Best Shrimp (chemmeen) Roast

This shrimp roast recipe gleaned from this vlog is simply to die for. With the shortest cooking time on the planet and a high taste quotient, this roast is a must have in our gatherings. Quite a savior I'd say since meat options are slowly receding from our cooking as we are going squarely into those age brackets that require us to be more health conscious . I don't know that shrimp is any more healthier than meats, but I am just going with that thought for now.

In The Mix

Mix 1

Shrimp - 1lbs cleaned (about 16-20 in number for an idea on the size)

pepper - 1/2 tsp or as desired

turmeric - 1tsp

dry red chili flakes - 2 tsp

chili powder - 1 tsp

salt to taste 

Mix 2

coconut milk - 1/2 cup or more

coconut oil - 2 tbsp

dry red chili flakes - 1 tsp

pepper powder - 1/4 tsp or as desired

curry leaves - 2 sprigs

salt to taste

garlic cloves - 4 to 5 peeled and crushed

coconut oil - 1-2 tbsp (no need to cover the full pan)

How To Do

Take all Mix 1 ingredients and mix well together. Set to marinate for a minimum of 30 min.

Take all Mix 2 ingredients and mix well together. Set to marinate for a minimum of 30 min.

After 30 min are over, heat a flat pan large enough to place the shrimp in a single layer. Keep at medium to high heat and add the coconut oil. 

Once the oil is heated, place the shrimps in a single layer. Cook for 1 minute.

Turn the the shrimp over (one-by-one helps), Sprinkle garlic and curry leaves over the shrimp and cook for 1 minute.

Add the coconut milk mix at this time gently over the shrimp. Mix together gently and cook for a minute or two depending on how much gravy you'd like to remain.

Remove from heat and enjoy over hot matta rice.

Fish Biriyani!

 The sheer convenience of working from home has turned me into a biriyani maker to my own surprise. It is happening mainly due to the fact that I can make a plan and prepare fried onions and raita ahead of time. Planning is more organized because of weekly online grocery shopping where I am sure of what we can have that week. So just add chicken, beef or lamb to the list, then tomatoes, cilantro and mint and you are pretty much set so long as you have biriyani rice, cashew nuts and raisins in stock. H always signs on to make papads which is one less worry. My dwarf lime tree has yielded enough for a year and the limes are preserved through freezing or simple refrigeration which covers for any lime needs. Same story with the curry leaf plant. There is always a container or two of yogurt and enough eggs in the house to round it out.   

Not sure if I'd ever tried making fish biriyani before but now that it is done, there is no looking back. Absence of daily commute is essential for this activity as otherwise a quick trip to the Indian grocery store for frozen king fish (neymeen) may not happen at all. The main advantage of this fish is a single round bone in the middle which is easily discarded.  A fact that was quite agreeable to my bone weary son who likes biriyanis in general. Molu seemed reluctant to fight with the fish at all but I am sure she will come around. Chicken is her goto for biriyani.

Elements of most biriyanis are the same but the protein here being fish, I didn't resort to my trusted Instapot this time. Alas, not much was lost and the final product more than made up for the sad omission of this trusted utensil. On top of recently acquired biriyani knowhow, I also referred to this vlog from salukitchen. There is a quite efficiency in this smart lady's no-nonsense yet tasty, gourmet quality and flavorful recipes with which she sustains her five person family on a regular basis. A feat not easily achieved even if one tried. Without Doordash to fill in the gaps, I am sure to be a nervous wreck by the end of the pandemic stay at home period where the distinction between work and home gets blurrier by the day. Simply closing the laptop just is not enough separation anymore I tell ya. Ok, 'nough rambling for now and let us go to our recipe for the day and see where that takes us.

In The Mix

red onions - 4 big (2 for masala, 1 for seasoning)

olive oil - enough to coat

salt to taste 

cashews and raisins - a handful each for seasoning

raita, papads

king fish - 5 or 6 large disc like fleshy pieces with skin on to hold shape

    turmeric powder  - 1 1/2 tsp

    kashmiri chili powder - 5 tsp or as needed

    garam masala - 3 tsp

    crushed black pepper - 11/2 tsp

    salt to taste

basmati rice - 6 cups

water - 7 cups

    cinnamon - 2 small pieces

    bay leaf - 1 or 2 small

    cardamom - 4

    cloves - 3

    olive oil - 1 tbsp

    salt to taste

cinnamon - 2 thin 1.5" pieces

cardamom - 2

bay leaf - 1 or 2 small

cloves - 2 or 3

ginger-garlic paste - 3 tsp

tomatoes - 3 medium or 2 large chopped

yogurt - 2 tbsp

coriander - 1/2 tsp

curry leaves - 1 or 2 sprigs

lime juice - from 1/2 a lime

salt to taste

cilantro - a bunch, chopped

mint - 1/2 a bunch chopped

olive oil - as needed

How To Do

Make ahead steps:

Make raita and refrigerate. Fry papads and keep in an airtight container. Air fry 3 sliced onions tossed with oil, salt at 390 for 6-8 min on each side. Remove 2 onions worth and fry remaining onions for 2 min on each at 390 or till golden.

Wash and drain the rice and add to rice cooker along with water. Add all italicized ingredients under rice to this, stir gently mainly to mix in the salt and cook as usual. The outcome is always perfectly cooked biriyani rice.

Mix all italicized ingredients under fish and use 1/2 of it to marinate the thawed fish. Make sure not to use extra water as there is enough water in the fish itself. Set to marinate overnight or for at least 15 minutes outside. 

Preheat to 300C if using oven for baking.

