Ilish pulao | Ilish polao recipe | Ilish macher pulao | How to make ilish polao

Ilish pulao is a pure Bangladeshi delicacy and one of the most popular hilsa fish recipes. It has occupied place in the menu card of almost every Bangladeshi restaurant in Bangladesh. In this recipe, marinated hilsa pieces are cooked in onion gravy and then steamed with fragrant pulao. Ilish polao recipe itself is a complete dish which does not require any side to relish with.

About the recipe
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How to make Ilish Pulao (step wise photos)
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Normally, hilsa fish aka ilish mach is used to prepare side dishes which are mostly relished with steamed rice, but ilish pulao recipe is completely different from rest of the ilish mach recipes. It is a main course which is the amalgamation of tender and juicy hilsa fish pieces with delicious and aromatic pulao. But before jumping into the recipe, as a bong, it is my duty to explain about the most popular and unique flavoured fish.

Hilsa is renowned as “Queen of fishes” and it’s the National fish of Bangladesh as well. Ilish (Hilsa fish) is very popular in South Asia, especially among Bengalis and Odiyas. In North America, Hilsa is not always available. So, they sometimes use Shad fish as a substitute. It is also popular in Andhra Pradesh (India) and is called Pulasa in Telegu. It is popular among Sindhis as well. In short, hilsa is one of the most beloved fishes in Indian and Bangladeshi community.

There is an eternal bonding between Hilsa fish and Bengalis which cannot be expressed through words. To understand this nostalgia, either you need to be part of this amazing Bengali culture or you need to see it very closely somehow.

For Bengalis, fishes are much more than a food ingredient and it’s a significant part of any celebration. Hilsa fish converts any occasion to festival with its unbeatable flavour and taste. During some special occasions or ceremonies, Hilsa is often bought in pairs in many Bengali houses. When it comes to Ilish (Hilsa fish), I can go on and on because I am a die heart fan of it.

Hilsa fish aka ilish mach is also popular as monsoon fish because during monsoon they come to the rivers in batches. It is the golden time for every fisher to get hilsa. In fact, at that time this VIP fish is exported all throughout the world.

You will be surprised to know that hilsa is one of the costliest fishes and sometimes it costs really very high. In fact, if you go to any reputed Bengali restaurant and check the menu card, hilsa fish recipes cost very high.

So, Bengalis never waste a single part of the costly fish and prepare different types of traditional Bengali recipes with them. Ilish macher matha diye moong dal, Ilish macher matha diye kochu shaak, Ilish macher matha diye bandhakopi are few popular hilsa fish head recipes and ilish macher dim bhapa, ilish macher dim bhuna are few popular hilsa fish roe recipes.

Ilish pulao aka ilish macher pulao is a quite simple recipe for those who has already worked with the delicate fish. The difficulty level of preparing this dish is moderate. To prepare this authentic recipe, the most important ingredients are hilsa fish and gobindobhog chal aka chinigura rice. Rest of the ingredients are easily available in any Bengali kitchen pantry.

Many people get confused between Ilish polao and ilish biryani. Though both the dishes sound similar and they have few common elements too in the recipe, but still they are completely different from each other. The texture, taste and flavour of both the recipes are completely different. Stay tuned, I will share the ilish biryani recipe very soon with you.

Ilish pulao recipe step by step photos and instructions have been provided in the ‘Instructions’ section of the recipe. I have included all the tips and tricks below to prepare perfect ilish polao recipe. If you follow the steps properly then you will get exactly restaurant like ilish macher pulao and even better than that.

• Always use hilsa fish over 1KG weight for the best result.
• Don’t replace gobindobhog chal aka chinigura rice with basmati rice. Then you would need to compromise in texture and flavour.
• Marinate the fish pieces for half an hour.
• Don’t use too much spices for the recipe.
• Hilsa is a very delicate fish. So, be very careful during the time of flipping them while frying, or else they may break.
• Don’t overcook the fish, or else they will become hard and lose their tender and juicy texture.
• Always use hot water to prepare pulao.

To prepare the ilish pulao aka ilish macher pulao, first wash the gobindobhog rice (Small grain pulao rice) until the water gets clear and then strain the water completely. Keep it aside for air drying.

