Bhetki Paturi

My husband loves "Bhetki Paturi " - bhetki fillets, smeared with a mustardy spice mix, wrapped in banana leaves and cooked. This item is mostly found in the Bengali wedding menu!!! And also wen ever we go out dining to these Bengali cuisine speciality restaurants husband always has to order this one dish. So last Sunday i decided to give making it a shot at home. The only issue were the banana leaves but my sweet maid came to my rescue and got me a nice big green leaf from her home.Now there was no stopping me.Presenting the wonderful Bhetki Paturi...even i was amazed how easy it was to make it.

Ingredients:

Bhetki fillets - 8 pieces

Lime juice - 1 tbsp

Mustard paste - 4 tbsp

Cream - 2 tbsp

Turmeric - 1tsp

Salt - to taste

Mustard oil - 3 tbsp

Whole Green chillies - 8 nos

Banana leaves - cut into squares

Method:

Clean and pat dry the fillets. Marinate with a little salt and lime juice and keep aside.

Make a marinade with mustard paste, cream, turmeric, salt and mustard oil.Marinate the fillets in this and keep aside for 10 mins.

Take one square of the banana leaf, place a fillet along with some mustard mix, top with a green chilli. Wrap the banana leaf and make it into a small parcel securing the top with a toothpick or u could use a thread. Similarly make parcels of all the fillets.

Place a tawa or a flat pan on the gas stove. Arrange all the parcels on the tawa and cover it with a lid. Let it cook on low flame for 7 mins on each side. You would notice that the banana leaves would turn colour into light brown.

Your dish is ready. There are other methods too of cooking the fish parcels - like you could steam it too. But grilling them in the pan gives it a very good flavour.Just to add that hubby had three of those and later complained of over eating!!