Fish and Raw Mango Curry / Meen-Manga Char

This is a very easy fish recipe. Last week my friend, "M.." brought me a "fish-mango curry" she made it using her grandmother's recipe. This reminded me of one of my family recipe. I leafed through my hand written recipe book and found it at last. Last sunday my husband brought some fish and I made this curry. 

Ingredients:
1) Fish - 3  LB ( I used 2 striped bass) (Cut it into 3-4 pieces)
2) Raw Mango (Cut lengthwise) - 1
3) Salt
4) Water

To Grind
 Grated Coconut- 1 cup
 Garlic - 4-5 cloves
 Ginger - 1" piece
 Onion- 1/2
 Turmeric Powder- 1 Tsp
 Chilly Powder - 2 Tbsp

For Tempering:
Coconut Oil
Mustard Seeds- 1/4 tsp
Fenugreek seeds- 1-2 pinch
Pearl Onion (sliced) -2
Curry leaves

Method:

• Add the grind ingredients to a clay pot/ pan. Add Water, Mango, Fish and Salt. 
• When it starts boiling lower the flame. Cover and cook.
• In a skillet, heat oil. When it is hot, add the mustard seeds and then Fenugreek seeds. When the mustard seeds stop popping, add  Onions. When it starts turning brown add the curry leaves. When the onion is browned add it to the fish.

Source: My mother

Meen Peera Pattichathu ( Fish in grated coconut and kukum star)

Spring has started.It is fine weather outside.Now everybody has thrown of their jackets. Little girls are now in colorful frocks. I started searching for salwars in my closet. Well, it is really an irony. When I was a  kid I used to love wearing Shorts and T-shirt. When I grew up I loved pants and Capri. I fought with my Dad when he decided to send me to a college were salwar was compulsory. As a teenager my view was " Salwars are for mummy's and married women". There I used to wait for an occasion like tour so that I can go back to my comfortable outfit. Now I am in USA. A place where people is not bothered about what others are wearing. Now been 5 years, I have changed, my taste has changed....when it is good weather here, you can see me in salwars now.

One day my sister met one of my college professor and she asked her about me. When she told her that I am in  US, my teacher told her ..." ha, ha.... now she can wear whatever she likes." My sister just gave her a smile. 

That much for weather and me. Here goes a recipe. This is a very healthy and easy recipe. There is no oil in this recipe.

Ingredients:

1)Fish ( Cut into pieces) - 3 Lb

2)Green chilly( cut lengthwise) - 10-12

3) Chopped Small onions- 10

4) Finely chopped ginger - 1 piece

5) Turmeric - 1/2 tsp

6)Grated Coconut - 3-4 cup

7)Kukum star (Kudompuli) - 4-5 pieces

8) Curry leaves

9) Salt

Method:

• Soak kukum star ( Kudompuli) in half cup of warm water.
• In a clay pot or pan, Mix  grated coconut, green chilly, onions, ginger, turmeric, curry leaves and salt with your hands. Add kudompuli with the water. Add fish and water enough to cook the fish.
• Place the pan on fire. When it starts boiling, reduce the heat. Cook till the water has dried up. It is ok if there is a little bit water left.

Source: My mother

Prawns Pattichu ullathiyathu

Last Saturday while I was doing my week-end grocery shopping I found some prawns on sale. It is being a long time since I tried some prawn dish. Besides my eldest son likes "Lobster"  which he calls "konchu meen" . I brought some uncleaned prawns because it didn't look like the frozen ones we always get it here. Anyway I wont buy anymore uncleaned prawns  till my sons grew up. It took me hours to clean 4 Lb prawns alone. Any way here goes the recipe.

