Shorshe Ilish

Shorshe Ilish Recipe | Hilsa Mustard Gravy

The recipe I am sharing today is known as the gem of Bengali cuisine and it is very popular all over the country. The name of the dish itself gives an essence of mouthwatering feels to the taste-buds. Yes, it has the power to pull the fish lovers from a very long distance and create a magical moment in every meal we have it. This recipe is pride of Bengal, our very own traditional recipe with a royal name ‘Shorshe Ilish’. Hilsa fish is considered as one of the tastiest fish due to its distinctly soft oily texture, mouthwatering flavor and superb mouthfeel taste. It is popularly known as ‘Maacher Raja’ in Bengal which means ‘King of Fish’.

Shorshe Ilish or maybe better also called as Hilsa Mustard Gravy is a traditional Bengali dish, is absolutely a worth try recipe for every chef or home cook who loves fish. Or even if they don’t love fish, they will probably fall in love with ilish maach (=Hilsa Fish) once they have it. Nothing is more blissful than a plate of hot steamed rice with pieces of Hilsa with mustard gravy to accompany with the scrumptious meal. The flavor of mustard and the taste of Hilsa is just made for each other. What else have you done in your life being a Bengali, if you hadn’t savoured Ilish Maach in the rainy season. If you ever ask a Bengali what holds their heart over sweets, they would unanimously choose Ilish without missing a bit. Whether you’re the spicy loving bangal or sweet loving ghoti, a Bengali will always celebrate the idea of having hilsa.

Fish is considered to be very auspicious in Bengali occasions as they bring positivity, good luck and charm into the house, every ceremonies and festivals held- fish is compulsorily prepared for the main course. Ilish Maach is absolutely a quintessential food for a Bengali, it is often bought on an auspicious occasion in my family to celebrate the meal very grandly because the addition of Ilish Maach in the menu itself makes it purely inevitable and romanticizing. Shorshe Ilish has the melting texture of Hilsa and the delicious aroma of mustard paste in the gravy gives the recipe absolutely a royal touch. Every Bengali’s love is Ilish Maach and no family in Bengal ever misses out to prepare Hilsa atleast once in a year, especially in the rainy season because Hilsa Fish are widely available in the markets during monsoon. The price are a bit higher as compared to other fishes throught out the year, however there’s a dip in the price by the end of monsoon, i.e, towards August-September end.

Hilsa Fish is rich with many health benefits, like every other fish, it has omega 3 fatty acids and other essential fatty acids which are good for health. It also helps lower the cholesterol level and develops immunity. It is also believed since the good old times from our ancestors that feeding steamed hilsa fish to a person who is suffering from fever, cold and cough or other normal sickness could help regain a good health. This has happened to me once when I were a nine year old kid, I had a severe asthma attack, I was recommended to avoid oily and spicy food, I would survive on medicine and injections four times a day for a week. Every food that I had felt tasteless and plain food wasn’t helping my sick taste-bud. Hence, Bhapa Ilish Maach ie, Steamed Hilsa Fish with mustard paste came to my rescue, prepared without spices and oil. The strong pungent smell of mustard seeds with the tasty hilsa fish and piping hot steamed rice was pleasantly blissful.

Shorshe Ilish starts off with tempering of some mustard oil with fiery green or red chillies, fenugreek seeds and then goes in the paste of black and golden mustard and then the star lightly fried Hilsa. In this recipe, I haven't fried the fish, instead I've made it a one-pot recipe to retain the delicious flavor of the dish. Head on to the full recipe with step-wise pictures and instructions given below:

Shorshe Ilish Recipe | Hilsa Mustard Gravy Recipe

[Non-Veg]         

Author: Paromita.P

Prep Time: 5-10 minutes                                                           

Cooking Time: 20 minutes

Total Time: 30 minutes (approx)

Course: Main

Cuisine: Bengali/Indian

Ingredients:

1. Hilsa Fish- 500 grams
2. Turmeric powder- 2 tsp
3. Red Mirchi powder- 2 tsp
4. Salt to taste
5. Tomato- 4
6. Green chili- 6
7. Onion- 2 large sized
8. Mustard seeds (both black and white)- 1 cup (approx. 100 gm)
9. Cumin powder- 1 tsp
10. Mustard oil- 1 cup

Tips: I’ve used a pressure cooker for this recipe, because cooking Hilsa fish in a pressure cooker restores the flavor of fish and binds together with the strong aroma of mustard paste. However it can also be prepared in a coking wok or non-stick kadhai, cooking time may accordingly vary.

