Fragrant and delicious Ilish Pulao is a signature Bengali-style Pilaf cooked with Hilsa Fish.
Jump to:
- My obsession with Ilish Mach!
- What and what not we can cook with Ilish maach?
- Ilish Pulao, the recipe!
- Here's how I cook Ilish Pulao at Debjanir Rannaghar!
- Recipe Card
- Pulao/ Biryani/ Rice-based Recipes from Debjanir Rannaghar
- Hilsa Fish Recipes
- Have you tried the Ilish Pulao recipe from Debjanir Rannaghar!
- Here's the Hilsa Pulao Pin for your Pinterest Board!
I finally entered the kitchen last week after recovering from the slipped disk (actually after a month!) and was in the mood to cook something special. As always I was in a dilemma about what should I opt for! However, after checking the stock I decided to pick a packet full of Hilsa fish chunks which I ordered the day before. It has to be something special; something vibrant; something very close to my heart. I then ended up cooking the Ilish Pulao. It is easy to make and a perfect one-pot meal and hence perfect to break my cooking fast.
My obsession with Ilish Mach!
It's nearly impossible to describe the special connection between Bengalis and Ilish! For Indian families with roots in Bangladesh - Bangal, Ilish is especially treasured. But the Ghoti clan- who are originally from India also adore this somewhat expensive and picky fish. Ilish, or Hilsa, is even the national fish of Bangladesh. And in India, the entire Bengali community considers the Hilsa fish a star among all other fish.
What and what not we can cook with Ilish maach?
We Bong's can have Ilish in the thinkable (sometimes unthinkable) form! Though mostly we have it as a side dish complemented with steamed rice but a mixed version i.e. Ilish Pulao is quite popular and super tasty! I have had Ilish Biriyani also which is something like "Kolkata Biriyani "and completely different from the Ilish Pulao. "Ilish Pulao" is quite popular in Bangladesh. It is a traditional delicacy there. In fact, traditionally people don't like to add added flavor or color, etc while making Hilsa pulao. There are, though people who prefer pulao spice-loaded.
I personally love the traditional process of preparing "Ilish Pulao" with the supremacy of this elitist fish!
Ilish Pulao, the recipe!
I have been following this recipe of Ilish Pulao and am completely satisfied with this. The Key is the quality of the Ilish used in the recipe. I never use Ilish mach aka Hilsa fish below 1kg while cooking Ilish Pulao or any other dish. This is a strict no-no at home.
In addition, good quality rice is needed to make this dish. I prefer to use flavored short-grain rice such as Gobindo bhog rice or Tulaipanji rice or else Chinigura rice if available. Apart from that, I use very few spices. Needless to say, Ilish is enough to boost the flavors.
Here's how I cook Ilish Pulao at Debjanir Rannaghar!
Recipe Card
Ilish Pulao | Bengali Hilsa Pulao Recipe
Ilish Pulao is a signature Bengali delicacy where hilsa fish is cooked with rice to the level of perfection
Ingredients
- 6 Pieces Ilish Mach / Hilsa Fish around 600 g or more and preferably bit big sized pieces
- 500 g Short grain flavored rice/ Basmati Rice best cooked with Gobindo bhog rice or Chinigura Rice
- 7 Onion; 3 for paste medium-sized and 4 for crisps
- 2 inches Ginger
- 10 cloves Garlic
- 10 Green Chili based on your taste bud
- 2 Dry Red Chili
- 2 Bay Leaves
- 4 Green Cardamom
- 1 Black Cardamom
- 2 Cinnamon Stick
- 10 Clove
- 2 teaspoon Turmeric Powder
- 1 teaspoon Kashmiri Chili Powder
- 75 g Plain Curd
- 1.5 teaspoon Salt or to taste
- 4 tablespoon Mustard Oil For deep frying onion as well
- 2 tablespoon Ghee / Clarified butter
- 20 g Cashew nut
Instructions
Perfect Ilish Pulao Recipe
- Slice two onions and deep fry those.
- Strain from the pan.
- Use 4 tbsp. oil from the oil used for frying onion to cook the pulao.
Making of Hilsa Gravy:
- Wash Pieces of Hilsa fish properly and rub them with 1 Tsp. turmeric powder and 1 Tsp. salt and keep them aside.
- Fry Fish chunks lightly or use raw fish as it is to make the gravy based on your preference.
- Make a paste of 3 onions, ginger, and garlic separately.
- Hit oil in a pan/wok and add onion paste and fry for 3-4 minutes or till you get a golden brown color add ginger and garlic paste and again cook for 3-4 minutes on medium flame.
