Hilsa, also known as illish is the national fish of Bangladesh and state fish of the neighbouring Indian state of West Bengal. It is known as ikan terubok in Malay and 刺殼魚 in Chinese.
Hilsa plays a big part in Bengal culture, both in Bangladesh and in the Indian state of West Bengal. Over 80% of the world's hilsa are fished in Bangladesh (but stocks are depleting fast due to overfishing).
In Bengali custom, the groom's family will gift the bride's family a hilsa fish adorned with jewels. The fish and custom symbolises goodwill between the groom and bride's families.
Hilsa even plays a part in India - Bangladesh diplomacy.
Hilsa fish lives in the Bay of Bengal but swims upriver in the Ganges / Padma and Brahmaputra rivers to spawn.
The partition of India in 1947 by the British colonials put both the Ganges / Padma river delta and the Brahmaputra river delta in East Pakistan (which later became today's Bangladesh). That means that India has limited access to Hilsa within its territory.
Hence, in the diplomacy between India and Bangladesh, gifts of hilsa fish from Bangladesh to India has become a goodwill gesture.
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There are many ways of cooking hilsa which is a fatty but bony fish with hundreds of tiny bones in its flesh. Its meat and fat are very soft and sweet, hence it is highly sought after, making it one of the most costly fish in Bangladesh.
The next time you are in Bangladesh, West Bengal, or in a Bangladesh restaurant anywhere in the world, ask for their hilsa dishes.
The following are just three examples to whet your appetite 😄
Ilish Macher Dopeyaja - hilsa fish steaks together with shredded onion, nigella seed, turmeric powder, cumin powder, and chili powder are sautéed in mustard oil. Hilsa is not cooked with many spices in order not to overwhelm the fish's delicate natural flavour.
Fried illish - season the fish steaks in a blend of turmeric powder, chili powder, and salt. The seasoned fish steaks are then pan fried with mustard oil. Served with topping of sautéed, well browned shredded onion. That's all, that's great. Eaten with boiled rice and dal.
This is a watery soupy version. Sauteed shredded onion and chili pepper with turmeric powder. Add water and simmer the hilsa steaks in the spicy watery soupy stew till fully cooked.
In Malaysia, Teochew Chinese cook ikan terubuk the asam pedas way. The fish is stewed in chili pepper, ginger, garlic, dried vegetables, tamarind, and spices till the flesh and bones are all soft. I love this dish.
My favourite place to get asam pedas ikan terubuk is at Come and Eat Teochew Porridge restaurant at Johor Bahru's Stulang Laut. The original Come and Eat has closed and its successor also serves this dish but the taste profile is less spicy and tangy, which doesn't appeal to me as much.
Another Johor Bahru restaurant GP Tan also has asam pedas ikan terubuk but has quite mild flavours.
Over in Pontian, Johor, Ah Hong Bak Kut Teh serves an asam pedas ikan terubuk which appeals to my tastebuds.
I am hunting for more places to taste hilsa / ikan terubuk. Please share your favourites in the comments.
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