Sindhi Dry Masala Fish/Sindhi Sukhi Machi

sonalipradhan356's Note:

Sindhi cuisine basically originated from Sindh, now located in the eastern border of Pakistan.The staple food of Sindhi household basically consists of Phulka, a wheat based flat bread and rice with a combo of dal and sabzi/fish curry.

• Total Time: 50 mins
• Prep Time: 20 mins
• Cook Time: 30 mins

Ingredients:

Servings: 5

• 2 lbs spanish mackerel
• 2 large onions or 2 cups of chopped onions
• 1 1/2 tablespoons chili powder, adjust heat level according to your taste
• 1 1/2 tablespoons garlic paste
• 1 tablespoon ginger paste
• 1/2 teaspoon turmeric powder
• 1 tablespoon cumin seed, roasted and powdered
• 1 teaspoon carom seeds or 1 teaspoon ajwain, roasted and powdered
• 1/2 teaspoon fish masala or 1/2 teaspoon garam masala powder
• 1/2 lemon, juice of
• 2 tablespoons tamarind pulp
• salt, to taste
• oil, as required

For Tempering

• 1/2 cup curry leaf
• 2 -3 green chilies, chopped

Directions:

1. Cut the fish into big pieces, wash thoroughly.
2. In a bowl, add the chili powder, turmeric powder, ginger and garlic paste, cumin seeds powder and salt, mix thoroughly. Divide the paste into two halves, one portion is used for marinating fish, the other half is used for the dry masala.
3. Marinade the fish pieces with one half of the paste along with lemon juice and carom seeds/ajwain seeds powder. Keep marinated for 10 to 15 minutes.
4. Heat 2 and 1/2 tbsp of oil in a non stick skillet, shallow fry the fish pieces till it turns a medium golden brown color on both the sides, keep aside.
5. In the same skillet, heat 2 tbsp of oil, add the chopped onion and fry till translucent, add the rest of the masala paste along with fish masala /garam masala powder and salt, if required, fry for 3 to 4 minutes or until the raw smell of the spices vanish. Add 2 tbsp of the tamarind pulp and cook for a minute or two by constant stirring. Lastly, slide in the fish pieces , and let cook covered for another 5 minutes on medium heat until all the flavors blend well. Remove skillet off the heat.
6. To temper, heat a little oil, add the curry leaves and chopped green chilies. Add the tempering to the fish masala, serve hot with rice/chapatis.