There’s this very cliched and common blend of spices that results in a fairly typical south Indian flavour profile, and it’s one I particularly enjoy. Last night whilst putting together a salad, I used this to top the lot and it tasted wonderful. If you’re using tuna, as I did, you might find it somewhat dry. If so, a dab of mayonnaise (the white gloop, not the real stuff) alleviates the dryness and even adds to the overall experience.
Ingredients:
- 500 gm Tuna fillet, diced, washed and drained
- 1 tbsp Yellow mustard seeds
- 1 handful Kadi patta / curry leaves
- 2 tsp Chana dal / split and polished baby chickpeas
- 1 tbsp Ginger, fresh, finely chopped
- 1 tbsp Garlic, fresh, finely chopped
- 1 large Onion, coarsely sliced
- 1 tsp Chili flakes
- 3 – 4 Red chilies, dried
- Salt to taste
- Oil as required
Method:
- Heat the oil
- Splutter the mustard seeds
- Add the red chilies, chili flakes, onions, garlic, ginger, kadi patta and chana dal
- Saute till the dal is well fried. The onions should be browning around the edges by now.
- Add the tuna.
- Cook and toss repeatedly for about 5 – 7 minutes.
- Serve hot.
Notes
- Please use black mustard if you prefer and reduce the quantity if you wish. I like my mustard.
- Sometimes, tuna fillets have quite a large bit of dark meat, which I don’t particularly like the taste of. I repeatedly soaked and drained the diced tuna until the colour was lighter and then drained it one final time for cooking.
- This dish
- can be eaten as a salad
- will go well with boiled potatoes
- works nicely in a sandwich or a wrap.
- makes a nice filling for a pie, with potatoes
- tastes good stuffed into a paratha, mashed with some potatoes and seasoning
- can be bulked up by tossing with some cooked pasta