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.
 

Easy Chicken Roast

When you wish to make a chicken dish in a hurry and with minimum attention!

Ingredients:

Chicken pieces - 1/2 kilo

Big onions  - 2 large chopped

Ginger  - 1 inch piece chopped.

Garlic - 1 pod crushed

Green chillies -5 nos.

Tomatoes  -2 chopped

Oil   - 2 Tbsp

Garam masala  - 1 teaspoon.

Curry leaves

Salt to taste

Method:-

Put all the ingredients in a non stick pan, mix well and heat, closing with the lid. When the curry begins to boil lower the heat and let the chicken cook.

When the chicken is cooked enough, open the lid and cook in low fire, stirring it occasionally and add some more oil if needed. When the gravy gets dried up, fry for some more time so that the chicken pieces get roasted.
 

Pineapple Souffle

 

Ingredients:-

Half a pineapple cut into small pieces

China grass   -10 gms

Milkmaid   -1 tin

Milk -1 litre

Sugar   -4 tbsp.

Nuts  - 25 gms

Method:-

Cook pineapple pieces with 2 tbsp of sugar until all the water evaporates.
Do not overcook the pineapple. Keep aside. In another pan, boil milk with 2tbsp sugar, add the condensed milk , stir to a thick consistency.

Add the melted china grass and stir in a low flame for few minutes. Take it away and let it cool, add vanilla essence and the pineapple pieces, stir and pour in a pie dish.
Decorate with caramalised nuts.
 

'Pressure Cooker' Biriyani

This is an easy biriyani and there is not much ghee or oil. It was a favourite for all my kids, nephews and nieces when they were young, and now a big hit among all my grandkids!

 

Ingredients:-

Chicken pieces  - 0.500gm

Basmati/Biriyani Rice  - 3 cups.

Ginger  - 1” piece

Garlic   - 1 pod.

Green Chillies  - 6 nos (adjust according to your spice level)

Cloves   - 8

Cinnamon   - 4 or 5 pieces

Cardamom  - 6

Big onions  - 1

Cumin Seeds  - 1/2 teaspoon

Aniseed (Perinjeerakam or Somph)  - 1/2 teaspoon

Coriander leaves  - a large bunch

Mint leaves  - a large bunch.

Oil   - 2 Tbsp

Tomatoes  - 5 large chopped

Coconut milk  - 5 cups (mix of first, second and third extracts if you are making it fresh from grated coconut)

Method:-

Cook the chicken with salt, some turmeric powder and half of the spices crushed  and some water so that we get around 1 cup of stock.

Take oil in a pressure cooker or in a large non stick pan. Saute the big onions, crushed ginger, garlic  and green chillies. When it turns slightly brown, add  the remaining garam masala and the chicken pieces and sauté a little. Then add chopped tomatoes. Cook for a while, then add coconut milk and the stock (totalling to 6 cups). For biriyani, fried rice etc we normally add 2 cups of water for one cup of rice, but if you like the rice to be cooked very soft, add a little extra water in addition to coconut milk and chicken-stock.  

When the milk+stock boils, add a pinch of cumin seed and aniseed, chopped coriander leaves and mint leaves. When it boils, add the washed rice and cook for 10 minutes in a slow fire or until cooked to desired level. If you are using a pressure cooker, it is better to not use the weights so that you can check the rice and stir occasionally.When the rice is cooked enough switch off the fire and let it stay closed for a while.

Serve with raita/salad of your choice and pappadams.
 

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!

Pork Vinthaloo

Let me start my blog with Pork Vinthaloo - an all time popular recipe at our home. It is a must-have on Easter and Christmas! Though the name sounds exotic, its easy to cook and would surely impress non-veg lovers!!

Ingredients:-

             Pork with some fat - 1 kilo

             Small onion - 20 nos 

             Big onion - 2 nos

             Garlic - 1 pod

             Ginger - 2" long

             Home-made Garam masala - 2 teaspoons or to taste

             Coriander powder - 2 tablespoons

             Kashmiri chili powder  - 3 tablespoons

             Pepper  powder  - a pinch

             Salt  - to taste

Method:-

Crush small onions and big onions or cut them into small pieces . Make a paste of ginger and garlic or crush them nicely.

Mix all the ingredients with Pork, salt and vinegar. The taste of vinegar must be slightly more prominent than others. Then place it in a pressure cooker. Usually, if the Pork is taken from the fridge and your cooker is in good condition, no water is required, else add small quantity of water. 

After the first whistle, reduce the fire and keep it for another10 minutes. Once the cooker is cool, open the lid and if there is extra gravy, cook in a slow fire till all the gravy thickens. 

If the Pork is very tender the time should be adjusted accordingly. After opening the cooker, if you find that the meat is not cooked enough, then keep it on fire for some more time. 

Ammamma's tips:-

For a tasty vinthaloo, the pork must have some fat. Else, you have to saute onions, garlic, ginger- garlic paste and all the powders in oil and then put the pork, salt, vinegar etc and cook as described earlier.

Our favourite combination is Bhattura and Vinthaloo. It can also be served with chapathi, fried rice or as a curry along with rice.