作法
- 泡軟的goraka瀝出，泡水保留。以刀背將goraka略壓成粗糊，顏色深褐近黑。
- 寬碗中將goraka糊與碎黑胡椒、肉桂粉、豆蔻粉、丁香粉、胡蘆巴籽與鹽混勻。下魚塊均勻沾裹，靜置15分鐘。
- 厚底鍋中火熱油，下咖哩葉、斑蘭葉、洋蔥片、大蒜與薑炒4分鐘至洋蔥金黃。
- 下醃好的魚塊與保留的goraka泡水（約100毫升），煮至微滾——魚應浸於深褐酸湯中。
- 蓋鍋小火燉30分鐘，期間小心翻面一兩次。湯汁應大幅收乾，魚塊轉為深桃花心木色。
- 開蓋再煮15分鐘——咖哩應幾乎全乾，每塊魚僅薄薄裹著一層光亮黑醬。斯里蘭卡的鐵則：ambul thiyal不是濕咖哩，而是一道乾式醃魚。蓋鍋靜置10分鐘。配米飯與椰肉桑波食用；在熱帶氣候下可於室溫保存5天（goraka與鹽具防腐力）。
Common questions
Can 酸魚乾咖哩（Ambul Thiyal） be made ahead?
酸魚乾咖哩（Ambul Thiyal） is best made and eaten the same day, but the components can be prepped earlier — chop and measure the ingredients up to a day ahead, refrigerated separately. Final cooking takes about 60 minutes.
How spicy is 酸魚乾咖哩（Ambul Thiyal）?
As written this recipe is medium-to-hot. Heat levels vary by cook and region in Sri Lanka; halve the chili or remove the seeds for less heat, or add more at the finishing stage. The spice can be adjusted during cooking.
Is 酸魚乾咖哩（Ambul Thiyal） vegetarian or gluten-free?
This recipe is suitable for most diets. If you have specific restrictions, the substitutions section in each ingredient note covers the most common swaps.
How hard is 酸魚乾咖哩（Ambul Thiyal） to make at home?
酸魚乾咖哩（Ambul Thiyal） sits at intermediate difficulty — total time about 75 minutes. The ingredients are not unusual but the timing requires attention.
Can 酸魚乾咖哩（Ambul Thiyal） be scaled up or down?
This recipe is written for 4 servings. To scale, multiply each ingredient proportionally; the cooking times stay the same up to about double the volume. Beyond that, expect to cook in batches because of pan size and heat distribution.
文化背景
Ambul thiyal（意為「酸魚」）是斯里蘭卡南岸的招牌料理，原為冰箱出現以前漁夫保存漁獲的方法。Goraka（藤黃果，Garcinia cambogia）是這道菜的靈魂——它強烈的酸度與抗菌特性，使ambul thiyal能在室溫保存數日。色澤特殊：因goraka與黑胡椒而呈深沉、近黑的色調。鮪魚與鯖魚為傳統選擇；厚實的魚種較能承受長時間乾煮。這道菜驚人的酸與胡椒辛辣，常讓初嚐者大為震撼。
