Ilish Macher Lejar Bhorta, a Mash made with Hilsa Fishtail, is a well-known dish in Bangladesh, particularly in Mawaghat where it is commonly served in roadside eateries.
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Cooking with leftovers - Ilish Macher Lyajar bhorta
After cleaning the fridge on Sunday, I discovered that I had 8 pieces of "Leja" Ilish Mach (Hilsa fishtail) at my disposal. This prompted me to think about what I could do with them, and I decided to make Mawa Ghater Ilish Macher Lejar Bhorta (Ilish Macher Bhorta), a dish that I had recently seen on YouTube.
Although I had found the videos interesting, I had not planned to make this dish anytime soon. However, sometimes unexpected things happen, and I am happy to report that this unplanned venture turned out to be a delicious addition to our Sunday lunch.
Debjani's note on Mawa Ghater Ilsh Macher Lyajar Bhotra
On a Sunday morning, I was ready to cook lunch after having two cups of coffee. My partner and roommate decided to continue sleeping while I planned a simple meal of Bhapa Ilish to go with the already prepared Rice, Daal, Aloo Posto, and Chutney. However, when I asked my house help to defrost the Ilish chunks, she informed me that we also had eight pieces of Fishtail available. I realized that I had only cooked the fish body in the past, leaving the head and tail unused. She questioned who would eat all the Fishtail pieces and if we should throw them away. I refused to waste such precious Ilish Mach and decided to make Mawa Ghater Ilish Macher Bhorta instead.
Mawa ghat, Bangladesh
Mawa Ghat is a ferry terminal located around 19-20 kilometers away from Dhaka, the capital city of Bangladesh. This ghat is one of the largest in the country and offers ferry services across the Padma River. The surrounding areas of Mawa Ghat are famous for their Bengali roadside food, particularly the Ilish Macher Lejar Bhorta or Ilish Macher Bhorta, which has become quite popular on YouTube.
Bangladeshi Bhorta
Bangladesh is renowned for its wide variety of bhortas or mashed dishes, and I am personally a fan of Bangladeshi cuisine, which is a rich aspect of Bengali cuisine in general. While I have not yet had the opportunity to visit Mawa Ghat, I have seen the recipe for Ilish Macher Lejar Bhorta on YouTube and I would love to visit the place just to try this dish.
Ingredients
You need very basic ingredients to make the Ilish Macher Bhorta. You can use other body portions of Ilish to make it as well, however, Lej is mostly used given we don't put Lej while cooking the Bhapa, Doi Ilish, or any other dish with Ilish Mach.
Process
Coming to the Mawa Ghater Ilish Macher Lejar Bhorta, a mash prepared with the tail of Hilsa, and believe me a completely different take on our favorite Ilish Mach. Even tastewise, it will surprise you for sure! By the way, the cooking process is tedious and it took me an hour of laborious and tedious "Mach Bacha" (separating the bone from the fish meat) to finally come up with the Bangladeshi delicacy, Mawa Ghater Ilish Macher Lejar Bhorta.
PrintRecipe Card
Mawa Ghater Ilish Macher Lejar Bhorta | Ilish Macher Bhorta
- Total Time: 1 hour 15 mins
- Yield: 3-4 People 1x
Description
A dish called Ilish Macher Lyajar Bhorta, which is a Mash made with Hilsa fish, is well-known in Bangladesh. However, it is particularly renowned in Mawaghat, where street-side restaurants serve it.
Ingredients
- 5 Ilish Macher Leja/ Tail of Hilsa Fish (try to use the tail from big fish to reduce the labor)
- 5 Onion
- 3 Green Chilli
- 4 Sprigs of Coriander Leave
- 1 Tbsp. Lemon Juice
- 5-10 Whole dry Red Chili (depending on how hot you want your Ilish Macher Lejar Bhorta)
- 1 Tbsp. Turmeric Powder
- 1 Tsp. Red Chilli Powder
- 1.5 Tsp. Salt or to Taste
- 4 Tbsp. Mustard Oil
Instructions
- Wash and clean Ilish Macher Lej or Fishtail.
- Rub Turmeric Powder, Red Chilli Powder:, and Salt to the chunks and leave for 15 minutes before frying.
- Heat 3 Tbsp. Oil in a pan and fry fish chunks till those turn crisp.
- Keep the oil remain in the pan as it is.
- Switch the flame off and wait till the fried fish cooled down completely.
- Now take the Fried Fishtail and with patience remove all the bones from it so that you are having the meat separated.
- Now thin slice the Onions.
- Dry Roast the Red Chillis till those start emitting a pungent aroma and switch the flame off.
- Once cooled down, make a coarse powder of the Roasted Red Chilli (refer to the picture for consistency).
- Take the sliced Onion on a plate and start mixing those with Roasted Red Chilli Powder and some Salt till the onion started releasing moisture.
- Add lemon juice and mix thoroughly.
- Now add the Fish paste and mix again.
- Finally, add chopped Green Chilli, Chopped Coriander leaves 1 Tbsp. of raw mustard Oil and the remaining oil from the pan and mix again to complete the Bhorta.
- Serve Ilish Macher Bhorta with steamed rice.
- Prep Time: 1 hour
- Cook Time: 15 mins
- Category: Fish
- Method: Cooking
- Cuisine: Bengali
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 100g
- Calories: 209
- Sugar: 4.4g
- Sodium: 817mg
- Fat: 11.7g
- Saturated Fat: 1.6g
- Carbohydrates: 11g
- Fiber: 3.2g
- Protein: 15.3g
- Cholesterol: 24mg
Bhorta Recipes
- Kalojire Bhorta (also known as Kalijira Bata) (with Video Recipe)
- Maach Makha (also known as Bengali Fish Salad | Maach-er Bhorta)
- Masoor Dal Bhorta
- Batabi Lebu Makha (also known as Jambura Bhorta | Pomelo Salad)
- Nona Ilish Bhorta (also known as Nona Ilish Bhuna)
- Shutki Chingri Bhorta | Dried Prawn Paste (also known as Chingri Shutki Bhorta)
Let's connect over the Ilish Macher Bhorta recipe
I would love to see a picture if you are making the prawns following my recipe. You can share here at dolonchttrj@gmail.com. You can use my hashtag #debjanirrannaghar and share it through Instagram as well. and in addition, you can tag me at @foodofdebjani. On Thread, I am available as foodofdebjani!
Ilish Macher Bhorta Recipe pin for you
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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