Vengana Karuvadu – Dried Herring

What is Vengana Karuvadu – Dried Herring?

Vengana Karuvadu is a traditional Rameshwaram karuvadu — fish that's salted and sun-dried whole or in cut pieces, with many fine bones, which soften considerably once fried or cooked. It's commonly known in English as dried herring. It's known for a rich, distinctive, slightly oily flavor and a texture that's firm and rich, with fine bones throughout.

Like all our karuvadu, Vengana Karuvadu comes from the day's catch on the Rameshwaram coast: cleaned by hand the same day, lightly salted with sea salt, and dried in the open sun with no chemical whiteners or preservatives. How we make our karuvadu

Product details

Category

Small Fish

Texture

firm and rich, with fine bones throughout

Bone note

many fine bones, which soften considerably once fried or cooked

Ingredients

Fresh Vengana Fish, Sea Salt

Preparing Vengana Karuvadu – Dried Herring

Remove any unwanted portions, rinse away surface salt and loose particles, and drain thoroughly. A short soak can help with thicker or tougher pieces; small fish often need only a careful wash. Taste a cooked piece before adding extra salt to the recipe. Step by step: how to clean karuvadu and how to reduce the salt.

Soak for 15 minutes. Its many fine bones soften once fried, so a crisp fry is the best way to cook it; it also works in kuzhambu.

A richer, oilier small fish than most in this category, with a distinctive flavor that comes through even in a simple preparation. Its many fine bones soften well once cooked through. It works especially well for fry, kuzhambu.