Ilish Macher Lejar Bhorta, which is basically a mash made from the tail of Hilsa fish, is a really popular dish in Bangladesh. You'll find it a lot in Mawaghat, especially at those roadside food stalls. "Bhorta" just means mash, and to make this, they fry the Hilsa fish tail, get rid of the bones, and then mix it with some spices.
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Cooking with leftovers - Ilish Macher Lyajar bhorta
I was cleaning out my fridge last Sunday and found I had eight pieces of Hilsa fish tail, or "Leja," just sitting there. It got me thinking about what to do with them, and I remembered seeing a recipe for Mawa Ghater Ilish Macher Lejar Bhorta (or just Ilish Macher Bhorta) on YouTube recently. I'd thought it looked interesting, but hadn't really planned on making it anytime soon. But you know how life is, sometimes unexpected things happen, and I'm really glad this spur-of-the-moment idea turned out to be such a tasty part of our Sunday lunch.
Debjani's note on Mawa Ghater Ilsh Macher Lyajar Bhotra
That Sunday morning, after I'd had a couple of coffees, I was all set to get lunch going. My husband, who was still snoozing, had no idea what was about to happen. I was originally just planning a simple Doi Ilish to go with the rice, Biulir daal, aloo posto, and Amrar Chutney. But when I asked our house-help Jamuna didi to take out the Hilsa fish chunks to defrost, she mentioned we also had these eight pieces of fish tail. It hit me that I'd only ever cooked the body of the fish before, leaving the heads and tails untouched. She asked if we were really going to eat all those tails and if we should just toss them. No way was I going to let such good Hilsa fish go to waste, so I decided right then and there to make Mawa Ghater Ilish Macher Bhorta.
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 taste-wise, 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.
Recipe Card
Mawa Ghater Ilish Macher Lejar Bhorta | Ilish Macher Bhorta
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 a big fish to reduce the labor
- 5 Onion
- 3 Green Chilli
- 4 Sprigs of Coriander Leave
- 1 tablespoon Lemon Juice
- 5-10 Whole dry Red Chili Depending on how hot you want your Ilish Macher Lejar Bhorta
- 1 tablespoon Turmeric Powder
- 1 teaspoon Red Chilli Powder
- 1.5 teaspoon Salt or to Taste
- 4 tablespoon Mustard Oil
Instructions
- Wash and clean Ilish Macher Lej or Fishtail.
- Rub Turmeric Powder, Red Chilli Powder, and Salt into the chunks and leave for 15 minutes before frying.
- Heat 3 Tbsp. Oil in a pan and fry fish chunks till they turn crisp.
- Keep the oil in the pan as it is.
- Switch the flame off and wait till the fried fish cools down completely.
- Now take the Fried Fishtail and, with patience, remove all the bones from it so that you have the flesh separated.
- Now thin slice the Onions.
- Dry roast the Red Chillis till they 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 it with Roasted Red Chilli Powder and some Salt till the onion starts 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 tablespoon 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.
Nutrition
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 [email protected]. 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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