Chemmeen Mulakittathu/ Spicy Prawn Curry

                              Hi everybody! Salam/ Peace greetings from me. I have been away from the blog for so long that many of my friends suspected that I quit blogging for good and hence had a lot of enquiries about my absence from the blogosphere. Actually, I haven't.(for the time being). I simply was busy, busy and more busy.

                         To settle back into normal pace of life,after coming back from India itself took a bit of time. To be precise,I belong to that category of living things which takes a long time to adapt to their new surroundings or habitats..

                And then there is the new found infatuation of sewing dresses for my baby girl (the boys have started complaining that I never make clothes for them, but only for their sister.) But then, what's interesting about boys clothes... poor guys..All pomps n glitter goes to the girly things, right? ;) I shall soon post some pics of my new works, Insha Allah ; if I manage to take a few decent snaps.

                So then, here is an old recipe of Prawn which is quite spicy n hot. The spice lovers' very thing. It's my mom's recipe and we used to love it as kids and still do.
Off to the recipe..

P.F. Chang's Dynamite Shrimp (Copy cat Recipe)

                   Whenever we have a dish from the restaurant which we all loved, and long to have again, I try to find its recipe from the web and try to perfect it with my own trials and errors. That way, you could have it anytime, whenever you crave for it, without having to spend a fortune on it. So copycat recipes are always in demand and they tend to be on the much explored list.



                  P.F. Chang's China Bistro is a popular American Chinese restaurant chain which has its branches in other countries too. Though I like Indo Chinese dishes more than American Chinese,one of the dishes we really liked from P.F.Chang's in Kuwait, is the delicious appetiser, 'Dynamite Shrimp'. But it actually costs around 150 dollars to have half a dozen of shrimp coated in that delicious, creamy, tangy and zesty sauce from the restaurant. It is better to make it at home, if you can help it.

                    That set me in search for a perfect recipe, but most of the recipes I tried from the web, turned out to be too sour or too bland.So I set forth to do experiments of my own with various ingredients and I found out a recipe which was quite similar to the original one.
   Let me share it here...
Am still working on perfecting the recipe. If I come up with a more exact one I shall upload it InshaAllah.. :) Till then, Enjoy cooking!

Wanna see the Recipe..?
Go ahead..

Malabar Spicy Fish Fry

             

                For sea food lovers there is nothing more appealing than a perfectly fried fish. Being a sea food lover myself, my occasional mood swings or sometimes the untamable tempers could just be cured by a delicious fish fry. Guess what! Mr.KB has made it a habit to stuff the freezer with all kinds of fresh fishes he can get hold of... poor guy ;)

               Fish can be fried in many ways. From the easiest of ingredients to the most intriguing techniques they taste different, deliciously so. Most of the time, the fishes fried in my kitchen are the easiest versions with minimum ingredients and using up minimum time for marinade. But during weekends and while having guests, I take care to pamper the fishes with special marinades and giving ample time to coat the fish. The difference is outstanding.. Let’s say, like a candy and an ice cream.. Both are delicious on their own ways. But the latter does have a bit more to indulge in. And it wouldn’t hurt to keep the fish coated in the marinade for a couple of hours (if you have enough time). It gives a juicy soft texture to the flesh imbibing the entire flavor, yet the exterior remains crispy and yum.

 

           As for ‘Malabar fish fry’, when ever there is a prefix ‘malabar’ added to any of the dishes, people have begun to read it as ‘intriguing.., sophisticated..  etc. But no! I assure you this Malabar version of fried fish is not that complicated. All you have to do is use the freshest ingredients and push back those readymade fish masalas and spices to where it came from. You wouldn’t be disappointed by the outcome..

 

Coming to the recipe…

½ kg fresh fleshy fish like pomphret, king fish  etc

1 inch piece of ginger, sliced

3 cloves of garlic, sliced

1 green chilli, halved

1 tsp fennel seeds

¼ tsp turmeric  powder

¼ tsp red chilli pdr

½ tsp kashmiri chilli pdr

¼ tsp black pepper powder

2 tsp lemon juice

A sprig of curry leaves

Coconut oil for frying

Method:

   Clean the fish, wash properly and drain. Slash the fleshy parts with a sharp knife. Grind all the other ingredients in a grinder to a fine paste. Marinate the fish with this paste and keep for 1 to 2 hours. Heat oil in a frying pan and fry the fishes, on both sides in medium heat until reddish brown and crispy. Drain on a kitchen tissue to absorb excess oil.Serve hot with steamed rice or roti.

