How to make narkel diye bhapa ilish

Steamed hilsa in mustard-coconut gravy

Bhapa iilish with doi- narkel(yogurt-coconut) is a traditional dish of Bengali cuisine where fresh hilsa is marinated in yogurt-mustard-coconut paste and steamed in a launch box (if you don’t get fresh hilsa then fry it lightly before putting it in steam);this is How to make narkel diye bhapa ilish or Steamed hilsa in mustard-coconut gravy.

 Ingredients

• Ilish/Hilsa 4 pieces
• Salt 1 tablespoon – as per taste
• Turmeric 1 tablespoon – 1 teaspoon
• Mustard Oil 3 to 4 tablespoons
• Yogurt 1/2 cup
• Fresh coconut-1/2
• White Mustard Seeds- 2 tablespoons
• Green chilis -2
• Salt to taste

How to make narkel diye bhapa ilish

• First clean and wash the fish chunks, Marinate with salt and 1/2 tablespoon turmeric powder and keep aside for 10-15 minutes.
• Take a blender jar; add mustard seeds, coconut pieces, curd and green chilies and make a smooth paste
• Now take a kadai or fry pan, heat mustard oil and fry the fish chunks. (Don’t fry for more time, otherwise you won’t get taste. If you got fresh ilish then skip this stage, no need to fry)And keep it aside
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• Now to make bhaape you need a steel or aluminum launch box with lid.
• Put the smooth paste which we prepared, in the launch box and mix with turmeric powder and salt.
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• Add hilsa fish chunks in to the launch box and mix well with the paste
• Slit green chilli and on the paste, add 2 tbsp of mustard oil and cover the lid tightly.
• Take a large pan with lid; place a stand in the middle. Put the launch box on the stand so that the launch box will not touch the pan. Now pour water into the pan to cover the stand and cover the lid, and allow it to cook for 15-20 minutes on medium flame.
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• Now switch off the flame and keep it for another 5 minutes to cool down little.
• Remove launch box from the pan then remove the lid of the launch box.
• Serve with hot steamed rice.