On the other hand, scale and wash the hilsa fish pieces nicely. Then add yogurt, ginger-garlic paste, cumin powder, red chilli powder, salt and coat the fish pieces with all the ingredients evenly. Cover the pieces and allow it to marinate for half an hour.

Put a pan on flame and add ½ cup of oil into it. Once the oil is hot, add onion slices and fry it over medium flame to prepare Beresta. Then keep the crispy fried onion aside.

For the ilish gravy, make a smooth paste of onion. If you like heaty taste, then you can add couple of green chillies during the time of preparing the paste.

Then in a pan, add mustard oil and once the oil is hot, add the onion paste and cook until the oil gets released. Separate the fish pieces from the marination and add the yogurt mixture into the pan and cook it for some time.

After this, add the hilsa pieces and cook it in low flame with lid for 5 minutes. Then flip the hilsa pieces add 1/3rd of the Beresta aka fried onions and salt if required. Cover the pan and cook it in lowest flame for another 5 minutes. Switch off the flame and keep the hilsa pieces on a separate plate. Collect the gravy in a separate bowl for later use.

In a pan, add ghee and the onion fried oil. Once the oil is hot, add whole spices cinnamon stick, cloves, cardamoms, and bay leaves for tempering. Then add sliced onion, green chillies into the pan and fry them for 3-4 minutes. Add the Gobindobhog rice into the pan and fry it on medium high flame for 6-8 minutes until the rice becomes opaque and a sound comes during the time of stirring. Stir the mixture continuously. This step takes some time for the rice to get fried properly but you need to be patient at this point.

Add the hilsa gravy into the pan and cook it for another couple of minutes. Then add hot water into the pan. Add salt, sugar and give a gentle stir. Cover the pan and cook it over medium flame for 5-6 minutes till the rice becomes visible.

Put the flame in low and add the remaining Beresta aka fried onions, green chillies and the hilsa pieces. Cover the pan and cook it in lowest flame for another 10 minutes. Then switch off the flame and don’t disturb the pan for further 15 more minutes.

Take off the lid of the pan and take out the ilish pieces carefully into a separate plate. Fluff the rice either with a fork or pour the ilish pulao into a separate large mixing bowl, or else the rice may stick to each other sitting into the hot pan. I always prefer the second way.

Many hilsa fish recipes have already been shared in my previous posts. You can check few of them like

Doi Ilish
Barishali Ilish

..And Many more…

• 4 pieces Hilsa fish (Ilish mach)
• ½ cup Yogurt (Dahi)
• 1 tablespoon Ginger-Garlic paste
• ½ teaspoon Cumin powder (Jeera powder)
• 1 teaspoon Red chilli powder
• 1 teaspoon Salt

• 2 large Onions, thin sliced
• ½ cup oil to deep fry the onions

• 2 cups Gobindobhog chal (Small grain rice)
• 2 medium Onion paste, for the hilsa gravy
• 1 small onion, sliced for the pulao
• 6 green Chillies
• 1 Bay leaf (Tejpatta)
• 4 Cardamoms (Elaichi)
• 4 Cloves (Laung)
• 2 inches Cinnamon stick (Dalchini)
• 2 teaspoons Sugar
• Salt according to taste
• 2½ tablespoons Mustard oil, to cook the hilsa gravy
• 1 tablespoon Ghee (Clarified butter), to cook the pulao
• 2 tablespoons Oil (Beresta fried oil), to cook the pulao
• 4 cups hot Water, to cook the pulao

