Ilish Macher Matha/ Muro Diye Dal (Yellow Lentils with Fish Head)

I think almost all cultures have a dish that uses all parts of an animal to cook varieties of dishes. In fact, many chefs believe that ‘By consuming an animal in its entirety, we are showing respect to it’. So, today we are going to discuss a recipe which uses fish head as the star of the show. It’s one of the favorite fishes of Bengali community – Ilish. 

Ilish Macher Matha or Muro Diye Munger Dal is a traditional Bengali recipe. Since both the fish and the lentil have beautiful flavor and aroma of their own, we wouldn’t be using a lot of spices. This is a very simple recipe and goes great with steamed rice. Serve it for lunch then take a nap!

Although I am not a fish connoisseur I do love this thick, rich and aromatic dal. Cooking this dal for everyday meal is not possible because you will have to buy an entire fish so that you can use the head. So what Debarshi does is, whenever he is cooking Ilish (jhal, bhapa or fry), he either makes the dal right away or freezes the head (so that he can prepare the dal a few days later). That way, whenever we want a special meal voila! Yummy dal is ready!

Now you must be thinking, why not make a yummy curry with it. Bengali culture after all is famous for its varieties of delish fish curries. Well, let me tell you, this dal tastes amazingly good. It is very different than any Bengali fish gravy or curry you will ever taste. It is light and easy to prepare yet very filling. I just love the balance of spices with the sweet dal and savory fried fish head. Yes, do not skip the dry roasting part of dal otherwise it will have a very different texture and flavor which will be not be quite so tasty.

Ingredients:

• Cumin Powder – 2 teaspoons
• Ginger – 1 ½ inch piece
• Whole Red Chili - 4 
• Tomato – 2, medium
• Ilish er Matha (Hilsa fish head) - 4 pieces
• Mustard oil - around 4 tablespoons
• Turmeric Powder – about 1 teaspoon
• Red Chilli Powder - 1 teaspoon (optional) 
• Salt – about 1 teaspoon
• Moong dal – ½ cup
• Sugar - 1 tablespoon
• Canola Oil - 1 teaspoon
• Potato – optional (peeled, washed and cut in long pieces)

Do ahead:

• Season the Fish heads and Potato pieces with a little Salt and Turmeric Powder, keep them aside.
• Make a smooth paste of the Ginger, Red Chili and Tomato. Mix in the Cumin Powder. Keep it aside.
• Heat a skillet or wok on medium high heat.
• Add the dry moong dal in it and dry roast it.
• Keep roasting the dal till the color changes to reddish yellow.
• Turn off the heat and add a cup of water in it.
• In a non-stick wok, heat 2 tablespoons of Mustard Oil. When the oil begins to smoke, reduce the heat to medium low so that it cools off a bit. This is done to remove the pungent taste and smell of the Mustard Oil.
• Lightly fry the fish heads and Potato slices and keep them aside. The oil will be used in the next step.

Let’s cook the dal:

• Add the dal in the pressure cooker along with the Salt (½ teaspoon), Turmeric Powder (½ teaspoon), Sugar and Canola Oil. 
• Add 2 cups of water in it and mix well. Add the fried potatoes in it as well. (Note: If you have cut the Potato into thin slices, it will probably cook while frying. Use a spatula to mash a slice of potato before adding in the dal).
• Close the cooker and put it on medium heat. Make sure you put the whistle and rubber on the lid and close it properly.
• When the cooker whistles for 3-4 times, turn off the heat and let it cool down.
• Once the pressure drops and the lid opens, proceed to the next step.

Directions to cook the Ilish er Dal:

• Now heat the same wok we used above. Add 2 more tablespoons of Mustard oil in it and repeat the heating process mentioned above.
• Now add the Ginger paste (we prepared above) and fry well till the raw smell is gone.
• Add the Red Chilli powder.
• Fry well till it dries up and you can see oil leaving the spice mix.
• Add the cooked Dal now along with the potatoes.
• Cover and bring to a boil.
• Lower heat and simmer for around 3 minutes.
• Add the fried Ilish / Hilsa pieces.
• Cover and let it simmer for about 10 minutes. Check the consistency, it should not be too thick or thin. Adjust the Salt as well.
• Dal is ready! 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)
• Bhapa Ilish