Hello friends,
Recently I made a most extravagant purchase and therefore I thought it warranted a post on the blog. It was a hilsa fish weighing around 1 kilo. I know monsoon is the traditional season to enjoy them, but I just couldn't resist myself. Don't even ask how much it cost!
Now those who don't have access to hilsa, can replace it with shad. I have it on good authority that North American shad tastes pretty similar to our beloved hilsa and is supposed to be a good substitute. I never had an opportunity to put the theory to test (or taste) though.
But one component is absolutely essential and that is the mustard oil and that the dish must be accompanied with steamed rice, piping hot.
So please follow the recipe and enjoy:
Ingredients:
1 hilsa/shad fish with bone (weighing around 1 kilo, cut into 8 to 10 round pieces after discarding the head and the tail portion)
1 cup hung curd/plain Greek yoghurt (placed in cheesecloth or a rectangular piece of cotton cloth, folded once and tied up and hung for an hour or two over the sink so that the excess moisture is drained off)
3 tablespoon white mustard seeds
1/2 teaspoon onion seeds (nigella seeds or kalonji)
4 - 5 green chillis (slit in the middle) (or whole, depending on how much heat you like)
1/4 teaspoon turmeric powder
1/2 cup mustard oil
salt to taste
Preparation:
You can prepare doi ilish in microwave or in ordinary gas oven. I have described both methods here.
Preparation in microwave:
Wash and clean the fish thoroughly. Pat dry with paper napkin. Grind the mustard seeds in a food processor into a smooth paste with a little amount of water and a pinch of salt. Mix the mustard paste, salt, turmeric powder with the hung curd and beat thoroughly. Add it to the fish pieces. Add the oil and green chillies to it. Mix everything with hands very gently. Layer the fish into your oven-proof baking dish. Pour the marinade over it. Don't add any water. Preheat the oven to 210 degree Celsius and cook for 45 minutes. If the hilsa comes with eggs then it will take more time to cook - possibly close to 1 hour. You can prick the fish with a toothpick to see it is cooked thoroughly or not.
Preparation in gas oven:
Rub salt and a little bit of turmeric on the fish pieces and set aside for 10 minutes. Heat mustard oil in a saucepan. Fry the fish pieces lightly on both sides. Add the onion seeds and the slit green chillies. When the spices begins to pop, remove the pan from the flame and add the curd and mustard paste mix with a little bit of water. Bring it back to the flame and cook over very low heat. Add salt and a pinch or turmeric. Mix with a light hand. Cover and let shimmer for five to eight minutes on gentle heat. Add 1 to 2 tablespoon of water if needed. Turn the fish pieces once, so that they are all well-coated with the gravy. Serve hot with steamed rice.
Recently I made a most extravagant purchase and therefore I thought it warranted a post on the blog. It was a hilsa fish weighing around 1 kilo. I know monsoon is the traditional season to enjoy them, but I just couldn't resist myself. Don't even ask how much it cost!
Now those who don't have access to hilsa, can replace it with shad. I have it on good authority that North American shad tastes pretty similar to our beloved hilsa and is supposed to be a good substitute. I never had an opportunity to put the theory to test (or taste) though.
But one component is absolutely essential and that is the mustard oil and that the dish must be accompanied with steamed rice, piping hot.
So please follow the recipe and enjoy:
Ingredients:
1 hilsa/shad fish with bone (weighing around 1 kilo, cut into 8 to 10 round pieces after discarding the head and the tail portion)
1 cup hung curd/plain Greek yoghurt (placed in cheesecloth or a rectangular piece of cotton cloth, folded once and tied up and hung for an hour or two over the sink so that the excess moisture is drained off)
3 tablespoon white mustard seeds
1/2 teaspoon onion seeds (nigella seeds or kalonji)
4 - 5 green chillis (slit in the middle) (or whole, depending on how much heat you like)
1/4 teaspoon turmeric powder
1/2 cup mustard oil
salt to taste
Preparation:
You can prepare doi ilish in microwave or in ordinary gas oven. I have described both methods here.
Preparation in microwave:
Wash and clean the fish thoroughly. Pat dry with paper napkin. Grind the mustard seeds in a food processor into a smooth paste with a little amount of water and a pinch of salt. Mix the mustard paste, salt, turmeric powder with the hung curd and beat thoroughly. Add it to the fish pieces. Add the oil and green chillies to it. Mix everything with hands very gently. Layer the fish into your oven-proof baking dish. Pour the marinade over it. Don't add any water. Preheat the oven to 210 degree Celsius and cook for 45 minutes. If the hilsa comes with eggs then it will take more time to cook - possibly close to 1 hour. You can prick the fish with a toothpick to see it is cooked thoroughly or not.
Preparation in gas oven:
Rub salt and a little bit of turmeric on the fish pieces and set aside for 10 minutes. Heat mustard oil in a saucepan. Fry the fish pieces lightly on both sides. Add the onion seeds and the slit green chillies. When the spices begins to pop, remove the pan from the flame and add the curd and mustard paste mix with a little bit of water. Bring it back to the flame and cook over very low heat. Add salt and a pinch or turmeric. Mix with a light hand. Cover and let shimmer for five to eight minutes on gentle heat. Add 1 to 2 tablespoon of water if needed. Turn the fish pieces once, so that they are all well-coated with the gravy. Serve hot with steamed rice.
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