Tuna fish pickle
Maldives is a hot hub for tuna fish and normally here the big tuna fish has the size of an average human being. Back in my home, they prepare either tuna fish curry or fry, but Maldivians prepare varieties of snacks, Riha kuru (a kind of jam made of tuna by repeated cooking and it is brown in color), Garuthiya (fish soup served with chilly and lemon wedges) using tuna fish, These items accompany them for the tea time either breakfast, lunch or dinner. When i joined here as a teacher, i really got stunned by their tuna consumption . Later on i was told that tuna is very good for the good health of the heart since it has Omega-3 and it has the power to absorb the fat in our body. It didn’t make any positive impact on me since i was a vegetarian then and now i am an occasional non-vegetarian, still i don’t like to have tuna but my kid loves to eat the processed tuna very much and she says it is the raw fish. My hubby likes it when it is pickled. I used to courier it to him when he was in Bangalore and I was in Maldives. This recipe is developed just for him and i am very happy to share with you. Try this, definitely you will love it.
Ingredients:
- Tuna – 1 kg, cubed (either 1/2” or 1” size)
- Oil – 200 gms ( Corn or sunflower)
- Chilly powder – 2 tbsp
- Turmeric powder – 2 tsp
- Salt to taste
- Ginger – 100 gms, chopped
- Garlic – 100 gms, chopped
- Curry leaves – handful
- Vinegar – 2 tbsp
Method of Preparation:
- Wash and strain fish pieces, marinate with chilly powder, turmeric powder and salt to taste, keep aside for 1-2 hrs
- Heat oil in a wide pan and deep fry fish, strain and keep aside
- Fry garlic in the left over oil until its raw smell disappears and add ginger, fry until the aroma comes
- Add curry leaves and fry till the leaves turn crispy
- Now, if you want, you can add more chilly powder or salt, or stir in fried fish
- Mix well over simmer for two minutes and remove from stove
- Let it cool to the room temperature and stir in vinegar
- Bottle it and use.
I could keep it for 14 months without getting it damaged. I don’t think it is healthy to consume tuna when it pickled since it is cooked in oil. But if it is once in a way, it is OK
