Ilish Maacher Jhol

Knock,Knock

R you Ghoti or Bangal?

"Bangal"  is the colloquial term for people from East Bengal now a separate country called Bangladesh. "Ghoti" is the local term for people from West Bengal. These terms are mostly used in jocular fashion and indicates the ancestral roots of a family as to whether it went back to East Bengal or West Bengal.

There are two subtle things which shake their differences.One is ILISHA-CHINGRI(Good quality Ilisha basically found better in Padma river at Bangladesh,so its close to Bangals and Prawn is famous for Ghotis) and other is EastBengal-Mohonbagan football team.
 As I am a hard core female and as people say females arE not fond of soccer,So for me war is mainly who is better Chef?Bangals are very proud of their cuisine and expertise in cooking and even I have heard from some people that “Bangals” know to put even vegetable peels to good use the “Ghotis” know how to apply those to their faces.

But I am loving daughter of my parent ,My Dad is Bangal and Mom is Ghoti.And Mom is simple Chef with certain delicacy.Not only for that,I like food and love different ascent and style...

Today its about Ilisha  .The menu usually BengaleeS prepare is always ilish bhaja(fried Hilsa), ilish bhaape (steamed Hilsa) or shorshe ilish ( Hilsa in mustard sauce) during monsoon.

Years ago it was the day of Saraswati Pujo.In my home this was not only a vegetarian day but a day on which you ate Khichuri, bhaja, chaatni & such. The day didn't hold much of a prospect regarding food for me until my aunt's elder sister called and invited me over to their home for Dinner . I wasn't too enthusiastic about the food thinking it would be the same fare but the lure of her latest Sidney Sheldon was there and so I went.

Come lunch time, the table was laid out and we sat. There were hardly 2-3 covered serving bowls on the dining table and I felt forlorn, till Mashi(Aunt's elder sister) started serving. There was no Khichuri but plain white rice, dal, alu bhaja(potato fries) and a ilish er jhol( Hilsa in a light curry)

"How can you eat fish on Saraswati Pujo ?", I was aghast

"But Bangals have a tradition of eating Ilish on Saraswati Pujo, we absolutely must and if it is Jora Ilish(a hilsa pair) all the better", said Mashi. Wow, Bangals .

And then I saw Ilish with all that begun (eggplant), a Ilish Begun er jhol (Hilsa in a light gravy with eggplant) they told me.The simplicity of the curry bursting with flavor of soft brinjal, the taste of the Hilsa and the mustard oil was too much for me. It was absolutely delicious, it shifted Ilish's position from a special fish you would respect to a homely fish you could love.

I have been in love with this dish ever since.This is served with white rice for a homely meal.

Ilish Begun er Jhol/Hilsa & Eggplant in a light gravy

How I Do it
Wash and clean 4-5 pieces of Hilsa. Pat dry and smear with 1/4 tsp of Turmeric and salt. Keep aside for 15-20 minutes

Heat Mustard Oil to smoking in a Kadhai.

Gently slide the fish pieces into the hot oil. Beware of all the spluttering. Note: sometimes I sprinkle a little turmeric powder on the hot oil and then slide in the fishes to reduce the splatter

Fry the fish pieces to a light golden yellow on both sides. Try not to brown or burn them. Remove with a slotted spoon and drain them on a kitchen towel.

Since this is Ilish/Hilsa we will not throw away the oil and use the same oil for the jhol

Temper/Chaunce the oil with 1/2 tsp of Kalonji/Nigella seeds and 5-6 slit hot Indian Green Chilli

Once the spice pops add 1 long japanese eggplant washed & chopped longitudinally in length of 1&1/2" to 2"

Saute the eggplant till they are lightly browned and soft.

Add 1-1&1/2 cups of water. Add salt, a little turmeric and cook till the eggplants soften. Sometimes I will add a little corriander powder but mostly I don't

Add the fish pieces and cook for 2-3 minutes

The gravy will be light and soupy and tastes delicious with white rice.

