Ilish Paturi, the succulent Bengali delight

It’s a piece of paradise wrapped in banana leaf. Succulent, tangy, with just the right zing to make your Sunday lunch worth every morsel. Yes, we’re talking about the ilish paturi, one of the many — if not the best — avatars of the hilsa.
The paturi is in a class by itself in the Bengali henshel’s hall of fame. No other hilsa delicacy represents our sense of proportion, moderation and minimalism — the benchmarks of Bangaliana —quite like the paturi.Fish, mustard paste, slit green chilli, a dash of salt and haldi, wrapped in banana leaf packets, steamed till tender — and you have the melt-in-your-mouth delicacy on your plate.
The Thai have their fish wrapped in banana leaf, Malayali ammas can rustle up a mean Meen Pollichathu, but every Bangali ginni worth her salt and shorshe bata will vouch that there’s nothing to beat an ilish paturi. While the dish has been adapted to suit other palates — you have mochar paturi and chicken paturi these days — the classic hilsa paturi is still seasonal, coming and going with the monsoon.
So till the rains last, here’s your chance to shout, scream, holler and root for the best ilish paturi in town. Tala to Tollygunge, Bally to Ballygunge, tell us where you’ve had them. Follow the code below, and go vote. Or should we say, go, fish?