How to make Hilsa Fish Wrapped in Banana Leaf [ ইলিশ পাতুরি ] ?

Hilsha wrapped in banana leaf is an authentic Bengali delicacy which was originated in West Bengal since, Bengal has not been seperated into East Bengal and West Bengal. This is a preparation of Hilsa fish, marinated in a mustard and coconut paste and is wrapped up in a banana leaf and finish it up by steaming / frying. 

INGREDIENTS

• 1 kg hilsa fish

• 80 gm mustard seeds ( soaked )

• 8 pcs green chillies

• 80 gm coconut (peeled)

• 100 gm yoghurt (beaten)

• 30 gm salt

• 1 tbps sugar

• 1 tbps turmeric powder

• 20 g mustard oil

PROCEDURE

HILSHA FISH PROCEDURE

• Clean the hilsha fishand cut it in 3-cm thick slices. Set these pieces aside, preferably on a flat plate.

THE BASE MAKING PROCEDURE

• Soak mustard seeds overnight in water.

• Drain the mustard seeds of the water they’ve been soaking in and add them to a grinder jar. Add 4 green chillies, roughly chopped, along with 100g water. Grinding green chillies with the mustard ensures that it doesn’t turn bitter.

• Grind these to a fine paste. Take your time with this process. Scrape down the sides of the jar and grind as many times as it takes to form the smoothest possible paste. The finer the grind, the better the flavours.

• Now, add the peeled and chopped coconut to the grinder jar, along with salt, sugar, and turmeric powder. Grind once again till everything is smooth and well combined.

• Transfer this paste to a mixing bowl. Add the beaten yoghurt and mustard oil. Mix till the oil is fully incorporated.

• Spoon this mixture over the hilsha fish, dividing it equally. Turn the fish over and coat the other side as well. Use your hands to make sure every part of the fish, including its cavities, are well coated. Set it aside to marinate for 15 minutes.

WRAPPING PROCEDURE

• Meanwhile, wash and cut up some banana leaf's into rectangular sheets, 20 cm by 50 cm in dimension. Gently toast them on a pan set on medium heat. This will increase malleability of the banana leaf's, ensuring that they don’t crack when folded. Remove from heat and set aside.

• Take a banana leaf sheet in front of you. Spoon some mustard paste in the centre of one of the sheet. Set one piece of the fish on it. Top off with some more of the paste and a split green chilli.

• Carefully wrap the fish with the banana leaf making sure that it is fully covered. If you find that your leaf is torn, wrap another layer of leaf around it. Tie this parcel up securely with a cotton string (don’t use synthetic or it will melt when heated).

THE FINAL TOUCH

• Add a tablespoon of oil to the tawa (pan). Once hot, place the parcels on it side by side.

• Cover and steam the banana-leaf parcels on low heat for 5 minutes on each side.

• Unwrap and serve hot.