Sorshe Ilish/ Ilish Macher Jhal (Hilsa in Mustard Gravy)

    


Today I'm going to present a traditional Bengali dish called Sorshe Ilish (Hilsa with Mustard sauce). We Bengalis from both India and Bangladesh have a special affinity toward fish which forms a integral part of our diet. This Hilsa fish is mostly found in the Delta region of the Bay Of Bengal, where the river Ganges merges with the sea. As per taste, supposed to be the tastiest fish in this world. There are several methods of cooking this fish, however the most effective and tasty preparation is through cooking it with mustard oil. This is the key point as using any other oil would not bring out the awesome taste as compared to mustard oil. The pictures are below for you to judge and comment. Happy cooking !!!    
                                                                        
Ingredients:
4-5 pieces of Hilsa Fish / Ilish Mach 
2 tbsp Mustard powder 
1 tsp Turmeric powder
1/2 tsp Nigella seeds
1 tsp Red chilly powder
5-6 Green chillies
4 tbsp Mustard oil
Salt as per your taste
1 1/2 cups of Water


Method:
Rub the fish pieces with some salt and a pinch of turmeric powder and keep aside for 1/2 hour. Heat mustard oil in a cast iron wok and on smoking point gently slide the fish pieces into the oil. Lightly fry it from both the sides and keep aside.
If you are using mustard powder (I've used mustard powder in my case) soak 2 tbsp of mustard powder in lukewarm water along with a pinch of salt and green chilly for 10-15 minutes.
If you are using mustard seeds, then soak this in 2 tbsp of lukewarm water with green chilly and a pinch of salt for 10-15 minutes. Then grind till you get a smooth paste, strain the liquid from the residues and keep the mustard liquid aside for later use.
Heat the remaining oil and when it starts smoking and add nigella seeds. Add slit green chillies, red chilly powder, turmeric powder and pour in the already prepared paste. Add water and bring it to boil. Gently slide the fried fishes and adjust the salt as per taste. Cover with lid and let it cook on low flame for 10 minutes or until you get the desired consistency of the gravy. Garnish with slit green chilly and 1 tsp of mustard oil for that extra pungent flavor. Serve hot with steamed rice.
                                                                              

                                                                            
Ankita of Eat Hearty- Stay Healthy has shared Best Blogger, You Are The Best Blogger Award, Yummy Recipes, Stylish blogger, One Lovely Blog, Kreative Blogger and Lovely Blog awards with me. Since I posted the same set of awards in my last post only so kindly excuse me for not repeating the same exercise again. Thanks a lot Ankita for the wonderful gesture of passing me these awards.