14 March 2022

Dried-Shrimp Chutney | Galmbyachi Chutney | Nungel Yetti Chutney

There is absolutely no dearth of seafood in Mangalore. One can enjoy a large variety of the freshest fish on offer day-in & day-out except the monsoons, during which fishing is banned in the rough seas. Fresh fish maybe in short supply during this time, but it is also a great time to bring out the stash of dried-fish. There are a wide variety of sun-dried fishes like mackerel, sole-fish, anchovies and the most commonly used Shark to name a few.

These are used in a wide variety of preparations like curries or pan-fried in little oil and enjoyed as is but probably the most popular way of enjoying dried-fish has to be in the form of Chutney. Albeit, one can use almost any variety of dried-fish to make the chutney, the dried-shrimp is an absolute crowd favourite enjoyed best with Rice Congee! So, let’s see how to make Dried-Shrimp Chutney.

**Rice Congee with Dried-Shrimp Chutney**

How to make Dried-Shrimp Chutney

Before going into the details of the recipe, let us look at the process of sun-drying fish. Although, with modern refrigeration technology, fresh fish can be stored well for a very long time, sun-drying is an ancient preservation method employed in the pre-refrigeration days and has continued even today. Moisture is the primary inhibitor in the fish or food in general for the growth of microorganisms. Drying the fish of all its moisture prevents the growth of bacteria, yeast and mold in the fish and helps to preserve it longer.

Salt is also added during this process to help with the preservation. This is done either by salt-brining the fish and then drying or dry-salting it. While the primary purpose of salting and sun-drying is to preserve the fish without refrigeration, what it also does is it greatly intensifies the flavours and also provides a different texture to the fish.

While the flavours intensify, the saltiness of the fish too intensifies and also since it is sun-dried, the fish would be exposed to nature’s elements like dust and dirt. Hence, before using it in your cooking, it is always advisable to wash the fish well under running water to get rid of all the dirt and excess salt and then allow it to drain.

While the dried-shrimp is left to drain off the excess water, heat some coconut oil in a frying pan and toast some dried red chillies, coriander seeds and cumin seeds until they turn aromatic and then allow them to cool. You can use any oil of your choice but coconut oil imparts an unmatched flavour to this chutney. Toast chopped onions in some coconut oil for about a minute, take them off the heat and allow to cool. Once cooled, grind all these ingredients with tamarind, salt and some water to a smooth fine paste and set aside.

In the same frying pan, toast the dried-shrimp till they crisp up. Take them off the heat and allow to cool. Make sure you cover the pan with a lid and ventilate your kitchen well during this process as the dried-shrimp will give out a stong smell which will waft through your house if not ventilated well. In the same pan, toast freshly grated coconut along with some turmeric powder till it turns aromatic and also mops up all the leftover flavour of the dried-shrimp from the pan. take it off the heat and allow to cool.

Pulse the dried-shrimp and the coconut in a mixer to a coarse texture. Finally to make the dried-shrimp chutney, in a large enough mixing bowl mix the pulsed dried-shrimp and coconut mixture with the masala until they are well combined. Done!

Albeit generally the dried-shrimp chutney has a coarse texture, feel free to adjust the fineness of the grind to the texture you desire. And one can absolutely alter the proportions of the ingredients to suit their taste preferences. This Dried-shrimp chutney can be refrigerated in an air-tight container for a few days. Enjoyed best with Rice Congee!