Karimeen / Pearl Spot Fry - Kerala Style with kanthaari mulakku... Thani Naadan

Karimeen aka Pear Spot is the fish that is commonly found in the Kerala Backwaters around Alapuzha, Kollam and Kottayam . Nowadays with the boom of tourism this fish has become the most popular fish in North Kerala. This is served in every other resorts, home stays and house boats. One among the delicacy that is served,  is the Karimeen Pollichathu and Karimeen Moily. 

In my hometown Kannur , we don't used to get it much, but when we get i used to fry it in coconut oil after marinating the fish overnight with spicy crushed masalas. Now when i came to Bangalore, i have been seeing the fish in the market but never used to buy, thinking it is some other fish. But a few days back, one customer in the market overheard me and my husband talking in malayalam , he suddenly said..."buy that, it is our Karimeen, just fry it spicy with pepper masala".... My husband within seconds ordered for 1 Kg, before allowing him to complete his words....From then this fish has been a "King" in our fried seafood dishes...In Kerala , the fish and dish is quite expensive.. here in Karnataka , it is much cheaper.So we say, now that we have started buying it, it is sure gonna become expensive.. 

Over to the recipe , today i am sharing a yet spicy Karimeen Fry. The cleaned and slit fish is marinated with spicy masala. Instead of normal chilly, i have used Kaanthari Mulakku(a spicier version, though looks small,tiny and cute, but very spicy and healthy, i have heard it lessens cholesterol )

Ingredients

1. Karimeen / Pearl Spot (Clean and slit)  - 2
2. Pepper powder - 2 Tbsp
3. Turmeric powder - 1/4 Tsp
4. Red Chilly powder - 1 Tsp
5. Kaanthari mulakku (Bird's Eye Chilly) crushed- 6
6. Ginger crushed - 1" piece
7. Garlic crushed - 6
8. Salt - as per taste
9. Curry Leaves - 1 Sprig
10. Coconut Oil / Oil - 2 Tbsp
11. Coconut Oil/Oil -  for shallow frying

Preparation

• Mix all the ingredients and do not add water, if needed little more oil.

• Marinate the clean and slit fish with the prepared masala . Keep in for about 1 hour minimum.(If done overnight... delicious!!!)

• Heat coconut oil / oil in a pan,layer 2-3 sprigs of curry leaves and place the marinated fish on it.
• Fry both sides on a medium flame until golden brown.

Sending this entry to Ahlan Ramadan –The Healthy Way

Semiya Upma | Easy Breakfast Recipe

A very easy and simple breakfast served with steamed plantain garnished with ghee and sugar...
Ingredients

1. Rice semiya - 2 cup
2. Onion - 1 big
3. Carrot  - 1 big
4. Ginger chopped - 1/4 Tsp
5. Green chilly chopped - 4 to 5
6. Mustard Seeds - 1/2 Tsp
7. Dry Red chilly - 4
8. Curry Leaves - 2 sprigs
9. Split Urad Daal -  1 Tsp
10. Peanuts - 1 handful
11. Oil - 1 Tbsp + 1 Tsp
12. Ghee - 1 Tbsp
13. Salt - as needed

Preparation

• Prepare rice semiya  as per packet instructions. While draining add a pinch of salt and a tsp of oil to it.( Tip not to make noodles stick together).
• Heat oil in a kadai/ pan , splutter mustard seeds.Add split urad daal , peanuts, dry red chilly and curry leaves. Saute for a minute.
• Now add sliced onion, ginger, green chilly ,carrot and salt. Saute till the raw smell goes.
• Now add the prepared rice semiya and mix well. Add curry leaves for garnish.
• Serve hot.

Note

• If you need colour, you can add a pinch of turmeric powder.

Peas Mutta Fry ~ A Kozhikode Street Food

  

I know the monsoon has started, and time has come to crave for Street Foods. Even though i love street food, served hot and spicy... but a BIG NO NO when it comes to oily foods... Once in a while i do enjoy having oily stuff... There will be a list of items mainly non veg dishes when it comes to Malabar, like Kallumakkai porichathu, parippu vada, pazham pori , ullivada.. and goes on.. Today i am sharing one of the famous street food that we get at Calicut beach...spicy Peas Mutta Fry. A very simple recipe with a very few ingredients. Cooked green peas with scrambled eggs sprinkled with pepper powder...and served hot.

Check out the recipe for Arikadukka, parippu vada, pazham pori

Ingredients

1. Green Peas / Pachapattani / Mattar - 1 cup (soaked for 6-8 hours)
2. Eggs - 4
3. Pepper powder - 2 Tsp
4. Onion finely chopped - 2 + 1
   
5. Green chilly chopped (round and not fine pieces) - 3
6. Ginger finely cut lengthwise - 1" piece
7. Carrot roughly chopped - 2 medium
8. Tomato finely chopped - 1
9. Butter / Coconut Oil/Oil - 1 to 2 Tbsp
10. Salt - as needed

 

Preparation

• Pressure cook green peas for just one whistle.(Do not cook it mushy). After 1 whistle release the pressure and , open and cook. 
• Heat oil in a kadai, add 2 onion s chopped, green chilly and ginger. Saute till onions are soft and pink. (a bit of crunchiness should be there for onions).
• Now add carrot chopped and tomato. Cook it covered.
• Add the cooked green peas with the water. Mix well.Add salt.
• Beat 3 eggs. Lower the flame and add the eggs. Mix properly and scramble the eggs. 
• Now you will see the water is fully absorbed. Mix well on high flame for a minute and remove from flame.
• Now add pepper powder and mix well.
• Serve hot with chopped onion and lime wedges. Enjoy!!!!

