Good afternoon, my dear community food-lover friends. I warmly welcome you all to my new blog. Today I’m going to share a recipe of our national fish of Bangladesh—Hilsa (Ilish) fish. You can never truly understand the taste of Hilsa unless you’ve eaten it. We Bengalis are known as “rice and fish lovers.” Without fish, no meal feels complete—and if that fish is Hilsa, then there’s nothing more to say. Hilsa is the king of taste.
Today I’m sharing a wonderful Hilsa curry recipe with you. My husband says that Hilsa tastes best when cooked this way, which is why I wanted to share it with you all. If you like Hilsa or have ever eaten it, you must try this recipe. And even if you don’t have Hilsa, you can cook any other tasty fish in this same way—the flavor and aroma of the fish will remain intact.
I learned this recipe from my mother. Since childhood, I have loved eating Hilsa cooked this way. I wouldn’t eat Hilsa if it wasn’t prepared like this—I would always ask my mother to cook it this way. She used to make this recipe specially for me. Now that I’m married and have my own household, whenever I bring Hilsa, I cook it using this recipe. Over time, it has also become my husband’s favorite dish.
Ingredients for Hilsa Curry:
Onion paste
Garlic paste
Ginger paste
Coriander powder
Cumin powder
Green chili powder
Bay leaves
Whole garam masala
Salt
Mustard oil
Cooking Method:
First, I cut and washed the Hilsa fish. There’s no need to wash Hilsa too much, as it can ruin the taste. I learned this from my mother and elders—they always said Hilsa should not be washed excessively.
Then I washed the onions and garlic properly and made a paste. I cooked this dish in a traditional Bengali way. In rural areas, spices are ground on a stone grinder and cooked on a clay stove. Cooking over fire and using hand-ground spices enhances the flavor many times over. Nowadays, we use electric appliances, so the taste isn’t quite the same as before—but if you cook it this way, the taste is truly amazing.
After preparing the spice pastes, I heated a sufficient amount of mustard oil in a pan.
This dish tastes better when it’s a bit oily. There are two methods to cook this Hilsa curry—I’ll explain the second, easier method later. You can choose whichever method feels convenient to you.
Once the oil is well heated, I added the onion paste, bay leaves, garam masala, and garlic paste, and sautéed everything well until it turned slightly brown. You might wonder why I didn’t fry the fish first—actually, frying the fish reduces the authentic taste. This dish is meant to be cooked without frying the fish.
When the mixture turns brown, I add all the spices one by one: coriander powder, cumin powder, ginger paste, salt, turmeric powder, and green chili powder, and sauté well. If you don’t have green chili powder, you can crush fresh green chilies or slice them—it’s up to you. But green chili must be used to maintain the proper color and flavor.
While sautéing, I add small amounts of water gradually and continue cooking. Once the spices are well cooked, I add enough water—slightly more than the amount of gravy I want.
Then I gently add the fish. There’s no need to stir after adding the fish. Cover the pan and let it cook. After some time, oil will start floating on top, and the delicious Hilsa curry will be ready.
Now, the easier method I promised to share:
Mix onion paste, chili paste, all powdered spices, ginger paste, garlic paste, salt, turmeric, bay leaves, and mustard oil thoroughly by hand. Then gently coat the fish with this mixture. Add sufficient water, cover, and let it cook. When the foam disappears and oil starts to separate, you can be sure the curry is done.
Today, I chose the sautéing method because I had guests at home.
My mother is an excellent cook. When she used to cook, I would stand beside her and watch carefully how she prepared everything. Food cooked by my mother’s hands tastes amazing. Now, in my own home, when I cook her recipes, childhood memories come flooding back. I remember all the requests I made to her, the different dishes I wanted to eat, and the sweet moments we shared.
I have many more recipes to share with you. Please let me know which dish cooked by your mother you love the most, and share that with me. I hope for your continued support. I’ll be back soon with another blog. Until then, take care, stay healthy, and look after yourselves.