Cubes of tuna cooked almost dry in a dark paste of goraka and black pepper, until each piece is coated.
What makes it fish ambul thiyal
Firm fish, usually tuna, in cubes.
Goraka, soaked and ground, for a deep, smoky sourness.
A great deal of black pepper.
Cooked down until almost dry and dark.
Where it comes from
A dish of the southern coast, where fishing boats bring in tuna. Ambul thiyal means something like 'sour and dry': the fish is cooked in goraka paste and plenty of pepper with very little water, traditionally in a clay pot, until the sauce clings. Before refrigeration, that sourness and dryness let it keep for days, and it was taken on journeys.