When Boishakh comes, hilsa is the first thing on everyone's mind, and without fried hilsa with panta bhat the festival seems incomplete. Hilsa can be cooked in many ways, but bhapa ilish, or steamed hilsa, is among the most popular and tasty. It can be made easily at home with very few ingredients, and a home-made bhapa ilish will add something special to your Pohela Boishakh table. Here is how to make hilsa steamed in banana leaf.

First wash the hilsa well and drain off the water. In a bowl, mix mustard paste, coconut paste, chilli powder, turmeric powder, salt, mustard oil and chopped onion. Coat the pieces of fish in this spice mix and leave them for 10-15 minutes so the spices soak into the fish.

Meanwhile, lightly warm the banana leaves over a low flame. This softens them so they will not tear when you wrap them. Place one or two pieces of fish on each piece of banana leaf with some of the spice mix, and scatter two or three slit green chillies and a little mustard oil on top. Wrap the leaf well and tie it with thread.

Pour water into a pan or steamer and set a stand over it. Arrange the leaf-wrapped fish on the stand and cover. Steam over a medium flame for 20 minutes. When done, turn off the heat and leave it covered for another five minutes. Serve the fragrant banana-leaf bhapa ilish with hot rice.

Source: Jagonews24. First published in Bengali on The Agro News.