Prawn Roast - Chemmeen Ularthiyathu

Happy Mother's Day to all the lovely mothers! 
May God bless you and help you fill the lives of your near and dear ones with your kindness and care! 

And here is a recipe for all the prawn lovers, its a favorite dish in our household! 

Ingredients

1. Prawns, cleaned and washed -300gms
2. Big onions-2 small, chopped thinly 
3. Small onions   -10 nos, chopped thinly
4. Ginger 1” piece, thinly chopped
5. Garlic-10 nos, thinly chopped
6. Kudam puli (Gamboge) - soaked in small qty of water
7. Chilli powder -2 tbsp
8. Coriander  powder-2tbsp
9. Green chilli -5 nos sliced
10. Pepper powder-1 teaspoon
11. Salt to taste
12. Garam masala-1 teaspoon
13. Half of a Coconut cut into thin pieces
14. Oil 2 tbsp
15. Curry leaves

Method

Mix the cleaned prawns with all other ingredients up to 11 ,including the water in which gamboge was soaked. Place this on fire in an earthen vessel (preferably). Once it starts boiling, lower the heat and cook in low fire until the water has almost dried up. 

In another pan, heat sufficient amount of oil, add the coconut pieces, then the cooked prawns, garam masala and curry leaves. Saute until its completely dry. Serve with hot rice! 

Fish Moilee

Fish Moilee garnished with fresh tomato slices

Ingredients

1. Fish, 1.5 inch pieces - 20nos

2. Big Onion -1 chopped

3. Ginger - 0.5 inch piece thinly sliced

4. Green chilly, slit into two -6 nos (or as per your taste)

5. Garlic - 4 small pieces

6. Coconut milk from 3 or 4 cups of grated coconut:  first(thick) milk 1 cup, second and third(thin) milk together-2 cups

7. Tomatoes chopped-1 large or 2 small

8. Turmeric powder-half teaspoon

9. Coriander powder-3 teaspoon

10. Oil-1 tbspoon

Curry leaves

Method:-

Take oil in a suitable pan, add mustard seeds and fenugreek (uluva). Then saute big onions, ginger, garlic, green chillies and curry leaves. When it becomes thin, add turmeric powder and coriander powder. 

Saute for a while, then add chopped tomatoes and stir for a while. Add the second and third coconut milk (or the thin milk). When it begins to boil, add the fish pieces and allow it to boil. Reduce the heat and cook in a small fire. 

When the gravy thickens, add the first coconut milk and a teaspoon of gram masala. Allow the whole thing boil for half a minute. Do not allow to boil for a long time. If required, one teaspoon of vinegar can be added for a fine punch. 

Serve hot with Appam/Chappathis/Nan etc.

 

PS: Apologize for the long gap in blogging! 

Meen Pappas (Semi fried fish in coconut milk gravy)

Fish/Meen Pappas can be made using Karimeen (Pearlspot), Akoli (Pomfret), Parava (White fish/false trevally) or Neimeen (Seer Fish). 

Fish/Meen Pappas

Ingredients:-

1.  Fish pieces - Half kilo

2. Turmeric powder - Half tsp,  Chilli powder - 1 tbsp,  Pepper powder - Half tsp, 
    Ajwain - a pinch if needed,  Salt to taste

3. Coconut oil- 1/4 cup

4. Big Onion - 1 big, nicely chopped

5. Small Onion - 6 nos chopped

6.  Ginger - 1.5 tsp finely chopped

7. Green chillies sliced - 6 nos (or as per your spice level)

8. Garlic - 6 nos chopped

9. Curry leaves

10. Chilli powder - 1 tbsp

11. Coriander powder - 2.5 tbsp

12. Coconut milk from 2 cups of coconut
       1st extract (thick milk) - 0.5 cup
       2nd & 3rd extracts together (thin milk) - 1.5 cup

13. Tomato - 2 medium size chopped

14. Vinegar - if needed

15. Garam masala - 1 tsp

Salt to taste

Fish/Meen Pappas

Method:- 

Marinate the cleaned and sliced fish with ingredients 2 and set aside for half an hour.

Pour oil in a pan and fry the fish slices in a slow flame until it is just cooked, and not fully fried. Remove the fish pieces.