1. First wash the Gobindobhog chaal 3-4 times until the water gets clear. Then strain the excess water with a strainer and keep it aside to become air dry.
2. Cut and clean the Ilish mach (Hilsa fish) and marinate them with ½ cup Yogurt, 1 tablespoon ginger-garlic paste, 1 teaspoon salt, ½ teaspoon cumin powder, 1 teaspoon chilli powder and coat the fish pieces evenly. Cover the fish and keep it aside for 30 minutes.
3. Put a pan on flame and allow it to become completely dry. Then add ½ cup oil into the pan and allow it to become hot.
4. Once the oil is hot, add thin sliced onion into the pan and fry it over medium flame till crispy golden brown. Then strain the excess oil and transfer the crispy fried onions (Beresta) on a separate plate. Keep it aside.
5. Add chunks of two medium sized onions into the jar of a grinder and close the lid of the jar. Pulse it to a smooth paste. If you like spicy taste, then you can add 2-3 green chillies into the paste as well.
6. Put another pan on flame and allow it to become completely dry.
7. Add 2½ tablespoons of mustard oil into the pan and allow it to become hot.
8. Once the oil is hot, add the onion paste (Step 5) into the pan and give a nice stir. Cook it in high flame for 2 minutes and then put the flame in medium low and cook it for another 5 minutes until the onion paste releases oil.
9. In the meantime, separate the hilsa pieces from the marination (Spicy yogurt mixture) and keep it on a separate plate.
10. Add the marinated yogurt mixture into the pan and give a nice stir. Cook it in medium low flame for another 2-3 minutes until it releases oil.
11. Add the hilsa pieces carefully into the pan and close the lid of the pan. Cook it in low flame for 5 minutes.
12. After 5 minutes, add 1/3rd of the Beresta (Step 4) and sprinkle some salt into the pan.
13. Flip the delicate fish pieces very carefully and put the flame in lowest. Cover the pan and cook it for another 5 more minutes.
14. Switch off the flame and keep the hilsa pieces and 2 tablespoons of gravy into a separate plate. Collect rest of the gravy into a separate bowl and keep it aside for further use in preparing pulao.
15. Take a pan and add 2 tablespoons of beresta fried oil and 1 tablespoon of ghee into it.
16. Add the whole spices – 2 inches cinnamon stick, 4 cloves, 4 cardamoms and 1 bay leaf and let them crackle.
17. Add sliced onion, green chillies into the pan and fry them for 3-4 minutes on medium flame.
18. Add the gobindobhog rice (Step 1) into the pan and fry it on medium high flame for 6-8 minutes until the rice becomes opaque and a sound comes during the time of stirring. Stir the mixture continuously. This step takes some time to get the rice fried properly but you need to be patient at this point.
19. Add the separated hilsa gravy (Step 14) into the pan and cook it for another couple of minutes on medium low flame.
20. Add 4 cups of hot water into the pan. Always use double the amount of hot water for rice to prepare the pulao.
21. Add salt, sugar and give a gentle stir.
22. Cover the pan and cook it over medium flame for 5-6 minutes till the rice become visible.
23. Put the flame in low and sprinkle the remaining Beresta aka fried onions (Step 4) on the top. Add green chillies into the pan.
24. Add the hilsa pieces into the pan over the rice very carefully.
25. Cover the pan and cook it in lowest flame for another 10 minutes. Then switch off the flame and don’t disturb the pan for further 15 more minutes.
26. Take off the lid of the pan and take out the ilish pieces carefully into a separate plate. Then fluff the rice either with a fork or pour the ilish pulao into a separate large mixing bowl, or else the rice may stick to each other sitting into the hot pan. I always prefer the second way to fluff the pulao.

Serve the portions of Ilish pulao with hilsa fishes on serving plates. Serve hot or warm to enjoy the best taste. It does not require any side to relish and enjoy the eternal taste of this Bengali recipe.

Ilish pulao | Ilish polao recipe | Ilish macher pulao | How to make ilish polao

Serves: 4 Prep Time: 15 Minutes Cooking Time: 40 Minutes 40 Minutes

Nutrition facts: NA calories NA fat

Rating: 3.5/5

( 2 voted )

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Ingredients

Measurement: 1 cup = 250 ml

To marinate the hilsa fish

• 4 pieces Hilsa fish (Ilish mach)
• ½ cup Yogurt (Dahi)
• 1 tablespoon Ginger-Garlic paste
• ½ teaspoon Cumin powder (Jeera powder)
• 1 teaspoon Red chilli powder
• 1 teaspoon Salt

To prepare Beresta (Crispy fried onion)

