About The Author
Hello! From Chuchura (in Hooghly District) and a foodie, I created this blog with a mission to preserve the food of the land; with a message to encourage and promote clean and real food. I hope you enjoy and gain out of this blog, happy reading!
Looking forward to read and hear your feedback.
As I laid my hands on and read the recipe on Ilisher Ullash, I wondered why it was called so. It was only when I took the first bite, did I tell myself – “Justified!”
For my non-Bengali readers, the Bengali word “ullash” means “cheers”.
You mix a tiny portion of the gravy with steaming hot rice, and take the first bite. You immediately feel the amalgamation of flavors. You feel the tang from the vinegar first, immediately followed by the kick from the mustard. The flavors drawn from the ilish/hilsa and the garlic compliments all of these flavors and holds them together.
The result immediately makes you feel cheerful and happy instantly.
The ilisher ullash recipe is from the 1900s of undivided Bengal and was a regular feature in Rabindranath Thakur’s (not Tagore, please) household, as documented by his niece, Pragyasundari Devi.
Just like an ilish bhapa, you do not need a lot of gravy to finish a plate of rice when it comes to ilisher ullash. A few spoonfuls are enough!
A Word of Caution on Hilsa & An Earnest Request
Before I dive into the recipe, a word of caution – Bengali’s favorite ilish is facing extinction today, thanks to over-fishing.
While a good fish should weigh a minimum of 1.5 kg, smaller sized fishes are caught using finer nets and sold in the market to fulfill the high demand.
Also, since the price depends on the size of the fish (bigger the size, higher the price), a middle class family already pushed to the edge by the rising inflation, has to satisfy with the smaller variants.
Bangladesh, for example, has banned the practice of catching smaller ilish.
Finallyfoodie.com requests you to reverse this trend and practice the following:
- Do not buy an ilish fish that weighs less than 700 grams
- Do not buy hilsa between the months of October and February
Here’s the recipe of ilisher ullash!
Note
The equipment & ingredient quantity provided in this recipe is to assist you in cooking this dish. Feel free to experiment with your ingredients. Remember that we all have different set, size & shape of kitchen tools in our pantry.
Equipment
- Grinder or Mortar/Pestle
- Strainer (Chhakni/Chhanni) or Muslin cloth
- Small wok and spatula
- Bowl for preparation and serving
Ingredients
- 4 pc ilish or hilsa medium or big size
- 6 tsp black mustard seeds
- 4 pc garlic cloves about 1 tsp
- 2 pc green chilies
- 5 tsp vinegar
- 6 tsp mustard oil
- 1/2 tsp turmeric powder
- salt to taste
Instructions
Preparation
- Soak the mustard seeds in water along with green chilies and salt for an hour. Then grind this into a fine paste
- Marinade the ilish pieces with salt for 10 minutes
- Peel the garlic cloves and make into a paste in a mixer grinder or use a mortar pestle
- In a bowl, take the mustard paste and garlic paste. Add turmeric, salt to taste and mix in the vinegar
- Pour this mixture through a muslin/cotton cloth/strainer and collect the liquid in a bowl. Discard the solids in the muslin cloth, as we need the juice collected in the bowl only
Cooking the Ilisher Ullash
- Take a small wok and add the juice extracted above to it
- Place the ilish pieces on it
- Pour in the mustard oil over the fishes in such a way that the top portion of the fishes are nice coated with the oil
- Put on the flame and ensure that it is low. The entire cooking happens on steam on a low flame
- Cover the wok with a lid and allow to cook for 7-8 minutes
- Uncover, and change the sides of the fish, and cook for another 5-6 minutes
- Switch off the flame
- Allow this to rest for a couple of minutes
- Serve hot with steaming rice. Ullash!
Notes
- Ilish or hilsa fish should never be washed once it has been cut. The blood of hilsa is its oil. The right way to handle a ilish fish is to remove the scales from the fish, wash it thoroughly with water and then cut in into pieces. Once cut, it should not be washed
- A small wok gives a better result. If you do not have one, you can proceed with a normal wok. Just ensure that you are near by to change the sides of the fish while it is cooking
- To extract the juice from the mix, always use a muslin cloth or any cotton cloth for best results. Strainer should only be used if you cannot lay your hands on a muslin or a cotton cloth
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