- 250 g (or 4 pcs) Ilish machh (hilsa fish, 3-cm-thick pieces)
- 40 g Mustard seeds (brown + yellow mixed, soaked for 2 hours)
- 8 pcs Green chillies
- 40 g Coconut (peeled)
- 25 g Yoghurt (beaten)
- 22 g Salt
- ¼ tsp Sugar
- ½ tsp Turmeric powder
- 20 g Mustard oil
- Soak mustard seeds in water for 2 hours.
- Clean the ilish machh and cut it in 3-cm thick slices. Ilish bhaape is best made with thick slices of fish. Fish without roe (eggs) is fattier and, therefore, ideal for this recipe. If your fish has eggs, remove them, as they may not cook fully when steamed. You can add them to your bhaja (fry) or jhol (curry).
- Drain the mustard seeds of the water they’ve been soaking in and add them to a grinder jar. Add 4 green chillies, roughly chopped, along with the salt and 100g water. Grinding green chillies with the mustard ensures that it doesn’t turn bitter.
- Grind these to a fine paste. Take your time with this process. Scrape down the sides of the jar and grind as many times as it takes to form the smoothest possible paste. The finer the grind, the better the flavours.
- Now, add the peeled and chopped coconut to the grinder jar. Grind once again until the coconut has broken down completely.
- Transfer this paste to a steel tiffin box. Add beaten yoghurt, sugar, turmeric, and mustard oil. Mix until the oil is fully incorporated.
- Now add the fish, one piece at a time, and coat it with the spices. Use your hands to make sure every part of the fish, including its cavities, is well coated.
- Slit four more green chillies and place them on the ilish pieces.
- Fasten the lid of your tiffin box (you could also seal the top with thick aluminium foil) and set the fish aside to marinate for 15 minutes.
- Heat up your pan and place a stand at the bottom. Pour hot water, making sure it doesn’t reach up to more than half the height of your tiffin box, or there’s a danger of water seeping in. Once the water has come to a boil, place the tiffin on the stand. Cover the pan and steam on medium heat for 15 minutes.
- Remove from the pan and allow it to rest for another 5 minutes before serving.