 

Sending this entry to Ahlan Ramadan –The Healthy Way 

Pappada Thoran - Kerala Style

I think the dish, Pappada Thoran is not a usual vegetarian side dish everybody would prepare. This makes me nostalgic and reminds me of my vallyamma(mother's mother), though she was not a great cook , but whatever few dishes she makes was phenomenal...I miss her badly..and this is her recipe which i am sharing here today. This dish has a unique taste of its own.Mostly we eat pappad as pappad itself, but this dish has a blend of spices and coconut with deep fried pappadam's in it.It is after a long time i am making this.. Just made a little as i was not sure whether my kids would like, but the dish just vanished, before each one could ask for a second time. So over to the recipe... 

Pottukadala Thenga Chutney

 

This is a really smooth chutney with goes well with crispy dosa . This has a unique taste...

Ingredients

1. Pottukadala / Roasted Gram Daal - 2 Tbsp
2. Grated Coconut - 1 cup
3. Green Chilly - 2
4. Yoghurt /Curd - 2 Tbsp
5. Salt - as needed

Tempering

1. Coconut Oil / Oil - 1 Tbsp
2. Mustard Seeds - 1 Tsp
3. Dry Red Chilly - 2 -3
4. Curry Leaves - 1 Sprig

Check out the recipes for Super Spongy Dosa ,DOSA 

Preparation

• In a mixer grind roasted gram daal, coconut, green chilly, yoghurt and salt to a nice smooth paste without any grains of daal. Transfer it to a serving bowl.

• Heat oil in a kadai and crakle mustrd, add dry red chilly and curry leaves. 
• Pour this onto the chutney. Mix and serve with dosa / idly or upma.

Notes

• If the chutney is a bit thick you can little water.

 

Linking this to Healthy Diet running at Nandoo's Kitchen and Priya's . Also to Click Cook and Devour give away event, WTML June 2014 hosted By The Big Sweet Tooth event by Gayathri

  

Cherupayar Chena Puzhukku - Kerala Style

This is a very simple and tasty preparation of green gram/ cherupayar and yam/chena. This is usually served with hot rice porridge/ kanji(as we in Kerala) and chutta pappadam,during the rainy season. Different kind of puzhukku are made like muthira puzhukku, mambayar puzhukku, thorava puzhukku kadal-kaaya puzhukku, chena-pachakkaya , kappa-meen puzhukku and goes on. So have a taste of this and do lemme know if ever you cook it.
Ingredients

1. Cherupayar / Green gram - 1 cup
2. Chena / Elephant Yam - 1/2 cup
3. Turmeric powder - 1.4 Tsp
4. Rec Chilli powder - 1/2 Tsp
5. Salt - as needed
6. Garlic roughly crushed - 3 flakes 
7. Curry Leaves - 2 Sprigs

To grind 

1. Jeera /Cumin seeds - 1/2 Tsp
2. Grated Coconut - 3/4 cup
3. Green chilly - 3

To Temper

1. Coconut Oil/ Oil - 1 Tbsp
2. Mustard Seeds - 3/4 Tsp
3. Dry red chilly - 2 - 3

Preparation

• Pressure cook green gram and yam with turmeric , salt and red chilly powder with required water. Wait for 3 whistles.

• Open and mash the cooked green gram and yam with a spoon to a rough texture. (If water is excess, let it absorb but not fully, a little  is needed) As shown in the pic.
• Meanwhile in a mixer grind the ingredients to a coarse paste under "To grind".
• Add this grind mixture to the cooked daal. Add curry leaves and roughly crushed garlic.

• Heat oil and temper the items as given in 'To Temper". Pour this onto the curry

• Serve hot.

Do check out recipe of Shahi thukada/thukara @ Cook Click n Devour, i loved the simplicity of this recipe.

Sending this to 1st anniversary celebration with giveaways ! of cook click n devour, WTML June 2014 hosted By The Big Sweet Tooth event by Gayathri

Chilli Onion Chutney - Easy Chutney for Idly/Dosa

Are you tired of sautéing and then grinding for chutney.... when you are in a hurry to go office??? Here is an easy recipe for a chutney you can make at home for idly or dosa...

Source - Rak's Kitchen

Ingredients

1. Onion chopped - 2 small
2. Kashmiri Dry Red Chilly - 8-10 (Depending on your level)
3. Garlic - 3 - 4 flakes
4. Curry Leaves - 1 Sprig
5. Salt - as needed
6. Asafoetida - 2 pinches

To Temper

1. Oil - 1 Tbsp
2. Mustard seeds - 1 Tsp
3. Urad Daal - 1 1/2 Tsp

Preparation

• In a mixer grind onion, red chilly, garlic, curry leaves and salt with 3 Tbsp of water to a slightly coarse paste.