 

Method:

How to prepare ‘Shorshe Ilish’ with step by step pictures and instructions-

1. Wash the fish pieces thoroughly with normal water.
2. Marinade with turmeric powder and salt for 15-30 minutes.
3. Heat a pressure cooker, add mustard oil, sliced onion, slit green chili and chopped tomatoes.
4. Add salt and saute for 5 minutes until onion turn golden brown.
5. Meanwhile, blend pre-soaked mustard seeds to a fine paste. (mustard seeds soaked in room temperature water for at least 30 minutes)
6. Once oil start leaving, add turmeric and mirchi powder. Saute two minutes.
7. Now add cumin powder just before adding mustard paste.
8. Add on the fine mustard paste and stir for two minutes.
9. Now add the marinated fish pieces and stir very gently. Coat the masalas and mustard paste properly.
10. Now pour in a cup of water (water level just about covering above the fish and masalas)
11. Pressure cook with 3-4 whistles and its done as shown in the picture.

Shorshe Ilish is one such quintessential humble dish which is very close to every Bengali’s heart and soul, it is perhaps the ultimate goal of a Bong’s life in the monsoon. Ilish Maach is the love of my life and I can’t wait to have the next batch of Hilsa before this monsoon is over, the only thing that distracts me is ‘Ilish Maacher Kaanta’ (fish bone or fish thorn) there are too many thin bone in Hilsa, but overall I simply love the dish. The variations of having fish are many, you can simply fry it in mustard oil and have it with plain rice ladened with a large spoonful of oil in which the fish was fried. That’s all I needed for a thoroughly enjoyable weekend meal. Like it’s always said, “Ilish is not just a fish to a Bong, it’s an emotion to us” Prepare this authentic dish in a most simple method and tell me how you liked it. Till then enjoy cooking, serving and eating!!

Paromita Pramanick ©2020. All Rights Reserved.

Potato Fritters

Potato Fritters

Here comes the monsoon and the best season to indulge upon some best fried bajjis at home accompanied with hot tea. Monsoon is just incomplete without pakoras (deeply fried veggies coated with batter), among the most famous and most commonly prepared are the potato and onion fritters. Hence, today I will share the very popular ‘Potato Fritters’ which is also known as ‘Aloo Pakora’ or ‘Aloo Bajji’ in Hindi. I love these fritters when they are hot, deeply fried, crunchy from outside and soft from inside, it brings a sense of relaxed mood especially when it rains.

 

‘Aloo Pakora’ or ‘Aloo Bajji’ is my favourite and is also one of the best Indian snack had almost in every seasons. We usually prepare it in the evenings to have it best along side a hot cup of tea. I make these Potato Fritters for a quick tea time snack to have it with puffed rice which is better known as ‘Moori’ in Bengali or ‘Murmura’ in South Indian language. A simple vegetable can taste into a legitimately yummy thing to satisfy our cravings. These Aloo Pakora’ is absolutely a perfect way to treat some unnoticed guests at a short time, because I normally prepare them to please my guests without much to do.

 

Head on to the full recipe with step by step instructions and pictures given below. The recipe shared here is a very quick and easy procedure which includes minimal ingredients and without much of the spices being used for the recipe, I just love this simple version of the Potato Fritters and how it turns out to be so satisfying and tasty to meet our hunger pangs. Check out for the recipe below:

 

Potato Fritters Recipe | Aloo Pakora | Aloo Bajji

[Veg]                 

Author: Paromita.P

Prep Time: 5 minutes                                                               

Cooking Time: 10 minutes

Total Time: 15 minutes (approx)

Course: Snacks

Cuisine: Indian

Yields: 20 fritters

Ingredients:

1. Potato- 2
2. Turmeric powder- 1 tsp
3. Salt- as per taste
4. Gram Flour (Besan) - 1 cup
5. Oil for frying
6. Black Salt (optional)
7. Coriander leaves (optional)

Method:

How to prepare ‘Potato Fritters’ with step by step pictures and instructions-

1. Chop the potato into thin slices.
   
2. Apply half tsp turmeric powder, salt and keep it marinated for 5 minutes.
   
3. Take a mixing bowl, put gram flour, salt, and half tsp turmeric powder, Mix well adjusting water to the batter consistency.
   
4. Now put the potato slices into the batter and mix well.
   
5. Heat a frying pan with oil, slide in the potato slices.
   
6. Pick one by one potato slice dipped into the batter and fry in similar manner.
   
7. Fry them on both the sides keeping the flame on a medium.
   
8. Remove the fried potato fritters from the pan and serve hot with tea.
   

Tips: you can also sprinkle chaat masala or a pinch of black salt with coriander leaves for garnishing.

Perfectly fried Aloo Pakoras are ready in just fifteen minutes. Enjoy these yummy fritters with tea or chutney or tomato ketchup to accompany with and spend the lovely rainy season with your beloved ones. Ever since monsoon has knocked the door, we Indians don’t wanna miss out on any kind of Pakora recipes. So try these super simple, crispy and yummy Potato Fritters in this weekend and tell me how you liked it. Till then enjoy cooking, serving and eating!!

