Illish Macher(Hilsa Fish) Paturi

Ingredients:

4 pieces Hilsa steaks

2 ½ tbsp Mustard paste

5-6Green chilies; depending on how hot you want it to be

2-3 tbsp Mustard oil

Salt to taste

¼ tsp Turmeric

4 pieces of a Banana leaf

Cotton thread

Procedure:

Crush 2-3 green chilies in a mortar and pestle or grind them together with the mustard seeds. In a wide plate take the mustard paste, salt, turmeric and some chopped chilies. Keep aside 1 tsp mustard oil for roasting the fish and mix the rest in this. Check the taste. Add the Hilsa steaks in this spice mixture and rub to coat them thoroughly. Cover and keep aside for minimum 20-30 minutes.

In the mean time cut 4 big pieces from the banana leaf. Lightly roast it on open flame to make it soft and foldable.

Grease the leaves with few drops of oil and place one fish steak on each. Divide the spice to coat both sides of the fish properly. Pour little more mustard oil on top and place one slit green chilly.

Wrap it and secure with the cotton thread.

Heat a tawa or pan with little mustard oil and place the fish parcels on it. Cook on low heat till all the sides of the parcel turn black (approx. 10 minutes). Let it stand for 5 minutes.

You can also cook it in Oven. To do that preheat the oven at 190C and cook the envelops for 20 minutes or till the leaves turn black.