• Heat a pan with 1 Tbsp of oil, splutter mustard seeds and then add urad daal. 
• Pour ground paste to it , mix well and let it cook for a minute. Off the flame.
• Finally sprinkle asafoetida.
• Serve hot with idli or dosa.

 

Sending this to 1st anniversary celebration with giveaways ! of cook click n devour 

Linking this to Healthy Diet running at Nandoo's Kitchen and Priya's . Also to Come, join us for Breakfast

  

Meen Nurukki Masala / Fried and crumbled fish in spicy masala

This is a very easy recipe which i tried yesterday, actually i had something else in my mind , which was something out like a preserve powder, but somehow it ended up like this. But when i served it all were.. Is it only this much you prepared... its really spicy and tasty..So all where having it very kanjoosly.. with lunch.. checking if,it will get finished soon.... So do lemme know if you too try it...would love to hear...

Ingredients

1. Shark / Sravu - 1/4 kg (Can use any meaty fish)
2. Turmeric powder - 1/2 Tsp
3. Red Chilly powder - 1 Tbsp
4. Salt
5. Coconut oil - for shallow frying
6. Onion - 1
7. Green chilly - 2
8. Ginger crushed  - 3/4 Tsp
9. Garlic sliced lengthwise - 4-5
10. Thengakothu / coconut pieces - 1 Tbsp
11. Curry Leaves - 2 Sprigs
12. Mustard Seeds - 1 Tsp
13. Dry Red Chilly - 2 
14. Coconut Oil - 1 1/2 Tbsp 

Preparation

• Wash and clean shark with salt water. Remove the skin. Cut into small pieces.
• Marinate it with turmeric, red chilly powder and salt. Keep for 1/2 hour.
• Heat coconut oil in a frying pan and shallow fry the pieces. Do not fry it too crispy (softer inside ). Add little curry leaves while frying.

• When cool enough to handle, just shred the pieces with the knife roughly.(Do not make it perfectly cut).
• If you have the remaining oil in the pan use it or add 1 1/2 Tbsp of coconut oil and throw in the mustard seeds to crackle. Now add the dry chillies and 1 sprig of curry leaves. 

• Now add crushed ginger , green chilly and thengakothu (coconut pieces) to it. Saute for a minute.
• Now add the roughly chopped fish pieces and garlic to it . Mix well. Cover and cook for a minute.
• Garnish with curry leaves.

Check out the other Fish Recipes....

• Kallu Shaap Meenthala Mulakittathu
• Malabar Meen Curry/Meen Mulakittathu
• Mathi Peera Vattichathu
• Fish in Rich Green Gravy
• Kerala Naadan Fish Fry....(Aila Fry)

Easy Kadala Curry ~ Easy Black Channa Curry..

We Keralites are known to have heavy breakfast.. be it appam with stew, noolputtu with mutta roast, idli or dosa with sambaar and chutney , pathiri with meen mulakittathu , all are healthy, tasty and nutritionally well balanced. Today my dish is a famous Breakfast, which none of the mallu's will say 'No'...Puttu n Kadala Curry. Though i have posted a Kadala Curry before.. This is an easy one , which can also accompanied with chapathis, appam, breads,etc.. Bachelor's can easily prepare this.So here goes the recipe...

Ingredients

1. Black channa - 1/4 cup
2. Onion sliced - 2
3. Tomato - 1 Big
4. Turmeric powder - 1/2 Tsp
5. Red chilly powder - 1 Tsp
6. Coriander powder - 2 Tsp
7. Grated coconut - 3/4 cup
8. Coconut Oil - 1/2 Tbsp
9. Mustard Seeds - 1 Tsp
10. Dry red chilly - 2
11. Curry Leaves - 2 Sprigs
12. Salt- as needed

Preparation

• Wash and soak channa in enough water overnight.
• Pressure cook it with salt and a little turmeric powder. Cook for 4-5 whistles.(This may vary.)
• Heat a kadai with coconut oil, splutter mustard seeds, add dry red chilly and a sprig of curry leaves.(You can increase the spiciness, i use a very hot red chilly powder)
• Add onion, saute till onion are soft and translucent. Now add in the tomatoes chopped. Saute until tomatoes are soft but not very mushy.
• Now add in all the masala powders. Saute till he raw smell of masalas goes (just for 2 minutes.).
• Add coconut to it. Mix it well with the masala's.
• Now add this to the cooked black channa and pressure cook for one more whistle.
• Open the cooker  , mix well and add curry leaves to it. (If you want, you can cook for more to reduce the gravy and make it semi or dry curry) .
• Serve with puttu (steamed rice cake) or an roti's.

Sending this recipe to South Indian Cooking hosted by nandoo an event by Anu . also to WTML hosted by Motions and emotions event organised by Gayathri's Cooks Spot