Ilish macher dim bhurji is a popular hilsa fish egg recipe which is frequently prepared in Bangladesh and the subcontinents of east India. It is a spicy and flavored scrambled fish egg recipe where hilsa roes are cooked in mustard oil with lots of onions, green chillies and a little bit of fragrant Indian spices. This healthy, delectable and comforting delight is easy to make and gets prepared within 20 minutes. The hilsa fish roe recipe could be a perfect option for weekday lunch where you can pair it up with dal-rice.
Bengalis are renowned for eating fishes. Normally, in Bengali houses, they purchase whole fish and prepare different types of fish curries. They don’t even waste the fish head and fish roes. In fact, fish head recipe and fish egg recipes are also as tasty as the fish if you know the correct recipes with them.
Table of Contents
About the recipe
Tips and Suggestions
How to make Ilish macher dim bhurji (step wise photos)
Recipe Card
What is hilsa fish?
Hilsa is known as the “Queen of fishes”. Ilish(Hilsa fish) is very popular in South Asia, especially among Bengalis and Odiyas. It is the National fish of Bangladesh. It is also known as Elish mas in Bangladesh. It is also popular in Andhra Pradesh (India) and is called Pulasa in Telegu. It is popular among Sindhis as well. According to most of the Bengalis and Odiyas, including me, Hilsa is the tastiest fish in this world. The reason for its popularity is its unique taste, texture and flavour.
But when it comes to Hilsa fish roe, the story becomes more exciting. Hilsa fish eggs have the same unique flavour as Hilsa fish and have an incredible texture. Whenever a bong buys a hilsa fish with eggs, then they always separate them for cooking some other dishes. It is an absolute treat for the complete family and especially for kids when Hilsa fish egg recipe is prepared in any Bong house. The kids, normally, cannot enjoy the taste of Hilsa fish because of its sharp and jiffy bones.
I am a big fan of both Hilsa fish and Hilsa fish roe and it is one of the toughest decisions to pick one from these two. I still remember how my dad used to bring a pair of Hilsa fish and Hilsa fish roe from the fish market. But in our house, mostly hilsa fish egg fry is prepared by sprinkling salt, turmeric powder and then deep fried in mustard oil.
I have prepared this hilsa fish egg recipe after coming to the UK. One day my husband brought frozen Hilsa Fish roe with a Hilsa fish and asked me to cook a Bangladeshi dish. Initially, I was not sure what to prepare with those roe but suddenly the idea of preparing ilish macher dim bhurji came to my mind. Immediately, I came into action and prepared this recipe. My family and relatives just loved this preparation. This recipe became a super hit in my house and now I often prepare this comfort dish when we get hilsa roe and pair it up with steamed Basmati rice and dal.
Ilish macher dim bhurji is a simple and easy recipe. All the ingredients required to prepare the dish are easily available in any Bengali kitchen pantry. The fish egg recipe has its own strong flavour. So it does not go well with any flavoured rice item and is always served with plain rice. It could be a great addition to your diet because its
- High in protein
- Kids friendly recipe
- Easy to make
- Gluten free
- Gets ready within 20 minutes
Ilish macher dim bhurji with step-by-step photos and instructions have been provided in the ‘Instructions’ section of the recipe. I have included tips and tricks below to make the recipe easier for you. But before directly jumping into the recipe, let me share a few interesting facts about the dish and Hilsa fish roe.
Hilsa Fish Egg Recipe
Many traditional and authentic recipes are prepared with Hilsa fish egg. It can be prepared in many ways like frying, steaming, roasting or baking and every preparation tastes amazing. Every house has its own way of preparing hilsa fish egg recipe by using different ingredients and different cooking techniques.
Ilish macher dim has a unique flavour. Many people, like my mom, only fry them with salt and turmeric powder without using any spice and eat them as a side with dal-rice to enjoy the original flavour without any distraction.
