Ilish Bhapa

Ilish bhapa (steamed hilsa) is one of the most prized preparations of hilsa in Bangladesh, steaming the fish in a paste of mustard seeds, coconut, green chilies and mustard oil, sealed in a banana leaf or a steamer. The steaming is the gentlest method for hilsa, preserving the fish's delicate, fatty flavour without the intensity of frying or the heavy spicing of a curry. The mustard paste coats the fish during steaming, the mustard oil penetrating the flesh and the coconut adding a faint sweetness. The dish is made across the delta wherever hilsa is available, but it is particularly associated with the Khulna-Barisal region and the Padma river ilish, considered the best. Served with steamed rice, bhapa ilish is a celebratory dish, the quality of the fish paramount.

Delicate, fatty, melt-in-the-mouth hilsa, the mustard paste pungent and the coconut faintly sweet, the fish having absorbed both during steaming. Each piece is moist, tender and intensely aromatic, the gentlest expression of this prized fish.

The technique is steaming in a sealed container with a mustard paste coating. The fish steaks are coated in a paste of ground mustard seeds, grated coconut, green chilies, turmeric and mustard oil. The coated pieces are placed on a banana leaf (or in a heatproof dish), wrapped or covered, and steamed in a steamer or a covered pot for 25 to 30 minutes. During steaming, the mustard paste cooks and infuses the fish, the oil penetrates, and the fish remains moist and tender. The sealing (in banana leaf or a covered container) is essential: it traps the aromatic steam and prevents the fish from drying. No water touches the fish directly; it cooks entirely in the steam of its own juices and the mustard paste.