Ilish Macher Mathar Bhorta / Ilish fish Head Bhorta

 

This time my travel to Delhi was a bliss, as we could enjoy Hilsa to the fullest. My sister in law’s cook, belongs to a village in Sundarbans, where the Bangladesh border is very close by.  They make Bhorta with fish head at their home. This recipe has been shared by her.. 

We at home normally make Ilish head with malbar spinach / Pui Saag and vegetables or with kotchur loti / Taro Stolon or with Laau Saag / Bottle Gourd stem or with Cabbage etc. We as urban inhabitants don’t know many rustic dishes that are cooked in the villages. 

 It’s so scrumptious that just one plate of rice is required to finish the meal. 

Ingredients 

2 Hilsa fish head cut into 2 halves 

1 Big Onion sliced 

2 to 3 Garlic Cloves 

2 Green Chillies chopped as per your ability to eat spices 

Handful of Coriander Leaves chopped 

2  Dried Red Chillies 

Salt to taste 

1 tsp Turmeric powder 

1/2 tsp Nigella seeds

Mustard Oil to fry the fish 

Method 

Apply some salt and turmeric powder to the fish head. Take a wok, add and heat up the mustard oil. Add the fish head and fry the fish head until golden brown in colour from both the sides. The fish head has to be crispy fried. Remove the fish head and keep it aside. Reduce the oil and keep only 1 tbsp of mustard oil in the wok. Add the nigella seeds and dry red chillies, once the nigella seeds crackles and the red dry chillies are roasted well, remove the dry red chillies and keep it aside.  In the same wok add the onions and the garlic. Meanwhile once the red chillies have cooled down, crushed them. Sauté the onions until golden brown in colour. Once done, remove the Onions and garlic in a bowl,  add the crushed red chillies, chopped green chilli, coriander leaves and salt in the bowl, mix all the ingredients well. Take a mortar and pestle, add the fried head and crush them well into a paste. I have used a grinder to grind the fish head. Add the ground fish into the bowl, now mix all the ingredients very well with hand. Serve this dish with rice. It’s best eaten during lunch. 

Ilish Macher Lejar Bhorta / Hilsa Fish Tail Bhorta

There were 5 tail pieces of Hilsa fish left in the freezer. Usually as the tail part of the fish is thorny many people avoid eating the tail part. In Bangladesh they make various types of Bhortas. I had this recipe in my bucket list as I had heard from my husband about the Ilish  Bhorta when he had travelled to Bangladesh and I had randomly seen some few recipes on YouTube. It’s delicious, you can actually finish one whole plate of steamed rice with Ilish Bhorta. 

So here it is... 

Ingredients 

5 Tail pieces of the Hilsa Fish

2 medium size Onion sliced 

2 Garlic Cloves

2 or more Whole Dried Red Chilli 

Few Coriander leaves chopped 

Salt to taste 

1 tsp Turmeric powder 

1/2 cup + 1/4 tsp of Mustard Oil 

Method 

Take the fish tails, apply salt and turmeric powder. Heat 1/2 cup oil, fry the fish tail until golden brown in colour. Remove the fried fish and keep it aside to cool, in the same oil now fry the onion and garlic until golden brown in colour. Remove the onion and garlic and keep it aside. In the same remaining oil fry the dried red chillies until brown in colour. Remove the chillies and keep it aside. Now very carefully remove the thorns from the fish tail and keep the fish meat aside. Now take the fried onion, garlic, red chillies, salt to taste and coriander leaves on a plate, mash all the ingredients together well, add the fish meat and mash the ingredients together. Transfer the Bhorta into a serving plate, drizzle with the remaining mustard oil and a fresh red chilli, serve it with hot steamed rice. 

Ilish Macher Bhappa

After a long time we managed to get Ilish from an online cold storage. We were very thrilled, after all it’s called the Macher Raja... King of Fish in Bengal, as it’s the tastiest fish. The fish was delivered whole, we had to clean and cut the fish... and I love cutting the fish. So quickly got into action, geared up with the cutting tools, cut the fish and made Bhappa Ilish - one of the classic traditional dish made with Ilish. 

 

Ingredients 

6 pieces of Ilisha Fish

1 Garlic Cloves

4 to 6 Green Chillies as per the spiciness you require 

Salt to taste

1 tsp Turmeric powder 

1/2 tsp Chilli Powder - Optional 

1 tbsp Fresh or Desiccated Coconut  -  optional 

2 - 3 tbsp Mustard seeds 

1 tsp Poppy seeds - optional

2 tbsp Curd 

1 1/2 tbsp + 1//2 tsp Mustard Oil 

Method 

To make a paste, add mustard seeds, poppy seeds, coconut, 2 green chillies, garlic, salt and curd in a grinder and grind all the ingredients with little water into a paste. Strain the paste. Take fish pieces and apply salt chilli powder and turmeric powder on the fish, pour the paste and mustard oil on over the fish and coat the fish well with the paste. Add slit green chillies. Close the container and steam the fish for 10 - 15 minutes or add water in the pressure cooker, place the cooker stand and place the closed container inside the cooker and pressure cook with 2 whistles. Once done, drizzle the remaining mustard oil and serve it with hot steamed rice. 

Aloo Begun diye Ilish Marcher Jhol Hilsa with Brinjal and Potatoes

Aloo Begun diye Ilish Marcher Jhol
Hilsa with Brinjal and Potatoes
Ingredients
6 pieces of Hilsa
2 Potatoes cut into thick strips
2 Brinjal cut into strips
1 Tomato cut into strips
4 Green Chillies slit
1 small pieces Ginger
1 tbsp Mustard paste
1/2 tsp Turmeric powder
Salt to taste
1/2 tsp Cumin powder
1/2 tsp Chilli powder
1/2 tsp Panch Phoren
1 Bay Leaf
Mustard Oil for fry
Coriander leaves for garnishing
Method
Marinate the  fish with salt and turmeric powder, let it rest for 15 minutes. Heat the oil. Fry the fish in mustard oil till brown on both the sides. Keep it aside. Remove the excess oil from the wok. Add Panch Phoren, bay leaf and green chillies, let the Panch phoren crackle. Add the vegetables, sauté it for 2 minutes. Add mustard paste, salt, turmeric powder, chilli powder, and cumin powder. Stir and cook for 2 minutes more. Add 2 to 3 cups of water as per the gravy required. Cover and boil till the vegetables are tender. Add the fish and cook for 2 minutes. Add coriander leaves for garnishing. Serve hot with rice.