HILSA FISH BOILED in RICE

Ingredients

• 1 whole fish, cut into pieces Hilsa fish (Do not wash the fish after cutting into pieces. Wash only after flaking. Hilsa is an oily, bony river fish common in Bengali cuisine. Mackerel or sardines may be used as a substitute if Hilsa is unavailable.)
• 1 to taste Salt (Use as needed to season the fish pieces.)
• 1 to taste Powdered mustard (Finely ground mustard powder. Yellow or brown mustard powder both work.)
• 1 to taste Turmeric (Ground turmeric powder for colour and flavour.)
• 1 a quantity (to coat fish) Mustard oil (Use enough to coat the fish pieces evenly. Mustard oil has a strong, pungent flavour central to Bengali cooking.)
• 1 a few Green chillies (Slit lengthwise. Adjust quantity to your preferred heat level.)
• 1 enough to wrap fish portions Banana leaves (Used to wrap the fish pieces before cooking. Can be substituted with tender gourd or pumpkin leaves, which can also be eaten with the fish.)
• 1 a large mass (enough to surround the fish bundle) Hot boiled rice (Used in the primary method — the fish bundle is buried inside freshly drained hot boiled rice. The rice should be cooked and its starchy water just drained off before use.)
• 1 optional, enough to wrap fish portions Tender leaves of gourd or pumpkin (Optional substitute for banana leaves. These leaves can be eaten alongside the fish.)
• 1 whole coconut Half-ripe cocoa-nut (Used in the coconut-shell variation. Break in two, drain the water, stuff with spiced fish, rejoin with flour-paste, and heat over charcoal.)
• 1 enough to seal coconut halves Flour-paste (Used to join the two halves of the coconut shell together in the coconut variation. Make by mixing flour with a little water into a thick paste.)

Instructions

1. 1Cut the Hilsa fish into pieces but do not wash them yet. Flake the fish first, then wash the pieces. This is an important step — washing before flaking washes away the natural oils and flavour of the Hilsa.
2. 2Place the washed fish pieces in a bowl. Rub them thoroughly with salt, powdered mustard, turmeric, and mustard oil. Add the green chillies, slit lengthwise, and mix them in with the fish. Make sure every piece is well coated with the spice mixture.
3. 3Lay out the banana leaves on a flat surface. Place the spiced fish pieces onto the leaves and wrap them up securely into a neat bundle, folding the edges over so the fish is fully enclosed. If banana leaves are unavailable, use tender gourd or pumpkin leaves instead — these can also be eaten with the fish once cooked.
4. 4Cook a large pot of rice as you normally would. Once the rice is fully cooked, drain off the starchy water immediately. While the rice is still very hot and steaming, bury the wrapped fish bundle in the centre of the rice mass. Cover the pot and leave undisturbed for 15 to 20 minutes. The residual heat from the rice will gently cook the fish through. After 15 to 20 minutes, carefully remove the bundle, unwrap the leaves, and serve.
5. 5This is an optional alternative to the rice method. Break a half-ripe coconut in two and drain off the coconut water. Stuff the spiced fish pieces (from step 2) into one half of the coconut shell. Place the other half on top to enclose the fish. Seal the two halves together tightly by pressing flour-paste (made by mixing flour with a little water into a thick paste) around the joined seam. Place the sealed coconut onto a charcoal fire and heat it uniformly on all sides, turning regularly, until the fish is cooked through.
6. 6This is another optional alternative cooking method. Place the spiced fish pieces (from step 2) into a shallow pot. Close the pot tightly with a lid. Set the covered pot on top of a larger pot of actively boiling water, so that the steam heats the shallow pot from below. The fish will cook within a short time from the steam heat. Check that the fish is opaque and flakes easily before serving.