Heat oil in a flat pan and fry cashews and onions and set aside. Keep pan on low heat especially if using a cast-iron pan as it distributes and holds the heat evenly.

Add more oil as needed and shallow fry fish pieces for 1-2 min on each side or until 75% cooked. Remove and set aside.

Add the second set of cinnamon, cardamom, bayleaf and cloves to the same oil and saute for 1-2 min. Add fried onions set aside for masala and mix well. Add curry leaves, ginger garlic paste, remaining half of mixed spice powders along with coriander powder and saute all together till aroma rises in the air. Check salt and add as needed.

Add chopped tomatoes, saute for 2-3 min, add 1/4 cup cilantro, 2 tbsp mint, yogurt and lime juice and stir well together for 3-4 min. 

Now add the fish pieces one by one, making sure to cover each with enough masala. Cover and cook for 5 min on low heat. 

For stove-top baking, remove all except some masala and one or two pieces of fish and layer with rice as given below. Cover and cook for 5-7 min and set aside to cool for 10 minutes.

For oven baking,  slightly grease an oven safe dish with oil and layer bottom with some masala and one or two fish pieces. Then add the rice, sprinkled on top with golden onions, fried cashews, raisins, cilantro and mint. Add another layer of masala and fish and top with rice layer sprinkled with all the seasonings. Cover with aluminum foil and bake for 10 minutes at 300C. 

Remove from oven and let cool for 10 min before serving with raita and papad. It behooves you to remember the location of fish pieces so the digging in won't break them before it gets on the plate. Yum.. I am drooling since all of it is just a memory now. Until next time..😋

Shrimp Biriyani - Quick and Easy - Kid Approved

My kids are lucky to have Haunt who enjoys being the grandma that they so need here. She is their paternal grandma's sister and so their great aunt. This last summer they were invited to spend a week with her in the East and both jumped at the chance. Molu doesn't like the idea of flying without us but she was willing to brave it just so she could be near this very dear person. Kannan was a 'go' from the first. They are all set to go again this summer. One of the things they enjoyed having at Haunt's place was the shrimp biriyani. She said it is simple to make since they don't like a lot of things to be put in it. Works for me! It took a few tries to get it right but now we all enjoy this delicious dish.

In the Mix

shrimp -  3/4 lbs. (12 oz.) medium sized, deveined, shelled, washed and drained

for the marinade
chili powder - 1/2 tsp or less
lime juice - 1 tsp (fresh squeezed)
turmeric - 1/4 tsp
salt - 1/4 tsp

basmati  rice - 4 cups cooked (leftover rice is OK)

olive oil - 3 tbsp
onion - 1 small or 1/2 medium sized - diced
ginger - 1/2 "
chicken biriyani masala -  1 heaped tbsp. or to taste

onion - 1/2 sliced thin. (optional for garnish)
cashew nuts halved - 1 tbsp (optional for garnish)
coconut oil - 2 tsp


How To Do

Mix the cleaned the shrimp with marinade ingredients and let sit overnight in the fridge. If there is no time for overnight, then marinate at least for half an hour at room temp.

Cook the rice in a rice cooker. Add a little less water than recommended so the biriyani rice is not over cooked. Mix with salt as needed using a fork to separate out the rice and set to cool. If the biriyani masala is salty, you might not want to add salt to the rice at this time.

Preheat your toaster oven to 300C.

Heat the oil in a 12" frying pan and add the shrimp. Keep the heat on high to make the process quick. Make sure to keep the shrimp in a single layer. After about a minute, turn over gently with a spatula. Another minute or two will be enough for the shrimp to cook evenly. Remove from heat and drain on paper towels.

Grind the onion and ginger together. I use an immersion blender for a quick grind. Add salt here as needed. HAunt tip: You can add one raw or cooked shrimp to the blender for a flavor burst in the gravy.

Add onion mix to the remaining oil in the pan. Save extra oil if any to mix later with rice. Saute for a few minutes and add biriyani masala. Add salt as needed. Now add the shrimp and mix all together.
The prepared shrimp can be refrigerated at this time to make the biriyani another day. Just heat gently before using as follows.

Mix the cooked rice with any gravy remaining in the shrimp pan. Add leftover shrimp oil if any and add salt as needed.

Spread the bottom of a small baking dish with the shrimp mix. Layer on top with the rice and bake at 300C for 20 minutes. Kid approved shrimp biriyani is best enjoyed with plain yogurt to keep it all simple. I am sure no one will complain if you decide to add the customary papadam and some raita to the menu.

Optional garnish can be sprinkled on top for those who want the biriyani to look a bit more dressy.
Simply fry the onions and saute the cashews in 1 tsp ghee or coconut oil. Drain on paper towels and sprinkle on top in your own plate so the little onion sleuths who are also the main customers will not complain.

Grape Leaf Stuffed Pan Baked Fish - Pearlspot/Karimeen - കരിമീൻ പൊള്ളിച്ചത്

Hope 2016 is going well for everyone. Jan 16th marked the 8th year anniversary of this blog and as always I am appreciative of this space that keeps me from losing myself in the daily rush of our lives. And thanks to soul searching days and reflections earlier for checking in here once in a while  and leaving sweet comments which gives me the feeling that the posts are being read. Not forgetting you geets for your loving comments.

