Macher paturi (Fish enveloped by banana leaf and steamed) is a standout amongst the most renowned dishes in the Bengali food. The flavour is normally only a straightforward blend of mustard paste, turmeric, salt, green chillies and mustard oil. By and large oily fish is cut equally, and after that enclosed by a banana leaf, after the fish has been hit by a seasoning of freshly pasted mustard with a trace of mustard oil, green chilly, turmeric and salt. The remarkable aroma of paturi originates from the smell of the banana leaf. After some time, developments in formulas prompted including either ground coconut or yogurt or coriander glue. The fish is normally Hilsa (Bengali name – Ilish). Be that as it may, Hilsa is a regular delicacy accessible amid rainstorm in India. Therefore, to appreciate Paturi consistently, Bengalis make paturi with a large group of other waterway fishes.
Paturi is fundamentally the same as the Parsi dish, Patrani Machhi, which again truly implies fish cooked in a leaf. The cooking procedure is indistinguishable where you wrap cuts of fish or even entire fish in banana leaf and steam the equivalent. The thing that matters is in the fish and flavours utilized. Patrani machi is ordinarily produced using Pomfret, an ocean fish, and the flavour is a blend of coriander, mint leaves alongside ground coconut and ginger-garlic-onion glue.
I had a go at looking for the root of the dish, if both of these dishes were impacted by the other culture. Given the first dish was made with Hilsa fish, or, in other words in Bangladesh contrasted with West Bengal, India, numerous individuals have attributed the birthplace of Machher paturi to Bangladesh. Confirmations are accessible that in Maymansingha District of Bangladesh, this delicacy is must to offer to Goddess Durga amid Nabami Bhog (ref. – Chandimangal Kabya). Durga Mata is asking to her mother (resembling all Bengali Married Ladies) to set up the best nourishment made of fish amid her remain.
What astonished me amid this hunt however, was running over numerous other universal food likewise utilizing a similar strategy.
• South East Asia – A form of fish steamed in “Plantain clears out”. The fish is normally halibut or cod and the flavours are cleaved garlic, squashed pepper and salt spread with olive oil. They appear to utilize banana leaves widely to steam sticky rice also.
• Mexico – Use of banana leaves to bundle and cook straightforward dish like “Tamale” (produced using corn starch mixture) to expound formula like entire suckling pig.
There is a vegetarian version available for Paturi in the Northern part of Bengal especially North Dinajpur District named “LADHAKH” – during the month of October a typical mushroom grows in that region which in local language known as “Chhatu” which is marinated with fresh turmeric paste, curd and mustard paste and wrapped in Turmeric Leaf and then simply roasted against open fire.
Bengalis dependably love to have more impactful flavour which gives the fiery nature and, in the meantime, steamed which will radiant the solid sentiments about the nourishment. Paturi is a delicacy and there is no other dish which can be contrasted and it.