 

Meen Pathiri (Steamed rice pancakes filled with fish masala)

                
            It has been a while since I posted any Malabar dishes. The fact that most of them have lengthy and intricate procedures make them victims of procrastination. Even, when the procedures are quiet simple, explaining it with the step by step pictures often proves to lose a lot of time. Hence, I have lots of malabar dishes photographed, yet not ready for posting in my draft.

     Actually, I hadn't attempted to make this Malabar dish by myself, though I have  had it many times. We have a newly opened restaurant in Kuwait, which is specialised in Malabar cuisine and we have become frequent visitors there, lately. Homely food is what they offers with that authentic traditional touch. While enjoying their Malabar specialities the other day, it suddenly struck me that it has been a long time since I posted any Malabar dishes on the blog. So I thought of sharing this Meen Pathiri, which is 'Malabari' in all essence and is quiet a winner as far as fish lovers are concerned.

    Basically, pathiri is a colloquial term in Malabar area for pancakes made by rolling out dough. They are usually made with rice flour or with the dough made my grinding soaked rice. There are also pathiris made with wheat flour like gothambu pathiri,moolapathiri etc. Meen Pathiri is made with two rice pancakes joined together and stuffed with spicy fish filling  and later on steam cooked to perfection.

    They are traditionally made by grinding soaked parboiled rice with grated coconut, shallots and fennel seeds. And the stuffing is done with fleshy fishes like king fish and mackerel. Here I made the pathiris the easier way using rice flour mixed with coconut milk powder and fennel seeds. I had some pomfrets in the freezer and made the filling with it.

     It was an instant winner in the family with Mr.KB commenting that it was high time I made something 'Ramzani'. Usually Meen Pathiri is made during ifthars and on such special occasions, back home. So this can be added to those 'must try' ifthar dishes, as the Ramzan is fast approaching...

The Recipe:

For the pancakes:
2 cups rice flour
2 tbsp coconut milk powder
1 3/4 cup hot boiled water
1/2 to 1 tsp fennel seeds(perum jeerakam), grounded
1/2 to1 tsp shallots(cheriyulli),grounded (optional)
Salt to taste

For the fish marinade:
5 -6 pieces of any fleshy fish like mackerel,king fish or pomfret
1/2 tsp turmeric pdr
2 tsp red chilli powder
1 tbsp lemon juice
salt to taste

For the filling:
2-3 onions sliced
2-3 green chillies, slit
1 tsp ginger garlic paste( freshly made for more flavour)
1 large tomato, chopped
1/2 tsp turmeric pdr
1 tsp kashmiri chilli pdr
1 and 1/2 tsp coriander pdr
1 tsp fennel seed pdr (perum jeeraka podi)
2 sprigs of curry leaves
2 tbsp vegetable oil
Salt to taste

Preparation:

    Wash and drain the fish properly and marinate it with turmeric powder,red chilli pdr, lemon juice and salt.Keep aside for half to one hour and shallow fry in a frying pan with cooking oil. Remove it from the pan; remove the skin and bones and shred them to small pieces. Keep aside.

Prepare the filling:

•  Heat oil in a frying pan and add the onions. Saute it till it becomes translucent. Add ginger garlic paste and saute until aroma comes out. Add green chillies and curry leaves and saute for a few minutes
• Add chopped tomatoes and saute until mushy. Now add the spice powders and saute till the masala becomes thick with very less water.Add adequate salt and check the taste
• Now add the shredded fried fish pieces and mix well.Keep it covered and cook in low flame for a few minutes to imbibe the flavour.
• Remove the masala from heat and keep aside

 

Making the Pathiris and assembling:

                                                         flour kneaded to soft sticky dough

 

                                                     the filling placed on the pathiri

 

                                             another pathiri placed on top and sides joined

 

                                                   steaming the pathiri

• Spread rice flour, coconut milk powder, fennel seed powder and ground shallots in a wide mouthed bowl and pour hot boiling water added with adequate salt, over it. Knead well into a soft sticky dough.
• Take a cricket ball sized piece of dough and place it over a parchment paper or banana leaves cut into squares. Place another parchment paper or banana leaf over it and roll out into a pathiri 1/2 a cm thick with a rolling pin or with the heels of your palm. Remove the parchment paper on the top carefully and place some filling on it and spread,leaving half an inch from the circumference.
• Make another similar sized pathiri and place it over the other, with the filling in between. Press down the sides with your fingers to join the two pathiris.
• Repeat the procedure with the rest of the dough. It makes about 4 meen pathiris
• Cover it fully with parchment paper or banana leaf and steam in a steamer until well cooked, for about 15 minutes.
• Remove from steam and peel off the covering. Serve after it cools down. Enjoy!