I had prepared a draft of this post in November but didn't have a chance to publish it. So now is a good time as any. We all go into a festive mode when we hear that Haunt is visiting. Every year she comes for grandparents day at the school. She takes days off from her busy work as a pediatrician and flies from the East to be with us. I am appreciative of the love that makes this possible. As the day of her visit gets closer, kids start chanting "she is coming" every other minute. I look to her as a friend and guide and since she is about the same age as some of my sisters, I have come to regard her more as a sister than an aunt. She is the youngest of my Hmom's sisters. Having lived here now for the longest time, sometimes I feel we understand each other's lives better. She is also a great cook in the same tradition as my Hmom. Haunt fills her home with great tasting food whenever we visit her and it always gives a feeling of warmth and love. I wanted to make something extra-special this time for her visit and we had fresh-frozen karimeen from the Indian store waiting for the perfect outing.

I thawed the karimeen overnight in the fridge and took them out only about half an hour before cooking started. The quality of the fish was as good as I have come to expect from Double Horse products based on my Hmom's recommendations.

Maria's Menu is a very dependable source for recipes that can be reproduced easily. The fish pollichathu recipe I found there was easy to adapt and came out really well. I scaled the recipe up 4 times to account for the quantity of fish I had. I also used grape leaves and aluminum foil to bake the fish as I had no recourse to get the banana leaves that tradition demanded. Nothing, I repeat, nothing, can take away from the extraordinary taste of this very traditional Kerala dish. Not having grown up in Kuttanad and being nowhere close to where the fish is normally available, our home had rarely seen this fish. When we do, it was fried to perfection with unanimous agreement and devoured in no time. Any other version had to wait till we can move past the fried goodness stage and for this fish that never came. So I was surprised at the heavenly explosion of flavors in my mouth with the fish cooked this way and am hooked for life. We all are!

In The Mix

karimeen - 6 (cleaned, and head removed ~900 grams)

canola oil - 4-6 tbsp - to pre-fry the fish

shallots - 16 medium sized sliced

crushed chopped ginger - 8 tsp

crushed chopped garlic - 10 tsp

serano chili - 4 thinly sliced sideways

kashmiri chili powder - 8 tsp

coriander powder - 10 tsp

tomato - 3 medium diced

coconut milk - 1/2 can diluted with 1/2 can of water

salt - to taste

curry leave - 1-2 sprigs

coconut oil - 2-3 tbsp

to marinate 

turmeric powder - 1 tsp

pepper powder - 1 tsp (always use freshly pestled pepper for that extra punch)

salt to taste

to wrap

any one of the below choices are good:

banana leaves 

aluminum foil sized to wrap 1 fish 

grape leaves - 2 large per fish, slightly wilted on hot pan (tender leaves if available are better)

kitchen twain dampened with water cut to desired length - to tie  the fish when using the leaves to wrap.

How To Do

Take the fish and score with a knife 2-3 times at an angle on both sides. Mix with turmeric powder, pepper powder, salt and set to marinate for about 30 minutes on the counter top. 

Heat the canola oil and fry the marinated fish on both sides to a bit more than half done. About 2-3 minutes on each side will do. Drain on paper towels and set aside.

                                               

Heat the coconut oil in a pan and add sliced shallots. Saute to golden brown and add ginger, garlic and green chili.  fry for 2-3 minutes. Add the remaining curry powders and mix well. After 3-4 minutes add some hot water so the gravy combines well together. Add chopped tomato and curry leaves and mix well. Check and add salt as needed. Add another 2-3 tbsp of hot water for the tomato to soften. 

Add the diluted coconut milk and mix all together. Cook till the masala thickens. I had prepared all else and was busy finishing this last dish when Haunt came in since her flight had arrived early. So from this point on I followed her suggestions. The gravy has to cover the fish and be wrapped and baked. So the consistency should not be too thick lest it dries up but not runny either.

I had prepared and cut the aluminum foil but Haunt knew of our grapes in the backyard and she had this great suggestion that I use the grape leaves instead. We gathered up some large leaves really quickly. Since the season was almost over, the leaves were on their way to being fall fodder but we still had a good few standing. Haunt said tender leaves are better as they can better withstand the hot pan.  

After cleaning the leaves I wilted them gently on a hot pan. We needed two leaves to fully cover one fish. Put some of the gravy on one leaf and place the fish on top. Then cover up with more gravy. Wrap the fish as much as you can and then use another leaf to fully cover the gravy and fish. Tie all together with the kitchen twain. Some were wrapped in foil to hedge the bets:-)

The pan must be hot and ready by now. Place the wrapped fish in the pan and bake on each side for about 3-4 minutes. Because the leaves were older, they started to brown by the end but still held their own ground. Now you are ready to taste the most delectable dish prepared out of heavenly Kerala's state fish which it seems is also called green chromide. I rather like karimeen or pearlspot myself. 

When the dish was done we all sat down to eat. From the moment the wrap was opened till the wrap was cast aside there was an enjoyable silence and all plates were picked clean. The kids had to remove the gravy and just eat the fish, but they too enjoyed the masala crusted goodness with no usual complaints about bones being present. This remains a very delicious memory sweetened by Haunt's presence. I can't wait to get my hands on another batch of karimeen before the grape leaves bid their final adieu.

Quick Soup For The Cold

We had this soup when Hcousins made it. It is much colder here than I can remember this time of the year and I thought to fight it with the warm soup. Measurements are not absolute. All depends on the taste that you want in your soup.

