Doi Ilish or Hilsa Fish cooked with Curd

Ilish a.k.a Hilsa possesses a special place in Bengali’s palate and that is irrespective of the Bangal Ghati divide! Though the taste is no doubt the reason but another aspect is the easy making process I suppose.This is surprisingly true that for many preparations it is not even required to fry Hilsa. A little steaming would do the wonder and Ilish Macher Shorshe Bata diye Jhal, Bhapa Ilish ( Steamed Hilsa) and Doi Ilish are commonest examples of Ilish preparations which require no frying. I think Ilish can be considered as part of Bachelor Cooking. if a person has an appetite for fishes but prefers fuss-free cooking, Ilish I think is the ideal choice for him/ her.

Coming to Doi Ilish, it is a signature Bengali delicacy. Fish chunks steamed with Doi or Curd is one of the popular fish preparations in Bengal. We mostly opt for Ilish Mach or Rui/ Katla (Rehu) for making this. I have already given the recipe of Rehu Fish Chunks cooked in Curd known as Doi Maach here. I love to cook Doi Maach (or Ilish) whenever I am out of time but need to have a light fish curry. Doi Ilish is the Hilsa version of the same dish and probably more popular than Doi Maach.

Given Ilish is now available in abundant in Kolkata and I prefer to store Ilish in my fridge and Doi Ilish is one of the dishes I prefer to make especially whenever I have a craving for a special fish curry along with some Steamed hot rice that involves hassle-free cooking. Making Hilsa involves a Big ME nowadays given I don’t prefer to give Ilish to the little one and Mehebub is not here in Kolkata with us as he has opted for a foreign assignment.

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Doi Ilish

Author: Debjani Chatterjee

Recipe type: Fish

Cuisine: Bengali

Prep time: 10 mins

Cook time: 30 mins

Total time: 40 mins

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The quintessential Fish curry from Bengal, Doi Ilish; the Hilsa fish curry prepared with Curd

Ingredients

Hilsa Fish (Ilish Mach): 4-5 Pieces (100g each)
Green Chili: 5-6
Plain Curd: 200g
Mustard Oil: 2 Tbsp.
Sugar: 1 Tbsp.
Turmeric Powder: 1 Tsp.
Salt: to taste

Instructions

Wash Fish chunks thoroughly and rub half of the Turmeric Powder and ½ Tsp. of Salt and leave fish chunks for 10 minutes.
In a big bowl take Plain Curd and using a spoon beat the curd until smooth.
Add Mustard Oil, Salt, Sugar and rest of the Turmeric Powder to the Curd and mix vigorously.
Add slit Green Chilies to the Curd mixture.
Now place Hilsa Chunks in the curd mixture and coat from both sides.
Cover the bowl with a lid and leave it for 30 minutes with the curd marinade.
You can use a wok to prepare the Doi Ilish or can use a microwave oven to make it. Both the processes mentioned below:
Using Wok or Pan: Take a deep bottom Pan or Wok and pour Fish chunks along with the marinade in the pan and add around 2 Cup of water to the mixture. Cover the pan with a lid and cook on medium flame for around 15 minutes. Flip fish pieces in halfway and cook till you get desired consistency of the gravy.
Using Microwave: Take a Microwave safe deep bowl and pour Fish chunks along with the marinade in the pan and add around 2 Cup of water to the mixture and Cook in High Temperature for 5 minutes and then in 40% temperature for around 15 minutes.