Dhokar Dalna -the master piece of Bengali Cuisine

I always try to avoid things that are hard. Force me in a difficult situation and I will be fine coping with it and coming out stronger but given a choice I will try to avoid the difficult route.

Dhokar Dalna, the master piece of Bengali Cuisine has eluded me all these years. I love Dhokar Dalna, to eat that is, to cook, I always dismissed it as "too difficult". But I do it cause its yummy.

So I made it today, I wouldn't say total success, there are these small nuances that need to be taken care of next time. I am yet to get the right texture for the lentil paste to make the cakes and some of my dhokas or lentil cakes were cracking which shouldn't happen.

Dhokar Dalna, is one of the pillars of Niramish(Vegetarian) Bengali Cuisine, just like Shukto. The lightly spiced lentil cakes or dhoka are fried and then simmered in a gravy made with tomatoes and ginger, spiced with cumin and coriander. This dish traditionally is a purely satvik dish, sans any onion or garlic like most Bengali Niramish(vegetarian) dishes. Bengali widows were not allowed to eat onion or garlic and the Bengali vegetarian cuisine is mostly their contribution, that explains why it is satvik.

The dhokas are such a delight and the gravy is so fragrant that you wouldn't even miss onion or garlic in here. Enjoyed best with plain white rice, the dhoka sure brings joy, though it actually means "to cheat".

Dhokar Dalna

To Make the Dhoka or the Lentil Cakes
Make powder of 1& 1/2 cup of Cholar Dal/Chana Dal/Bengal Gram in mixer
or Soak 1& 1/2 cup of Cholar Dal/Chana Dal/Bengal Gram in water overnight and drain the water.

Now the grinded lentils + 6 green chili + little salt
to a fine paste. Add little water as required for grinding

Heat Oil in a Kadhai/Frying Pan. Temper the Oil with
3/4 tsp of Whole Cumin seeds/Jeera,
a pinch of Asafoetida/Hing,
1/2 tsp of sugar,
and 1& 1/2 tsp of Ginger paste.

Add the lentil paste/ground dal to this and cook until the mix comes off the sides clean. The dal should be cooked so that is moist and soft but not runny or hard. Note: This step is really tricky.You need to stir vigorously else the paste will stick to the sides and you need to be careful to remove the moisture without making it hard. Add little oil as needed to avoid sticking.

Smear a flat plate with oil and pour the soft dal mix on this. While it is warm, pat lightly with your hands to form a flat, slightly raised round structure

With a knife make squares or diamond shapes

Heat some more Oil and fry the lentil cakes till golden brown on both sides. Take care that they do not break

To Make the Gravy

Heat Oil in a Kadhai or any other thick bottomed pan

Fry 1 potato chopped in eights till golden, remove and keep aside.

Temper the Oil with
2 small Bay leaf/Tej Patta,
3/4 tsp of Cumin Seeds/Jeera
and a pinch of Asafoetida/Hing(For better taste)

Add 1 tomato finely chopped and 1 tsp of freshly grated ginger. Saute till tomato is reduced to a pulp and there is no raw smell.
Add the potatoes . Add salt to taste and cover and cook till potatoes are ittle fried.
In some water mix
1/2 tsp of Corriander Powder, 1/2 tsp of  Regular Cumin Powder, 1/2 tsp of Red Chili Powder and a little turmeric to make a fine paste.
Add this paste to the Kadhai. and fry the masala at low heat.

Add water for gravy,not a large amount.

Adjust for any seasonings, add a little sugar. Add about 1/4 tsp of Garam Masala and gently mix.Now gently slide in the pieces of dhoka or the fried lentil cakes. Simmer for couple of minutes to let the dhoka soak up the gravy. Note:If like mine some of your dhokas are cracking do not add them to the gravy, rather place them on the serving dish and pour the gravy on them.

Serve with hot white rice.