Bhetki macher paturi recipe – Bengali Biye bari style kolapatae bhetki mach (barramundi fish) er paturi recipe with step by step pictures. Bhetki macher paturi is a traditional Bengali style bhetki (barramundi fish or Indian sea bass fish) recipe by cooking fish wrapped in banana leaves. Made of bhetki (vetki) fish fillets, marinated with lemon juice, a mixed paste of mustard seeds, cashew nuts, hung curd, and grated coconut with mustard oil and nicely folded up in a banana leaf and fried or steamed in greased pan.
” Paturi“ came from the Bengali term “Pata” which means “leaf”. Paturi is made of fish (Bhetki or ilish or chingri) or chhana (in Veg) is marinated with spices and wrapped in banana leaves to cook. Except for banana leaf (kola pata or kele ki patte) can use gourd leaf (lau pata) or arbi leaf (kochu pata) to make vetki or any fish paturi recipe. Bengali Bhetki fish Paturi is a similar version of Parsi recipe patrani machchi.
At my home, Ilish Paturi and Bhetki Macher Paturi are very common fish curry preparation on occasions like Poila Boishak (in Bengali New Year) menu. However, also make chingri macher paturi, rui macher paturi, chhanar paturi (on veg days) and even chicken er paturi in my kitchen.
As per the traditional Bengali recipe, banana leaf-wrapped bhetki is seared in an oil-greased pan to complete paturi recipe. However, you can bake this banana leaf-wrapped bhetki in a microwave oven by putting it on a greased nonstick baked pan. If Banana leaves are not around, can use food-graded, heat-proof aluminium foil to warp and cook in the microwave or on the gas stove. If have neither Banana leaves nor aluminium foil, steam up the paturis as I prepare my Bhapa Ilish recipe.
Bhetki macher Paturi perfectly goes with white steamed rice or basmati rice with wedges of gondhoraj lebu (an aromatic Bengali lime).
Try this Bengali biye bari style Bhetki fish paturi at home with the help of my step by step detailed recipe with pictures and please share your valuable feedback in the comment section below.
Bhetki macher paturi recipe | Bengali Biye bari style Bhetki (barramundi fish) paturi recipe
Bhetki macher paturi is a traditional Bengali style bhetki (barramundi fish or Indian sea bass fish) recipe by cooking fish wrapped in banana leaves.
Ingredients of Vetki macher paturi
300 g Boneless Bhetki Fish Fillets
1/2 Lemon Juice
1/2 tsp Turmeric Powder
1/2 tsp Salt
1 tbsp Mustard Oil (for marination)
2 tbsp Black Mustard Seeds (for making a paste)
1 tbsp Yellow Mustard Seeds
1 tbsp Poppy Seeds
10 Cashew Nuts / Charmagaz seeds
4 Green Chillies
1/2 Grated Coconut
6 tbsp Hung Curd /Jol jhorano tok doi
2 tbsp Mustard Oil
1 tsp Turmeric Powder
Salt (as required)
- 1 tbsp Mustard Oil (For searing the banana leaf wraped fish)
For making the paturi wrap
5-7 Banana leaves
Cotton thread to tie
Prep time: 45 mins(including marination time)
Cook time: 16-20 mins
Served in: 1 hr 5 mins
Course: Lunch
Cuisine: Bengali (Indian)
Served for: 8 people
Author: Moumita Paul
How to make Bengali Biye bari style Bhetki (Barramundi fish) Macher Paturi recipe with step by step pictures
Instructions
How to marinate Bhetki fish fillets
- First, wash the boneless bhetki fish fillets, and drain the water well.
- Put each fish fillet on one of your palms and slightly press down the fillets with the other palm to remove the excess water from it.
- Then keep all the fish fillets on a plate and first marinate the fish fillet with half lemon juice.
- Nicely coat the fillets with lemon juice from both sides and marinate the fillets for 10 mins.
- After 10 mins again marinate the fish fillets with 1/2 tsp salt, 1/2 tsp turmeric powder, and 1 tbsp mustard oil and coat both sides of fillets with it as shown in the pic. Keep it aside.
How to make fish paturi masala
- For making paturi masala, first, soak 2 tbsp black mustard seeds, 1 tbsp yellow mustard seeds and 1 tbsp poppy seeds in water for 15 mins.
- Strain 6 tbsp curd (to make hung curd) to remove the excess water from the curd.
- And keep the strainer on a bowl as shown in the pic.
- Leave it for 10-15 mins.
- But if you are using thick curd or even hung curd then do not need to strain it.
- Make a paste of soaked mustard seeds and poppy seeds with 1/2 tsp salt, and 10 cashew nuts.
- Later adding 4 green chillies and the curd (after removing the water) with the mustard paste.
- Make a smooth paste out of it. As shown in the pic.
- Then add the 1/2 cup or 8 tsp grated coconut with the masala paste and blend it well to make a fine paste. As shown in the pic.
Mix the masala with marinated fish fillets
- Now pour the paste into a mixing bowl, mix 1 tsp turmeric, a little salt(as per taste) and 2 tbsp mustard oil to the masala paste. Mix it well.
- Then put the marinated bhetki fillets into the masala paste and mix it well.
- Marinate the fish fillets for 20 mins.
How to wrap marinated bhetki fish in banana leaf
- Remove the stem and wash the banana leaves thoroughly from both sides.
- Then slightly roast the banana leaf on low heat from both sides.
Then take each piece of banana leaf, first put 1 tbsp of mustard paste on the leaf then place one marinated bhetki fish fillet on the paste. As shown in the pic.
- Put some paste from the top of the fillet to cover the fillet with the paste from both sides.
- Lastly, put green chilli(slit) from the top of the fillet. As shown in the picture.
- Nicely fold or wrap the leaf to make a parcel and make sure that the paste should come out from the wrap.
- Then nicely tie the parcel with the cotton thread to secure the paste from dripping.
How To Cook Bhetki paturi
- Heat a pan or skillet on low flame, add 1 tbsp mustard oil and nicely spread the oil over the pan or skillet.
- Put the paturis in the pan, but do not overcrowd the pan, otherwise gets difficult to turn the paturis.
- Then slow down the heat and close the pan with a lid.
- After 7-8 mins remove the lid and turn over the paturis and cover the pan once again.
- Wait for more than 7-8 mins to get it cooked from the other side.
- When all the paturis are properly fried from both sides, turn off the heat.
- Bhetki macher paturi is ready, serve this Bengali dish with sizzling hot steamed white rice or basmati rice.
Tips
- Here I’ve already explained how to soak the mustard seeds before making its paste and later added salt while grinding. And if you follow my instruction to make this paste, you never get that problem of the bitter taste in your mustard paste.
- First I marinade the bhetki or vetki fish in lemon juice to remove its smell. And then tenderize the boneless bhetki fish fillets for making this recipe. Later I added raw mustard oil to it which will also help to remove the raw smell of bhetki.
- If you follow my recipe, that mustard paste never comes out from the packet of banana leaf. As I’ve already removed the water from the curd before using it. Curd always has a tendency to remove the water.
- Even you can steam the paturis instead of slow cooking them in the oil.
- Though banana leaves have health benefits, however, can use microwave heat proof aluminium foil without any doubt as it has no bad effect on health.





