By Aarati chakrabory ( S/w engineer and a foodie ) Guest Post
I’m a software engineer in Bangalore, juggling meetings, deadlines, and my son’s online classes. But there’s one thing I refuse to compromise on: bhaat ghum er shanti — the peace that comes from a slow Sunday lunch with hot rice, mustardy hilsa, and a nap afterward.
Hilsa Bhapa, or shorshe ilish bhapa, is not just a recipe for me. It’s a memory, a ritual, a connection to home. I grew up in a typical Kolkata home in Salt Lake, where the smell of mustard oil and steamed fish meant maa had started cooking lunch. That sharp mustard smell would travel through the house, mingling with the bhaat boiling in the pressure cooker and the hum of the fan overhead.
When I moved to Bangalore for work, I couldn’t imagine re-creating that magic in my tiny 2BHK. For years I substituted hilsa with rohu or seer fish (ilish paoa jaye na, ki korbo?), but every trip home ended with maa teaching me again, step by step, with her usual, “Torkari bhalo hobe na, jodi shotti mon diye na ranna koro” — the dish won’t turn out well unless you cook with heart.
So here is my version of Hilsa Bhapa, just the way maa taught me — simple, bold, and full of soul.
What is Hilsa Bhapa?
‘Bhapa’ means ‘steamed’ in Bengali. So Hilsa Bhapa is basically steamed hilsa in a pungent mustard and coconut gravy, often enriched with green chilies and a drizzle of raw mustard oil. It uses no onions, no garlic, no tomato — just a few pantry staples and a lot of love.
Ingredients (Serves 3–4)
- 4 pieces of fresh hilsa (ilish) — thick steaks, about 150–200g each
- 2 tablespoons mustard seeds (use a mix of yellow and black if available)
- 1 tablespoon poppy seeds (posto, optional for smoother texture)
- 4 green chilies (adjust to taste)
- 4 tablespoons grated fresh coconut (or frozen)
- 3 tablespoons mustard oil
- Salt, to taste
- ½ teaspoon turmeric powder
- 2–3 tablespoons water (for the mustard paste)
- A small pinch of sugar (optional, maa’s trick to balance the bitterness)
Equipment You’ll Need
- A stainless steel tiffin box or small steel bowl with lid (for steaming)
- Pressure cooker, rice cooker, or steamer
- Mixer-grinder
Step-by-Step Recipe
Step 1: Soak and Grind the Seeds
Soak mustard seeds and poppy seeds (if using) in warm water for 15–20 minutes. This softens them and prevents bitterness.
Grind the soaked seeds with coconut, 2 green chilies, and a pinch of salt into a smooth but slightly grainy paste. Add just enough water to make it spreadable — not runny. If you’re using a mixer, pulse instead of running it continuously (it can get bitter from heat).
Step 2: Prepare the Fish
Clean the ilish pieces gently — hilsa is delicate and full of bones. Rub a little turmeric and salt and let them sit for 10 minutes. No deep marination needed.
Step 3: Make the Bhapa Masala
In a bowl, mix the mustard-coconut paste with a bit of water to make a thick gravy. Add turmeric, salt, a tiny pinch of sugar, and 1 tablespoon of mustard oil. Taste and adjust salt.
Gently place the fish pieces in the gravy and coat them evenly. Add 2 whole green chilies on top.
Step 4: Steam the Dish
Transfer everything to a small steel container or tiffin box. Drizzle the rest of the mustard oil over the top. Cover tightly.
Steaming options:
- In a pressure cooker: Place a stand inside the cooker, add water to the bottom, place the closed tiffin box, and steam for 12–15 minutes without the whistle on medium heat.
- In a rice cooker: Steam the box while you cook rice — very efficient.
- In an idli steamer or regular stovetop steamer: Works perfectly fine.
Step 5: Rest and Serve
Once done, let it rest for 10 minutes before opening. The oil would’ve separated slightly, and the fish should be tender but not falling apart.
Serve hot with plain white rice (bhaat), a slice of gondhoraj lebu (if you’re lucky), and a quiet afternoon to enjoy it.
Tips from Maa’s Kitchen
- Always use cold-pressed mustard oil, preferably from Bengal. That sharp kick is the soul of the dish.
- Hilsa is naturally oily and rich. Don’t add too much oil, but don’t skip it either — that final drizzle adds magic.
- Coconut is not traditional in every family, but in ours, it adds smoothness and sweetness.
- Do not over-steam. The fish cooks fast. If overdone, it breaks and loses flavor.
Why I Make It in Bangalore
Sometimes, when I’m standing barefoot in the kitchen on a Saturday, mustard oil heating in the pan and the pressure cooker hissing in the background, I feel like I’m in maa’s kitchen again — even if just for a moment.
My son now says, “Mumma, I like the yellow fish more than chicken curry.” That’s hilsa, baby. I tell him how my mother would make it on monsoon afternoons, rain hitting the windows of our Kolkata apartment, the smell of mustard and steam filling the air.
Hilsa Bhapa, to me, is memory made edible — a slice of home tucked into a box, carried 1,500 kilometers away, and unpacked gently over rice.
And every time I cook it, I’m reminded that even in a tech job, even in Bangalore traffic and Zoom calls, I’m still my maa’s daughter.
