Sorshe Ilish (Bangal Hilsa in Mustard Gravy)
The defining Bangal (East-Bengali) signature — fresh hilsa simmered in a sharp paste of black + yellow mustard seeds and green chilli, finished with raw mustard oil. Eaten with hot steamed rice; the dish that tells a Bengali household where they came from.
Ingredients
- Mustard Oil — 80 g
- Mustard Seeds (Black) — 15 g
- Turmeric — 5 g
- Kalonji (optional) — 2 g
- Shorshe / Black mustard paste (optional) — 25 g
- green chillies — 30 g (slit-lengthwise)
- salt — 8 g
- Hilsa Fish — 500 g (cleaned-cut-into-darnes)
Method
- Soak 15 g black + 10 g yellow mustard seeds in 100 ml water with 2 slit green chillies for 20 min. Grind to a smooth paste — DO NOT over-grind or it turns bitter.
- Marinate 500 g cleaned hilsa darnes with 3 g turmeric and 4 g salt for 15 min.
- Heat 50 g mustard oil in a heavy pan till smoking; cool slightly. Lightly fry the hilsa pieces — 30 seconds each side, just to firm up. Remove.
- In the same oil, splutter nigella seeds. Add the mustard paste with 200 ml water, remaining turmeric, salt and 2 more green chillies. Bring to a gentle simmer.
- Slide in the hilsa pieces. Cover and cook 6-8 min on LOW — never boil hard, mustard paste turns bitter on rapid boil.
- Switch off. Drizzle 30 g raw mustard oil on top — the unmistakable Bangal pungent finish. Rest covered 5 min. Serve with hot rice.
Common questions
- How many calories in one plate of Sorshe Ilish (Bangal Hilsa in Mustard Gravy)?
- 552 kcal per plate.
- How much cooking time?
- 38 min — 20 min prep, 18 min cooking.