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Today, I am going to talk about this national dish Ilish mass and rice. It is the national dish of Bangladesh. You might wonder why they eat this dish. In Bangladesh there is a New Year but not at same as the western one. Bangladesh is a Muslim and Hindu country so there new year is more toward the spring time it's bit like Chinese new year but us a place we celebrate the fact is winter is ending and spring is starting which we call it Falgun. To make this recipe you will need these ingredient.

Illish mass: rice:

1 the fish illish mass - 1 cup of basmati rice

2 tsp turmeric - 2 cups of water.

2 tsp cumin

2 onions

2 tsp cayenne

2 tsp oil

2 tsp salt

1 tsp of garlic paste

1 tsp of ginger paste

steps to illish mass:

Clean your fish

then take a bowl put your fish in it

In the bowl add all the spices needed and the pastes mix them

Then put in the fridge for 30 mins

Cut your onions

Take a pan and put your pan on the stove and add some oil

Then trow in your onions when your oil is really hot.

Fry them for a few minutes

Then add your fish in this and fry it for a good 15 min.

Rice steps :

wash your rice 3x or more it has to be clear

then fill you pot with water only halfway

Put your rice on the stove for 25 until it boils and then drain.

“Vengaya Thokku” -  A south Indian style of Spicy, sweet and salty Onion Relish

“Vengaya” means Onion and “Thokku” means pickle or relish in Tamil. When I was a kid I used to hang out a lot at my friend’s place whose family was Tamil Brahmins from Chennai. They were our next-door neighbors so there was a lot of cultural exchange between both the families. Obviously, there was also an exchange traditional recipes. I must say, their pickles are some of the most flavorful. So here’s a recipe for Onion Thokku which is a great condiment for idli, dosa, rice meal, and Pita bread. 

Ingredients: 

3 cup red onions

22 garlic cloves

1/2 cup tamarind soaked in water

6 Kashmiri dry red chilies soaked in water

5 tbsp. oil

salt to taste

1 teaspoon Turmeric 

1 tbsp. Jaggery

1/2 tbsp Coriander seeds 

2 tbsp. mustard seeds 

1 pinch Asafoetida 

1 tbsp Fenugreek seeds

1 tbsp Bengal gram (optional)

1 tbsp skinned black gram/ Urad daal (optional)

6 to 7 curry leaves 

Method: 

1 - To a pan add Fenugreek seeds, coriander seeds, and only 1 tbsp mustard seeds. Slightly roast it till it gets brown. Grind this to a fine powder and set it aside. 

2 - Now to a mixer jar add onion, 10 to 15 cloves of garlic, tamarind and red chilies. Grind it into a paste.

3 - Heat oil in a deep pot and add 1 tbsp of mustard seeds, 1 tbs Bengal gram and Black gram. Let it change to a golden brown color. Now add left over garlic cloves and curry leaves to the oil and stir. Now add the onion paste to it. and cook for a minute. 

4 - Now add turmeric powder, salt, jaggery, and ground powder which you made in the first step.

5 - Sauté till it thickens and separates the oil. The color should change to a darker brown. Taste and adjust the salt according to your liking. 

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