Ilish macher jhol is a Bengali style light hilsa fish curry recipe. Today I am going to make kalo jeere kancha lonka bata ar begun diye ilish macher patla jhol, a Bengali hilsa fish recipe cooked with eggplant in a light gravy of nigella -green chilli paste. Though like other ilish recipes, this ilish macher jhol is also incomplete without the three most important ingredients like our pungent mustard oil or shorsher tel, salt, and turmeric. Here shorsher tel makes an amazing flavor, salt, and turmeric are used for perfect seasoning and taste. Apart from Kalo jeera, kancha lanka, and turmeric, no more spices or masalas are used in this jhol so you can imagine how healthy it is at the same time.
Actually, this ilish macher jhol is a favorite to all of my family and obviously piping hot rice is one and only accompaniment with this ilish macher recipe. As we know Monsoon is the season of ilish mach and a perfect Monsoon lunch or dinner can be set with any recipe of illsh, right? As I’ve already posted many scrumptious recipes with ilish mach, so today I decided to post this light gravy of hilsa. Hope my step-by-step recipe(with pictures) will help you to learn how to make this ilish macher jhol.
For making this recipe, generally, I little fry the fish but if you wish, you may add raw hilsa or kancha ilish in this jhol too. Mostly we prepare our ilish recipes with shorshe bata but this jhol is totally different from them. Though ilish is considered as an oily fish and not good for our stomach so for adding Kalo jeera this jhol gets a healthy touch. But don’t worry Kalo jeera has a very subtle flavor so the falvour of kalo couldn’t spoil the actual flavor of ilish rather it enhances its taste. It’s also a very quick recipe of ilish as we know ilish has very soft meat and doesn’t take a long time to cook.
Actually, several recipes of ilish mach are common in every bengali household. However kalo jeera phoron diye begun ar ilish macher jhol is mostly common in Bangladeshi people, I guess. Like my mom basically prepares this jhol with shorshe bata (no begun) whereas I’ve seen my mom-in-law mainly making this jhol with begun and Kalo jeera during the whole season of ilish. But I prepared this jhol in my way by making a paste of Kalo jeera which I feel is best for making a healthy jhol with ilish mach. As kalojeera or kalonji is known for good digestion and no other masalas are used in this recipe so it must satisfy your cravings for ilish without making any health hazard.
So if you wish to have a healthy version of ilish macher recipe then you may try this jhol at home. But don’t forget to let me know your valuable feedback in the comment section below.
Even you may try other my ilish recipes from my website,
Ilish macher jhol | Kalo jeere kancha lonka bata r begun diye ilish er jhol
Prep time: 5 mins
Cooking time: 30 mins
Served in: 35 mins
Served for: 5 people
Course: Main course
Cuisine: Bengali
Author: Moumita Paul
Ingredients of ilish macher jhol recipe
- 5 pieces Ilish machh (Hilsa fish)(weigh 450 g)
- 3 tbsp Mustard oil
- 1+1/4 tsp Kalo jeere or Kalonji or nigella seeds
- 6 pcs Kancha lanka or Green chilies
- 200 g Begun or Brinjal or eggplant
- 2 tsp Turmeric powder
- Salt(as required)
How to make ilish macher jhol with step-by-step pictures
Instructions
- First, make a paste of 1 tsp Kalo jeere( jeera) and 3 green chilies by using a mortar pestle or grinding stone, or grinder jar.
- Then take a bowl, add the Kalo jeera kancha lanka paste, little water, and 1 tsp turmeric powder and 1/2 tsp salt. Mix it nicely. Keep it aside for later.
- Clean and wash the fish and coat the pieces well with 1 tsp salt and 1 tsp turmeric powder.
- Then Place a pan on medium heat, make it hot, and add 3 tbsp mustard oil to the pan.
- When the smoke started coming from the oil, then add the fish to it.
- Fry it till it gets lite golden brown color. Remove the fish from the pan.
- Then fry the lengthwise cut brinjal in the same pan till it gets nice golden brown in color.
- After removing the begun, add 1/4 tsp of whole kalo jeera to oil in the pan. Stir it well.
- Just after few seconds add the masala paste(kept aside) in the pan.
- Now sauté the masala well until the moisture dries up.
- Then add the 2 cups of water in the pan and let it boil.
- When the gravy starts boiling then first add the fried brinjal to the pan and cover it for 5 mins.
- After 5 mins when the brinjal gets soft then add the fish to the gravy. Then cover the pan again for 4-5 mins.
- After 3-4 mins of cooking add 3 green chilies (slit) to the gravy.
- Cook it again for more 5-6 mins and then turn off the heat. Then serve this begun diye Ilish macher jhol with piping hot rice.
Tips
- Use salt and green chilies as per your taste.
- You can use raw fish too for this recipe.
Based on 1 Review(s)
There are No brinjals, in the Ingredients’ List????
Thank you so much Stella for noticing my mistake and mentioning it in my comment. Really thankful to you, and I rectified it and mention the required amount of brinjal in the ingredients list. Actually yes, except ilish mach(hilsha fish) brinjal is the key ingredient of this recipe.