In The Mix

water - 6-7 cups

chicken bouillon cubes - 4 to 5
OR
Better Than Bouillon paste - 3-4 heaped tsp. (I used this)

fish fillet - 1/2 to 1 lbs washed and cubed (any white fish will do. Tilapia is a good choice)fresh ground pepper - 2-3 tsp or to taste (this must be ground/crushed fresh)
lemon juice - from 1 lemon
fresh grated ginger - from a 2" piece or more

cilantro - 2-3 sprigs chopped lightly

How To Do

Boil the water in a pot and add the bouillon cubes or paste. Stir together till well combined. Add fish pieces and boil 2-3 minutes. Check salt and add more bouillons/paste as needed for flavor. The salt comes from the bouillon so using reduced sodium version helps control the salt. Add the pepper and lemon juice. Boil once and add grated ginger. Add more ginger if you like as it can only help.  Boil some more till you can smell the ginger and pepper in the air. Add more water or other ingredients as taste demands. Add cilantro leaves, boil once and remove from heat. Serve hot, sit down, relax and enjoy as the warmth fills the cold, tired body and brings it back to life. As you drink more of the soup you should feel the gingery and peppery comfort lingering.

Not Sushi, Indo-California Shrimp Rolls!

I never knew H to be a Sushi fan and so was a little perplexed when he plunged wholeheartedly into making California rolls few weeks back. Granted, he was a little rushed with a new job which took up almost all his time and maybe was looking to de-stress. Whatever it was, we had two weeks of fast and furious sushi making. He has since joined a new company which has more of a normal pace and we may never see sushi anymore. He was apparently inspired by a sushi restaurant he frequented for lunch when working at the first place. I am not complaining since as a responsible spouse I feel it my sacred duty to gobble up any such rolls made by H. The fact that they are little pieces of heaven rolled in rice does not sway me one way or another:-)

Let us go into the nitty gritty of sushi making albeit with an Indian touch. There is one equipment you need for sushi making and it is the mat. This is what helps you to roll the rice and it can be found in Japanese grocery stores. H covered it with plastic wrap to stop it from sticking and to help when cleaning up.

In The Mix

japanese short grain rice - 2 cup ( 1 cup makes 3 long rolls - this is the most important item that will make or break your sushi)
water - 2 1/2 cup water
nori (sea weed) - 1 pkg
fish stock powder (dashi) - 1 tsp or to taste)
rice wine vinegar - 1/2 cup - add more or less to taste
 - the above items can be found in japanese stores

fresh shrimp fry - any kerala recipe will do
dried roasted shrimp -  as needed from 1 pkg (you will get this from indian stores)
salt, sugar as needed

Note:
      To add variety to the rolls, use carrots, cucumber and avocado julienned and packed lengthwise inside the rice rolls instead of shrimp or along with it.

How To Do

Prepare fresh shrimp curry following any recipe. Coconut pieces in the shrimp adds to the overall flavor so it is preferred.

Soak the rice in water for 20 minutes.

Boil the vinegar and then add sugar, salt, dashi and mix well. Check and add more of each to your taste.  Over all flavoring should be subtle. Boil once and remove from heat. Stir and set aside to cool.

Prepare the sticky rice by carefully following the directions below:

Wash and drain the rice. Add the water to the rice and cook covered on high heat. When the first steam comes out turn to low and cook for about 20 minutes. Check to see if rice is sticking to the bottom. Rice is done once all the water is gone. Remove from heat right away. Start stirring the rice gently with spoon in one hand while fanning with the other hand to remove any remaining water and to cool down the rice. Add the vinegar mixture and gently stir all together. Result should be sticky but separated evenly flavored rice. Most of the hard work is done. Now for some fun.

Take one seaweed and cut into two. Place a half sheet on the mat and spread the rice evenly onto it.

Now turn this over carefully so the rice side is touching the mat.

Spoon out the shrimp fry in a row on the long side of the sheet close to one edge. Sprinkle some dried shrimp along for crunch factor.

Now start rolling the mat gently so the whole layer of stuff gets rolled. This is why we needed the mat. It helps to roll the rice side without much ado!

Once the inner roll has reached full circle, give an even squeeze along the top for good measure. Remove the mat by rolling the stuff out onto a plate.

Wet a non serrated knife to avoid rice sticking and cut out into small sushi like rolls. You can pop each one into your mouth as they are being cut or wait and try your patience. You will not realize how many you can eat in one sitting until much later!

Meenum Mangayum (Fish Curry with Mango) - From Vanitha

Scene 1:  Lan opens the door to a knock on the door and who is there but the friendly neighbor who goes on fishing trips! They had a good trip and generously wanted to share some of that bounty with the neighbor who seems to brighten up every time at the mention of fresh fish:-). Lan is grateful to see the wild caught trout but puts it away in the freezer till she can get to it.

Scene 2: It is the weekend. Lan puts the fish out thinking to cook something with it or at least marinate once thawed. She then drops off kid #1 at the local library for volunteering and takes kid#2 for her regular dentist appointment. Kid #1 will be taken to the dentist next week due to the conflict with the volunteering time. Once done at the dentist's, lan and kid#2 make a beeline to the eye doctor to get lan's contact lens supply that was waiting there for a week. Now she realizes that there is a half hour window of free time before getting some burgers at their favorite fast food joint (In 'N' Out) and heading home after picking up kid#1 from the library.

Scene 3: With the unexpected bounty of extra time, lan decides to visit the Kerala grocery store since it is close by and it's been a while. Picks up some junk as well as some good stuff and spots  a 'Vanitha' magazine at the register. Picks it up, gets the burgers, picks up up kid#1 and gets home. Although she forgot to deposit that check, lan decides enough has been done for the day and curls up to read the 'Vanitha' after the household's been calmed with the burger lunch. Happens to read an article about a fish tasting journey across Kerala and sees a recipe the author tasted at a house on the way. It sounds yummy enough that lan drools a little without thinking but gives up the thought as it means making another trek to gather the key ingredient.

