How to preserve Fish Roe the Parsi Way.

Preserved Fish Roe — Aatheli Garab

This is for the many readers, especially Parsis, who have written to ask how one can preserve Roe bought during the season.

I am sharing the process described by my Great Grandmother, Dosibai Wankadia.

The method used in her time is prior to the advent of the various modern cheese-presses, heat-dryers and other kitchen gadgets and therefore, use of traditional straw basket(s) and weights. The reader may use the gadgets he has, if any.

A WORD OF CAUTION TO THE READER. My Great-Grandmother informs that the salted Garab/roe available in the market is merely that —Salted. It has does not have the shelf life of the Aatheli (Preserved) Garab/Roe. The Salted Roe available in the market may be used for immediate cooking. The salted Roe has to undergo the undermentioned process before it can be preserved and retained in your larder for months.

 PRESERVED FISH ROE — AATHELI GARAB

INGREDIENTS:

1 ½ kg fish roe (preferably Bhing fish/Giant Herring), it should be very fresh;

Salt enough to sprinkle on and fill the sacs in the roe;

1 straw basket or as required;

1 grinding stone or heavy weights as required;

METHOD:

Wash the roe,

Sprinkle salt on the Roe (Sea Salt/ Sel de Mer preferred),

Next, Also fill the hollow sacs in the roe with a lot of salt (the hollow in the roe, we, Parsis, call the stomach {pait} of the roe in Gujarati);

Place all the roe in straw basket(s),

Cover the roe with a plantain/banana leaf,

Place grinding stone/ weights on the leaf to weigh it down, so as to drain all the liquid from the Roe (like one would do to make paneer/cheese),

Let the Roe discharge its water for three days,

Remove the Roe from basket(s) after three days,

Now you have Aatheli Garab (Preserved Roe) which you can use for frying or cooking .

IF you want to preserve the Roe for a months/a year or more or to PICKLE  THE ROE, you have to further process it :

After the first 3 days:

Wash the Roe well,

Remove the various blood vessels and nervous matter that are sticking to the Roe,

Separate the roe into its natural segments,

Wipe each segment dry with a soft dry cloth taking care not to break up the Roe,

Mix a little turmeric, salt and oil,

Rub the mixture all over the Roe segments,

Dry these under a light sunlight OR

Put it in a straw basket and hang it over your stove for three days OR until it is completely dry.

The Aatheli Garab may now be preserved until you require to use it.

This Garab (Roe) may now be used to make Garab Nu Achaar (Pickled Roe).

Dhebras in Gujarati literally mean ‘lumps or rough thick chunks’.

Dhebras are unleavened bread therefore, which are rolled thick; unlike the chapatti or roti and cooked on a griddle.

You have probably tried the Sweet Dhebras, which Dhebras are made purely of wheat, uni-grained bread. The Savoury Dhebras uses more than one grain and is quite different in its preparation, taste and use. The Savoury Dhebras can is eaten at any meal or as a snack. It makes excellent ‘travel food’; tasty, filling and long shelf-life.

Try it with the Ripe Mango Curry (Fajeto), or good old Buttermilk or any Lassi, tea or coffee or other beverage or cooked meat or vegetable. The Savoury Dhebras, Doesn’t do too well with Salads, but goes well with Soups especially soups with a stronger flavour like a Tomato soup or Mulligatawny.

For 6 Savoury Dhebras:

INGREDIENTS:

1 cup gram flour (Channa ka Atta/ Chick pea Flour);

1 cup Pearl millet flour (Bajra ka Atta);

1 small bunch fresh coriander leaves, chopped fine;

6 green chilies, chopped fine;

2 cloves garlic;

1 inch piece ginger;

1 tbsp Sesame seeds (Til) OPTIONAL;

Salt and ground Black Pepper to taste

1 tablespoon ghee or oil or as needed (Ghee gives it a distinct and traditionally accepted flavour.).

METHOD:

Sieve together the Gram flour, Millet flour, and salt.

Peel and grind the ginger and garlic together into a smooth paste.

Now With water, knead the flour into soft fairly pliable dough.

Do not add Ghee to the dough

Add:  finely chopped fresh green coriander and Chilies, ginger-garlic paste, ground black pepper, Sesame (if using) and knead further.

Roll out into 6” roundels about 1/8^th of an inch / 0.3 cms/3 mm Thick.

Heat a griddle (preferably made of iron),

Brush ghee on both sides of the Savoury Dhebras,

Cook the Savoury Dhebras one at a time on the hot griddle on a medium flame,

Till the one side is brown,

Flip the Savoury Dhebras to cook on the other side equally brown,

Flip once again, and remove within 5 seconds.

Your Savoury Dhebras is ready to eat.

As a VARIATION and a more pungent version, one may replace the green chilies and the ginger-garlic paste with a paste of garlic, dry red chilies

pungent

and salt. In this case adjust the amount of salt added to the dough.

OR

For a more mellow taste, replace the green chillies with coarsely (very roughly) ground Cumin or Coriander Seeds or even whole Cumin or Coriander Seeds.