When you plan to serve your family, what goes into the dish that makes it a meal? When you have been in this situation before, do you still remember how the food tasted when they prepared the same dish?
If yes, then you must have tried a Bangladeshi Ilish Polau recipe. This traditional Bengali dish is popular among Bengalis and comes in two different types: simple and elaborate.
There are different ways to make the popular Ilish Polau with varied ingredients. This quick and easy recipe is great for you to make Ilish Polau at home. Then you come to the right place here. I share a quick and easy recipe for Ilish Polau. I hope you all like it.
Why is Ilish Polau popular in Bangladesh?
Fish is a prevalent food in Bangladesh. People eat it both at home and during celebrations. The most common fish used for cooking is Hilsha which can be found in most parts.
The Hilsha fish Polau recipe is prevalent in Bangladesh because it’s easy to make and has a light flavor that pairs well with different side dishes like rice, potatoes, and vegetables.
The traditional recipe has been passed down from generation to generation, and people in the country believe that it can help with health problems such as heart disease, diabetes, high blood pressure, and stroke. It is another reason why this dish is so popular.
The benefits of Hilaha fish recipe
It is the most commonly used Ayurvedic medicine for treating hair loss, skin problems, asthma, and many other health conditions. Hilsha is a Chinese herbal formula that has been used for centuries.
The benefits of Hilsha are:
- Improves heart health by strengthening the arteries and veins and lowering blood pressure.
- Strengthens the cardiovascular system by supporting the heart, arteries and veins.
- Hilsha helps with thyroid function. Its ability to stimulate and activate peroxidase enzymes in kidneys and thyroid glands promotes better hormone metabolism and increased immunity against cancerous cells.
- Hilsha prevents kidney stones by detoxifying the kidneys and flushing toxins from the body.
Additional tips for Ilish Polau
1. It is better to soak the rice in the water for 30 minutes. Soaking a little in water makes the rice perfect and not sticky.
2. You can increase the fish to get better results; 1/2 of rice will cook with 1 kg of fish. If you increase the rice, increase the fish so the dish will taste good.
3. To make the Hilsa polao taste better, you have to marinate the fish for some time. You can marinate it for 2 to 3 hours if you have time. If it has less time, it should be marinated for a minimum of 20 to 30 minutes.
4. Fresh fish used in this dish brings the authentic taste, used with a minimal amount of spices. Too much spice spoils the authenticity of this dish. So try to use fewer spices in this dish.
5. Usually, Hilsha fish is very soft, Due to which this fish needs to be stirred very little while cooking so that the pieces of fish do not break. If the fish pieces are broken, they will not look good, and there is a possibility of mixing fish in rice, which is not good to eat at all.
6. The fish can’t fry too much; overcooking or over-frying the fish becomes more challenging, and the fish pieces lose their softness and moisture. So if it is light golden brown, you have to stop frying the fish.
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Ingredients
- Hilsha Fish 1 medium-sized
- Rich (chinigura/Basmati) 1/5 kg
- Sour card ½ cup
- Shredded onion ½ cup
- Onion paste 2 tablespoons
- Garlic paste 1 tablespoons
- Ginger paste 1 tablespoon
- Cumin powder 1 tablespoon
- Coriander powder 1 teaspoon
- Chili 8 to 10 pieces
- Chili powder 1 teaspoon
- Clove 5 to 6 pieces
- Bay leaf 2 to 3 pieces
- Cinnamon stick 2 small pieces
- Cardamom stick 4 to 5 pieces
- Oil 4 tablespoons
- Ghee 2 tablespoons
- Sugar 1 teaspoons
- Fried onion ½ cup
- Salt to taste
Instructions
- First, we have to marinate the fish for 20 minutes. For marinating, take a mixing bowl and add sour yogurt, onion paste, garlic paste, ginger paste, cumin powder, red chili powder, sugar and salt to taste. Mix all the spices very well and make a thick paste.
- In this thick paste, add the fish pieces, coat the fish evenly on both sides, and keep it aside for marinating.
- Now, take a pan, add oil and some sliced onion, fry for 2 minutes. Then add marinated fish pieces on medium flame. Remember this when turning over the fish pieces very carefully, and if you do it quickly, the fish pieces are likely to break .cook until the fish becomes golden brown to both sites. Now remove from the heat and keep aside.
- In a large wok, heat oil on medium flame, add sliced onion, cardamom, cinnamon, bay leaves and cloves, sauté for 2 minutes, and then add the rice sauté for more than 2 minutes.
- Then add the fish grave of the fish, which is made in advance. Stir it continuously to avoid the rice burning from the bottom. Mixed the spice with rice well and fry for approximately 3 to 5 minutes So that the aroma of spices can spread well.
- Add hot water and ghee, give another good stir So that everything mixes well. After cooking 90% of rice, reduce the heat and add fish pieces, fried onion and some green chili on top. Closed with lid and cook for 10 minutes on a low flame. Now your Ilish Polau is ready to serve and enjoy.
2 comments
Wow vabi Nice..
Thanks