Tarapori Patio is a popular sweet and sour seafood dish from the Parsi cuisine made with most favorite Boomla or Bombay ducks cooked in tomato gravy. Boomlas or Bombay ducks are dried and salted to preserve fish. They are native fish in Tarapore, Mumbai and available in abundant during the rainy season.
Despite the name Bombay duck or Boomla, it is in fact a fish. It is available mainly between Mumbai and Kutch along the Arabian Sea. The tender meat of the Bombay duck is particularly prized by connoisseurs of Indian cuisine. When freshly caught, the fish tastes excellent when fried in a batter of beaten egg; in its dry form, the fish is generally prepared in curry form.
Tarapori Patio is also known as Sooka Boomla No Patio or Dry Bombay Duck Patio. Bombay duck is a crispy dried salted fish with a very pungent smell usually eaten as a starter. Tarapori Patio is an excellent and delicious sweet and sour seafood delight. The word ‘Tarapori’ originates from a village called Tarapore in Gujarat, India. Parsi community love seafood and this patio show all their desire to eat fish in all seasons. The parsi people clean and dry the fresh Boomlas or Bombay ducks in salt and preserve them so that it can be enjoyed all year long.
Tarapori Patio which is a curried dry Bombay duck dish can be enjoyed with Khichdi (rice and lentils cooked together). The Bombay duck or bummalo in known by various names regional wise like bamaloh or loita in Bengali, bumla in Gujarati and bombil in Marathi. The fish is often dried and salted before it is consumed. After drying, the odour of the fish is extremely powerful, and it is usually transported in air-tight containers. There is demand for dried salted fish mainly for its flavor.
Bombay Ducks are lizard fishes. Their scientific name is Harpadon nehereus, but they have been called Bombay Ducks since the British colonial rule over India. According to local Bangladeshi stories, the term Bombay duck was first coined by Robert Clive, after he tasted a piece during his conquest of Bengal. It is said that he associated the pungent smell with that of the newspapers and mail which would come in to the cantonments from Bombay. The term was later popularized amongst the British public by its appearance in Indian restaurants across the country.
During rainy season along the coastal regions many store the dried fish like Bombay duck, dried prawns etc in airtight container as it is difficult to buy fish during monsoon hence dried fish is stored in large quantities in their house. This dish namely Tarapori Patio is simple, yum, mouth watering and easy to prepare at home. This dish can be best eaten with bread, pav, rice or bhakri. The best part of this dry Bombay duck recipe is using fewer spices. It is made with simple Indian spices hence it tastes amazing. This dish is in neither a curry nor very dried dish.
To prepare this Parsi delicious dried fish dish, cut each Bombay duck into pieces. Grind garlic, cumin seeds and red chili powder to make a paste. Heat oil in pan or kadai and fry the chopped onions till they turn golden brown. Add the prepare paste and mix well. Cook it for few minutes and then add the Bombay duck pieces. Add salt and vinegar and mix well. Cook for about 5 minutes. Add vinegar soaked jaggery and water and cook over medium heat till the dried fish pieces are properly cooked. The Tarapori Patio is ready.
Do try this popular and simple recipe and enjoy its flavor. Click on the below link for detailed recipe:
https://www.vahrehvah.com/tarapori-patio-1
Bombay ducks can be prepared and enjoyed in various forms. It may be fried, as a fresh fish, or may be consumed when dried and salted but however the dried fish has a very strong smell, which might not go too well with people not accustomed to it. Like other fish too they offer varied health benefits.
Along the coastline of Maharashtra, Bombay duck makes a staple diet for the people. Bombay ducks are high on protein and the protein content increases when dried. Proteins play an important role in building and repairing the tissues in our body. Consumption of this fish can help in decreasing the blood triglyceride levels which calls for a healthy heart! Bombay duck contains chondroitin sulphate, which helps in building cartilage. Fish oil present in Bombay ducks proves to be excellent pain killers.
It can prove beneficial people suffering from swelling, tenderness, or stiffness of joints, etc. Dried Bombay ducks are excellent source of calcium. Bombay ducks help in keeping our kidneys in normal conditions because of the phosphorous. Bombay ducks also provide a very good amount of vitamin A to our body. Bombay ducks are a very good source of B complex vitamins. Finally any fish recipe makes a great delightful dish. Apart from all of its nutritional value, it is a very tasty fish and satisfies our taste buds!