BENGALURU : Although hilsa or ilish has remained the pride of Bengal, it is now being celebrated and cherished all around the country. The popular river water fish has a distinctive taste and is delicious. Owing to the tradition of celebrating the season of hilsa, Oh! Calcutta once again brings back memories of the ancient and classic flavours of the fish with a variety of preparations.
Here’s what is good, bad and ugly about this River Water Hilsa Festival at the restaurant.
GOOD
Mochar Ilish
This is the highlight of the menu. This amalgamation of ilish and banana flowers or mocha, as you call it in Bengali, is the best thing you will eat whole of this month in Bengaluru. The distinct and strong flavours of banana flower and ilish blend well when cooked together. This is not to be missed.
Ilisher Fish Fingers
You could just Ctrl+Alt+Del all the fish finger memories you have from your past experiences because this is surely the only memory you would want to keep. This is a lip-smacking upgrade to the usual fish snack. The crispy layer on the outside and the soft and buttery ilish dipped in mustard mayo is all you need this monsoon.
Bhapa Ilish
This is a classic ilish preparation. The boneless hilsa fillet is marinated with full-bodied mustard and chilies. It is then wrapped in a banana leaf and steamed. The flavour of mustard elevates the overall taste of the dish through the roof. The aroma from the banana leaf is a like a cherry on the cake. A classic done right, you cannot miss out on this.
Meghna Majhider Ilish
This is inspired by the boatmen at the river Meghna and hence, the name. The hilsa is braised in coconut milk and is mildly flavoured with curry powder. The flavours from all the elements beautifully marry together to create a lip-smacking punch.
BAD
Lal Lonkar Ilish
This roughly translates to ilish cooked in red chillies. Now, with so many star dishes around, this just falls flat for many reasons. Cooking hilsa with red chilies is another classic technique but you cannot go wrong with the basics. It was too salty with no flavours to save the grace whatsoever.
UGLY
None.
The festival is on till July 31.
Cost for two: `1,500 (approx.)