This is a culinary treat straight from Rajasthan. This is one of those dishes that defy expectations when it comes to the flavor profile and the taste they leave in the mouths of those who eat them. Considering how Rajasthan is located right in the middle of the desert, it’s a surprise that something so delicious and aquatic might have originated from there. It is a dish definitely worth eating once.
Health benefits:
- Fish are low in calories and have long strands of polyunsaturated essential omega-3 fatty acids that are helpful to the brain.
- The body cannot produce omega-3 naturally, so fish is an excellent way to procure this nutrient for the body.
Ingredients
fish pieces: 6
tamarind, lemon sized
A pinch of turmeric powder
Coriander leaves.: 1 tsp
salt to taste
tbsp of oil: 2
vadagam (the one used for tempering) / vendhayam: 1 tsp
Mustard seeds: 1/2 tsp
small onions: 10
garlic pearls: 5
A few curry leaves
coconut: 1/4 cup
fennel seeds: 1 tsp
chili powder: 1/2 tsp
coriander powder: 1/2 tsp
tomato, chopped rough: 1
big onion, chopped rough: 1
How To Make Macchi ke Sooley
- Make sure that you preheat the oven.
- In a pan, dry heat and roast the cumin seeds.
- Cook the coriander seeds and then pound them both using the mortar and pestle.
- Add some garlic and then onions.
- Keep grinding them until a paste is achieved.
- Add turmeric powder, red chilies, sea salt and ginger powder.
- Keep cooking them until the proper consistency is achieved.
- Add some mango powder, green chilies, coriander stems, lemon juice, butter, water and salt.
- Keep grinding them until a proper consistency is achieved.
- Begin marinating the fish in this paste.
- In a separate roasting pan, add some butter and form a bed of the paste.
- Place the fish in it and preheat the oven for 10 minutes at 160 degrees C.
- Keep cooking for 10 more minutes until the fish are crispy.
- Garnish them with coriander leaves and serve with boiled rice if preferred.
Trivia:
All fish sleep however, since they have no eye lids, there’s no way to tell exactly when they’re asleep and when not. This is one of the reasons why so many tuna fish can be found in the stomach of slower and bigger fishes.