When Pallu Mara Goes International

Pallu Mara. This is a traditional dish from Makassar, South Sulawesi, Indonesia. It is kind of fresh fish soup and so people called it as Yellow Tamarind Fish Soup in English. This dish is a must-have menu in my family’s course meal every day. No wonder how I miss it so badly since I came to UK.

My mom’s recipe for this dish is very simple. It needs fish for sure, tamarind, turmeric, lemon grass, water and salt. If you want to make it spicy then just add some fresh chilli and also fried red onion and garlic to garnish it. It is common to use milkfish for the fish, but you don’t have to worry if you can’t find it. You can use any other kind of fish.

Last Friday I went to a supermarket and I got ray wings for a reduced price and later decided to make Pallu Mara dish. I knew I had no tamarind but I didn’t give up! I used fresh lemon juice instead!

Ray Wings

So here my recipe is:

Ingredient:

200gr Ray wings

1 teaspoon turmeric

½ teaspoon salt (or more if desired)

1 stalk lemon grass

lemon juice from one big lemon fruit (this is a substitute of the tamarind)

1 litre water

fresh chillies, chopped roughly (optional)

Garnish:

2 cloves garlic and a half of a big red onion. Cut them into slices and fry it.

How to make it:

Clean the ray wings then put it in the sauce pan with all the ingredients and bring it to boil or until the fish cooked then garnish it with the fried red onion and garlic. Serve it hot with rice.

Pallu Mara ~ Yellow Tamarind Fish Soup

It is simple, isn’t it?!