Recipe for Bombil(Bombay Duck) Xec Xec – A Green Curry without Coconut
Recipe for Bombil(Bombay Duck) Xec Xec – A Green Curry without Coconut
Bambai see aya mera dost! dost ko salaam karo!!! Rath ko Khao pio, din ko Xec Xec karo! For us in Dubai, to see Fresh Bombay Ducks(Jeetem Bombil) in the market is like seeing Lorna and Remo performing together LIVE...INSANE Excitement Whenever my Bitter Better eats BOMBIL XEC XEC, here members his uncle Botelho who used to make this curry to perfection. I've had the privilege of eating this curry at uncle Botelho's place just once and I can never get over that taste and this time when I was told "it's become exactly like uncle Botelho's curry" I got so excited that Two extra Bombils jumped into the Bitter Better's plate I was first introduced to Bombil Xec Xec as a little girl during my Mai’s(My Paternal Grandma) Funeral time when I was kept with the neighbour aunty as my family was busy running around with all the funeral arrangements. Aunty had made Bombil Xec Xec that day and it was during lunchtime she asked “would you like to try some? ” And in my head I’m like “aunty kaisesawal hai ye? OBVIO I’d love to try it! And Oh Sweet Lord, one side I wasgrieving my Mai’s death and this came as a consolation to kind of ease thepain. Such a Simple, yet soooooo delicious and I clearly remember the rice wassoft, it was actually overcooked and aunty was going on apologising for it, butI kept telling her how much I loooooove Soft rice! I don’t remember if therewas a side dish but all I remember was eating that Piping Hot Bombil Xec Xecpoured all over a heap of Hot Soft Rice in a Steel plate! Such a vivid Memory😊
Ingredients
- 500 gms Fresh Bombay Duck(approx 8-10 pcs)
- ½ Onion chopped fine
- ½ Tomato chopped fine(optional)
- 5-6 dried Kokum shells(Bindna Solam)
- 2 Tspn Oil
- 3 gms Veg stock cube(optinal)
For the Masala(Grind the Masala to a smooth paste. You can add water spoon by spoon to make the masala. If you add the water all at once, the ingredients won’t break down & grind into a paste)
- 100 gms Fresh Coriander(around 1 cup)
- 4 Green Chillies
- 1 Tspn Ginger Garlic Paste
- ½ Tspn Turmeric Powder
- 1 Tspn Cumin Seeds
- ½ Tspn Coriander Seeds
- 1/2 Tspn Pepper Corns
- ½ Onion roughly diced
- ½ Tomato roughly diced
- 1 Tspn Tamarind Pulp( you can add more to the curry later ifyou like it more tangy)
- ½ Tspn Sugar
- ¼ Cup Water
Instructions
- Wash the Bombils and clean them (head, tail, fins off) and cut them into two and transfer them into a bowlApply ½ Tspn Salt and season the Bombils for about 30 minutes to an hourNote: I always prefer washing the Bombils first because Bombil tend to hold on to water and they are very slimy in texture, so if you wash the Bombils after cleaning, there will a lot of water retained on the fish unless you place them on a Muslin cloth or keep it hung in a Strainer for sometimeAlso, while cleaning Bombils, there’s this really tiny part like a mini fin on the bottom side just above the tail and that has to be removed off. Not sure how far it’s true, but my Mum gets rally paranoid about this if it's not removed. She says that tiny little thing can create a havoc in your tummy! So, I blindly listen to My Mom(No Pangas with the Mommies) and just take it off..
- In a vessel, add the chopped Onion, Tomato, Kokum and Oil and place it on Medium flame
- Once the Onions begin to turn brown, add the ground Masala, the stock cube.
- Add 1 Cup of water into the mixer jar, give it a shake and transfer this into the vessel as wellLet the curry boil for about 10 minutes
- Increase the Heat to high and let the curry Boil on High Heat and then drop the Bombils into the curry
- Turn off the heat in exactly two minutesCover the vessel for about 5-7 minutes and the curry is ready to eat! Enjoy!! Note: if you continue boiling the curry, there are chances of the bombil breaking since they are very delicate. Hence, turning off the heat and covering the vessel will help the Bombil cook in its own steam and also keep it from breaking
