Karimeen Pollichathu (Pearl Spot Fry )

I was longing to eat Karimeen pollichathu but could not get Karimeen here. Finally found it at an Indian store's frozen section and thats where the story begins! My first trial was a flop as it was full of fishy-fishy smell. I did not know that it has to be rubbed and washed thoroughly with salt.  As it was already cleaned (written on the pack) I rushed without giving much attention to washing.

Next day I called up momy and asked "Momy why all my Kerala fish dishes smells and tastes so fishy like raw fish though  I have cooked it fully ? "  Momy , "Did you wash it by rubbing in salt ? " Me  "umm.Oh ?? Do I have to ... ? As it was written on the packed that its cleaned I just did a mild wash in tap water" Momy   "It might not be washed properly. Do as I said and try " Me "Alright, next time I will see hmm"

This is the second trial and this time as momy said I rubbed it with salt 3,4 times and washed. To be on the safe side I washed it with vinegar too :-). You know this time it did not smell bad. Huh , so that was the trick. ummm!

Usually this preparation is done using 'Vazhayila (Banan leaf) ' As it is not available in my place I used aluminium foil. If you can get vazhayila then that is the real taste.

Ingredients:
For frying
1. Karimeen (Pearl spot ) - 1 ( cleaned and slited with head, tail on )
2. Lemon juice - 2 tsp
3. Chilly powder - 2 tsp
4. Pepper powder - 1 tsp
5. Corriander powder - 1/2 tsp
6. Turmeric powder - 1/4 tsp
7. Salt - as required
8. Coconut oil - 2 tbsp

For Gravy
1. Chopped Onion - 1 cup
2. Chopped Tomatoes - 1/2 cup
3. Chopped Ginger - 2 tbsp
4. Chopped Garlic - 2 tbsp
5. Curry leaves - 2 strings
6. Mustard seeds - 1 tsp
7. Cumin seeds - 1 tsp
8. Kudam Puli (Gamboge ? )- 1 small piece soaked in water
9. Chilly powder - 1 tsp
10. Coriander powder - 1 tsp
11. Fenugreek powder - 1/4 tsp
13. Turmeric powder - 1/4 tsp
14. Coconut milk/ powder - 2 tbsp
15. Salt
16. Coconut oil
17. Aluminium Foil / Vazhayila

Method:

1. Make a marinade of the ingredients 2-7 listed under 'for frying'  and marinate the fish. Let it rest for 30 minutes minimum.
2. In a pan add 2 tsp coconut oil and fry the fish lightly turning both sides.  This is to cook the fish. You do not need to make it crispy as the usual fish fry.
3. Keep the fried fish aside and in the same pan, add 1 tsp coconut oil.
4. Splutter mustard seeds, cumin seeds, curry leaves.
5. Add chopped ginger-garlic and stir for  a minute.
6. Add chopped onions and stir till it is soft
7. Add chopped tomatoes and stir until they are pulpy.
8. Add  1/4 tsp turmeric powder, 1 tsp chilly powder, 1 tsp coriander powder and fry till the raw smell goes.
9. Add soaked kudam puli by tearing it into small pieces.
10. Add salt and fenugreek powder.
11. Stir until everuthing is mixed well and gravy becomes thick.
12. Add 2 tbsp of  thick coconut milk and stir in for a minute. It becomes a very thick gravy (paste)
13. In the aluminium foil, place some gravy, put the fried fish on top of it, place the rest of the gravy on top of the fish and wrap it properly.
14. In a wide pan add  1 tsp coconut oil, place the covered fish on it and let it cook on low with lid on for  6-7 min. After that turn it and cook for  another 6-7 minutes.
15. Serve hot with rice!

Egg Bulls-let

Don't try to 'google ' the word bulls-let, You won't find any such word :D
By bulls-let I mean the combination of BULLSeye and omeLET. It is a very simple one that you can have it alone or can be combined with any of your food.

Ingredients:
1. Egg - 1
2. Small red onion -finely chopped- 1
3. Red chilly powder - 1/2 tsp
4. Black pepper powder - 1/2 tsp
5. Salt - 1/2 tsp
6. Oil - 1/4 tsp (optional)

Method:
1. Heat a pan and spread oil in it.
2. Break the egg and pour it in to the pan (without breaking the yolk)
3. Sprinkle chopped onion, salt, red chilly powder, pepper powder (in the order) on the top of the entire egg.
4. Turn the egg and cook both sides well.

Egg Roast

Ingredients:
1. Hard boiled egg - 2
2. Big Onion - 1
3. Red chilly powder - 1 tsp
4. Coriander powder - 2tsp
5. Pepper powder - 1/2 tsp
6. Salt - as required
7. Oil - as required







Method:

1. Boil the eggs, peel and keep aside.
2. Heat 2 tsp oil  in a pan
3. Add the onions chopped length wise (semicircles)
4. Add little salt and Sauté till the onions become transparent.
5. Add the coriander powder and fry till it is dark (without  burning)
6. Add red chilly powder.
7. Adjust salt and saute till the mixture becomes brown.
8. If it is very dry , add 2,3 tsp of water to it until a nice consistency is obtained.
8. Slice each egg into 2 and make 3,4 small slits on the white part (as we do for fish fry)
9. Make a paste of  little pepper powder, little chilly power, salt with water.
10. Marinate the egg with the paste
11. In the same pan move the onions to the sides and in the center add 2,3 drops of oil.
12.  Put the eggs and slightly fry both sides till the marinade sticks to the egg.
13. Cover the eggs with onion mixture

