Ilish machher kumro diye jhol

Debjani Chatterjee Alam’s Kumro diye Ilish Macher Jhol is a Bengali Hilsa curry with pumpkin. She describes a light, runny dish in which pumpkin sweetness meets tamarind sourness, with nigella and dried red chilli tempering the mustard oil.

The fish is marinated with salt, turmeric and a separate mustard-oil portion. Pumpkin is peeled and cut into small cubes, and the green chillies are halved.

The fish pieces are lightly fried on both sides in the main mustard oil and removed. Some fish-frying oil is reserved, while the oil left in the pan is tempered with dried red chillies and nigella before the pumpkin and its turmeric, chilli powder and salt cook in it.

Water is added to the bowl containing the remaining marinade, and that same mixture goes into the pan. The pumpkin simmers before tamarind paste and green chillies enter; the fried Hilsa returns after the pumpkin is cooked.

An optional raw mustard-oil finish is stirred through before the heat is turned off. The curry stands briefly and is served hot with steamed rice. Debjani also offers the reserved fish-frying oil separately with rice.