Ilish pulao

To marinate the hilsa fish
•    4 pieces Hilsa fish (Ilish mach)
•    ½ cup Yogurt (Dahi)
•    1 tbsp Ginger-Garlic paste
•    ½ tsp Cumin powder (Jeera powder)
•    1 tsp Red chilli powder
•    1 tsp Salt

To prepare Beresta (Crispy fried onion)
•    2 large Onions, thin sliced
•    ½ cup oil to deep fry the onions

Other ingredients for the Ilish pulao
•    2 cups Gobindobhog chal (Small grain rice)
•    2 medium Onion paste, for the hilsa gravy
•    1 small onion, sliced for the pulao
•    6 green Chillies
•    1 Bay leaf (Tejpatta)
•    4 Cardamoms (Elaichi)
•    4 Cloves (Laung)
•    2 inches Cinnamon stick (Dalchini)
•    2 tsp Sugar
•    Salt according to taste
•    2½ tbsp Mustard oil, to cook the hilsa gravy
•    1 tbsp Ghee (Clarified butter), to cook the pulao
•    2 tbsp Oil (Beresta fried oil), to cook the pulao
•    4 cups hot Water, to cook the pulao

Method:
1.    First wash the Gobindobhog chaal 3-4 times until the water gets clear. Then strain the excess water with a strainer and keep it aside to become air dry.

2.    Cut and clean the Ilish mach (Hilsa fish) and marinate them with ½ cup Yogurt, 1 tablespoon ginger-garlic paste, 1 teaspoon salt, ½ teaspoon cumin powder, 1 teaspoon chilli powder and coat the fish pieces evenly. Cover the fish and keep it aside for 30 minutes.

3.    Put a pan on flame and allow it to become completely dry. Then add ½ cup oil into the pan and allow it to become hot.

4.    Once the oil is hot, add thin sliced onion into the pan and fry it over medium flame till crispy golden brown. Then strain the excess oil and transfer the crispy fried onions (Beresta) on a separate plate. Keep it aside.

5.    Add chunks of two medium sized onions into the jar of a grinder and close the lid of the jar. Pulse it to a smooth paste. If you like spicy taste, then you can add 2-3 green chillies into the paste as well.

6.    Put another pan on flame and allow it to become completely dry.

7.    Add 2½ tablespoons of mustard oil into the pan and allow it to become hot.

8.    Once the oil is hot, add the onion paste (Step 5) into the pan and give a nice stir. Cook it in high flame for 2 minutes and then put the flame in medium low and cook it for another 5 minutes until the onion paste releases oil.

9.    In the meantime, separate the hilsa pieces from the marination (Spicy yogurt mixture) and keep it on a separate plate.

10.    Add the marinated yogurt mixture into the pan and give a nice stir. Cook it in medium low flame for another 2-3 minutes until it releases oil.

11.    Add the hilsa pieces carefully into the pan and close the lid of the pan. Cook it in low flame for 5 minutes.

12.    After 5 minutes, add 1/3rd of the Beresta (Step 4) and sprinkle some salt into the pan.

13.    Flip the delicate fish pieces very carefully and put the flame in lowest. Cover the pan and cook it for another 5 more minutes.

14.    Switch off the flame and keep the hilsa pieces and 2 tablespoons of gravy into a separate plate. Collect rest of the gravy into a separate bowl and keep it aside for further use in preparing pulao.

15.    Take a pan and add 2 tablespoons of beresta fried oil and 1 tablespoon of ghee into it.

16.    Add the whole spices - 2 inches cinnamon stick, 4 cloves, 4 cardamoms and 1 bay leaf and let them crackle.

17.    Add sliced onion, green chillies into the pan and fry them for 3-4 minutes on medium flame.

18.    Add the gobindobhog rice (Step 1) into the pan and fry it on medium high flame for 6-8 minutes until the rice becomes opaque and a sound comes during the time of stirring. Stir the mixture continuously. This step takes some time to get the rice fried properly but you need to be patient at this point.

19.    Add the separated hilsa gravy (Step 14) into the pan and cook it for another couple of minutes on medium low flame.

20.    Add 4 cups of hot water into the pan. Always use double the amount of hot water for rice to prepare the pulao.

21.    Add salt, sugar and give a gentle stir.

22.    Cover the pan and cook it over medium flame for 5-6 minutes till the rice become visible.

23.    Put the flame in low and sprinkle the remaining Beresta aka fried onions (Step 4) on the top. Add green chillies into the pan.

24.    Add the hilsa pieces into the pan over the rice very carefully.

25.    Cover the pan and cook it in lowest flame for another 10 minutes. Then switch off the flame and don’t disturb the pan for further 15 more minutes.

26.    Take off the lid of the pan and take out the ilish pieces carefully into a separate plate. Then fluff the rice either with a fork or pour the ilish pulao into a separate large mixing bowl, or else the rice may stick to each other sitting into the hot pan. I always prefer the second way to fluff the pulao.