Maasi sambal, the Maldives treasure

When i was little, I used to have a great pleasure eating the 'maasi sambal'. My grandmother made it without fail every year for my grandfather's yearly death anniversary. It was made as an item served for him at the altar.
Whether my trip there was duty bound to attend the prayers or out of love for the old man, I definitely looked forward for the meal afterwards.
The maasi fish is a very hard, dried fish and to break it, you need to soak it for many long hours.
My attempt to cook it once was quite disastrous, so i left that delicate side to my grandmother.
Now that she is no longer around, it has been close to seven years before i got a taste of it again.
It was in Paris that this happened. A friend brought it home for dinner and then the obsession recharged.
Once home i hunted high and low in the Little India streets in Kuala Lumpur. None found.
A second trip to Paris secured two bottles of this item. Which i cherish and use occasionally.
This recent trip to Jaffna brought on a pot of gold where this item was concerned. I managed to obscure more bottles of this fish with the addition of dried shrimps which was the bigger version of the 'sennaangkuni'.
With this loaded, I'm looking forward for at least six months of having this delicacy. My heartiest thanks to a phenomenal, lovable mom from Allaippiddy, Jaffna. Items courtesy of Vijays Stores. :)