   

Spicy Squid Roast / Koonthal Varattu

           Being an Indian, I love everything spicy, especially the non-vegetarian foods. Non-vegetarian food, if cooked without spices tastes bland and uninteresting.. Though I prepare vegetarian food with out much spices, I like to have non-vegetarian dishes quite spicy.

            Spicy, doesn't always mean hot. Many people misunderstands spicy food to be hot food, with loads of red chilli powder in it, hot enough to pierce holes into the stomach wall. That is the reason why most of the non-Asians dread spicy food as if it is a dagger pointed at  their heart.. In fact you could prepare spicy and yummy food which is less hot. You could reduce the amount of red chilli powder or else use milder varieties like Kashmiri chillli powder. As my family is on the medium level of heat tolerance,I always use a mixture of Kashmiri and ordinary chilli powders in cooking which gives a brilliant red colour as well as exquisite taste to the food.

         This is a squid preparation, I love to cook spicy and is rich in flavours. You could also prepare shell fishes like mussels and prawns the same way. It can be served as a side dish for chappatis and parottas or with hot steaming rice.

Spicy Squid Roast / Koonthal varattu

Things you need:

Squid, cleaned and sliced circularly - 1 kg
Turmeric powder                            - 1 tsp
Salt to taste
Onion, sliced                                  - 4
Ginger, finely sliced                        -  a 2 inch piece
Green chillies, slit                           - 2
Red chilli powder                          - 1 1/2 tbsp
Coriander powder                        -  3 tbsp
Black pepper powder                   -  1 tsp
Garam masala powder                  - 1/2 tsp
Tomato, sliced                              - 1
Coconut oil                                  - 2 tbsp

Method:

• Cook the squid with turmeric powder and salt until the water dries out. Keep aside.
• Heat a frying pan and add coconut oil to it. Saute the onions,green chillies and ginger in it, until golden colour. Now add the spice powders and saute for a few minutes in low heat.
• Add tomato to it and saute.Finally add the cooked squid to it .Saute for a couple of minutes and remove from heat.
• Serve hot with chappatis or rice.

Ayala Thoran / Mackerel sauted with coconut and spices

  

              Fishes are yummy. Life without fish is unimaginable. If they were bone less they would have been all the more desirable. I always muse about bone less fish variations when I watch Mr.KB meticulously eat his fish. If they are smaller fishes like sardines and mackerels he spend hours eating his fish, painfully fishing out each and every fish bone and delicately arranging them over the circumference of his plate. As for him, he may be able to swallow a needle, but not a fish bone (no matter how minute it is). I try to trick him sometimes, explaining about the loads of Calcium in fish bones and the virtue it is going to do for his bones but nay.. he never budges. He toss the ball back with a classic comment of his own."My bones are already overloaded with Calcium. So may be, I could spare some for you" Nope! Fishes and him- they binds easily. But as for fish bone- He avoids it like plague!

               When I got this recipe of 'Ayala thoran' I had thought, "Well, Mr.KB loves mackerels and when it is boneless he is gonna love it even more". And I was right when the thoran was devoured in haste and much relish. As for a Keralite, any dish can be made yummy with the addition of coconut to it. Hence there are as many varieties of 'thoran' in Kerala as there are coconut trees in it. So it is not a surprise that you can find thorans made with fish, meet and eggs other than vegan thorans. I tried this Ayalathoran, keeping my fish loving (fish bone hating) hubby in mind and it was helped into both father's and son's belly faster than I imagined. My son called it "scrambled fish" and he enjoyed it like his favourite scrambled eggs. Spicy and piquant, it sure is a yummy side dish for lunch or dinner, though it takes a bit of your time to remove the bones of fish prior to mixing everything up.

Ayalathoran Recipe

Things you need:

3 large mackerels( ayala)
2 pieces of gambodge( kudam puli)
1/4 tsp turmeric powder
1/2 tsp chilli powder
Salt to taste

For the coconut paste:

1,1/2 cup grated coconut
1 green chilli
2 cloves of garlic
1 small piece of ginger
1/2 tsp  whole black pepper
5 shallots / pearl onions/ kunjulli

For tempering:

1 medium sized onion, diced to small pieces
2 tbsp veg.oil
1/4 tsp chilli powder
1/4 tsp turmeric powder
1/2 tsp mustard seeds
1 or 2 dried red chillies
1 tsp black grams/uzhunnu parippu
2 sprigs of curry leaves

How to:

Clean and wash the mackerels well and drain.Cut them into big pieces and cook in a vessel adding turmeric powder, chilli powder, gambouge ,salt and adequate water. Remove the bones,smash them up and keep aside.
  Pulse the second ingredients in a mixer until, coarse powder.
   Heat oil in a heavy bottomed pan and splutter mustard seeds, red chillies, black grams and curry leaves.Add the diced onion and saute until golden brown. Add turmeric and chilli powders to it and saute. Then add the pulsed coconut mixture and saute for a few minutes. Finally add the cooked fish and mix every thing well. Adjust the salt and remove from heat. Serve hot with rice.