Scene 4: Lan walks into the kitchen towards the evening and while clearing up the pile of dishes for the dish washer, chances upon the bag of fish languishing in the smaller sink. Idea! Since lan had also read many magazines at  the dentist's office that day with and without recipes, she couldn't right away remember where she had spotted that inspiring fish recipe. Then she remembers that it was in Malayalam and zeroes in on the 'Vanitha' now all but forgotten. Grabs the recipe and gets to work on the marinade. It was simple enough yet so good looking on the fish that H was impressed even before cooking! The fish is set to marinate overnight in the refrigerator.

Scene 5: It is the morning of the next day. Lan wakes up with a start and realizes she had forgotten all about the key ingredient not being there! Calls H who had gone for his regular yoga class and he was only too happy to bring the raw green mangoes for this promising curry. As soon as the mangoes are in, lan goes to work. Recipe had mostly clear instructions and so all progressed well and the household was introduced to a new curry in no time. Kids decided to stick to their 'red fish curry' but lan and H couldn't get enough of this heavenly dish.

If you have read this far, it means you would like to see the recipe now. I'll add it here with what I did based on the instructions thanks to Vanitha and the person of that house who made this. A little background here before I start. Both H and I had never liked mango in curries growing up. In my house especially, not many people favored mango in fish and it was rarely made. When it did I made sure not to go anywhere near. So I am surprised at my own tastebuds that love this heavenly dish now! When we had gone for the wedding in the East, one of the family friends had brought a similar dish over and I had enjoyed it much. Maybe that memory combined with all the things falling into place so well is what got it to such a good end. Recipe was for half a kilo of fish. The fish I had was about 1 kilo and so I doubled all the suggested numbers as follows.

In The Mix

Fish - about 1 kilo cut into to medium size pieces (~weight of 4 trouts with head removed & cleaned)

for the marinade
shallots - 4 medium sized, peeled and diced large
green serrano chili - 4 sliced to smaller size
ginger - 1.5" piece diced to smaller pieces
turmeric powder - 1/2 tsp
chili powder - 5 tsp
coriander powder - 4 tsp
salt to taste
olive oil - 1 tbsp or less
curry leaves - from 2 sprigs

raw mangoes - 4 (peeled and diced- slightly ripe is ok)
coconut milk - 2 cans of 165ml. each

curry leaves - 2 sprigs
shallots - 2 sliced lengthwise
coconut oil - 2 tsp

How To Do

Score the fish pieces if there is enough space on the piece. I kept the skin on since the trout was not scaly and the skin was thin enough. Looked good too.

Combine all the ingredients for the marinade up to and not including the olive oil and grind well in a blender. Add this to the fish pieces. Add the olive oil and curry leaves and mix well together. Recipe asked for coconut oil but since coconut oil freezes now I did not want to add it warm. So I added olive oil instead. Set to marinate for as long as you can. At least half an hour outside or longer in the fridge is good. The reference recipe did not say for how long. I did it overnight. Green chilies I guess can be added or taken out based on your heat tolerance. This was not specified and adding 4 did it for us.

The recipe called for coconut milk from 1.5 coconut halves and asked for 'second milk' from the coconut. I didn't know how to convert this to the canned coconut milk I had. So I went with what I thought best. Made my 'second milk' by adding 3 cans of 165 ml of water to one can of the coconut milk. So pour the coconut milk into a cup first and then use that can to add the water. Can add a bit more as needed.

Add the diced mango and the prepared 'second milk' to a pan.  Boil once, add the fish and cook covered in low to medium heat for 9-10 minutes or till done. Add salt as needed and move the fish around by rotating the pan instead of using a spoon. Now the gravy would have reduced somewhat. Add the remaining one can of coconut milk to this without adding any water. Rotate the pan to mix well, boil once and remove from heat.

Heat the coconut oil and sauté  onions and curry leaves for seasoning.  Add this to the fish curry and mix gently using a spoon as well as by rotating the pan. Now is the time for tasting. Since I had forgotten to cook rice on time we had to wait impatiently till it was ready. Felt like a long wait but it was all good when that first ball of rice mixed with fish curry melted in the mouth with exploding flavors!

Crab Stir-Fry/Njandu Ularth and Crab Curry

Crab in any form is yummy especially so for my husband. We bought a nice bunch of cooked crabs from Costco and it was up to me to make something out of it this time. I was a little weary due to the disastrous crab preparation I perpetrated upon the household the other day from two rather expensive cans of crab meat. But that is when Mrs. KMM can truly come to your rescue. She had a Njandu Ularth recipe in her Nadan Pachakarama and I followed mostly except for the quantities and one other change. I did not shell the crabs. Used them as they are which is preferred by the Main Crab Eater in the realm. My girl and I are used to this too. My boy stays clear of the whole thing at this time of his life. Maybe soon.. Here is the recipe

In The Mix
crabs -3 lbs (cleaned, cooked and separated into pieces)
mustard seeds - 1 1/2 tsp
curry leaves - 2 or 3 sprigs
big red onion - 2sliced
torn dry red chili - 2 tbsp(ran out of this so i added the powder form below)
dry red chili powder - 1 1/2 tbsp
garlic - 10-12 cloves crushed and then gently sliced if required
pepper powder - 2 to 2 1/2 tsp up to your spice tolerance (too lazy to crush whole pepper mentioned in recipe)
kudampuli - 2-3 pieces in 1 cup of water (cleaned and heated in a microwave with the water - my Mom)


How To Do
I am glad that cooked crabs are easy to find. Not sure if I'd be this willing to venture into crabland if I also need to deal with live crustaceans! To deal with the cooking, let us go with Mrs KMM. She says to put crabs, turmeric powder and salt into boiling water and cook for about 1 hour.  Cook until the shells turn orange. Put cooked crab into cold water to keep the flesh firm. Then she suggests to shell the crabs which I didn't do.

