Ilish biryani,

courtesy Sumiet Raghuvanshi , corporate chef, White Castle Hospitality

Biryani is usually associated with kutton or chicken. However, ilish being the king of fish, there is no better way to represent Bengal on a plate than this. This dish is a gastronomic treat: a piece of art that’s aromatic and delicate, made with long grained and aged basmati rice, and garnished with saffron.

Ingredients

● 7 oz ilish fish

● 6 ½ oz basmati rice

● A pinch of green cardamom

● A pinch of nutmeg powder

● ½ inch cinnamon stick

● A pinch of mace

● 1 clove

● A pinch of shahi jeera

● 2-3 white pepperw, whole

● A few dry rose petals

● A few drops of rose water

● 1 ¾ tsp garam masala

● 1 ¾ tsp coriander powder

● A few drops of kewra water

● 3.5 oz onions

● 3.5 oz mawa or milk solids

● 7 oz ghee

● 2 oz milk

● 1.5 oz curd

● ½ tsp salt

● A small piece of green chilli

● 3 tbsp mMustard oil

● 1 ¾ tsp chickpea flour

● 1 ¾ tsp rice flour

● 1/3 tbsp kasundi or mustard sauce

● 5 ¼ oz chal kumro

● 1 ¾ oz cucumber

Method

1. Boil the rice with whole spices (green cardamom, nutmeg, cinnamon, mace, clove, shahi jeera). Cook the rice till 80% done. Drain.

2. Marinate the fish with salt and turmeric. Then shallow-fry the fish in mustard oil.

3. In the same oil, make a gravy of thinly sliced onion.

4. Brown the onion in oil and then add the fish stock, add all the spice powders

(garam masala, coriander powder, and kasundi), followed by curd, milk and mawa.

5. To assemble, put the gravy in the bottom, layered with rice, fish, and mawa. Sprinkle gulab jal, dried rose petals, ghee, and kewra water. Repeat the process and layer the top with fried onion and saffron. Seal and cook for 10 minutes.

6. On the side, serve chal kumro. This is made with clean and thickly sliced ash gourd. Coat it with rice and chickpea flours, add salt and pepper, and shallow fry in mustard oil.

7. Add a salad of thinly sliced cucumber and onion with green chilli and lemon.

Vishukkani appam, courtesy Latha Kuniyil, chef de cuisine, Grand Hyatt Kochi Bolgatty

Vishukaniappam is made from the first rice harvest of the season. It is ground and powdered along with the husk. Jaggery, sesame, cumin seeds are added later. It is believed that when this appam is steamed, if it does not crack while rising, it will be a fruitful year. If it cracks, things may not look so good.

Ingredients

● 2.2 lb raw rice

● 1.5 lb jaggery

● 2 cups of ghee

● 4 ½ tsp sesame seeds

● ½ dry coconut

● 2 ¼ tsp cumin

● A pinch of cardamom powder

● Salt to taste

● ¼ tsp baking powder

Method

1. Wash the raw rice and soak it for a minimum of five hours.

2. Strain it then grind it into small granules.

3. Make jaggery syrup, then strain and keep it at room temperature.

4. Mix rice powder and jaggery syrup, and keep minimum three hours.

5. Heat pan and add ghee, sesame seed, cumin, dry coconut slice, mix baking powder. Add into the rice jaggery mix.

6. Take an iron pan, add ghee, and pour the batter in and cook both sides nicely.

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