Ingredients:
1)Prawns (uncleaned) - 4 Lb  (after cleaning approx 3 Lb)
2)Pepper Powder - 3/4 tbsp
3)Small Onions (Chopped) - 4
4)Crushed Red Chilly - 1 tbsp
5)Garlic- 3-4
6)Ginger - 1 piece
7)Kudompuli - 3-4 ( take 1/4 cup hot water and put washed kudompuli into it.)
8)Sliced coconut- 1/4-1/2 cup
9)Turmeric powder - 1 tsp (in this recipe I put less. so color didn't come as I wished)
10) Red chilly powder (optional) - 1/2 tsp
11)Curry Leaves
12) Salt


Method:

• In a sauce pan, cook all these ingredients with some water. When the water dries out and the prawns are cooked, off the flame.
• In a large pan heat oil and add curry leaves. Add the cooked prawns and saute really well.

Recipe Source: my mother


Note for beginners:

How to clean prawns:

Peel of head and tail with your fingers. Make a small cut and take the black thread like thing out. Rinse well with water.

This dish goes well with rice and kachi moru.

Prawns Pattichu Ulathiyathu

MINT- PESTO LAMB CHOPS

One day while I was going through my American recipe collections to try out something new I came across this recipe. I usually make Indian stuff at home. For me it is really easy to try out Indian dishes since ingredients are known to me and most of the ingredients are in my kitchen shelf. But when I browse through foreign recipes what happens is that I will be having one or 2 ingredients rest I have to search through shop shelves. There will be cheeses, sauces  and spices I have never heard of . This recipe seemed to be simple and easy to make without much searching for ingredients.

Here goes the recipe:

Ingredients:

LAMB:

lamb rib chops- 1 rack 

Olive oil- 1 tbsp

SAUCE:

Pomegranate juice - 2 cups

Balsamic Vinegar - 1 cup

PESTO:

 Mint leaves- 1/4 cup

Coriander leaves- 1/4 cup

Garlic cloves- 8

Salt - 1 tsp

Pepper- 1 tsp

Olive oil - 1/4 cup

Method:

• In a large saucepan, boil pomegranate juice and balsamic vinegar. On medium heat cook until it is reduced to half cup.
• For pesto, Place  mint, coriander, garlic, salt and pepper  in a small food processor or mixie bowl. grind well. While processing, gradually add olive oil in a steady stream.
• Coat chops with pesto. In a large ovenproof skillet, brown lamb in oil on all sides.
• Bake uncovered , at 450 O oven for 15-20 min or until meat reaches desired doneness. (for medium-rare, a meat thermometer should read 145 0 ; medium 160 ; well-done 170)
• Drizzle with pomegranate sauce.

Note:  When I made it second time I didn't make the pomegranate sauce. But it tastes good without sauce too. You can serve it with salad, mashed potato etc.

Serve: 8

Recipe adapted from "Taste of home contest winners"

Beef Ulathiyathu

Beef Ulathiyathu

This is a must try recipe if you are a beef lover. It is a spicy thadukada style dish. 


Ingredients:
1) Beef cut into square- 1/2 kg
2) Turmeric powder - 1 tsp
     Chilly powder - 2 tsp
     Coriander powder - 2 tsp
     Salt- to taste
3) Oil 
4) Big Onions  - 3
     Ginger - 1 piece
     Green Chilly - 4
     Coconut Slices -1/4 -1/2 cup
     Curry leaves
5)  Cardamom - 4
      Cinnamon - 1-2 sticks
      Cloves - 6
      Mace (jathipathiri) -2
      Red Chilly-5
6) Turmeric powder -1/2 tsp
      Chilly powder -1-2 tsp
      Coriander powder- 2 tsp
      Grounded aniseed (perinjeerakam) - 2 tsp
      Pepper (crushed) - 2 tsp
      Garam masala - 4 tsp
      Salt- to taste


Method:

• Pressure cook beef  with ingredients 2 and water for one whistle.
• In a large pan, heat the oil and saute ingredients 4.
• When it is brown color, add ingredients 5 and saute well.
• Add ingredients 6 and saute well till the roasted smell of masala comes.
• Add the cooked beef  and salt. 
• Stir occasionally.
• Remove from fire after all sides of beef become brown and roasted.

Note: This dish taste better after 1-2 days . This dish can be served with rice, chappathi, puttu, appam etc.

Source: Vanitha