Moving onto what to do once you have cooked, separated and unshelled crabs ready to roll -
Heat oil in a pan and break mustard. Add curry leaves and onions. Add salt to mix well with onions. Saute for a while until onions turn translucent and then add red chilies including powder. Keep on sauteing and add garlic and then pepper powder. Saute some more till they have a pleasing look all together.

Now add the kudampuli with its water and then add crab pieces. Mix well together, cover and cook for 4-5 minutes so the crab meat imbibes some of the flavors. Open and dry out well in the heat before taking out to enjoy with hot cooked rice. Yum! The shells are easy to break but make sure to keep an empty platter for all those shells to collect in. This can pile up before you have time to think!

Crab Curry
I had some leftover crab after taking what was needed for the Ularth. So went ahead and cooked it with the egg curry recipe and below is the result. With this ularth and curry any memories of the previous crabby incident has been erased forever:-) Just replace the eggs with about as much of cooked crab in shells (about 1/2 lbs?). Add a bit of vinegar to taste in the end and voila!

Mrs. KMM's Fish Pappas

I have a small set of fish recipes that I am happy with. But that doesn't mean one should cold shoulder new recipes. So it is that I took up my trusty old copy of Mrs KM Mathew's 'Nadan Pachakarama'. Leafing through a few recipes that I have and not tried, the word 'pappas' caught my eye. This was not a common preparation at my home but I knew it goes well with Thirutha/Kanampu (Mullet) or Karimeen (Pearl Spot). We love Bass in any form. Be it striped or black. My son's day is made when we fry a Bass. It didn't take long for me to connect the tasty Sea Bass to this awesome recipe.  We buy it fresh from the local Chinese store. The first time I made it, taste was good but gravy looked watery and something felt absent. So when family (includes HAunt who is our top advisor on food matters here) came for a short visit I decided to give this one more concentrated effort and it was worth it. I tripled the recipe and made small updates to the original steps. Recipe follows:

In The Mix
fish - 2 striped bass : cleaned and cut into pieces (~1.5 kg)

coriander powder - 6 tsp
kashmiri powder - 1 1/2 tsp
turmeric powder - 1/2 tsp
fresh ground pepper - 1/2 tsp or more as needed

olive oil - 1 tbsp or more
mustard seeds - 1 tsp
methi (uluva) - a few

medium sized onion - 2 sliced
ginger - 1.5" piece peeled and sliced lengthwise

garlic cloves - ~25 thin cloves (slice/crush large cloves)
green Serrano chili - 4 to 5 halved lengthwise
curry leaves - a sprig and a half

water - 4.5 cup or more as needed

kudam puli (Garcinia cambogea )  - 8-9 petals washed thoroughly in warm water to remove any smokiness
canned coconut milk  - 1/3cup or less 


How To Do

Heat 1 tsp oil in a flat bottomed pan and gently fry the fish pieces on both sides. I didn't score the pieces. About 1 min to each side is more than enough. Use two spatulas if necessary so as to not break the fish. Remove from heat and set aside.

Combine the 4 curry powders including pepper in a bowl with some water and keep aside.

Heat remaining oil in a pan and break mustard seeds. Then saute onion, ginger, garlic, green chili and curry leaves by adding to the pan in that order. Onions should start to brown and chili should still have some color left. Add the masala powder mix and saute in low to medium heat. This will take a few minutes. Once the aroma start to rise, add water and mix well together. Add salt at this stage so it can be mixed well with the gravy. Now add the fish and kudam puli pieces. Gently mix taking care not to break up the fish. Boil once on hi and lower heat. After this, it is better to just lift up the pan and rotate once or twice to mix things up when needed. Check and add salt if needed to balance the puli/sourness. Let the gravy come to the desired consistancy at this rate on medium to low heat. Pieces should look well coated with gravy.

Add coconut milk and mix by rotating the pan. Use a fork gently to bring the milk everywhere and rotate again. Boils once and remove from heat. Remove some puli pieces if you are not big on that part of the flavor. I remove about 2/3rd of the pieces at the end and only keep 1 or 2 in the setting curry. Enjoy with hot rice, vegetable thoran and buttermilk curry/moru kachiyathu. Hmm... Yum....Bliss here I come!!

Stuffed/Baked Fish

The baked fish is finally here and got some pics while it lasted. So enjoy! I used to make a decent fillet based baked fish some time back but for some reason or other it hasn't happened in a while. That is when we happened to sit through some food n/w shows involving baked fish in many ways. My husband decided it was time to take matters into his own hands and try out something. It was delicious from first go and we haven't stopped. Here is the recipe.

In The Mix

2 whole fish cleaned (we use striped sea bass. trout might be good too)

for the marinade
fish masala - enough to marinate the fish. (Shan seems to be a good brand for this)
vinegar - 4 tbsp or more as needed
salt - enough to taste
foil - to wrap the marinating fish

for the stuffing
turmeric - 1/4 tsp
kashmiri chili powder - 2 tsp
onion - 2 medium sized sliced
fish masala - 2 tsp
ginger - 1/4" piece
garlic - 4-5 crushed cloves
tomato - 1 diced
fresh squeezed lemon drops - optional, as needed
curry leaves - 2 sprigs
olive oil - 1 tbsp
salt to taste
olive oil - enough to lightly fry the whole fish

How To Do

Splice though the middle of the fish on one side of the bone making sure the tail end is closed. We just need an opening to put the stuffing in, not to be open wide. Score in horizontal lines on both sides as if for cutting large pieces. Marinate overnight in the fridge with the for the marinade ingredients. Wrap the fish in aluminum foil while doing this to haul in the flavors.