To the same oil, add the chopped onion, ginger, garlic and green chillies. When it is done, add turmeric powder, chilli powder and coriander powder and saute for some more time. Add chopped tomatoes, heat for 2 more minutes, while stirring. Then add the 2nd and 3rd coconut extracts (thin milk). When it boils, add the semi-fried fish pieces and simmer for 5 to 10 minutes or till the gravy thickens. Then add the first coconut milk and the garam masala powder and allow it to just boil. Remove from fire, add fresh curry leaves and 1 tsp of vinegar if you prefer a slightly more tangy taste. 

Fish and Raw Mango Curry

This is a common curry in Northern Kerala and if you get the right kind of fish and the right type of mangoes it is a very good curry for rice. Fishes like prawns, mackeral, sardines and big fleshy fishes can also be used.
 

 

Ingredients:-

Fish cut into small pieces – Half kilo.

Coconut milk from half coconut.

Mangoes - 1 or 2 cut into small pieces (depending on the ripeness/sourness of the mangoes)

Small onions cut  - 4

Ginger   - 1 inch piece cut.

Green chillies   - 4 cut.

Kashmiri Chilly powder -2 tbs.

Coriander powder -1 tbs.

Method 1:-

Put oil in a pan or manchatti, add mustard seeds and then onions, green chillies and ginger and sauté. Then add chilly and coriander powder and sauté for some more time. Add mango pieces, the second and third extracts of coconut milk (the thinner extracts) and salt and heat. When the mango pieces are cooked, add the fish and cook in low fire till the gravy thickens to the desired consistency. Add the first coconut milk (thick milk) and allow to boil slightly and switch off the fire. Garnish with fresh curry leaves.  Serve with hot rice!

Method 2:-

If you are interested in low-oil cooking, this curry can be prepared in a different manner as given below:

Extract the coconut milk.  Grind the listed quanitities of ginger, garlic, small onions, chilly powder, coriander powder along with 1/4 cup of grated coconut.  Grind it to a smooth paste. (The ground coconut makes the curry more thick).

Add the second and third extracts of coconut milk (thin milk) in a pan, add coconut paste, stir uniformly, add mango pieces and green chillies and salt.  Boil the mixture until the mango pieces are cooked. Now add the fish pieces. When the fish is cooked, add the first coconut milk extract (thick milk) and allow to boil slightly on low fire. Switch off the fire and garnish with curry leaves.  You may also top it with a 'tadka' of mustard seeds, sliced small onions and curry leaves.
 

Meen Pattichathu or Meen Peera with Ilumbi-puli

This easy fish curry can be prepared using small fishes like Anchovies or Sardines (called 'Nethili' or 'Mathi' respectively in Kerala).

Ingredients:-

Natholi washed and cleaned      -  500gm

Ilumbi-puli ('Bimbool')                 - 250gm

Green chillies                                  - 6nos

Green pepper seeds (if available)

Ginger                                                - 5” size

Garlic                                                  - half a pod.

Small onions                                     - 8 nos.

Coconut                                             - half coconut grated

Salt to taste.

Method:-

Mix all the ingredients together add half a cup of water and cook in a small flame, after boiling.  When all the water is dried up put off the fire and the curry is ready. Tastes best when cooked on "manchatti" (pan made of clay).

Mackeral in Tomato Gravy (Ayala thakkali cherthu vattichathu)

Mackeral (Ayala for keralites) is a common sea-fish and this is a very tasty and easy preparation that goes well with rice.

Ingredients:-

                   Mackeral (Ayala) - 4

                   Small onion - 75 to 100 gms

                   Big onion  - 1

                   Garlic -1/2 pod

                   Ginger -1 inch piece

                   Green chillies - 4

                   Kashmir Chilli powder - 2 tablespoons

                   Pepper Powder - a pinch

                   Coriander  Powder -1 ½ tablespoons                  

                   Ripe tomatoes - 2nos, cut and mashed well

Method:-

Clean the fishes and cut into three or four pieces according to the size of the fish . 

Marinate the fish pieces with a paste of salt, some chilli powder and a pinch of pepper powder. Leave it for sometime and fry in oil. Do not fry it completely, take them out when they are almost done.

To the same oil, add the small onion, green chillies, ginger, garlic etc and saute well.  Then add chilli and coriander powder. Saute until done.

Add the mashed ripe tomatoes and saute. When done, add water and sufficient salt. When the water boils, put the fried mackeral pieces and keep in low fire for 2 or 3 minute or till the gravy thickens. 

Garnish as per your choice, serve with hot rice and listen to your family go sluurrpp!