“Mandeli Gashi/ Ambata (Golden Anchovies Fish Curry)” … Mandeli and Mothyale are fishes from the same anchovy spicies … in Mumbai these are available in plenty and taste great when fried crisp too … tried preparing ambat/ gashi from GSB Konkani Saraswat Cuisine today which we usually prepare with mothyale … the aromatic seasoning of onions takes this fish curry altogether to another level … served with ukde sheetHa (Red Boiled Kerala Matta Rice) along with few veggies as side dish, it’s a scrumptious meal for fishitarians … Yummilicious …
** This recipe is the same as that of Mothyale Gashi/ Ambata (Bolanjeer/ Silver Fish Curry which I have shared before. Before I settled in Thane, I had never seen, forget eating Mandeli fish as I don’t think it was ever brought in my parental home. It is just a decade back that I thought of giving it a try on my fish vendors insistence and as suggested by her I deep fried them and they turned out crisp and yummy.
** I did not try any curry using this fish and over the decade only fried them, however, with the setting in of monsoon and fish not being easily available I had no choice but to buy these today and when I spoke to my fish vendor that I was really in no mood for fries she was surprised that I had not prepared kadhi/ curry with it. That’s it on my way back home I decided I would prepare a curry for lunch instead of fries.
** As Mothyale/ silver fish and Mandeli/ golden Anchovy are of same spices, I thought the best shot would be to try something amchi ie a curry familiar to my cooking ways. Instantly I thought of ambat/ gashi similar to mothyale gashi as onion seasoning is something I have always seen Maharashtrian cooking includes. Well, I must say it was fantastic and we loved savoring it with red boiled kerala matta rice of lunch.
** I have often mentioned that any veggie/ ingredient that imparts tart/ sour flavor to the curry can be added in place of tamarind be it for vegetarian dishes or non. veg. ones. You can add any one of these like bimbul (tree sorrel fruit), karmbola (star fruit), ambado (hogplum), kudampuli (malabar tamarind), ambuli (raw mangoes) etc. as is available, otherwise you can always add tamarind to masala while grinding.
** Try this simple fish curry and enjoy with your family. It is a psychological desire to make Sunday meals much more satisfactory than the meals on other days, maybe coz. it’s weekend holidays that one needs to relax and enjoy with good food. There are plenty of fish recipes in the Blog to which I will share a common link at the bottom of this recipe, plz. do browse through them and try them out in your leisure.
** Here is my simple recipe for “Mandeli Gashi/ Ambat (Golden Anchovies Fish Curry)” … my style …
** Mandeli/ Golden Anchovy are small fishes (as shown in pic) of around 3-4 inches in length. Cleaning this fish is toughest task while it gets cooked in a jiffy. Scrap the scales, trim off the fins, tail and the head. Give a slit on stomach side to open and clean it well from within. Rinse fish in plenty of water and keep it aside until cooking time in water. All the process should be done handling the fish gently or it tends to otherwise break. I have used about 30 silver fishes for this curry, you may use as is necessary and adjust the ingredients for the masala to be ground in proper proportion.
** Note : Put cleaned 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. If the fish is fresh then just keeping them in water till cooking time, say about 30 minutes does not spoil the fish in anyway, I have no knowledge if otherwise.
** Masala to be ground : In a small pan heat 1-2 tsp of any edible oil (tel/ tela) you normally use, 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 dried Kudampuli (Malabar tamarind) to this curry to bring tart taste. You can replace it with kokum or any other tart flavored veggies like bimbul (tree sorrel fruit), ambado (hogplum) or karmbal (starfruit). 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 for most of my curries.
** 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 and add 5-6 dried kudampuli (Malabar tamarind) *shown in picture, 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 Mandeli/ Golden Anchovy 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 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/ Seasoning/ Tadka/ Pannaka : 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.
** “Mandeli Gashi/ Ambata (Golden Anchovies Fish 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 tastes awesome served with any other plain/ steamed 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 back to back, try it sure to be loved.
** Off course the next best choice would be I guess, mildly spiced rice items, like pulav, ghee rice/ jeera rice/ roti if that’s your staple diet, well frankly to each one their own choice, after all a meal should always be relished the way one desires to have or enjoys the best way to give immense satisfaction, Isn't it? So just go ahead, try your own combinations and enjoy them the way you and your family would prefer.
** There are many more delicious “GSB/ Konkani Saraswat” style fish curries shared in the blog, they are all tasty and are easy to prepare. 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 ... do give me a feedback if possible, it encourages me to do that much more ... Stay Blessed- Spread Happiness ....
** Sharing a common link below to all “Fish” dishes shared in the Blog, you may browse through in leisure and try them out too …
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