Bombay Duck

This is one of the dishes that can lead people to be both confused and positively surprised. The first reason for that is because, despite the name, there isn’t an actual duck being cooked. The Bombay duck is a small and transparent fish that can be found in the Arabian Sea. There are multiple ways to cook them. It can be eaten fresh as the flesh is tender. However, the most popular way is to eat it is to sun-dry it and then add some salt to it.

Pan-frying it after coating it with rice flour is also another method. However, it cannot be cooked in any wet method as the moisture will turn its delicate flesh into mush.

Health benefits:

• Fish are a good source of iodine which can help with problems like obesity, goiter, hypothyroidism and lower IQ.
• It’s full of fats, vitamins, and minerals that are good for the brain.

Ingredients

bummalo: 4

cloves garlic: 4

green chili peppers: 2

Red chili Powder: 1 tsp

turmeric: 1 tsp

lemon Juice: 4 tbsp

salt to taste

rice flour: 1/2 cup

Semolina: 4 tbsp

oil for frying

How To Make Bombay Duck

1. Make sure you properly clean the fish.
2. Preferably cut slits into the fish’s sides with a knife.
3. Pound together garlic, green and red chilies, turmeric and salt.
4. Mix them well and turn into a paste.
5. Mix in a little lemon juice to maintain the consistency.
6. Rub the masala over the fish, specially the slits.
7. Marinate it well for 5 minutes and leave for 30 minutes.
8. Now begin mixing it in rice flour and semolina in a different plate.
9. Coat in completely in flour.
10. Heat oil on medium heat.
11. Be cautious to only fry 1 or 2 fish at a time.
12. If you overcrowd the pan, the fish won’t be fried properly.
13. Remove the oil and now sauté the fish in the leftover oil for a crispier texture.
14. Serve hot along with a complementary spicy sauce.

Trivia:

• The Bombay Duck got its name from the Indian rail service.
• The particular fish was brought from Bengal all the way to Bombay, the smell was so overpowering that a special Bombay Mail carriage had to be used. The Bombay Daak or “Bombay Mail” fish soon gained popularity in Bombay and began to be referred to as Bombay Duck due to the mode of its carriage into Bombay.