Hilsa fish egg curry can be prepared in many ways. Ilish Macher Dim Bhuna, Ilish Macher Dim bhapa, ilish macher dimer bora, ilish macher dim bhurji are a few amazing Bengali recipes.
Tips to prepare perfect ilish macher dim bhurji
- For any bhurji recipe, it is very important to chop the veggies finely for the perfect texture.
- Don’t add too many spices to the recipe. The addition of too much spice can submerge the flavor of hilsa fish roe.
- Always use mustard oil to cook the recipe.
- You can adjust the amount of green chilli according to your taste.
How to make ilish macher dim bhurji?
To prepare the hilsa fish egg recipe, first put a pan on flame and allow it to become completely dry. Then add mustard oil to it.
Once the oil is hot, add finely chopped onions into the pan and fry it in medium flame till translucent.
Add green chillies, salt, turmeric powder, red chilli powder and give a nice mix. Cook it over medium flame for 2-3 minutes.
Add the hilsa fish roes into the pan and break it with the help of a spatula. Give a nice mix and cook it over medium flame for 4-5 minutes until gets dry.
Add cumin powder, coriander powder and mix it well. Cook it on low flame for a couple of minutes and then switch off the flame.
Many Bengali recipes have already been shared in my previous posts. You can check a few of them like
Ilish Macher Dim Bhuna
Ilish Macher Dim bhapa
Barishali Ilish
Ilish macher tel jhol
..And Many more…
Ingredients:
- 5 Hilsa roes aka ilish macher dim
- 1 large Onion, finely chopped
- 4-5 green Chillies
- ½ teaspoon Turmeric powder
- ½ teaspoon red Chilli powder
- ¼ teaspoon Cumin powder
- ¼ teaspoon Coriander powder
- Salt to taste
- 2 tablespoons Mustard oil
Instructions:
- Put a pan on flame and allow it to become completely dry. Then add 2 tablespoons of mustard oil to it.
- Once the oil is hot, add finely chopped onions into the pan and fry it in medium flame for 8-10 minutes till translucent.
- Add 4-5 green chillies, salt, ½ teaspoon turmeric powder, ½ teaspoon red chilli powder and give a nice mix. Cook it over medium flame for 2-3 minutes.
- Add hilsa fish roes into the pan and break it with the help of a spatula.
- Give a nice mix and cook it over medium flame for 5-6 minutes until it gets dry.
- Add ¼ teaspoon cumin powder, ¼ teaspoon coriander powder and mix it well. Cook it on low flame for a couple of minutes.
- Switch off the flame and ilish macher dim bhurji is ready to serve.
Serving Instruction
Transfer the ilish macher dim bhurji to a serving bowl or on a serving plate. Serve hot or warm to enjoy the best taste. Pair up the dish with hot steamed Basmati rice, dal and enjoy the authenticity of Bengal.
Ingredients
- 5 Hilsa roes aka ilish macher dim
- 1 large Onion, finely chopped
- 4-5 green Chillies
- ½ teaspoon Turmeric powder
- ½ teaspoon red Chilli powder
- ¼ teaspoon Cumin powder
- ¼ teaspoon Coriander powder
- Salt to taste
- 2 tablespoons Mustard oil
Instructions
- Put a pan on flame and allow it to become completely dry. Then add 2 tablespoons of mustard oil to it.
- Once the oil is hot, add finely chopped onions into the pan and fry it in medium flame for 8-10 minutes till translucent.
- Add 4-5 green chillies, salt, ½ teaspoon turmeric powder, ½ teaspoon red chilli powder and give a nice mix. Cook it over medium flame for 2-3 minutes.
- Add hilsa fish roes into the pan and break it with the help of a spatula.
- Give a nice mix and cook it over medium flame for 5-6 minutes until it gets dry.
- Add ¼ teaspoon cumin powder, ¼ teaspoon coriander powder and mix it well. Cook it on low flame for a couple of minutes.
- Switch off the flame and ilish macher dim bhurji is ready to serve.