Paromita Pramanick ©2020. All Rights Reserved.

Bengali Style Gajar Halwa

Gajar Ka Halwa in Bengali Style

Today I will share a recipe which do not need any introduction, because it is one of the most authentic and traditionally followed recipe, which is prepared in every Indian household in special occasions such as Diwali, Rakshabanadhan, Dussehra, Teej and overall the grand festivals in India. I am talking about ‘Gajar Ka Halwa’ a special sweet delight for every occasion. With just two more days to the special occasion of Rakshabandhan, here I present to you a super tasty and healthy recipe of Gajar Ka Halwa, as it is a special sweet delight and a dessert very close to my heart and also loved by my brother.

Hence, this year I prepared this easy and tasty recipe of Gajar Ka Halwa, which is also known as ‘Carrot Halwa’ made with minimal ingredients available at home as the current situation of the global lockdown has hit hard to supply and demands. We wait for this day to one of the most respected and awaited festivals of India  Raksha Bandhan, a special day for the siblings and a day to treat the brothers with their favourite dishes. Gajar Ka Halwa is very popular recipe for the festive season. We also prepare other sweet desserts and other main dishes during this time. The festive vibes bring positivity and smile in everyone’s face along with beautiful, colorful Rakhis and traditional sweets everything becomes so much joyous.

Rakshabandhan is a special day for all the brothers and sisters, as they share a special bond of love and togetherness. We are four brother and sisters, every year we used to celebrate this festival with great joy and happiness. However, with time, our preferences and values changed over the years. This day of the year gets quite difficult for me and my siblings as we have been shuffling off wih time and places, and not been together sometimes over the past seven years now. And this year too, we sisters aren’t together to tie Rakhi to our one and only brother. Even then, we celebrate the day virtually by calling up several times a day and with advanced technology it has become so easy to bring us all together when we are staying far away.

Every year we sisters used to go shopping till late nights to buy Rakhi for our little brother, who is now a grown up boy:) The markets get so vibrantly bright with colorful dazzling rakhis all around. After we buy and get back home, we used to hide the rakhis so that it doesn’t come to the sight of our brother until the next morning, when we get fresh and wear traditional clothes to tie rakhi in his hand. Well that brings a lot of memory now, which is somewhere fading away with time, although our bond is so strong that we love and could do anything for each other. Coming to the recipe of the dessert I prepared is because ‘Gajar Ka Halwa’ is one such dessert loved by everyone in my family and that is why I find different reasons to prepare this traditional delight with a little twist and turn.

Gajar Ka Halwa is a carrot based sweet delight made mainly using carrots, milk, ghee, sugar and lot of dry fruits. This traditional Indian dessert is very popular and mainly prepared during the festive season and most importantly in the winter season as well. This Gajorer Halowa recipe is prepared keeping the health factor in mind, as I have used low calorie ingredients and the rest of it such as ghee and sugar in sufficient amounts. Therefore, this dessert is not only healthy, but very much delicious. Head on to the full recipe with step-wise instructions and pictures, with a quick recipe video given below:

Carrot Halwa Recipe | Gajar Ka Halwa | Gajorer Halowa in Bengali Style

[Veg]

Author: Paromita.P

Prep Time: 5-10 minutes                                                           

Cooking Time: 20 minutes

Total Time: 40 minutes (approx)

Course: Dessert

Cuisine: Indian

Ingredients:

1. Dry Fruits – half cup each
2. Bay leaf- 2
3. Elaichi (cardamom)- 4
4. Ghee (clarified butter)- 2 tbsp
5. Oil – 2 tbsp (optional)
6. Carrot- 4
7. Milk- 1.5 litre
8. Sugar – 2 cups (as per taste)

Tips:You can skip using bay leaf in order to prepare the basic Gajar ka Halwa.

Method:

How to prepare ‘Bengali Style Gajar Halwa’ with step by step pictures and instructions-

