During this recent visit by my parents, we decided to go for an authentic Bengali dinner on an evening. My dad suggested for Bijoli Grill at Banga Bhavan on Hailey Road, New Delhi.
Along with some traditional Bengali dishes like aloo-posto, potoler dolma, kancha-amer chutney and mishti doi that we ordered for our dinner, there was a very delicious and star item of the night and it was sorshe ilish. We had a very difficult decision to make — to choose between daab chingri and sorshe ilish. We opted for sorshe ilish. Its taste was simply out of this world! It goes well with steamed rice.
Ilish aka Hilsa (Tenualosa ilisha) aka hilsa (ইলিশ in Bangla) is a species of fish related to the herring. Hilsa was the name the British gave to the fish. Ilish is most popular among Bengalis for its aroma and taste. Ilish is considered the tastiest fish due to its distinctly soft oily texture, mouthwatering flavour and superb mouthfeel. The fish is called machher raja (meaning king of fish) in Bengal.
Ilish appears at virtually every important occasion in Bengali life. All auspicious occasions including annaprashon (a child’s first rice-eating ceremony), jamai shoshti (an annual ceremony where the sons-in-law are fussed over by the in-laws and fed an elaborate meal), poila boishakh (Bengali New Year), Durga Puja, Kali Puja, wedding feasts…
In Bengal, ilish can be smoked, fried, steamed or baked in young plantain leaves, prepared with mustard seed paste, curd, eggplant, different condiments like jira (cumin) and so on. It is said that ilish can be cooked in more than 50 ways in a Bengali kitchen! Ilish roe is also popular as a side dish.
Sorshe Ilish (Hilsa with mustard gravy) is an authentic Bengali dish made with mustard seed paste. It’s a traditional Bengali dish. Nothing is more blissful than a plate of steamed rice with ilish fish with mustard gravy. The flavour of mustard and the taste of ilish is just made for each other.
Ilish is oily fish rich in omega-3 fatty acids and helps develop a healthy brain and nervous system. Recent experiments have shown its beneficial effects in decreasing cholesterol level in rats and insulin level.
Anyone fond of fish, will truly obsess over the Ilish for the rest of their lives. 🙂
Indrosphere 
You should have taken it a level up and said Shordshe Bata enhances any dish whether it is Ilish or Chingri or even a veggie like Potol.
Am sure, you guys really enjoyed the Shorshe Ilish but my favourite is Shorshe Chingri !!
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Yes, shorshe bata enhances taste and flavour. That night they had daab chingri. But ilish being the ilish we opted for ilish. Most importantly, I don’t get many opportunities to relish ilish, so I don’t want to miss a chance. We, three of us, are ilish fans.
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Between shorshe ilish and daab chingri- a very difficult choice to make indeed.
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Very true, Piyali, but Ilish rules. 🙂
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Amazing blog. Loved the article. Thanks!
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Thanks, Anshul.
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Shorshe ilish for me. It has some very succulent child hood memories associated
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Ah… my all-time favourite. And, sorshe-chingri is a close competitor… 😀
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Very true. Thank you.
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A treat to my eyes……. Keep posting. Pls do follow my blog http://catchword292595904.wordpress.com
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Though I am not very fond of fish, this picture of Shorshe Ilish is too tempting. I think it is Aam Paana in the glasses. We have a Bijoli Grill in Powai, as well as a Bhojohori Manna. I love to have the aloo posto, shukto, mocha, and dhokar daalna.
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I am a big fan of this kind of fish. This is the only fish curry that I can have every day and I know how to cook. And just so you know, I am not a Bengali 🙂
Have a look at this post when you get time 🙂 https://www.happinessandfood.com/of-fish-curry-and-love/
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It’s great to know that you are a big fan of fish and that makes you a “Bengali” 🙂 I read your post and I left my comment there. It’s a nice post.
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Thank you! Strange as it may sound, my non Bengali family makes this mustard fish curry on Dusherra and on other happy occasions.
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One of my favourites!
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