Preheat oven to 350F

Heat oil in a pan and start frying the marinated fish. 1 or 2 minutes on each side just to get the skin to hold in the juices while baking is enough. Set aside to drain.

Heat oil in another pan and add the onions. Saute for a short time and add in the turmeric, chili powders and fish masala. Combine all, add curry leaves and saute till onion browns lightly. Add salt at this time. Now add the ginger, garlic and tomato and saute till all are incorporated together for a good stuffing. We were out of tomatoes this time and so the fish in the pic is sans the tomato. It does make a difference in taste. Sprinkle in some fresh squeezed lemon drops to balance the taste as needed in this case.

Now cover and fill the fish with the prepared stuffing, Wrap in aluminum foil and place on a cookie sheet. Bake for 15 minutes first. Bake another 10 minutes while checking in between for doneness. No need to turn over. Once done, take out, wait for it to cool if you can and go for it with hot rice and yogurt, on top of a piece of artisan bread or as is. The aroma of fish baking in the oven is too tempting to resist!

Shrimp/Chemmeen Pickle

This awesome recipe belongs to my husband's paternal Aunt. After polishing off the last bit from the shrimp pickle bottle that she had sent us with someone returning from India, we had to call her for the recipe. Of course after thanking her properly for this delicious gesture in the early years of our marriage. It meant a lot to us and to our collective tummies. Like my HMom, this Aunt is an accomplished cook. At that time the word 'cooking' had barely taken root in my vocabulary. In contrast, now I can say with great assurance that 1 tbsp of chili powder means exactly that and it will not be 'just fine' to use 1 tbsp of coriander instead just because the measurements are the same:-)

In The Mix

Shrimp - 2lbs (~1kg) de-veined and shelled.
ground black pepper - 1 tsp
salt to taste
oil - enough to submerge one layer of shrimp

to grind
chili powder - 2 tbsp
garlic powder - 1 tbsp
ginger powder - 1/2 tbsp
jeera/cumin powder - 1 tsp
mustard powder - 1/2 tsp
methi/uluva/fenugreek - 1/2 tsp

vinegar - 1/4 cup
mustard - 1/2 tsp
ginger - 1 1/2 " sliced long
chopped onion - 1 cup

vinegar - 1/8 cup or as needed to taste
sugar - 1/2 tsp (optional)

How To Do

Marinate the shrimp with pepper and salt for 2-3 hours. Deep fry in oil and remove. Drain the oil from the pan and set aside that too.


Grind all the 'to grind' ingredients in the blender and soak in 1/4 cup vinegar. Break mustard using some of the oil remaining after frying the shrimp. Saute the long sliced ginger to half fry. Add the chopped onion and fry till light brown. Now add the ground, soaked mix from above and roast well. Add the remaining vinegar and check salt.


Can add sugar at this stage. Remember, this is pickle and so even if it tastes a little vinegary and salty when fresh, that will subside into a yummadoos pickle taste as it sits for a day or two. Add the fried shrimp and mix gently. Do not boil after adding the shrimp. Can add hot water, salt, vinegar or sugar as needed at this stage for a consistency that appeals to you. Add in some or all of the remaining oil if needed. Enjoy with anything carb and hot. This 'pickle' does not last long in our house. Keep that in mind when you make it:-)

Fish Cutlet - With Canned Tuna

New pic above was added Sep 25, 2009 since I had always wanted to add a better picture. Granted this is not as best as it could be but I realize it is the best I could do before the whole set is gobbled up each time I make them now that my little girl also has joined the fish cutlet bandwagon.

Some years back when I came here as a student there was nary a kitchen bone in my body. Luckily my room mate was a business undergrad from Srilanka with at least a few of those bones if not many. She also was up to experimenting in the kitchen. This is based mostly on the canned tuna cutlet that she made successfully in our student kitchen. It was rather a welcome change from the calcium fortified orange juice which stood in for a meal many times for lack of time and inclination. She also had a toffee recipe that I diligently wrote down in my Mrs KMM cookbook then. That will come later.

My husband the resident 'beef cutlet' expert (yummy ones too!) kind of looked down on these 'fish cutlets' and they never got made. Finally he has turned his attention to fish as a possibility and this got me to look back on the forgotten recipe. The final version is mostly the old recipe with some cookbook references and some advice from the expert especially on techniques.

In The Mix

canned tuna - 500g (18oz)
green chili - 3
ginger - 3/4" piece
red onion - 1/4"
eggs - 2
potatoes - 2 medium sized
cinnamon stick - 1 piece ground (or 1/4 tsp powder)
cloves - 4 ground (or 1/4 tsp powder)
salt and pepper powder - to taste (can add chili powder instead of pepper)
oil - 1 tbsp + enough for frying
bread crumbs - enough to cover the cutlets

How To Do

Boil the potatoes, remove skin and mash very well.
Chop or thinly dice the onion, ginger and green chilies together.
Heat oil and saute onion, ginger, chili mix with salt.
Add cinnamon and cloves. This is optional but will add to the taste.
Mix together and add the tuna. Add pepper and more salt if needed.
Saute for a while and add the mashed potato.
Stir together in medium heat for 5-8 minutes.
Remove from heat and allow to cool.


