Presenting two Bengali recipes to drool over. You can share yours too!

Ilish Barishali

Ingredients

• 1 kg hilsa
• 150 ml mustard oil
• 25 gm turmeric powder
• 25 gm green chillies
• 5 gm kalonji
• 25 gm yogurt
• 75 gm mustard paste
• 1 kg cashew nut paste
• 1 coconut, ground into paste
• 10 gm green chilli paste
• Salt to taste

Method 

• Marinate the fish in salt and a little turmeric powder. Leave it for an hour.
• Add half of the mustard paste to the coconut and cashew nut pastes, and then apply it on the fish.
• Heat 125 ml oil in a wok and add green chillies and kalonji.
• Add the remaining turmeric powder, green chilli paste and yogurt. Cook for three minutes.
• Then add the remaining mustard paste along with a little water.
• Cover and cook for another five minutes.
• Add the fish and simmer for 10 minutes.
• Add 25 ml mustard oil and a whole green chilli. Cook for two minutes and serve warm.

Mutton Dakbangla

Ingredients

• 1 kg mutton
• 7 boiled eggs                                                    
• 300 gm onion
• 150 gm mustard oil          
• 2 spoon red chilly powder   
• Half spoon Kashmiri powder                 
• 100 gm curd
• 1 tomato
• 1.5 spoon haldi powder 
• Half spoon garam masala powder
• 75 gm ginger and garlic paste
• 2 gm garam masala (gota)
• Salt to taste

Method

• Put oil in a kadai. Add whole garam masala.
• Add sliced onions and fry till brown. Add ginger, garlic paste, haldi powder, tomato, curd, Kashmiri chilly and red chilly powder.
• Cook for a while.
• Add mutton chunks. Cook it properly.
• Then add water and stir till paste turns brown in colour.
• When mutton is done add garam masala and eggs. Now, it is ready to serve.

Recipes and photographs: Kind courtesy Bhojohori Manna, Kolkata

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