Shorshe Ilish

Ingredients

1½ kg hilsa (6-7 pieces), 2tbsp white mustard seeds and 2tbsp black mustard seeds ground to a fine paste with 2 green chillies, 1tsp salt and some water, 1½ tsp turmeric paste, 1tsp red chilli powder, ½ tsp Kashmiri chilli powder, 4-5tbsp mustard oil, 8-10 slit green chillies or to taste, ½ cup water, salt to taste

Method

In a large bowl place all the ingredients except water, green chillies and fish steaks. Mix well. Add fish and coat well with the mixture and marinate for 20-30 minutes.

Remove the fish steaks from the bowl, shake off the excess marinade and set aside.

Add water to remaining marinade, mix well and pour through a sieve into a pan. Add the slit green chillies and bring to a boil.

Add the fish steaks in one layer so that they do not break. Cover and cook on low heat for 12-15 minutes or until the fish is cooked through and oil has risen to the top. Check for salt.

Serve with plain boiled rice or pulao.

Kewpie’s Chhenar Palong Kofta

Ingredients for Kofta

1 cup oil, 2kg spinach leaves chopped (boiled and water squeezed out), 4 medium potatoes (boiled, skinned and smashed), 2tsp arrowroot or cornflour, 150g flour, 1tsp sugar, 1tsp salt (mash the ingredients together and keep aside), 200g cottage cheese, 2tsp oil, 2 bay leaves, ½ tsp nigella, onion seeds (kalonji), 50g raisins, ½ tsp sugar, ½ tsp salt

Method for chhena stuffing

Heat oil in a pan. Add the kalonji and bay leaves and saute for one minute. Add cottage cheese, salt, sugar and ginger paste. Mix well and fry for three-four minutes, taking care that the cheese does not stick to the bottom of the pan. Add raisins, mix well and remove from fire.

Method for koftas

Divide the spinach mixture into 16 portions and do the same with the cottage cheese mixture.

Grease your hands with a little oil, take one portion of the spinach mixture and flatten it into a disc in the palm of your hand, place a portion of the cottage cheese mixture in the middle of the disc and cover it completely with the spinach mixture. Now roll it into a small ball. Do the same with the remaining portions of spinach and cottage cheese mixture.

Heat one cup oil in a pan, fry the koftas in batches till they turn dark green, remove with a slotted spoon and set aside.

Ingredients for gravy

2tbsp oil, 2 medium onions finely chopped, ½tsp turmeric powder, ½tsp chilli powder, 100g onion paste, 1½ tsp garlic paste, 3tsp ginger paste, 2 cups thick coconut milk, 2 cups hot water, 10-12 green chillies or to taste, 1tsp salt, 1tsp sugar, 1tsp garam masala powder

Method for gravy

Heat oil in a pan and fry onions until light brown. Add onion paste, garlic and ginger paste, turmeric and chilli powder and fry till the spices are well done (around 5 minutes).

Lower heat, add coconut milk, hot water, salt and sugar to taste. Mix well and let it come to a boil.

Add the koftas and let them simmer for 4-5 minutes, add green chillies, let it simmer for another two minutes. Sprinkle garam masala powder and take the pan off the heat. Serve hot with rice, pulao or luchi.