Fish Pulao / Macher Pulao

Inspired from the recipes of Bangladeshi Ilish Macher Pulao, and then trying the one pot Prawn Pulao, I did not hesitate much before trying the Macher Pulao. Although, traditionally Hilsa / Ilish is the first preference for this flavourful rice preparation, you can use any fish you want...as long as it is rich and tasty. Along with the desi ghee and the fine aromatic Basmati rice, I don’t mind Fish Pulao for a change.

Step By Step Procee:

Add the onions to the melted ghee that has already been tempered with cinnamon sticks, green cardamoms, cloves, bay leaves and whole black peppercorns.

Saute until the onions are lightly golden and add the ginger - garlic paste. Cook for a minute more.

Add the whisked yogurt.

Cook until the yogurt becomes thick and the oil separates. Add the slit green chillies.

Add the washed and soaked rice.

Fry the rice for 2 minutes or until they become non-sticky. Add some more ghee to them

Add water, salt & pepper, garam masala powder, rose water and kewra water.

After 5 minutes of cooking open the pot and take some rice out of it. Place the fried fished on the remaining rice and cover the fish with the rice that we too out. Cook again on low flame for another 5 minutes.

Fish Pulao

Serves 4

Ingredients:

1 and ½ cup of fine Basmati rice

4-6 medium thick pieces of fish (I prefer using the normal cut of the fishes, rather than the fillets)

¼ cup of thick yogurt

2 medium onions – sliced

6 fat cloves of garlic – paste

1 inch ginger – paste

2 green chillies – slit

2 medium cinnamon sticks

4 green cardamoms

3 cloves

2 bay leaves

6-7 whole black peppercorns

1 and ½ tsp homemade garam masala powder

1 tsp rose water

½ tsp kewra water / screwpine water

Salt and pepper

½ cup of pure desi ghee

Method:

Marinate the fishes with 1 tbsp yogurt and 1 tsp ginger-garlic paste for about 15 minutes.

Wash and rinse the rice in water until clear water runs through.

Take a large bowl and put the washed rice in it. Fill that bowl with clean water and soak the rice for about half an hour.

Heat the ghee in a heavy bottomed pot and lightly fry the fishes from both the sides until they change their colour.

Take the fishes out of the pot and temper the remaining ghee with cinnamon sticks, cardamom pods, bay leaves, cloves and black peppercorns.

Sauté for half a minute or until the ghee becomes aromatic.

Add the sliced onions and sprinkle some salt over them.

Sauté the onions until they become lightly golden and then add the ginger – garlic paste to them.

Stir and cook until the raw flavour of the garlic is gone.

Switch the flame to the lowest and add the whisked yogurt.

Stir continuously to prevent them from curdling, and cook until the yogurt creates a nice and thick gravy and the oil is separated at the edges.

Add the slit green chillies and give them a stir.

Drain the water from the rice and add this rice to the cooking pot.

Gently mix the rice with the onions and stir continuously until the rice grains become non-sticky. They rice grains will also not stick to each other as well.

Add 2 and ¾ cups of water to the rice.

Add rose water and kewra / screwpine water.

Add a generous amount of salt and little pepper to season the rice.

Add garam masala powder.

Cover and cook for 5 minutes on low to medium flame.

Open the lid of the pot.

Take some of the cooked rice out of the pot and place the fried fishes on the remaining rice.

Cover the fishes with the rice that we took out of the pot in the first place.

Drizzle some ghee over them and cover the pot again.

Cook on low for another 7-8 minutes.

Switch off the flame and let the pot sit like that for another 10 minutes.

Open the lid only when you are ready to serve.

Serve hot with any spicy Bnegali fish curry, like kalia or chingrir malaikari or doi maach.