Ilish Pulao
Fragrant rice cooked with hilsa, letting the fish's distinctive flavour infuse every grain.
- prep
- 20 min
- cook
- 35 min
- total
- 55 min
- serves
- 4
- level
- medium
Ilish pulao takes the same prized hilsa used in shorshe ilish and cooks it directly into a pot of fragrant rice, so every grain picks up the fish's distinctive flavor as it steams.
It's a dish built for hilsa season, when the fish is at its richest and a simple pulao is the best way to let it speak for itself.
Part of our 20 best Bangladeshi recipes list.
method
Rub the hilsa pieces with a little turmeric and salt, then lightly fry them in 2 tablespoons of mustard oil just until the surface firms up, about 2 minutes per side. Set aside.
In the same pot, heat the remaining oil, and fry the whole spices and sliced onion until the onion turns soft and golden.
Stir in the ginger-garlic paste and remaining turmeric, and cook for a minute.
Add the drained rice and stir to coat it evenly in the spiced oil.
Pour in the water, add the green chiles and salt, and bring to a boil.
Nestle the lightly fried fish pieces into the rice, cover tightly, and cook over low heat for 18 to 20 minutes, until the rice is tender and the liquid is absorbed.
Let it rest, covered, for 10 minutes before fluffing gently around the fish and serving.
chef's tips
- Frying the hilsa only briefly before it goes into the rice keeps it from falling apart during the longer cooking time that follows.
- Nestling the fish into the rice rather than stirring it through keeps the delicate pieces intact right up to serving.