Oil And Onion Gravy with Dry Bombay Ducks (Tel-Kanda of Dry Bombils)

Yet another Mumbai East-Indian Cooking gem. This gravy is by far the most famous and easiest to prepare. Albeit the smelly dry Bombay duck, the salty-spicy flavor is hard not too miss. Just love this on a nice rainy day over a hot bed of rice.

Ingredients
8-10 dried Bombay ducks (bombils)
1 tbsp East Indian Bottle Masala4 onions sliced fine
2-3 potatoes cubed in quarters
1 tbsp tamarind pulp prepared by mixing tamarind in a little warm water
1cup water
Coriander for garnish
3 tbsp oil for cooking


Method

1. Cut the dried Bombay ducks into 2' pieces. Clean and soak the latter in water for about 15mins. Pat dry and keep aside.
2. Heat oil in a vessel and fry onions until translucent
   
3. Now add the Bottle masala and fry until the oils leaves the pan. 
   
4. Add the cut bombil pieces  and stir until all the pieces are coated in the masala.
   
5. The cubed potatoes go in next.
   
6.  Add a cup of water to the vessel to allow for the potatoes to cook. Check for consistency  and add accordingly. You do not want it too watery.
   
7. Now stir in the tamarind pulp to the mix
   
8. When potatoes and bombils are both cooked, remove vessel from the stove and garnish with coriander
9.  Serve on a hot bed of rice

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Note: This recipe is adapted from the original The East Indian Cookery Book (Revised reprint 1996) published by The Bombay East Indian Association