Gourmet Secrets: High on hilsa - Hindustan Times
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Gourmet Secrets: High on hilsa

Hindustan Times | ByKaren Anand
Sep 15, 2018 09:43 PM IST

Also called bhing or palla, this is the most marvellous outcome of the monsoon

It is the monsoon when that most marvellous of what is considered a Bengali fish, hilsa or ilish, appears. In Mumbai, we rarely get to see this fish let alone enjoy it Bengali style. We have bhing which is in effect hilsa, and Parsis used to commonly make a bhoojelo bharuchi bhing. The fish is caught in the Narmada estuary and bhing or hilsa roe is also used for their gharab-nu-achar. Today the achar is found only in Parsi shops near Fire temples. Sindhis also love their palla, another name for hilsa. The Bengali hilsa though is another story, as poetic and revered as a Tagore poem.

Hilsa served at Mustard restaurant in Mumbai
Hilsa served at Mustard restaurant in Mumbai
The Bengali hilsa though is another story, as poetic and revered as a Tagore poem
Smoked hilsa was born aboard the Goalondo Ghaat steamers which ferried passengers between East Bengal and West Bengal. Made by Mog Barua cooks, it soon found its way into the Raj kitchens of Calcutta
The menu at Mustard breaks the stereotype of what has emerged as ‘Bengali’ food in urban Calcutta influenced by affluence
The menu at Mustard breaks the stereotype of what has emerged as ‘Bengali’ food in urban Calcutta influenced by affluence
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