1. Peel and grate the carrots into fine slices.
   
2. This is how the grated carrot would look like.
   
3. Roughly chop the almonds and keep aside.
   
4. Heat a cooking wok, add 1 tbsp ghee and oil into it.
   
5. Slightly fry the dry fruits in low flame.
   
6. Dry fruits are fried till golden brown as shown in the pic. Keep them aside.
   
7. In the same wok, add 1 tbsp ghee, bay leaf and grated carrot.
   
8. Now pour in the milk, mix well and bring to a boil. Cover and cook for 10 minutes.
   
9. Once carrots are cooked add sugar and mix well. (add sugar depending upon the sweetness preferred)
   
10. Add half a cup of milk at this point, simmer in milk with cardamom until milk is evaporated.
    
11. Lastly add the fried dry fruits and stir continuously until liquid texture evaporates completely.
    
12. End product would appear to look as shown in the pic. Carrot retains its original colour.
    

Carrot Halwa Recipe Video

We Indians simply love different varieties of delicious foods and we strive hard to prepare every kind of delicacies during every festivals to make the occasion more joyous and enjoyable. Prepare this mouthwatering ‘Bengali Style Gajar Halwa’ in this upcoming festivals and tell me how you liked it. Hope this festive season brings us good health and lot of happiness. Stay Happy and Blessed. Enjoy cooking, serving and eating!!

Paromita Pramanick ©2020. All Rights Reserved.

Chia Seeds Lemonade

Chia Seeds Lemonade

A refreshing lemonade and a healthy drink with chia seeds is a perfect balance in your diet during the summer season. Chia seeds have many benefits and very good for digestion, it is loaded with anti-oxidants, consists of omega 3 and full of fiber, potassium, minerals and calcium. On this blog post today, I will be sharing a very quick and easy Lemonade drink with chia seeds and for this you would just need four key ingredients. This refreshing ‘Chia Seeds Lemonade’ is absolutely a best way to beat the heat in a healthy way.

Chia seeds are a treasure of goodness with many benefits, the tiny seeds are organic, vegan and gluten free. These dry seeds are easy to store in room temperature. It takes just about 10-15 minutes to swell in or plump up on the surface of water. Slightly slimy, forming a gel like, non-sticky, it floats on the upper level of the glass, however, easily dissolves in juice or any summer drinks. It can be eaten raw, swallowed without any inconvenience and leaves a crunchy texture when chewed. ChiaSeeds can be used in smoothies, baking, beverages or pudding etc. and can be the best substitute for any healthy foods, especially for the vegetarians.

Chia Seeds

Chia Seeds Lemonade takes about five minutes to prepare, you can either soak the chia seeds before an hour or anywhere between 10-15 minutes prior to making the drink. This quick and easy healthy beverage is make using chia seeds, sugar, salt and lemon as the main ingredients in it. You can even skip the sugar and use honey or sugarfree solvents to keep it more healthier. Chia Seeds Lemonade is very good to keep the body hydrated in the hot summers and there will be no harm in drinking this powerful and healthy beverage even twice a day.

It is a good idea to include chia seeds in your daily diet, wherein you can always opt in for a very small amount of the seeds to consume in the beginning if you aren’t used to it and then slowly when you get habitual of its intake, it will be incredibly good to have it regularly either as a food or a drink, in the mornings or in the evenings. This Chia Seeds Lemonade can be a great option for a healthy diet with lemons which contains a lot of health factors and with the added bonus of chia seeds.

Chia Seeds Lemonade🍋🍋

[Veg]                 

Author: Paromita.P

Prep Time: 5-10 minutes                                                           

Cooking Time: 0 minutes

Total Time: 10 minutes (approx)

Course: Drinks

Cuisine: Indian/ fusion

Yields: Two glass

Ingredients:

1. Chia seeds- 1 tbsp
2. Sugar- 1 tbsp
3. Lemon- 2
4. Salt- to taste (1 tsp)
5. Ice cubes- 4 to 5 cubes
6. Drinking water- 2 glass

Tips: You can even skip sugar and use honey or sugar-free solvents to keep the drink much more healthier.

Method:

How to prepare ‘Chia Seeds Lemonade’ with step by step pictures and instructions-

1. Soak chia seeds for atleast half an hour before making the drink.
   
2. Take a glass of normal drinking water, add sugar and stir it well.
   
3. Cut lemons into slightly thin slices.
   
4. Now add salt and dissolve in the water.
   
5. Pour 2 tbsp of the fresh squeezed lemon juice and mix well.
   
6. Add chia seeds and mix well.
   
   
   
7. Finally add a few ice cubes. (or you can skip, add cold water directly while making the drink)
   

Chia Seeds Lemonade healthy refreshing drink is easy to make within five minutes. You would love the delicious drink for that little bit of extra chew of chia seeds with every sips you take. Chia seeds  are basically organic plant based foods, which contains dietary fibre, protein, omega-3 and antioxidants. Chia Seeds are highly nutritious, act as a coolant, good in reducing the summer heat. It also helps to reverse dehydration, high cholesterol and heart disease. Easy drinks, great taste and nutritious, prepare this Chia Seeds Lemonade and tell me how you liked it. Till then enjoy cooking, serving and eating!!

Chia Seeds (when Dry)

Chia Seeds (after soaking in water)

Paromita Pramanick ©2020. All Rights Reserved.