Bhapa Ilish

If you love Ilish then it wont take anything more to impress you. Just a bowl of Bhapa Ilish with steamed rice and you will be singing the cook’s praises for a long time. For a Bengali, food is an integral part of life and fish dishes go right at the top of the pyramid (pyramid of all the favorite food items listed). Personally I was a bit surprised to learn that it doesn’t take much to prepare this heavenly curry. The steaks of Ilish are dipped in a paste of yogurt, salt, turmeric, mustard powder and oil, then cooked in the microwave for 10-15 minutes and that’s it! 

I think every cuisine and culture has something which is so special that if you have to name one dish from your cuisine you will no doubt mention it. For Bengalis it is Bhapa Ilish. If you are familiar with the French À La Russe service style, then this will seem very interesting to you that Bengali cuisine is very much like that where food is served in courses rather than all at once. I think it is because of the myriad of dishes both savory and sweet. Well, because we have so many dishes to flaunt and so much to eat, serving a multi course menu makes more sense. 

As for me, I am a through and through Bengali in serving my dishes. I love to cook multiple courses for a single lunch or dinner. Of course, for just two people it doesn’t make much sense but if we have guests/ friends coming over, I love serving meals in the À La Russe style. 

An expert (like Debarshi’s mom) would do the preparations and keep everything ready then start cooking the Ilish right when everyone is sitting down for lunch. It was actually quite exciting. We all started with our first course (Saag Bhaja, ghee and rice), then the second course (Chochori, Dal and rice) when the microwave started beeping announcing that Ilish was ready! Then his mom brought the bake ware on the table, took off the cling wrap and served hot Ilish right on our plates. It was an absolutely ecstatic experience for me. Me! Who takes half an hour to finish a piece of Ilish. I enjoyed the show thoroughly. And the fish was simply marvelous. 

Now if you don’t like extra fishy smell or excessive bones then you may find it a little difficult to enjoy Ilish. However, I will say, take your time and sort the bones properly. So what if I have to sit for another half an hour on the dining table alone and sort the bones out? I still enjoyed the fish very much.

Make sure you are cleaning the fish very well so that all the scales and blood clears out. Also, do not use any oil other than mustard to prepare this because it just wont bring that authentic flavor in the fish. Also make sure you are preparing just the number of pieces you will be able to consume in that one meal. Keeping the leftover in the fridge may affect the flavor. 

Try this dish then post how it turned out. Got any suggestions or ideas? Post them away!

Ingredients:

• Ilish – 7 big/ medium pieces 
• Salt – about 1 teaspoon
• Turmeric Powder – 1 teaspoon
• Green Chili - 6-7 slit
• Mustard Powder – 4 teaspoons
• Mustard Oil – 1 teaspoon + 2-3 tablespoons
• Coconut Paste – 1/3 cup
• Yogurt – ½ cup

Tip: For the Coconut paste, you can use shredded coconut. Allow it to soak in ¼ cup warm water for 5-10 minutes then run it in Nutri bullet to make a smooth paste.

Directions:

• Wash the fish steaks. Make sure the fish is clean, there are no scales or blood on it.
• Allow it to drain the water then season with Salt (about ½ teaspoon) and Turmeric powder (about ½ teaspoon).
• Mix the Mustard Powder, Mustard Oil (1 teaspoon), Turmeric Powder (½ teaspoon), Green Chili and make a paste with ½ cup of Water. 
• Mix the Yogurt with ¼ cup of water.
• In a microwave safe baking tray, add the whisked yogurt and water mix, 1/3 cup of coconut paste along with 2-3 tablespoons of Mustard Oil. Mix everything together. Add the mustard paste as well and mix, taste to adjust Salt.
• Cover the baking tray with a cling wrap. Poke some holes in the wrap carefully using a tooth pick.
• Microwave on high for 10 minutes.
• Let it sit in the microwave for 5 minutes.
• Check if the fish has cooked through by pressing it with a finger or spoon. Cooked fish will press down easily.
• Cook for 2 more minutes then serve hot with steamed rice.

Love Bengali fish recipes? Try these as well:

• Doi Mach (Bengali Recipe: Succulent Fried Fish in Yogurt Gravy)
• Chingri Malai Curry (Shrimp Curry with Coconut Milk)
• Shorshe Diye Bata Mach (Bengali recipe: Fish in Mustard Gravy)
• Ilish Macher Matha/ Muro Diye Dal (Yellow Lentils with Fish Head)