Ilish Polao (Hilsa Pulao) Bangladeshi Traditional Dishes

Ilish Polao or Hilsa Pulao is one of the traditional dishes of Bangladesh.  Ilish Polau is one of those dishes which have few different cooking styles. Here Elish or Hilsa is cooked in plain yoghurt along with rice and mild spices.

For Fish:

1. Ilish (Hilsa): 12 pieces
2. Onion, chopped: ½ cup
3. Onion paste: 3 tbsp
4. Ginger paste: 1 tbsp
5. Garlic paste: 1 tbsp
6. Red chilli powder: 1 tbsp
7. Green chilli: 10
8. Plain  yoghurt: 1cup
9. Ghee: 2 tbsp
10.     Salt: 1 Tsp

 For Pulao Rice:

1. Rice: 2 cups or 500g (Basmati or Gobindobhog)
2. Green chilli: 1-2
3. Ghee: 1 tbsp
4.  Salt: 1 Tsp
5. Warm water: 3 cup

Whole Garam Masala:

1. Bay leaf: 1
2. Cinnamon stick: 2
3. Green cardamom: 4-5

Instruction

1.  Clean and wash Ilish fish. Add onion paste, red chilli powder, ginger paste, plain yoghurt, lemon juice and 1 tsp salt to the fish. Mix all of them well and keep it for marinating 15 minutes.

2.  Heat oil in a deep bottomed pan. Add cardamom, bay leaves and cinnamon stick and chopped onion stir for a while. Add marinated Ilish fish and green chilli. Cook it on lower medium heat around 15minutes.(after 10 minutes you may turn over the fish carefully). In the meantime wash rice and keep aside.

3.  Remove only fish from the pan and keep aside. Add green peas and stir for few seconds. Add rice and 1 tsp salt to the pan. Add half of the gravy from hilsa along with rice and Stir around 2-3 minutes. Add 4 cup of hot water to the rice, cover the pan and cook it over medium heat until rice almost done(90%).

4.  Remove 2/3 portion of rice from the pan. Add Ilish fish and rice layer by layer. Cover the pan with a lid  and keep it in low heat around 20 minutes.

5.  Spread ghee over the rice.

6.  Before serve carefully mix rice and fish.