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Patot Dia Maas

Fish smothered in raw mustard paste, onion and green chilli, wrapped in banana leaf and cooked till smoky — Assam's own leaf-parcel fish.

Ingredients

• 500 g Rohu pieces or whole small fish (puthi, darikona)
• 2 tbsp black mustard seeds
• 1 small onion, finely chopped
• 4 garlic cloves
• 1 inch ginger
• 5 green chillies
• ½ tsp turmeric powder
• 3 tbsp mustard oil
• 4 banana leaf pieces, about 10 inch square
• salt to taste

Method

1. Soak the mustard seeds in warm water for 15 minutes. Grind with garlic, ginger, 3 green chillies and a pinch of salt into a thick paste, adding water only a teaspoon at a time.
2. Mix the paste with chopped onion, turmeric, salt and 2 tbsp raw mustard oil.
3. Coat the fish well with the masala. Rest 15 minutes.
4. Pass the banana leaves over a flame for a few seconds until they turn glossy and soft.
5. Place a portion of fish in the centre of each leaf, top with a slit chilli and a few drops of mustard oil. Fold into a parcel and tie with thread.
6. Cook the parcels on a heavy tawa or pan on low flame, covered, 8–10 minutes per side, till the leaf is charred in patches.
7. Open at the table and eat with hot rice.

Tip: In villages the parcels are tucked into the embers of the chula. On a gas stove, a cast-iron tawa and a lid give the closest smoky taste.