SMOKED AND DRIED FISHES OF N.E.

INDIA– A
BRIEF KNOWLEDGE ON THEIR INDIGENOUS
PROCESSING AND METHODS FOR
IMPROVEMENT

Ms. Bahni Dhar

Asst. Professor
 Different ethnic people of the north eastern
region use indigenous traditional fish products.
Basic components of their diet, with diverse
characteristics of nutrition, flavor, palatability and
texture.
Different traditionally cured fish products such as
dried, salted dried, smoked, fermented and semi-
fermented fish are relished by people here.
 Dried fish products of Tripura:
locally termed as “Shutki”
1. Awanya shutki (Pseudeutropius athernoides)
2. Tengra shutki (Mystus vittatus, M. cavasius)
3. Kaykya shutki (Xenentodon cancila)
4. Chanda shutki (Peudambassis ranga)
5. Keski shutki (Corica soborna)
 Karati, bordia, and lashim:
Karati, bordia, and lashim are ethnic sun dried
and salted fish products of Assam.
 Sukuti
Sukuti is another very popular ethnic
sun-dried fish product cuisine of Nepal,
Bhutan and Darjeeling hills, and
Sikkim.

Fish (Harpodon nehereus Hamilton)

are collected, washed, rubbed with salt,
and dried in the sun for 4–7 days,
Sidra
Sidra is an ethnic sun-dried fish product
commonly consumed in Nepal, Bhutan
and North East India including
Darjeeling hills and Sikkim.

Fish (Puntius sarana Hamilton) are

collected, washed, dried in the sun for 4–
7 days,
 Drying :
 Removal of water from food usually by heating.
 Least expensive & most widely method of food
preservation.
 Removal of water reduces aw, thus stops/slow down
microbial or autolytic activity.
 Microbial growth causing spoilage & decay of food is
arrested below a level of 0.6 aw.
 Many enzymatic activity stops which promote
undesirable changes in chemical composition
Traditional method of fish drying
Methods to improve :

Drying of fish in solar tent:

A tent is built with 4’ x 5’ x 4’ (height X length X
breadth) using bamboo.
One side black polythene sheet and other
side transparent sheet.
The black surface facing the side of the sun light
will absorb sun’s energy .
Fresh air inside get heated, pass over fish kept on
rack and dry fish.
The temperature rises to around 50-60° C.
Solar Tent Dryer
More effective drying.

Hygienic.

less contamination by sand, dust etc.

end product free from sand, dirt, flies, birds

attack.

Better quality
Drying fish in a mechanical drier :
Improved over the traditional process of drying
Energy obtained by mechanical means is used to
dry fish.
Temperature, air velocity and air humidity can
be maintained.
Faster rate irrespective of weather conditions
outside.
End product is of better quality and shelf life of
is also more.
 Washing fish in potable water

 Dressing (removing gut) and washing

 Spreading fish on wire mesh trays inside the dryer

 Maintaining a constant temperature of 40-60° C inside

 Hot air is blown at a constant speed over the fish, carries

away moisture from fish and fishes dried in the process.
 Drying fish till desired moisture level (≤10 C)

 Packing the product in polythene packs (200 gauge) after

cooling
 Storing at room temperature.
A shelf life of 6 months for
the mechanically dried
fishes (tengra, punti,
awanya etc.) under storage
at ambient temperature
Karthikeyan and Dhar
(2006)
Whereas the storage study
of traditionally dried fishes
available in the markets of
Tripura reveal a shelf life of
4 months at the same
condition.
Advantages of dried fish :
 Highly concentrated foods compared to other preserved
foods.

 Drying reduces microbial activity & thus spoilage of food.

 Enzymatic & many chemical processes retarded.

 No involvement of complicated machinery & equipments.

 Product stable at ambient temp.

 Distribution costs are minimum.

Smoked fish products of Manipur:
Smoking of fish in Manipur is of unique in nature.
Salted/unsalted fish
Small fishes are smoked and available in the local
markets of Manipur.
Eg. Rohu, mrigal, common carp
A. mola, P. sophore, c. fasciata,
L. guntea, N. notopterus etc.
 Lepidocephalus guntia
 Mastacembelas armatus
 Glossogobius giuris
• Larger fishes smoked are:
• Labeo rohita (Rohu)
• Cirrhinus mrigala (Mrigal)
•
• Cirrhinus carpio (Common carp)
• Eel

Smoked Fish pieces from

large fish
Gnuchi
 MASMIN
• Prepared from skipjack tuna.
• Fresh tuna  bleached, gutted, washed  made into fillet
•  fillets wound with ribbon like split green coconut leaves (prevent
breaking of meat)
•  boiled in 3% salt solution(1 hr.) /sea water
•boiled by immersing entire fish in brine until red color of meat turns light
pink
• arranged in smoking trays in kiln.
• Smoked for 2-3 hrs. until color is golden brown coconut leaf winding is
removed
• then dried under sun to reach a consistency of wood & dark brown color
• stored in polythene bags/ polythene gunny bags & marketed
• The combination of heat to dry the food without cooking
it and addition of the aromatic hydrocarbons from the
smoke preserves the food.

• Preservative value of smoke produced from burning

wood which contain large no. of compounds, some of
which kill bacteria. Eg. Phenol

• Drying by the fire which produces smoke & generates

heat.

The long storage life of some smoked fish products is due to

more to drying and cooking than the preservative value of
the chemical compounds.

• The fuel used for smoking is wood., saw dust or coconut

husk depending on the flavor required
• Comosition:

• Gases,
• Aqueous distillates ,
• Acids & their derivatives,
• Alcohols & Aldehydes ,
• Hydrocarbon,
• Phenols, guaiacol, catechol, syringol etc.
• Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons
• Trace elements
Indigenous smoking of fish in Manipur:
Washing and spreading of fish over a wire mesh tray and
then exposed to flame briefly to burn the skin.
Repeated by turning the fishes upside down
Smoke generated from burning wood or saw dust and
paddy husk

Fish smoked at a distance of 30 cm below for 2 to 3 hrs at 70

to 80 ⁰C
Spread on a bamboo mat and dried under sunlight so as to
reduce moisture
 End product is packed in split bamboo baskets and
hung from above the chimney
4 to 5 months at normal temperature
Traditional smoking process of Manipur
 Improved method :
Mechanical means of smoking
Temperature maintained at
constant throughout.
Electric or steam heaters which are thermostatically
controlled.
Smoke generated by burning saw dust/paddy husk.
Warm smoke circulated by fan over fish get deposited
on fish and smoke it.
• Fish dressed, so less chance of contamination &
spoilage.
• Constant production of smoke enhances speed
• Smoking and drying simultaneously
• Uniform smoking
• Controlled smoking
• Less time consuming.
• Better quality end product
Fish dressed for drying/ smoking
Mechanical Smoking Kiln
Fish smoking inside mechanical kiln
Fish smoked in Mechanical kiln
• This smoked Mola Carpet fish, known as Muka Nga in Manipur, is a very
popular fish among the Manipuri's, who dote it for it's taste and health
benefits.
• The smoked fish can be cooked into a stew, chutney or curry and will
make your meal twice as delicious. Made in Manipur