with its tel and deem. That with Basmati rice and kancha lonka pretty much made our Ilish dinner complete.

Ingredients for Ilish Maach Bhaja are:

8 Hilsa/Ilish steaks (serve two per person)
1 heaped tablespoon of turmeric powder
Mustard oil for frying the fish
Salt

Clean and de-scale the dish. Ilish does not need too much time under the water as it loses its taste. Make sure you clean quickly and do not rinse the “taste” off the fish.
Rub salt and turmeric powder on the fish.

Heat mustard oil in a wok, remember to get the oil (almost) to the point of smoking. Deep fry the fish steaks, giving each side about a couple minutes. Flip as the silver-colored fish turns golden brown.

Remove the fish steaks with a slotted spoon. Keep on a clean, dry dish. No need to soak the (excess) oil on paper towels. In its oil lies a whole lot of flavor and taste.

Your Ilish Maach Bhaja is now ready to be served. Its monsoon time in Bangladesh, which means its breeding time for the Hilsa. That also means the fish will have some eggs in its belly. I was  lucky to have some fish eggs in my Ilish too, I rubbed them with turmeric powder and salt and gave them a good stir fry in the same oil.
Pour the “fish oil” in a clean bowl and serve with the fried fish. The Ilish Maach Bhaja and its tel or oil is eaten with rice, seasoned with salt and some fresh green chilies to bite on.

Ilish Maacher Matha Diye Pui Shaaker Chorchori

We Bongs pretty much eat every part of the fish, including its head!

The head of a fish (like Rohu and other fatty big fish) increases your vision and memory. Some heart associations wholeheartedly agree that the Omega-3 fatty acids or fish oil can control and reduce cardiovascular diseases or even diabetes. But you probably know all this already.

But did you know why Pui Shaak or Pohi Saag or Malabar Spinach qualifies as a “non-vegetarian green” in traditional Bengali homes? In olden times, widows had to voluntarily denounce many things immediately after the death of their husbands – including fish and meat. A custom I simply abhor but thankfully it is fading out now. Pui Shaak for whatever reason was also listed for the Bengali widows to give up. I am still looking for a logical (sic!) reason if at all, why?! If you do happen to know the answer, please share it here.

The head of Ilish Maach or Hilsa fish is a celebrated favorite among Bengalis, although unlike its cousin Rohu, its head is not meaty but renowned for its flavor and taste.

Our trip to the Bangladeshi store in Danforth is mostly marked by the Ilish Maach we get, a Pôdda import. Which invariably is either fried or made into Ilish Maacher Paturi. But today I made a very traditional mish-mash of Pui Shaak and vegetables with the Ilish head (with a couple of small pieces of fish thrown in).

Ingredients for Pui Shaaker Chorchori with Ilish Maach (Pui Greens Medley with Hilsa Head) are:

1 head of Hilsa fish, halved and cleaned
400 grams pui green/Malabar Spinach, coarsely chopped and washed thoroughly
1 radish, the size of your arm, skin removed and cut into cubes
250 grams pumpkin, diced
2 medium size potatoes, skin removed and cubed
2 Chinese eggplant (the long thin ones) cut in cubes
Few green chilies broken from the middle
2 teaspoons panch phoron
2 tablespoons yellow mustard seeds ground in a smooth paste (I also throw in a couple of green chilies)
2 teaspoons red chili powder
2 + half teaspoons turmeric powder
Mustard oil
Sugar
Salt

Rub turmeric and a little salt to to the fish head. Heat mustard oil in a wok. Fry the fish in it cooking it for 1-2 minutes on each side. Keep aside.
In the same oil, add the panch phoron and the green chilies. Sauté for a couple of minutes, till the spices get fragrant.
I start by adding the hardy vegetables first into the oil just so that everything cooks evenly.
So the order I follow is potatoes first, followed by pumpkin, radish, and eggplant.
Keep sautéing the vegetables on medium-high flame.

After about five minutes of cooking the vegetables, add the fried fish pieces/head, mustard paste, turmeric powder, red chili powder, a tablespoon of sugar and salt to taste. Mix well till all the vegetables get coated with the spices. I also use my spatula to break the pieces of fish in the vegetables. Now throw in the greens and mix well. At this point, its okay to cover and cook. So that moisture builds in the wok and the greens start wilting.

I add a little water, maybe quarter cup to crank up the cooking process of the vegetables.

Check the seasoning of salt and sugar and balance it accordingly. The vegetables would have cooked by now but not too mushy.
This chorchori is eaten with plain rice. I served it with fried Ilish maach, its tel and deem, sprinkled with some salt and a big fat green chili. 

Chef @ Home ~ Ilish Macher Paturi (Steamed Hilsa)

This is the Mother of all Ilish recipes. There are slight variations in the way its made in different Bengali homes, some even add freshly grated coconut. My Mum makes it the way I am sharing with you today, and I sure don't claim to have bettered her recipe. Its perfect as it is!

 

 

 

 

4 pieces of Hilsa fish, cut into fillets (Ilish Maach)
3 tbsp yellow mustard seeds
1 tbsp poppy seeds
8-10 green chilies
3 tbsp mustard oil
2 tsp turmeric powder
Salt

Grind to a smooth paste the mustard seeds, poppy seeds, 3-4 green chilies adding just a hint of water. Marinade the fish with this paste, slit green chilies, turmeric, and salt. Drizzle the mustard oil, mix everything well and keep aside for five minutes. Cook the fish in a microwave oven for 10 minutes with a cling wrap on. Or you could even steam it for about 10 minutes. The Ilish Paturi can be only enjoyed with hot steamed, Basmati rice. Its a delicacy and does not usually need any other accompaniments. However the relentless Ilish lovers will always start the meal with the fried version of the fish with its oil, eggs, served with some green chilies!