Doi Ilish/Hilsha in Yogurt Sauce

I started this blogging journey eleven years ago. Life got super busy that I couldn’t post as much as I wanted for past few years;  especially 2023, I just vanished from blogging. But my passion for cooking never faded away. However I never stopped posting on my Instagram whatever I cooked. I came back slowly to blog and excited to share recipes. I got connected with people through my blogging journey. I completely missed my blog's 11th birthday last week. So, better late than never and today, I am sharing an amazing Hilsha recipe that passed down to my mother from a close family friend. It became one of our family favorites. It’s so drool worthy and definitely a keeper. 

Fish Oil Fritters/Macher Teler Bora

Bengali staple food is fish and rice along with a wide variety of vegetable dishes. When it comes to cooking fish nothing gets wasted in Bengali households. Delicious dishes are made using fish head to tail including innards. Macher teler bora or fish oil fritter is one of the delicacies in West Bengal, India. I grew up eating pretty often when big fish like whole carp was bought. Fish innards include organ, intestines and fat. Most innards are edible except for the gallbladder which is full of greenish yellowish bile that tastes awfully bitter if it is broken. My mother used only liver, lungs and fats. She never used intestines that taste very chewy, yet edible.

Spicy Kerala Fish Curry

This slowly braised spicy exotic Kerala fish curry in spicy tangy gravy yet soothed by little bit of coconut milk has a depth of flavor and it is one of the regional fish curries of India that matches our taste buds. This fish curry requires an tropical dry fruit known as Kudampuli or Malabar tamarind(scientific name,Garcinia cambogia, native to South Asia and Southeast Asia) that has smoky flavor and sour taste, available at Indian groceries. But tamarind is a great substitute for kudampuli in case not found.

Meen Molee

Each state of India has its own signature dishes and unique flavor profile. As a foodie I love to try the variety of dishes of India that I never tasted while growing up. I have been making Meen Moilee for years, one of the signature fish curries from the state of Kerala. The gravy is mildly spiced yellowish coconut curry with delicious flavor of tempered mustard seeds, curry leaves and green chilies yet Kerala cuisine is well known for spiciness. It is believed that this curry originated during Portuguese colonial era centuries back. Meen means fish in Malayalam and little analysis revels that Molee is given after the lady by the name "Molly" who added coconut milk to the fish curry to neutralize the spiciness to suit foreigner's palate. 

Bouillabaisse

Bouillabaisse, a classic French fish stew from Marseilles of Mediterranean Provence region is one of our hot favorites since the day one I made it. We are very much seafood lover and whenever we crave for a hearty stew, Bouillabaisse doesn't get much more delicious. I don't know much about French cuisine. I adapted some of French and other cuisines by watching cooking shows on tv, borrowed cook book from library and so many of them I tried for first time was a hit. Bouillabaisse was one of them. It's pretty easy but little time consuming to make from scratch. Weekend happen to be a great day to prepare fish stock with fresh fish bones, shrimp shells. I make a big batch to savor for a couple of days to use it different recipes. It's so worth it. 

Chingri Malaicurry

Chingri/Shrimp Malai Curry cooked in mildly spiced coconut based gravy is one of the divine dishes of Bengali cuisine served on special occasions or wedding ceremonies. Malai in Bengali means dairy cream but in this particular dish has no dairy in it. Now the question is if I ever wanted to know how the word “malai” came from, not really. Did my grand mothers and mother's generations know? I am not so sure as we never questioned about it. All I know is how my mother made it so finger licking without using overpowering spices and I make exactly the same way. Malai Curry is very close to our heart.

Macher Tok/Sour Fish Curry

Macher Tok belongs to West Bengal cuisine that our family never made. This is similar to Assamese counterpart Masor Tenga. We grew up eating simple traditional food that belonged to my parent's native land Noyakhali, in erstwhile East Bengal, now Bangladesh. There is a slight difference between two Bengal's food culture and each side has its own unique ways preparing the food. Tamarind in this recipe is very exotic and drool worthy. Every household makes it differently. This is my close friend's family recipe and I prepare exactly that way. 

Ilish Polao

Hilsha fish is most Bengali's favorite fish  that doesn't require lots of spices. Hilsha's own aroma makes mouthwatering dishes that Bengalis love to savor again and again despite its thousands of tiny bones. Hilsha is easily available in West Bengal and Bangladesh during monsoon season. So we grew up having Hilsha frequently at that time, from thin soupy type stew to rich gravy dishes. All of them were amazingly delicious. But we never had Ilish Polao back home then.  

Ilish Kumro/Hilsha and Pumkin Stew

During the rainy season Hilsa is at its finest test and it is made in different varieties from simple thin runny stew type to thick gravy type with minimal spices. This is another variation at my maternal aunt's in-laws house who were from Faridpur in erstwhile East Bengal, now Bangladesh. I heard that other district of Bangladesh also make it similarly. When I tasted for the first time, I liked it so much that has since become a family favorite. Hilsha's alluring flavor is nicely balanced with slight pungent mustard paste and sweet pumpkin. Trust me this thin soupy Hilsha tastes out of this world!

