Ilish

A friend of mine has a blog called ilishmaach. At first the name comes across as weird at the most misplaced. Then I wonder, why not? Come monsoons the east of this country is inundated by this phenomenal speciality cuisine. It is a freshwater fish which is easily identified by its silver color when raw and its captivating aroma when cooked. It is a common kitchen byword that you cannot go wrong with the ilishmaach. No matter how bad you try to cook it, the flavour itself will elevate the dish to perfection.
Cooking the ilishmaach has caught on the fascination of the Bengali female as much as writing poetry catches on to every Bengali male! It is an art, a form of expression which is unique to every individual. No cold salad or caviar or lasagne can compete with the magnetism of the ilishmaach.
Be it the dish with the mustard seed paste or the baked one or the crisp fries or the jeere-diye-jhol or the plain dish with eggplant or pumpkin or the spicier treat with pulses or spinach, every avatar promises to be finger-lickin’ good. It is the safest dish to fall back on to impress the in-laws or show off your culinary skills to your friends.
As the raindrops make you feel like curling up like the house cat, munch on an ilishmaach bhaja this year. That’s what I do every year.