<p>My mother-in-law never really did approve of me, even before I got married to my husband. It was weird in a way because we rarely got a chance to interact with each other. <br /><br />I could only turn to my imagination for reasons as to why there would be any differences between us, if any at all. <br /><br />Whenever my husband would ask his parents to come over, there always seemed to be a perennial flow of excuses that led to my father-in-law having to politely decline our invitations.<br /><br /> It always left me pondering because my father-in-law and I shared a bond which I believed was jocund and friendlyto say the least. <br /><br />Feeling helpless, I confided in my husband one evening. He wiped the solemn tear off my cheek and went out to the market immediately, returning about half an hour later with a big Hilsa. <br /><br /> I had never cooked this fish nor did I eat it very often, primarily because of my inability to cook it, I guess. He proceeded to teach me how to clean the fish, and then subsequently prepare it and I was glad he did, because it took my mind off other things, although I had no idea as to why he had gotten a Hilsa out of the blue in the first place. <br /><br />Once cooked, we ate it too, with a sizeable amount left over after we were done. The next day I woke to find the right side of my bed empty.<br /><br /> He had probably left for work, early again. What wasn’t empty was my cellphone’s inbox that had a solitary message from Maa. It read “Bouma, tomaar haat er Illish kheye mon bhore gelo.<br /><br /> Robibaar aashchhi. Baaniye raakhbe toh?” (Darling daughter, the Hilsa you cooked engulfed my heart with joy. <br /><br />I will be coming on Sunday. You will keep some for me, wont you?). We have been the best of friends since. <br />As told to A. Ayush Chatterjee by Smita Chakroborty<br /><br />Recipe<br />Serves 4<br />Ingredients: Hilsa (Ilish): 6 pieces<br />Mustard seed (sarson):<br />2 tablespoons<br />Poppy seed (posto): <br />2 tablespoons<br />Green chilli <br />(kacha lanka): 6/7<br />Mustard oil (sarson tel): 3 tablespoon<br />Turmeric powder(Haluder guro): <br />3 piches<br />Salt to taste<br /><br />Preparation:<br />Make a paste of mustard and poppy seeds along with 2 /3 chillies. Wash <br />the fish pieces well, take them in a shallow microwave bowl.<br /><br /> Add salt, turmeric powder to the mustard and poppy paste. Mix the paste to the fish well and pour the oil over it, also add the remaining chillies. <br /><br />Microwave for 5 / 6 minutes at 800watts (microwave high), in between check whether the fish has become soft and the mustard smell is coming out or not. <br />Serve hot with rice, <br />and enjoy this great <br />delicacy.</p>
<p>My mother-in-law never really did approve of me, even before I got married to my husband. It was weird in a way because we rarely got a chance to interact with each other. <br /><br />I could only turn to my imagination for reasons as to why there would be any differences between us, if any at all. <br /><br />Whenever my husband would ask his parents to come over, there always seemed to be a perennial flow of excuses that led to my father-in-law having to politely decline our invitations.<br /><br /> It always left me pondering because my father-in-law and I shared a bond which I believed was jocund and friendlyto say the least. <br /><br />Feeling helpless, I confided in my husband one evening. He wiped the solemn tear off my cheek and went out to the market immediately, returning about half an hour later with a big Hilsa. <br /><br /> I had never cooked this fish nor did I eat it very often, primarily because of my inability to cook it, I guess. He proceeded to teach me how to clean the fish, and then subsequently prepare it and I was glad he did, because it took my mind off other things, although I had no idea as to why he had gotten a Hilsa out of the blue in the first place. <br /><br />Once cooked, we ate it too, with a sizeable amount left over after we were done. The next day I woke to find the right side of my bed empty.<br /><br /> He had probably left for work, early again. What wasn’t empty was my cellphone’s inbox that had a solitary message from Maa. It read “Bouma, tomaar haat er Illish kheye mon bhore gelo.<br /><br /> Robibaar aashchhi. Baaniye raakhbe toh?” (Darling daughter, the Hilsa you cooked engulfed my heart with joy. <br /><br />I will be coming on Sunday. You will keep some for me, wont you?). We have been the best of friends since. <br />As told to A. Ayush Chatterjee by Smita Chakroborty<br /><br />Recipe<br />Serves 4<br />Ingredients: Hilsa (Ilish): 6 pieces<br />Mustard seed (sarson):<br />2 tablespoons<br />Poppy seed (posto): <br />2 tablespoons<br />Green chilli <br />(kacha lanka): 6/7<br />Mustard oil (sarson tel): 3 tablespoon<br />Turmeric powder(Haluder guro): <br />3 piches<br />Salt to taste<br /><br />Preparation:<br />Make a paste of mustard and poppy seeds along with 2 /3 chillies. Wash <br />the fish pieces well, take them in a shallow microwave bowl.<br /><br /> Add salt, turmeric powder to the mustard and poppy paste. Mix the paste to the fish well and pour the oil over it, also add the remaining chillies. <br /><br />Microwave for 5 / 6 minutes at 800watts (microwave high), in between check whether the fish has become soft and the mustard smell is coming out or not. <br />Serve hot with rice, <br />and enjoy this great <br />delicacy.</p>