ChyaNchra/Mixed Vegetable Mismash with Fish Head

Bengalis are fish lovers and they are not averse to eat most part of fish except for scales and fins. A mixed vegetables and fish head mishmash is a special dish known as ChyaNchra made in almost every Bengali household and Bengali ceremony like weddings or annoprashon(baby's first rice eating ceremony)for lunch. Fish stakes are prepared into a delicious main dish at formal dinner in the actual ceremony and fish heads need to be used up somehow; so this famous dish got created with vegetables, fish heads, oils and gills with some spices. This recipe has been passed down for generations in Bengali households and it tastes insanely delicious! It's a delicacy we grew up with but unfortunately it's not that much appreciated dish among younger generation anymore. 

Hilsha with Taro, Eggplant and Amaranth Stems

A lightly spiced soupy type Hilsa curry with eggplant, small taro and amaranth stems is nothing but one of the simplest yet tastiest one dish meal with plain simple rice that I learned from one of my maternal cousins whose paternal family belongs to Faridpur district of Bangladesh. It's a popular Hilsha curry in my cousin's household during the rainy season when Hilshas are very abundant. Most Hilsha curries are tempered with nigella seeds, but a tempering of celery seeds in this recipe makes the difference and it turns out so darn delicious.

Singapore Noodles

Singapore noodles packed with curry flavor for quick lunch or supper is great for any days. According to Wikipedia, it's a very popular Cantonese style noddles in Hong Kong with no connection with Singapore. Stir fried colored vegetables along with rice vermicelli, shrimp, egg and other meat are used in this easy cooking process that takes only 30 minutes. The classic curry sauce is a salty, spicy but not too spicy and slightly sweet concoction. I double for more kick. This is absolutely delicious to savor leftovers for the next day and it's definitely a keeper.

Bengali Style Poached Trout with Mustard Sauce

Trout, poached in a spicy Bengali style mustard sauce served with steamed rice is one of the easiest fish curries in a hurry. This  cooking method is not that common in Bengali households because fish is normally lightly seared, then added to the sauce/gravy. In this recipe the raw fish pieces smeared with turmeric and salt, are added directly in the simmering mustard sauce resulting in a tender and juicy perfectly sublime fish curry inspired by the classic Bengali steamed fish with mustard paste. This is my go-to trout recipe.

Spaghetti with Asparagus, Shrimp and Roasted Tomatoes

Spaghetti with Asparagus, Shrimp and Roasted Tomatoes is our another spring staple that is easy, super delicious and ready in less than 30 minutes for a quick lunch or dinner. Enjoy with Pinot Grigio or any white wine that pairs well with this spaghetti. This is not too cheesy. I love this light meal all year round with different veggies. Now we are enjoying spring's bounty with a hearty meal more often around this time of the year.

Asparagus and Shrimp Curry

I love asparagus and shrimp both and this dry type curry is a simple yet flavorful recipe sure to please Bengali's palate. The pungent mustard paste and the grated coconut are a great combination and stands out in the curry. This dish is inspired by Kochur Loti/ taro stolon, abundantly available in West Bengal and Bangladesh but hard to find here in the United States. 

Sorshe Tilapia Begun Diye/Mustard Tilapia With Eggplant

Mustard fish curry with eggplant is a signature dish in Bengali cuisine. The gravy is so delicious that it tastes great whatever fish you make it with. There are many versions of making mustard fish. This recipe is with Eggplant in mustard paste along with little bit of onion-garlic and tomato turns out super delicious with the pungent flavor of mustard oil.This recipe is very easy to prepare and it is served with plain rice often.

Salmon Niciose Salad

This year has been pretty challenging for everyone; but all our hope is not gone yet. We are thankful to be healthy and will get through these difficult times. Lets cheer to this holiday season!

Macher Mathar Charchari/ Dry Type Fish Head Curry

Fish head is never left out or get wasted in Bengali households. Not everyone in the family likes to savor fish head like fish pieces but some would always enjoy its finger licking deliciousness. I love fish head(not all types of fish head) since my childhood in Macher Jhol, Murighonto/Fish Head Curry, Mung Beans, Mixed vegetables and whatnot. It can be cooked very lusciously with aromatic spices or with just simple basic ingredients. 

Salad Nicoise

Salad Nicoise(niˈswaz), a French creation that looks like a fancy restaurant style salad is easy to prepare at home with seasonal vegetables and fish. I make this decadent salad all year round in different ways, vegan, fish-seafood and chicken versions. The classic Salad Nicoise from the city of Nice, France is not a tossed salad rather a composed salad consisting boiled potato, blanched haricots verts, tomato, capers, olives, boiled eggs, canned tuna on a bed of lettuce and dressed with extra virgin olive oil, red wine-lemon-Dijon vinaigrette. 

Stir Fried Smelt Fish/Smelt Macher Charchari

Macher Charchari is an absolute charred deliciousness to die for and it is made with seasonal vegetables along with generous amount of onion and garlic sometimes. Bengali cuisine has very unique names of cooking methods for vegtarian dish and non-vegetarian dish, such as jhal. jhol, kosha, ghonto, ghyat, bhaja, pora, labra and last but not least chorchori or charchari. Today's post is Charchari and it's a Bengali delicacy with dry type charred mixed vegetables dish or sometimes veggies mixed with small fish and fish head.