Recipe courtesy: Lakshmi Nair

Sending this to Kerala Kitchen Event hosted by Prathibha of COOK EZEE started by Kerala Kitchen

A visit to the Fish market and a Traditional Fish fry

         Yesterday we went fish shopping after a long week of having to do without fish. It was chicken, then egg, then vegetables, again chicken... and everybody just got pissed off. Ours is a fish loving family and we would trade any other food for a delicious fish dish. Weather here is notoriously fickle and we had to postpone our purchase last week due to the same, playing its little bad games again. Buying seafood from restaurants is too costly here. You could easily buy a whole chicken roasted or grilled with half the price of six very thin and famished prawns, fried or grilled. So it is wiser to prepare fish at home and eat to your fill..

        Buying fish from Kuwait market is something like a luxurious experience for expats like me... When I say, 'we went fish shopping', it is more like going window shopping through a posh boutique. You would be stunned by the majestic building at its sea front location with all its glory and a person new to this place would just have to gasp, when comprehension sinks in... that, it is after all a fish market.

                           Al-Kooth fish market with a huge shopping mall nearby

        I clearly remember the first time I went there. When we took the first turn and the glorious building towered in front of our view, I asked my husband, "Well, you said we were going to the fish market.. Is it behind this fort?" and he started laughing.. "This fort is the fish market" he replied and I didn't believe him until I put my foot inside into a hub full of the bargaining buzz and activity. Though there was the fishy smell, it was even more beautiful inside elegantly decorated with lovely blue ceramic mosaics and impeccably clean. We pottled along to get an eyeful of everything amidst a sea of fishes.. It was buzzing with activity. The vendors calling out their prices, people moving around to select their fish and some bargaining their day away.. Those who want live fishes even have them in large water tanks, flapping around merrily  not knowing they are displayed for sale... I was astonished to find ladies who had come to buy fish with babies bubbling up in their strollers.        

                                          Entrance to the fish market

                                      Lanterns at the entrance and inside!

                                     Beautiful lanterns outside the building at night

                                     Auction area inside the fish market

                                            Fishes for sale

          We bought some fresh pomfrets, mackerels and prawns. I had a mind to buy numerous other fishes too because they looked so damn good and shiny.. but had to resist my temptation for the lack of space in our freezer. So I thought I would fry some shrimps in the traditional way while it is still fresh. Nadan shrimp fry is an all time favourite... and my better half never gets wary of eating them.. Here is the recipe..

Nadan Chemmen fry / Spicy Malabar Prawn fry

Things you need:

Fresh prawns, scaled and cleaned   -  1 kg
ginger, ground                                 -  1 tsp
Garlic, ground                                 -  1 tsp
Turmeric powder                            -   1/2 tsp
Red chilli powder                            -  1 & 1/2 tsp
Coriander powder                           -   2 tsp
Fennel seed powder                        -   1/2 tsp
Lemon juice                                    -   of  a lemon
Curry leaves                                    -  a sprig
Salt to taste
Vegetable oil

Method:

      Marinate the shrimps with all the ingredients and cook in a pan on medium heat.  No need to add water to it as it oozes out a lot of water while getting cooked. Remove from heat when the water dries up. Heat oil in a frying pan and deep fry the shrimps until done. When almost done sprinkle curry leaves over it and remove from oil and drain on a kitchen tissue. Serve hot with rice.

Meen Mulakittathu / Red hot Kerala fish curry

                Is there anything more tempting than a red hot fish curry... as far as spicy food lovers are concerned? This post is for Chini, a blogger friend who had asked for a really authentic home made fish curry... red hot - she had mentioned that. This is a recipe I should have posted much earlier but somehow had procrastinated. I have always preferred home made fish curries to the restaurant made ones because the restaurant types are mostly benign and usually lacks the mesmerising and fierceful (I don't know why I use both words at the same time..) blend of flavours. You should know what I mean when you are having one and your eyes and noses are running like hell... but you still cannot stop having more :)

              

              Well, that is what home made Kerala fish curry is about. So those who are less tolerant to spices, or weak at heart may better keep away.. or you wouldn't know when you will dissolve into tears :) Well, if you ask me " Is there any option to make it less hot without sacrificing the taste?", yes there is! Substitute the red chilli powder with Kashmiri chilli powder. This oughtta save your tears.. because Kashmiri chilli powder is less hot compared to ordinary Indian chilli powders but gives a very beautiful scarlet hue to your curry. And the greatest tip for the traditional taste is to cook it in an earthen pot and would taste even better on the next day or evening. So.. are you ready to go? Then grab your resources! Here is the recipe..

