Goan Mackerel Pickle | Mackerel Balchao
Goan mackerel pickle or bangdyache lonche is made by cooking marinated mackerel in pickling spices and garlic. This recipe is also called as mackerel balchao.
Servings 5 People
Ingredients
- 2 large Mackerels cut into 3 to 4 pieces
- 2 teaspoon turmeric powder
- 1/2 teaspoon mustard seeds
- 1/4 teaspoon fenugreek seeds/methi
- 1 inch piece of asafoetida or 1 teaspoon asafoetida
- 3 tablespoon red chili powder
- 2 lemon sized ball of tamarind
- 20 garlic cloves chopped in thin pieces
- To taste salt
- 2 tablespoon oil
For marinating mackerels:
- 1 teaspoon turmeric powder
- 1 teaspoon red chili powder
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
Instructions
- Remove the scales, head, cut the fins and clean the mackerel. Wash and cut the mackerel into 3 to 4 pieces. Marinate by applying turmeric powder, red chili powder and salt. Keep the marinated mackerels aside for 20 minutes.
- Soak tamarind in 5 tablespoon warm water and keep aside for 20 minutes. Mash and extract tamarind pulp. You may also use store bought tamarind paste.
- Take a small bowl and mix, tamarind pulp, red chili powder and turmeric powder. Keep it aside.
- Add oil to a saucepan. Once the oil gets heated, add mustard seeds. When it splutters, add crushed asafoetida/powdered asafoetida, fenugreek seeds and roast for 5 minutes. Add chopped garlic and fry till aroma of garlic gets filed in air. Switch off the gas and let this cool.
- In the blender or mixer, add all the ingredients from the pan that is – garlic, asafoetida, some mustard and fenugreek along with little oil (from the pan) and grind/blend it to a coarse paste without adding water.
- Retain some mustard seeds in the pan along with some oil.
- Now, re-heat the pan in which some mustard seeds and oil is already present.
- To this add the ground blended paste.
- Next step is to add the tamarind and red chili paste.
- Add the marinated mackerel pieces in the pan.
- Add 1/ 4 cup water if needed. Do not add too much water. Pickle should be thick.
Notes
- You can store this bangdyache lonche in fridge for up to 2 or 3 days. Since we don’t add vinegar in this fish pickle recipe, I will not recommend storing this for longer time.
- You can use store bought tamarind paste if fresh tamarind is not available.