Pakistan – Sindhi Machi Masala

by Dahiza Umar

INTRODUCTION TO THE DISH

This dish is specially a dish from Sindh province of Pakistan. Its taste is so palatable and aromatic dish is just amazing is flavors. This dish is loved by everyone who loved to eat fish. In winters, like the weather of Pakistan reaches 2 to 3 degree. In winters, the use of seafood and dishes made up of fish is very common. This dish has its special effect of ingredients used in this dish like coconut, curry leaves and lemon etc. The cooking method is also very unique and taste is fabulous.

MEANING OF THE NAME

Actually, Fish is known as Machi in urdu. The word Masala is used to called for gravy/ curry. This is a dish made up fro fish which is cooked and served in the form of gravy or curry. We can call this dish also as ”SINDHI FISH CURRY”.

SINDHI CUISINE

Sindhi cuisine is a special traditional food which has many varieties of dishes. The people of sindh used to cook food consist of a kind of bread like roti, puri or phulka. Than they have one dish is dried form of dish like fried potatoes, scrammed eggs, some fried vegetable and than have another dish of like gravy, fish curry and masala etc. Than these dishes are served with yogurt, some mint sauce, salad and pickle etc.

TYPE OF FISH AVAILABLE IN PAKISTAN

Fish available in Pakistan is usually freshwater fish like

• Rahu
• Salmon
• Trout
• pom fret
• Tuna
• Cat fish etc

STREET FOOD IN PAKISTAN

There are many types of fish available in Pakistan, which is just spiced up and fried, as a dry dish. This kind of the fish is served as snack and available as street food of Pakistan. In Lahore, this types of fish is first spiced up by traditional spices like pepper, turmeric, chaat masala etc. Than keep this marinated fish for a night before frying and than fried. There are huge stalls of fish which is served in Pakistan like seen in this picture:

TIME REQUIRED

• Preparation time : 20 minutes
• Cooking time : 20 minutes
• Total time : 40 minutes

NUTRITIONAL FACTS

• Calories : 210
• Carbohydrates : 18 grams
• Fats: 11 grams
• Protein : 29 grams

INGREDIENTS OF FISH CURRY

• Onions : 2
• Tomato : 2
• Garlic paste : 3 tbsp
• Ginger paste : 4 tbsp
• Green chilies : 2 tbsp
• Oil: 1/2 cup
• Green fresh coriander : 4 tbsp
• Salt : 1 tsp
• Red pepper : 2 tsp
• Turmeric powder : 1 tsp
• Yogurt : 1 cup

METHOD OF MAKING CURRY

• Take a cooking pot and add oil into it, when it slightly warms add chopped onions into it and fry until gets translucent.
• Now after 5 minutes, add tomatoes and garlic ginger paste into the onion and fry for a while.
• Add water of about 1 glass with all the dried spices into it .
• Now let this mixture cook for 10 minutes on low heat.
• After that just just blend this mixture when cool down into blender or chopper to make a smooth paste like texture.
• Add yogurt into the curry and sauted it for 10 minutes. Now our curry is ready to add fish pieces into it.

INGREDIENTS FOR FISH FRY

• Fish : 1 kilogram
• salt : 1/2 tsp
• pepper : 1 tbsp
• Chaat masala : 1 tbsp
• cornflour : 3 tbsp
• oil : for frying

METHOD

• Take fish and add all the spices into the fish.
• let it marinated for half hour and than deep fried it .

ASSEMBLING

Now add the fried fish into the curry and let it enjoy with the rice and roti as you liked.

CUISINE : PAKISTAN, ASIAN

COURSE : MAIN COURSE / SIDE DISH

SERVINGS : 4 TO 6PERSON