ILISH ER TIL DOI

This is one fish I can have at every meal. Ilish / Hilsa is my religion, I think it is so for the maximum number of the Bengalis. As I always say that those Bengalis who do not enjoy fresh water fish or do not at all eat surprise me. I even wish to gather data from their childhood time to the present to find out what actually made them dislike fish so much and assign them the title of a "rare breed of Bengalis." These days I am a bit more in the comfort zone with regards to the availability of our kind of fishes. Of the frozen  varieties of fresh water fish available, I used to get only two kinds; hilsa and kechki. Now, I have found another shop who are very honest, they will tell you if the packets are not good enough. This week, I am having very satisfying meals with my kind of fishes; aar, pabda, katla. They may not be as tasty as  of the supplies in Kolkata but are manageable. What I was doing wrong all these years was sticking to only one shop for the supply of the Bengali kind of produce. We must try other shops too. Here, the Bangladeshi shops are spread over an area with quite a big number of them. I was relying on only the big, frontally located one which is not right. When I explored the smaller ones who are located a bit in the interiors, I found they offer cheaper rates for the same supply and brands. Because I cannot have sea fish, these shop keepers from Bangladesh are my saviours. I like it when they call me "Apu". I cannot avail their best offers because the best of the supplies are available in the Saturday mornings, I am unable to visit. I am not willing to leave my phone number with them, in which case they call you whenever something good arrives midweek. What if they wish to chat with Apu or her number gets circulated? Apu considers Whatsapp a very wonderful, emergency communication service, aha those free phone call services around the world. Apu does not wish to send Cristine alone there, how she spends her Sundays I do not know but I do not want her to get engaged in unnecessary chats. Apu's husband or the son will prefer buying food if asked to go to the wet market or even accompany her there. I have not tasted yet what is called "shobai milemishe shongshar er kaajkormo kora." My mother never did taste it, neither shall I. Both of our fault is that at home we wish some rules and discipline to be followed, people have a problem with that. Before marriage, I found the husband's unruly home free of any "shashon-tashon" very lucrative. Later when I became a part of it, it caused me severe irritation. Na, Na, I do not regret my decision, I do cook the man's preferences often like this a not so common, tweaked version of Hilsa fish with roasted white sesame seed, plain yogurt and green chilli ILLISH ER TIL DOI. After all, he gifted me the greatest joy of my life. I do not discuss it often because some around may not be that gifted.


On such days when I share an Ilish or Mutton dish, I wish to go straightaway to the recipe without much "gourchandrika." Right now I feel like going to the Bangladeshi shops tomorrow for a hilsa but I will not. I have few pieces of pabda and katla from last week and shall shop locally some vegetables and mutton may be, there is a full crate of thirty eggs at home. I am thinking of saving at least fifty dollars tomorrow at the market and spend it on a pedicure & manicure session in the afternoon. I so need a shoulder massage too. This is how middle class families balance finance and life. The thing is once I am in the wet market, I feel like buying this and that and really cannot keep my promise. The maternal grandfather perhaps generated this interest in his eldest daughter which came to me. I told you all earlier, he stayed with us in our DumDum home while posted in the Jeevandeep & ParkSt. Branches of the SBI. It was mandatory for me to see what he got from the DumDum Bazaar every morning. Till date perhaps my extended families do not refrigerate fish and meat, raw or cooked. After the grandfather got retired and went back to the small township to concentrate more on gardening, my daddy got the responsibility of doing "bazaar ghat" which he hated, so the mother took up the responsibility on her and till date doing it religiously in her 70's. We only ask her to take a rickshaw on the way back. Last weekend, there was some religious occasion for the Bengali Hindus may be, she had hidden from me that she will be travelling to places; "arey eeito Khardah r ekta mandirey jabo". Later in the night, I hear she went off at the wake of the dawn to the Khardah venue, from there to the riverside to ride a launch and go to the other side of the Ganges, took an auto or toto or bus to Serampore to visit another renowned temple, again came back to the Khardah temple via the same route, had "bhog-tog" and came back home in the evening only to tell me the truth at night. I only say "you have trouble in your knees, do not overdo or avoid riding a bus now. It does not matter if you ride a cab once in a while or ask the family to get you a hired driver on such days." "eei amai eshob bolbi nato, ami nijer moto cholafera kortey bhalobashi." The daughter too has inherited that habit, why the hell she is not visiting the Botanics to get a glimpse of the orchids and look for some chalta / elephant apple? Shall do that soon and also share this easy fish curry recipe with hilsa, roasted sesame, plain yogurt ILISH ER TIL DOI with the mother; the family would enjoy it. The best part of this curry is that there is less chance of acidity from it.

INGREDIENTS :

HILSA STEAK [you can use Chinese Gizzard Shad] : 4-6 [I USUALLY BUY A 900GM TO 1KG SIZED FISH]
WHITE SESAME SEED : 11/2TBSP
PLAIN YOGURT : 2-3TBSP
GREEN CHILLI : 5-6-7 [VERY MUCH REQUIRED]
TURMERIC POWDER : 1TSP
NIGELLA SEED : 2-3PINCH
SALT : AS REQUIRED
SUGAR : 1/4TSP [ELSE THE YOGURT WILLCURDLE]
OIL : 2-3TBSP [I USE MUSTARD]

PROCEDURE :

I do not buy too big sized ilish or hilsa. This sized coming from Myanmar are pretty good, we manage with the little faults.

Remove the scales and wash the pieces very well. Marinate with some salt and turmeric.

Dry roast the white sesame seeds for a minute or two at low heat. Take in a strainer and wash [I forgot this part I think.] Then pour it in the grinder along with the washed green chillies.

Adding little water, grind it to a smooth paste.

At this stage, I felt that yogurt will add a good texture and taste to the curry. So, you better add the yogurt and turn on the switch for a minute.

Add the sugar & little of salt to the curry paste, mix and pour it over the salt & turmeric marinated fish pieces; rub well. Keep marinated for half an hour.

Heat the oil in a wok. Remove the marination from the fish steaks and gently place on the nicely heated oil. If the oil is not hot enough, the fish gets stuck and break. 

Fry both the sides lightly and take out.

After this, I forgot to click the rest of the cooking part. Okay, temper the oil with nigella seeds / kalojeerey. 

Add the marination and quick stir at low heat for 1/2 a minute. Add 11/2 medium teacup of water to the curry paste. Bring it to boil at low heat.

Once the curry has boiled for a minute, add the fish pieces and cover cook at the minimal heat for 3-4 minutes. Open cover and adjust the salt. You can add some washed and slitted green chillies at this stage to the curry.

Boil it for a minute and switch off the gas stove. Enjoy it hot with steamed rice. We also had some "Fulkopi o Fulkopir Dataduti diye Bhaja Moong er Dal o Guro Moshola Diye Aloo Fulkopi" on the side that day.