Make into nice oval shapes by rolling and then flattening with your finger. I am obviously not an expert in this as witnessed in the pictures:-)

Beat the egg, dip the cutlets into this and roll in bread crumbs one by one. My husband has a very convenient system where he dips the cutlet with one hand, drops into the bed of crumbs and roll with the other hand which prevents your rolling hand from lumping up. This is indeed useful.


Now fill a pan with enough oil to cover more than half of the cutlet's sides and fry each side for a minute or two. Drain on paper towels and enjoy with old fashioned onion/vinegar/chili salad or with rice and papad. Had leftover oil? Fry those papads in it. Fishy papads are pretty good!

For Onion Salad
Slice one red onion. Squeeze together with vinegar, water and salt in a large strainer. Check for salt and a touch of vinegary taste. Mix with thinly sliced green chilies and onion salad is ready.

The pic below was the original top picture when I first published the post. Don't want to get rid of it...

Fish Fry & Fresh Caught Trout

You don't always have to go fishing like my brother to eat fresh caught fish. But you need good neighbors who do and graciously share their bounty. This is how we came to get a foot and half long fresh trout the other day. Since my son complained that we haven't been making fried fish - his favorite form of fish - I decided to do just that. Fried fish will always turn out to be tasty if you follow a few simple rules regardless of what is in the marinade.

1. Never freeze fish after you buy it. If you have to then always thaw in the fridge.
2. Add enough salt to the marinade. This is usually a little more than your usual salt to taste.
3. Marinate overnight in the fridge after scoring the pieces well.
4. Fry to crisp.

In The Mix

Fish cut into pieces and scored with a sharp knife on both sides- I had about 8-9 pieces from the trout
oil - 1 1/2 cups or enough to cover half of the fish pieces

For Marinade

fish masala powder - 1 tbsp (any brand will be fine)
chili powder - 1 tsp
kashmiri chili powder - 1 tbsp
powder mix of equal amounts of cinnamon, cloves, cardamom - 1/4 tsp
shallots - 1 chopped
vinegar - 2 or 3 tbsp
salt to taste

How To Do

Mix the marinade items together and marinate the fish overnight in the fridge. The cinnamon, cloves, cardamom powder is optional. If you don't have it, just add 1/2 tsp of coriander powder. Heat oil in a flat bottomed pan in high heat. Put the fish pieces in and lower the heat to between medium and high. After 3-4 minutes turn over to the other side. Again after 3-4 minutes remove from oil and drain on paper towels. You can leave the fish till your desired crispiness is achieved. This can be done by waiting long enough or by sprinkling some salt water on both sides right before you remove from the oil. The latter is a tip from my husband that I was quite amazed to see work well.

Enjoy with plain rice, yogurt and papadam or enjoy on its own fresh off the fire.

Small Mussel Fry /Kakka Irachi

This one is totally from my husband's household. Had not known that it could be made like this but once I saw how easy it was, I decided to keep it. We eat it more like a snack though:-)

In the Mix:

Mussel - 1/2 lbs ( can be bought in a Chinese store. 1 package will do)
Shallots : 2 or 3
ginger : 3/4" piece
green chili - 1 or 2
curry leaves - 1 or 2 sprigs
crushed chili - 1 tbsp
turmeric - 1/4 tsp
fresh ground pepper - 2 tsp
cloves powder - 1/4 tsp
cinnamon powder - 1/2 tsp
oil - 1 tbsp
salt to taste


How To Do

Chop shallots, ginger, green chili and curry leaves together. Set 1 tbsp of this aside.
Combine the chopped mix, mussels, crushed chili, turmeric, pepper, cloves and cinnamon together . Add salt to taste and cook till all the water is gone.


Heat oil in a pan and saute the set aside chopped mix. Add the cooked mussels and now fry well till dry. This will take some time and care must be taken not to burn the mix. If impatient then you can raise the heat and stay closeby to fasten the process. The color of the finished product should not be the fresh green it started with but a comfortable snacky brown.

Shrimp Fry – Recipe adapted from a Small off the road Calicut Restaurant Courtsey Vanitha

When I get nostalgic for a Malayalam read I pick up a Vanitha from the Indian store. It usually has a whole lot of recipes too. One that caught enough of my attention to try out did not come in the form of a qualified recipe but rather in the story about a hotel in Calicut that started out serving fresh shrimp(konchu) and fish fry to truck drivers and others. They did not give the recipe out exactly but enough for me to want to try. I forgot the name of the restaurant too. A lot the taste was from the freshness of the fish itself probably but the shrimp fry turned out to be pretty tasty and so I am rather pleased to post this:

Ingredients

Shrimp – 1 lbs (shelled and de-veined)

Chili powder - ½ tbsp

Kashmiri chili powder - ½ tbsp

Turmeric powder - ¼ tsp

Curryleaves – 2 sprigs or more chopped

Green chili – 2 thinly chopped

Shallots – 1 thinly chopped

Salt to taste

Method

Marinate the shrimp with the chili powders, salt, turmeric powder. Can add some lemon drops to the marinade if you are so inclined.

Heat oil in a pan and fry the marinated shrimp. There is an art to this. Add the shrimp at high heat to the pan and after 2-3 minutes or when you hear the first few shrimps break in oil, lower the heat to medium or below. Turn over 2 or 3 times and add the chopped curry leaves, onion and green chilies and fry all together. Not more than 2-3 minutes. Don't use the lid till here. Now turn off heat, close the lid and turn over once or twice to make sure the retained heat is not burning the shrimp. Serve hot with rice or enjoy as a snack.