Not actually but you might as well do it that way. I personally pre-marinate everything here in the US since the meat by itself has less flavor while pre-fry isn't preferred since the flavor doesn't seep in during the pulusu style cooking process. In traditional cooking, the chunks are neither pre-fried nor pre-marinated...they go in towards the end right before you put in some water. You can search on YT for "Pulasa Pulusu" recipes. There are different versions though but the core concept is the same.
Thanks ! Will find the recipe and make the Pulusu style curry. Will have to substitute bottled tamarind paste as fresh ripened tamarind is hard to get.
How's the seafood scene in Pak? I heard from an ex-colleague who's from Sindh that it's pretty good in Karachi and the South. Indians prefer river food over seafood cuz they're less smelly, particularly in the South since there are a lot of river basins and deltas. Is it any similar along the Indus?
Much of the Pakistani rivers are "cold water " rivers which are glacier fed, ( instead of the both glacier and monsoon in India) and so the kind of fish normally associated with warm water deltas are not there. What is more is some of the rivers ( except Punjab) run through almost a desert type, rock and sand type terrain.With less food in the rivers the fish are small and not so plentiful. Inland riverine fishing is not so well established as in India.
Seafood with both traditional and modern fishing in the South East and in the South West is an established industry. Gwadar is an established sea fishing port and of course the newly established city has a number of excellent sea food restaurants.
As a Northerner I am not a fish expert, and beyond tuna, breem, pompano and pomfret I can't identify the fish in Pakistan.
But here is a very interesting website showing the kinds of fish harvested by our coastal fishing communities.
English Fish Names with Local Language like swordfish, rock cod, tuna yellowfin, tuna skipjack, cobia, eel, tuna long tail, mud skipper, wahoo, ladyfish...
www.webjazba.com
But back to the cuisine.
The fish dishes in Pakistan can be broadly grouped into three distinct types.
1. Kababs, both with whole fish grilled on the spit, or as grilled minced patties, seekh (minced), is the most common dish.
2. Fried fish (marinated) either lightly fried on a hot plate or baked ( tandoori fish) . Note that fish are not usually deep fried in western parts of Pakistan.
Fish Tikka is the fish version of its chicken counterpart.
3. Lightly sautéed fish ( Lahori fish) with a curry sauce ( not a liquid soup curry like Bengali dishes ), some what similar to the Delhi/ East Punjabi dishes. This would be the "wettest " dish of all and is usually eaten with rice.
(The above two fish dishes,Kababs and Tikkas are eaten with yogurt-mint sauce with bread. )
4. Special dishes on, crabs, prawn, and shrimp called "fishermen's" recipes.
These are spiced sautéed dishes made from fresh live catch by the "tourist" boating trip with local fishermen in spots like Hawks Bay Karachi, The tourist gets into the fishing boat, and shadows the traditional fishermen who catch cook and serve the seafood for the customers. The shrimp and crabs resemble western sea food in appearance (red and in their shells ) . These are served with a kind of salad with fresh sliced onions, lemon juice, ( or tomatoes) and green chillies, These are eaten either only with the salad or with a little cummins rice.
