Recipe: Delicious Ilish Macher Shukto

Recipe: Delicious Ilish Macher Shukto Delicious, fresh and tasty.

Ilish Macher Shukto. Ilish Macher Tok is a Tamarind based runny Fish Chutney prepared with Hilsa fish. More precisely it is a runny sweet and sour fish soup and certainly served with Rice. This Bengali delicacy is another example of utilizing fish-head and tail apart from the Ilish Macher Shukto, Bhangachora Shukto or Muri Ghonto or Kanta Chorchori or Macher Matha.

I decided to go with a humble bowl of Ilish Shukto for Taj Bengal.

I choose the dish for two reasons.

Shukto is a traditional bengali recipe.

You can have Ilish Macher Shukto using 16 ingredients and 8 steps. Here is how you achieve it.

Ingredients of Ilish Macher Shukto

1. You need 1 of Hilsa fish head, cut into half.

2. It’s 2 cups of mixed veggies, cut lengthwise (raw papaya, potato, radish, carrot, raw banana).

3. Prepare 1 of small bitter gourd, cut lengthwise.

4. Prepare 8-10 of bori / vadi (dried lentil dumplings).

5. You need 3-4 tbsp. of mustard oil.

6. Prepare 2 of bay leaves.

7. It’s 1-2 of dry red chilies.

8. You need 1 tsp of panch phoron (five spice).

9. Prepare 1 tsp. of ginger, grated.

10. It’s 2 of green chilies, slit.

11. It’s to taste of salt.

12. You need 1/2 tsp. of turmeric powder.

13. Prepare 1 tsp. of roasted cumin powder.

14. Prepare 1/2 cup of milk.

15. You need 2 tbsp. of kasundi / mustard paste.

16. It’s 1 tbsp. of ghee.

Actually it is a bengali style mix vegetable made with various healthy vegetables and sundried lentil dumplings.

Eating shukto is good for all time but its highly recommendable to have in summer season as it keeps your body and stomach cool.

I always preferred "Ilish" over "Chingri" even that I am a born Ghoti (with my origin in West Bengal).

I don't even mind much to purchase this over-pricy fish, not more than once a month though 🙁.

Ilish Macher Shukto instructions

1. Marinate the fish head with a pinch of salt and turmeric powder for 10 minutes..

2. Heat oil in a pan and fry the fish head till light brown in colour. Drain and keep aside. Fry the bitter gourd till light golden and keep aside..

3. Temper the same oil with bay leaves, red chilies and panch phoron. Saute for a few seconds. Add the ginger and bori and fry till light brown..

4. Add the chopped veggies and all the dry spices. Mix everything well and stir fry on a high flame for 2-3 minutes..

5. Add 2 cups water, fried bitter gourd and green chilies. Simmer, covered on a low flame till the veggies are half done. Now add the fried fish head and cook further till done..

6. Add the milk, kasundi and ghee. Give it a stir and simmer for a minute. Serve as a side dish with plain steamed rice..

7. Panch phoron (five spice - mustard, cumin, fenugreek, nigella & fennel).

8. Bay leaves, Bori (dried lentil dumplings), dry red chilies & ginger..

Food Historian Pritha Sen on Bhangachora Shukto aka Bhangachora Torkari: It was a nice and enriching discussion with Pritha Di (as always).

According to her, this dish is known as Bhanga Macher Torkari also. and is prepared with no onion and no garlic.

Sukto(Bengali Vegetables) - Ilish Fish Head Kachu Shak - Lau Paturi Morola Fish -Fulcopy Aloo Bori Jhol.

Cut the vegetables into medium lengthwise.

Shukto should be served at the beginning of the menu.