Valli payar thoran

Ingredients:
1. Valli payar chopped - 1 cup
2. Grated coconut - 1/2 cup
3. Garlic pods - 2
4. Cumin powder- 1/2 tsp
5. Turmeric powder- 1/4 tsp
6. Chilly powder - 1/2 tsp
7. Curry leaves - 2 stem
8. Salt- as required
9. Musturd seeds - 1 tsp
10. Dry Red chilly - 2
11. Oil - 1tsp

Method
1. Heat oil in a pan and splutter musturd seeds and add dry red chilly broken into pieces.
2. Add the chopped Valli payar and cook covered with required salt and water.
3. Grind the grated coconut, garlic, cumin powder, little salt, chilly powder, curry leaves. Just 1-2 pulse is enough. Do not grind it into a paste.
4. Whent he Valli payar is almost cooked , make a well in the middle , add the ground mixture cover it with valli payar and cook covered for 5 minutes.
5. Open the lid, mix the ground mixture with the payar and cook uncovered for 5 more minutes.
6. Adjust salt

Tip: if it is difficult to chop some of the beans , then take the seed out and add the seeds.

Kadala Curry (Kala Channa Masala)

One of the easiest recipes.

Ingredients:
Black gram (Kala Channa) - 1 cup soaked overnight
Big Onion- 1/2 cup finely chopped
Tomato - 1 chopped
Green chillies - 3 sliced
Curry leaves- 2 stem
Musturd seeds - 1 tsp
Chilly powder - 1 1/2 tsp
Corriander powder - 3 tsp
Garam masala powder - 1 tsp
Corn flour - 2 tsp
Salt - as required
water - as required

Method:
1. In a pressure cooker cook Channa with salt for about 2 whistles.  The amount of water should be just half an inch above the Channa.
2.  Open the cooker and add chilly powder, coriander powder , chopped onion, chopped tomato . Adjust salt if needed.Mix well and cook for 2 more whistles.
3. Open the cooker. Add the garam masala powder and mix well
4. Add corn flour and cook uncovered for some more time till the water is reduced and the gravy becomes thick. The corn flour acts as the thickening agent. Use as needed. Usually I keep cooking for 15-20 minutes to obtain the required consistency.
5. For seasoning, heat oil in a pan. Splutter  musturd seeds, add curry leaves and green chillies. Add these to the Kadala curry.
6. Serve with puttu or chappaty 

Tips for Happy week days!

Most of us will be gloomy on Sunday night thinking about the next 5 LONG weekdays. Being a wife/home maker your resposibility is doubled when it comes to prepare food during early mornings. There are some things that we can do during the week ends/ free time so as to reduce the  horse-race on a week day morning.

Things to do during weekend:
1. Check your refrigerator for the available veggies/meat/fish
2. Plan the dishes that you are going to prepare for the weekdays
3. If you need to buy some veggies/groceries/meat/fish do the shopping. So that you have enough raw materials in your storage to start with.
4. Check your storage and see if the spice-powders, chilly powder, turmeric powder, corriander powder, salt, masalas etc are in stock.
 5. Check your storage for things like potatoes, onions and daals.

If you can spend  1 or 2 hours during the weekend for chopping/cooking some of the things required for the weeks dishes, it makes your week days easier. That is the magic!

Here are some of the things which I found useful:

1. Peel and chop some garlic. Refrigerate.
2.  Peel and chop required big onions. Refrigerate
3. Peel and chop required small onions. Refrigerate
4. Slice and refrigerate required green chillies
5. Clean and chop required ginger.
6. Chop and refrigerate veggies like beans, cabbage. If possible cook the veggies with some salt and keep it for the weekday. So you can take the needed veggie, mix it and make the curry quickly and freshly!
7. Peel and keep some carrots ready
8. Soak and cook any two daals(Black channa, white channa, thoor daal, rajma, moong daal etc )with salt and refrigerate.
9. Make some dosa/idli batter and keep.
10. Boil and keep 2,3 potatoes ready.

Vegetable Fried Rice

My all time party dish! Great when combined with any non-veg curry and Raita.

Ingredients:

1. Basmathi rice - 1 cup

2. Cinnamon stick- very small pieces - 4

3. Cloves - 4

4. Bay leaf - 2

5. cardamom - 2

6. Ghee - 4 tbsp

For vegetable mixture

7. Beans - finely chopped - 1/4 cup

8. Carrot - small cubes - 1/4 cup

9. Cabbage - finely chopped - 1/4 cup (optional)

10. Big onion - finely chopped - 1/4 cup

11. Capsicum - finely chopped-2 tbsp (optional)

12. Celery - finely chopped - 2 tbsp (optional)

13. Black pepper powder - 2 tsp

14 .Salt - to taste

15. Oil - 2 tsp

For Garnishing:

1. Cashewnut - 10

2. Raisin - 10

3. Spring onion - finely chopped - 2 tsp

4. Big onion - thinly sliced - 1/4 of a medium onion

Method(I do it in pressure cooker):

1. Heat the ghee in cooker.

2. Add cinnamon, cardamom, cloves, bay leaf and fry for a minute.

3. Add the washed and drained rice.

4. Fry the rice for 10 minutes.

5. Add 2 cups of water.

6. Add salt to taste.

7. Stir everything and close the cooker. Cook till 3 whistles. Let it sit for 15 minutes.

8. Meanwhile heat oil in a pan. (for vegetable mixture)

9. Add chopped onions and saute till trasparent.

10. Add beans, carrot, cabbage and cook with enough water, salt, pepper powder.

11. When the vegetables are half done, add the capsicum and celery.

12. When all the veggies are cooked, saute until the it becomes a dry mixture.

13. When the rice is done, fluff it with a fork.

14. Add the veggie mixture and mix well without breaking the rice grains.

Finally to garnish:

1. Heat oil in a pan.

2. Fry cashews, raisins separately.

3. Fry the onions until they are brown in color.

4. Garnish with fried cashews, raisins, onions and chopped spring onions.