- Add Salt and Kashmiri Red Chilli powder as well.
- Now beat the card and pour it into the pan and cook till oil comes out from the mixture.
- Now it's time to add Ilish Mach.
- Add fish pieces with care and cover the pan with a lid and cook for 5-7 minutes on low flame.
- Open the lid and turn fishes very carefully as we need to have them intact! At this point, you can add 1-2 tbsp. of water if you feel the gravy is drying too much and cook for another 5-7 minutes in low flame. We need not too runny but a thick and rich gravy for Pulao so add water accordingly ( ½ cup is more than enough).
Making of the Rice:
- Take Rice in a bowl and wash it 3-4 times and keep that rice covered with water for 30-40 minutes after that drain all the water.
- Take a Deep bottom pan (preferably a non-stick one) with a lid for preparing the rice.
- Now Take the double amount of water from the rice and pour that into the thick pan and bring the water to a boil.
- Add a few chunks of whole cardamom, bay leaf, clove, and cinnamon to the boiling water.
- Now add rice and mix the rice properly and add salt to the rice.
- Cover the rice with the lid and cook it for around 10 minutes on medium flame or till the rice is 90 % done. You need to check the water in between as there is no need for much water in the rice at the time of assembling the rice and the fish.
- Off the flame and open the lid of the pan and give 5 minutes stand to on the rice.
- Take Ghee in the Pan and heat the ghee and temper it with remaining bay leaves, dry red chili, cinnamon sticks, and cardamoms, and mix this mixture lightly with the cooked rice.
Assembling the Rice and Fish:
- Take half of the rice on a plate and place Hilsa pieces very carefully on top of the rice that you have in the pan after that spread the Hilsa gravy over the fish and rice mixture.
- Pour some Beresta" and half of the slitted green chilies.
- Now Put the remaining rice that's separated on a plate over the fish and put the remaining Beresta and slitted green Chilies.
- Cover the pan with the lid and cook on low flame for 5-7 minutes and switched off the flame.
- Open the lid after 5 minutes and give the Ilish Pulao another 5 minutes of standing time.
- Be careful while serving the Pulao as Ilish is a delicate darling!
Nutrition
Pulao/ Biryani/ Rice-based Recipes from Debjanir Rannaghar
- Bhat Bhaja (also known as Bengali Bhaja Bhat)
- Bou Khuda (also known as Boua Pulao or Bou Khudi)
- Bengali Niramish Khichuri (also known as Bhoger Khichuri aka Bengali Khichuri)
- Awadhi Vegetable Tehri (Also known as Veg Tehri)
- Murgi Khichuri (also known as Murgir Mangshor Khichuri
- Dhakai Morog Pulao (also known as Sahi Morog Pulao)
- Kolkata Mutton Biryani (also known as Calcutta Biryani)
- Birista Pulao (Also known as Piyaz Beresta Pulao)
- Masoor Daler Patla Khichuri (also known as Bengali Masoor Dal khichuri)
- Khejur Gurer Payesh (also known as Bengali Rice Kheer with Date Palm Jaggery)
- Niramish Bhuni Khichuri (also known as Bengali Bhuni Khichuri)
- Muri Ghonto (Also known as Bengali Fish Head and Rice Mishmash)
- Kolkata Mutton Biryani (Also known as Calcutta Biryani)
- Chaler Payesh (Also known as Bengali Rice Kheer)
- Crab Biryani (Also known as Crab Dum Biryani or Nandu Biryani)
- Masoor Daler Patla Khichuri (Also known as Bengali Red Lentil Khichdi)
- Ghee Bhat (Also known as Bengali Sweet Pulao)
- Peas Pulao (Also known as Matar Pulao)
- Bangladeshi Mutton Tehari (Also known as Gosht Tehari)
Hilsa Fish Recipes
Have you tried the Ilish Pulao recipe from Debjanir Rannaghar!
Do let me know how it came out. Also, I would love to see a picture of the same which you can share here at [email protected]. Meanwhile, on Instagram, you can use my hashtag #debjanirrannaghar and in addition, you can tag me at @foodofdebjani.
Here's the Hilsa Pulao Pin for your Pinterest Board!
About Debjani Chatterjee Alam
I am Debjani Chatterjee Alam. A CSR specialist by profession and a food writer, food blogger, and food photographer as well. I live in Kolkata along with my Husband Mehebub who is an architect by profession, my daughter Pasta, and also my dog daughters Coffee and Luchi.
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