“Visonu-Karmbala Ambata (King Fish/ Surmai- Star Fruit Curry)” … ambata is usually referred to a curry with onion seasoning be it veg. or non.veg in GSB Konkani Saraswat Cuisine ... the aromatic seasoning of onions takes this fish curry altogether to another level and though surmai tastes best as fries, today I prepared it as ambat and served it with ukde sheetHa (Red Boiled Rice) … in all a delicious meal for fishitarians … Veggies Plz. do excuse ... Yummilicious …
** Visonu (Surmai/ King Fish) is the most sought after fish with non. Vegetarians and almost all who eat fish enjoy them best as fries. I hardly prepare it as curry, but then there are times when you want to cut down on oil especially if there has been too many days at a stretch with oily food, in my case a few months I must say. During summer fish in costly as they are not available in abundance and today most of the fish vendors were not present and a few who were selling, did not have any choice of that I preferred. Small sized surmai was only that was freshly available, so bought a small sized one and decided to prepare ambata instead of fries adding karmbala/ star fruit.
** Ambata is a simple curry, the aromatic onion seasoning of which gives it the taste. It tastes best served with Ukde SheetHa (Red Boiled Rice) though it goes well with normal steamed rice too. I had karmbala/ star fruit at home so instead of adding tamarind to the masala, decided to add on star fruit for the curry. About starfruit I am sure all are aware of its health benefits, you can also browse through the common link shared at the bottom of this recipe for more information. There are plenty of fish recipes in Blog to which you can browse through the common link shared at the bottom of this recipe, plz. browse through them and try, they are all tasty and your family is sure to love it.
** Here is my simple recipe for “Visonu-Karmbala Ambata (King Fish/ Surmai- Star Fruit Curry)” … my style …
** Visonu/ King Fish/ Surmai, is a fish that does not have scales on its outer skin. Just trim the fins, slice off the head portion and then slice to ½ inch thick slices horizontally after cleaning its stomach portion from within. In Mumbai and in most of the places/ fish markets, the fish vendors do this for us when we buy, so half the work is done and all we need to do it is clean it well gently in plenty of water.
** However, if you need to buy them whole then and are unaware of cleaning, trimming etc. then I suggest you find a friendly neighbor who will guide you to perfection as there is nothing like keen observation on matters of proper cleaning and slicing of fish. Again, if still difficult, you can always check out on any You Tube for the same.
** Put cut fish pieces in a vessel filled with clean water until we go about preparing the masala. Some people apply lemon, haldi/ turmeric, salt all over fish pieces and allow to rest, well my amma never followed that procedure, neither do I, I just keep them in water, gently clean again in fresh water and add them to the curry, that’s it.
** I have used about 8 pieces of ½ inch thickness for this curry, so the masala prepared is accordingly, if more do adjust accordingly.
** Masala to be ground : In a small pan heat 1-2 tsp of any refined oil (tel/ tela), when hot lower the heat to medium and add 2tblsp of coriander seeds (kothambari/ Dhania) and fry till it changes to a reddish tinge. Now add 12-15 kashmiri red chillies (byadgi mirchi/ kumte mirsanga) and further fry all together for another 1-2 minutes until chillies are roasted well. Remove and add this into a mixer grinder along with 1 heaped cup of freshly grated coconut (soyi/ nariyal) and grind to a very fine paste with just required amount of water. Remove and keep it aside ready.
** Note : I have used fresh Karmbala/ Star Fruit to this curry to bring tart taste. You can replace it with kokum or dried Kudampuli (Malabar tamarind), or any other tart flavored veggies like bimbul (tree sorrel fruit), ambado (hogplum). However, if none of these are available then you can add small marble sized piece of tamarind (chinchama/ imly) while grinding the masala which is what I do most of the time.
** Add ground masala in a broad flat vessel (always use flat and broad vessels to cook fish) and add some water to bring to a thick gravy consistency. Now wash, slice off both side edge portions of 2-3 medium sized karmbala/ star fruit and then slice them into ¼ inch thick slices. Add this to the simmering gravy along with salt (namak/ meeta) to taste, handful of finely chopped onions (piyavu/ kanda) and cook on medium heat stirring a few times in between until it comes to a boiling point.
** Lower the heat to minimum and gently add in the prepared and kept Visonu (King Fish/ Surmai) fish pieces one by one into the curry taking care to see that you lay them on a single layer without toppling on each other. Raise the heat to medium and bring all to a boiling point stirring gently in between until the fish is cooked and done. Fish does not take much of cooking time, say maximum about 5-8 minutes only.
** Note : Do not boil or cook the curry in excess, as fish hardly takes more than 5-8 minutes to get cooked well, also stirring briskly will break them, so you should just try shaking the vessel with help of tongs or cloth in circular movements which is what most of us amchies do when it comes to cooking fish curry.
** For Tempering/ Tadka/ Pannaka/ Oggarane : Heat 2-3 tblsp any edible oil (tel/ tela) in a small pan, when it is hot add in 1 finely chopped large onion (piyavu/ kanda/ pyaz). Fry until the onion is evenly browned, when done remove and pour it over the simmering fish curry. Now give the curry a gentle stir to mix in the seasoning. Remove from fire, cover and keep aside for 10-15 minutes for the flavor to be infused.
** “Visonu-Karmbala Ambata (King Fish/ Surmai- Star Fruit Curry)” is done and ready to be served. In my home we always prefer to relish fish curry served with ukde sheetHa (red boiled/ kerala matta rice) though it taste awesome served with plain rice too. Fish curry always tastes awesome after resting it for few hours or half a day or so and you need not worry about reheating and serving it, in my home we always prefer to enjoy it for 2 days at a stretch. Do try this simple curry, it’s healthier than fries for sure.
** You can also serve fish curry with mildly spiced rice items, like pulav, ghee rice or jeera rice or even roti if that’s your staple diet, after all food is always a matter of individual preference. A meal in my opinion should always be enjoyed the way one desires to have or enjoys the best way to give immense satisfaction, so just go ahead, try your own combinations and enjoy them the way you and your family would prefer. Children often prefer surmai, prawns or fishes that are not with full thorns within, so do try this out.
** There are many more delicious “GSB/ Konkani Saraswat” style fish curries shared in the blog, they are all tasty and easy to prepare. I am sharing a common link below to all “Fish” dishes shared in the Blog, you may browse through in leisure, try them out and enjoy with your family and friends, sure to like them …
** Sharing a common link below to all “Karmbala/ Starfish” dishes shared in the Blog, you may browse through in leisure and try them out too …
** If you would like to learn the “Method of Cooking Red Boiled Rice using pressure cooker”, Please follow the link given below …
** Only the "Visonu/ King Fish/ Surmai" picture in the collage credit goes to Google, rest of the pictures have all been clicked by me.
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