Bhetki Paturi

Bong Eats’ bhetki paturi encloses fish fillets and mustard paste in banana-leaf parcels. The publisher associates this boneless-fillet preparation with Calcutta catered events; this selection uses its first mustard variation.

Brown and yellow mustard seeds are soaked and ground with green chillies, salt, turmeric and a little water. Mustard oil is stirred into the paste, whose pungency is central to the described preparation.

The fillets are wiped dry and salted separately before receiving the same marinade. Banana leaves are washed, cut into sheets and lightly toasted so they become flexible for folding.

Each individual parcel holds paste, a fillet and more paste, topped with a slit green chilli and a drizzle of the same mustard oil. The leaf is folded around the fish and secured with cotton string.

The selected parcels are steamed in a single layer. Other offered marinades use hung curd, melon-seed paste or gondhoraj, while the selected version keeps the basic mustard coating.