Bengali cuisine
Shorshe Ilish
Hilsa fish slow-cooked in a pungent mustard-poppy seed gravy — the crown jewel of Bengali cuisine. Cold-press mustard oil is non-negotiable here.
Why cold press mustard oil?
The sharp, pungent bite of cold-press mustard oil is the soul of this dish. Refined oil produces a flat, lifeless gravy. The raw oil finish at the end is what makes it authentic.
Ingredients
- 500g Hilsa (Ilish) fish, cut into steaks
- 3 tbsp Dune Aura Cold-Press Mustard Oil
- 2 tbsp black mustard seeds, ground to paste
- 1 tbsp white poppy seeds (posto), ground
- 2 green chillies, slit
- ½ tsp turmeric
- ½ tsp nigella seeds (kalonji)
- Salt to taste
Step-by-step method
- 1
Marinate fish with turmeric, salt and 1 tbsp mustard oil for 15 minutes.
- 2
Mix mustard paste, poppy paste, turmeric and salt with ½ cup water into a smooth gravy.
- 3
Heat 2 tbsp mustard oil in a kadai until it just begins to smoke — this removes the raw edge.
- 4
Add nigella seeds and green chillies. Let them splutter.
- 5
Pour in the mustard-poppy gravy. Simmer 3 minutes.
- 6
Gently slide in the fish steaks. Cover and cook on low heat 8–10 minutes.
- 7
Finish with a drizzle of raw cold-press mustard oil. Serve with steamed rice.
Pro tip
Never stir the fish — it breaks. Swirl the pan gently instead.
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