Fire up the Chulha or your gas stove and heat a pan. Add 2 tbsp of mustard oil to it.

Start by frying the Hilsa fish heads when the oil is hot. Fry them by flipping them on all sides.

Take them out when they are fried.

Add a little 1 tbsp of mustard oil more to the pan and then add the bay leaf, dry chilies, and Panch Phoron (Indian blend of five spices). Stir it and add the onions when the aroma comes out from the spices. (Pro tip: Keep the heat moderate while tempering panch phoron to prevent them from burning.)

Lightly fry them, and then add the vegetables such as potato, eggplant and snow pea. Stir-fry them for 5 minutes and add salt to taste. (Pro tip: Cut the veggies into similar-sized pieces so they cook more evenly.)

Add the ginger, garlic, and onion paste and sauté it. When the vegetables are half cooked, add turmeric, red chili powder, coriander powder, and cumin powder.

Mix it well and add a little water. Sauté it again.

Add water and salt to taste.

Add the fish heads and spinach or Palong Shak. The color of the spinach also remains vibrant when it is added at the end. Cover it with a lid and let it cook for 10 minutes.

After 10 minutes, Ilish Macher Matha Diye Palong Shak gets dried up, the veggies look properly cooked, and the masalas are perfectly blended with the fish heads and the rest of the dish.

Pour Ilish Macher Matha Diye Palong Shak into a bowl.