• 2 large Onions, thin sliced
• ½ cup oil to deep fry the onions

Other ingredients for the Ilish pulao

• 2 cups Gobindobhog chal (Small grain rice)
• 2 medium Onion paste, for the hilsa gravy
• 1 small onion, sliced for the pulao
• 6 green Chillies
• 1 Bay leaf (Tejpatta)
• 4 Cardamoms (Elaichi)
• 4 Cloves (Laung)
• 2 inches Cinnamon stick (Dalchini)
• 2 teaspoons Sugar
• Salt according to taste
• 2½ tablespoons Mustard oil, to cook the hilsa gravy
• 1 tablespoon Ghee (Clarified butter), to cook the pulao
• 2 tablespoons Oil (Beresta fried oil), to cook the pulao
• 4 cups hot Water, to cook the pulao

Instructions

1. First wash the Gobindobhog chaal 3-4 times until the water gets clear. Then strain the excess water with a strainer and keep it aside to become air dry.
2. Cut and clean the Ilish mach (Hilsa fish) and marinate them with ½ cup Yogurt, 1 tablespoon ginger-garlic paste, 1 teaspoon salt, ½ teaspoon cumin powder, 1 teaspoon chilli powder and coat the fish pieces evenly. Cover the fish and keep it aside for 30 minutes.
3. Put a pan on flame and allow it to become completely dry. Then add ½ cup oil into the pan and allow it to become hot.
4. Once the oil is hot, add thin sliced onion into the pan and fry it over medium flame till crispy golden brown. Then strain the excess oil and transfer the crispy fried onions (Beresta) on a separate plate. Keep it aside.
5. Add chunks of two medium sized onions into the jar of a grinder and close the lid of the jar. Pulse it to a smooth paste. If you like spicy taste, then you can add 2-3 green chillies into the paste as well.
6. Put another pan on flame and allow it to become completely dry.
7. Add 2½ tablespoons of mustard oil into the pan and allow it to become hot.
8. Once the oil is hot, add the onion paste (Step 5) into the pan and give a nice stir. Cook it in high flame for 2 minutes and then put the flame in medium low and cook it for another 5 minutes until the onion paste releases oil.
9. In the meantime, separate the hilsa pieces from the marination (Spicy yogurt mixture) and keep it on a separate plate.
10. Add the marinated yogurt mixture into the pan and give a nice stir. Cook it in medium low flame for another 2-3 minutes until it releases oil.
11. Add the hilsa pieces carefully into the pan and close the lid of the pan. Cook it in low flame for 5 minutes.
12. After 5 minutes, add 1/3^rd of the Beresta (Step 4) and sprinkle some salt into the pan.
13. Flip the delicate fish pieces very carefully and put the flame in lowest. Cover the pan and cook it for another 5 more minutes.
14. Switch off the flame and keep the hilsa pieces and 2 tablespoons of gravy into a separate plate. Collect rest of the gravy into a separate bowl and keep it aside for further use in preparing pulao.
15. Take a pan and add 2 tablespoons of beresta fried oil and 1 tablespoon of ghee into it.
16. Add the whole spices - 2 inches cinnamon stick, 4 cloves, 4 cardamoms and 1 bay leaf and let them crackle.
17. Add sliced onion, green chillies into the pan and fry them for 3-4 minutes on medium flame.
18. Add the gobindobhog rice (Step 1) into the pan and fry it on medium high flame for 6-8 minutes until the rice becomes opaque and a sound comes during the time of stirring. Stir the mixture continuously. This step takes some time to get the rice fried properly but you need to be patient at this point.
19. Add the separated hilsa gravy (Step 14) into the pan and cook it for another couple of minutes on medium low flame.
20. Add 4 cups of hot water into the pan. Always use double the amount of hot water for rice to prepare the pulao.
21. Add salt, sugar and give a gentle stir.
22. Cover the pan and cook it over medium flame for 5-6 minutes till the rice become visible.
23. Put the flame in low and sprinkle the remaining Beresta aka fried onions (Step 4) on the top. Add green chillies into the pan.
24. Add the hilsa pieces into the pan over the rice very carefully.
25. Cover the pan and cook it in lowest flame for another 10 minutes. Then switch off the flame and don’t disturb the pan for further 15 more minutes.
26. Take off the lid of the pan and take out the ilish pieces carefully into a separate plate. Then fluff the rice either with a fork or pour the ilish pulao into a separate large mixing bowl, or else the rice may stick to each other sitting into the hot pan. I always prefer the second way to fluff the pulao.