Things you need:

1/2 kg fresh pomfret or any other fish;washed , drained and cut into pieces

1/4 tsp fenugreek seeds

8 to 10 shallots, sliced

2 to 3 cloves of garlic, sliced

2 medium sized tomato, chopped

1/2 tsp of turmeric powder

2-3 tbsp of red chilli powder/ kashmiri chilli powder if you are on the low spice level

2 bells of gambooge or 'kudampuli'

2 cups of water

Salt to taste

3 tbsp of coconut oil

1 sprig of curry leaves

Method:

       Soak the gambooge in 4 tbsp of warm water for ten minutes. Heat a heavy bottomed earthen pot and pour 2 tablespoons of oil to it.Add the fenugreek seeds and saute until brown. Then add the shallots and garlic and saute until transparent. Now add the turmeric powder and red chilli powder and saute. Add the chopped tomatoes and saute until the tomatoes become pulpy and the oil starts to surface. Add water and increase the heat. When the gravy comes to a boil, add salt and the soaked gambooge along with the water. You can also use ordinary tamarind instead of gambooge. Now add the fish pieces and cook in medium heat covering the pot. Remove from heat when the fish is cooked and gravy starts to thicken. Sprinkle the remaining coconut oil over the surface. Garnish with fresh curry leaves. Serve hot with rice or chapattis.

Home land beckons again

                              
                   The last few weeks had been so eventful and fast. I feel the days went by like lightning..in a blink of the eye... and I was as busy as a bee,  attending ifthar parties and giving away my own parties to friends and family..So here I am in the last 10 days of ramadan, said to be the the most important days of the month, and I have not a few hours to spare because this is the time everybody is busy with prayers and remembrance of God. And hence I think I wouldn't be able to post more ramadan dishes this month. I wish I could, after Eid...


                    What's more? I am gonna fly to my home land this weekend.. a prospect which keeps me as wired up and excited as a six year old who is looking forward to her summer vacation thinking about how to spend the holidays in sleep and supper...Before that, I need to clear the cobwebs of chores away from my kingdom-my home...So there...you get it? I am hardly breathing . Can't  spend my time clicking away at the computer drafting my recipes and uploading the pictures..


                     So, What the hell am I doing right now? Well, I am posting a recipe which I drafted earlier and luckily have the snaps ready to post in my file.So this is it.Fish Molee. The southern kerala fish curry which in kerala is as famous as the 'smoked salmon' in the west.It is such a delicious dish ,quiet different in taste from most of the kerala fish curries..a spicy version of fish stew.This is usually prepared to go with lace appams, dosas or chapattis.It would also be great with pathiris and parotas.
                 Let's have a peep at the recipe...


   Fish Molee

                   
     Things you will need:


1/2 kg fish of any type or fish fillet
1 medium sized onion sliced
2 green chillies, slit
1 tsp ginger, finely sliced
1/2 cup thick coconut milk
1 1/2 cup thin coconut milk
1 tbsp vinegar
1/2 tsp black pepper powder
1/4 tsp turmeric powder
4 cloves
2 pieces of cinnamon(of 2 inches length)
2 tbsp cooking oil
1/4 tsp maida or all purpose flour
A sprig of curry leaves


How to prepare:

•  Wash the fish properly and cut into medium sized pieces.Drain.Marinate it with a little turmeric powder, 1/4 tsp red chilly powder and salt.
• Shallow fry the fish in a frying pan in a little oil and keep aside.
• Pour 2 tablespoons of oil in a saucepan and add sliced onion and saute in medium heat until brown.Add green chillies and ginger and saute.Then add turmeric powder, pepper powder, maida and curry leaves and saute in low flame.
• Add thin coconut milk, vinegar, cloves and  cinnamon and cook for about 15 minutes in low flame with adequate salt keeping the lid closed..
• Add the fried fish to this and cook for a couple of minutes.Then add thick coconut milk and remove from heat before it starts to boil.
• Serve hot with rice pancakes or chapattis.

           Recipe courtesy:Lakshmi Nair's Magic Oven