[Indian Cooking] Ilish Macher Paturi, a popular Bengali dish

(Photo : Google)

In the eastern India, the Bengali style of cooking is noticeable. The staple food of Bengalis is the yummy combination of rice and fish. Usually the Bengalis love eating varieties of fishes. A special way of preparing the delicacy known as ‘Hilsa’ is by wrapping it in the banana or pumpkin leaf and then cooking it. Known as ‘Ilish macher paturi’.

This dish is immensely popular in Bengal. It is a very traditional Bengali dish. Paturi is a cooking process in which leaf wrapped marinated fish, cottage cheese or vegetables are cooked. The final cooking is done by steaming or roasting the leaf wrapped envelops on griddle.

(Photo : Google)

Ingredients needed:
    • Hilsa steaks: 4 pieces
    • Mustard paste: 21/2 tbsp
    • Green chilies: 5-6; depending on how hot you want it to be
    • Mustard oil: 2-3 tbsp
    • Salt: as per taste
    • Turmeric
    • Banana leaf
    • Cotton thread

Method:
Crush 2-3 green chilies in a mortar and pestle or grind them together with the mustard seeds.In a wide plate take the mustard paste, salt, turmeric and some chopped chilies. Keep aside 1 tsp mustard oil for roasting the fish and mix the rest in this. Check the taste.

Add the Hilsa steaks in this spice mixture and rub to coat them thoroughly. Cover and keep aside for minimum 20-30 minutes.

In the meantime cut 4 big pieces from the banana leaf. Lightly roast it on open flame to make it soft and foldable. Grease the leaves with few drops of oil and place one fish steak on each. Divide the spice to coat both sides of the fish properly.

(Photo : Google)

Pour little more mustard oil on top and place one slit green chilly.Wrap it and secure with the cotton thread.

Heat a tawa or pan with little mustard oil and place the fish parcels on it. Cook on low heat till all the sides of the parcel turn black (approx. 10 minutes). Let it stand for 5 minutes.

It can also be cooked by placing the packets on the slow embers of burnt wood and covering it with same. This is a very common process in rural Bengal. And when done, open the packets and serve hot with steamed white rice.

Another way of cooking paturi is to place the envelops in bhater handi (Rice cooked in big, kind of flat vessel) when it was just done. To do this you need to cut the fish pieces very small and then proceed to make envelops and put them inside the hot rice vessel and cover the packets again with hot rice.

Let it stand there for 20 minutes and during this time don’t open the lid. The steam works on the leaf and the fish inside is cooked beautifully. But you need to cook a big quantity of rice (min 3-4 persons).

Sudhanya Ghosh Intern Reporter news@theasian.asia