Dried Mackerel Gashi.

Sukkale Raja (Bangda) teppal ani losun ghalnu Gashi / Dried Mackerel Gashi With Teppal and crushed Garlic ......

A Little Bit of Dried Fish : Once again, I come with another dried fish Recipe. Again I repeat this one is exclusively for fish eaters and that too only for those who can withstand the strong dried fish aroma. Many a people are skeptical of the taste as the dried fish is usually strong in smell and very salty too. But for those who love the dried fish this one is a great dish to be served along with Red Ukda Rice ie. Red Boiled Rice. Dried Fishes are prepared by drying in Hot Sunlight after curing them with some turmeric and salt on sand. These are available almost everywhere in India and are stored for use during monsoon months, as during that time fresh fish is usually not available, nor are people sometimes able to venture outside their house. In olden days the dried fish were bought in plenty and stored in tight containers. Nowadays however to gain early profits people dealing in dried fish business, cheat a lot. The fishes are not completely dried before they are sold. This serves two purposes to them. One they will gain early profits if sold faster. Second one being, the fishes weight when weighed when it’s 70% dried and completely ie. 100 % dried differs. The later weighs much lesser as the water content is lesser in them. As the dried fishes are sold by Kilogram measures, this ensures they get better profit. But then if they are not dried properly and we store them, they will start decaying. I am very worried about using them after storing, so I always make it a point to carefully select them while buying and prepare them immediately and thus avoid storing them. If you get good deals in your area you can always store them. While using the fish to cook too, I am a bit skeptical about where and how these fishes were dried. The hygienic conditions etc. So as to not have any doubts I use the method of soaking it in lukewarm water for some time to remove any dirt etc. if any. This also ensures removal of excessive salt in them. I then strain off the water properly. Let as much water drain off as possible, wash it in plenty of water and allow it to dry properly spreading it on a thick towel or absorbent tissues. I usually use the paper method as we can just dispose the papers off later on. Press out as much excess water as possible. Now they are ready for cooking.

Soak 2 dried mackerels in lukewarm water for 30 minutes. Wash in plenty of water. Cut off the head and tail parts, clear the stomach part and cut them into two pieces. Now scrap the shinny skin part on the fish using a blunt knife. This goes off smoothly if well soaked. Now the fish is ready to be cooked. 

Addition of Sichuan Pepper / teppal to curries : 

The addition of teppal / sichuan pepper depends upon how much aromatic it is. If too strong use less and vice versa. The older the shelf life of the teppal the less aromatic it becomes and you may have to add in more while newly dried once are more aromatic and you may need to add in less. Also it depends again upon individual liking as some prefer lightly perfumed dish while some prefer it with strong smell. So use your judgment while adding in the teppal to be precise. With experience you will learn to adjust the same. Also remember to snip off the stem and the center black seed from the teppal before grinding.

** Again Sichuan Pepper / Teppal can be used via 2 methods ... You may choose any method that suits you.

1) Is to add them to the ground masala towards the end and grind to a smooth paste along with the masalas and use it to the curry.

2) The other method is to grind the teppal / sichuan pepper separately in water and then sieve it. Use the sieved water while grinding the masala.

Peel off the skin of 12- 15 garlic and crush them a bit. Keep this also ready aside. 

Masala to be ground : Grind 2 cups of freshly grated coconut with 10-12 kashmiri Red Chillies, 1 tblsp of coriander fried in little bit of oil and a marble sized tamarind to a smooth paste. Lastly add 6-8 teppal (center seed should be removed if any) before removing and further grind all till done. Keep this ready aside. If adding ambado / hogplum do not add the tamarind while grinding. Same stands for bimbul too. You may leave out teppal if not available or do not like it as some do not like the smell of the same.

Put the ground masala and the crushed garlic in a flat type vessel. Add water if necessary to bring to a thick gravy consistency. Put it on heat and bring to a boil, lower the heat and add in the cleaned dried fishes. Mix well and let simmer till the fish gets cooked. 

Check the curry for salt. Add only if necessary. Though the fish has been washed many times it may still be salty which it will impart to the curry while cooking. So it is always safer to check the salt level before you add any more. Lastly add 2 tblsp of coconut oil to the fish curry. Serve hot with Red Boiled Rice or Just any rice to your liking.