Spicy fish curry ( Meen saaru/ Meen kulumbu)

Fish curry is best tasted when it is spicy. This is a Manglorean style fish curry. Prepared with ground masala made of coconut, red chillies, coriander seeds, etc. I have added prawn stock cube for added taste. Even in Mangalore there are many varieties of fish curry. Here is one...

Ingredients:
Fish - 1 kg
Onions - 1 nos
Ginger-garlic paste - 1 tbsp
Turmeric powder - 1/4 tsp
Chilly powder - 1 tbsp
Green chillies - 2 nos
Prawn stock cubes - 1 nos
Tamarind extract- 1 tsp
Sunflower oil - 4 tbsp
Salt for taste
Water for cooking

To grind:
Tomato - 2 nos
Onion - 1 nos
Coconut grated - 1/4 cup
Ginger 1 " piece - 1 nos
Garlic minced - 1 tbsp
Red chillies - 8 nos
Coriander seeds - 2 tbsp
Black peppercorns - 1 tsp
Cumin seeds - 1/4 tsp

For seasoning:
Curry leaves - 1 stalk
Mustard seeds - 1/4 tsp
Fenugreek seed - 1/2 tsp
Sunflower oil - 1 tbsp

Method:
Grind 'to grind' ingredients to a smooth paste and keep aside. In stew pot, heat oil, add Chopped onion and fry till golden brown. Add ginger-garlic paste and saute for a min. Add turmeric powder and chilly powder and fry. Now add the ground paste and saute for 3 min. Add green chillies (slit lengthwise), prawn stock cubes and fry for a min. Now add fish pieces, just enough water to cover the fish, add salt for taste. Cover and cook in sim for 7 min. Now add tamarind extract and simmer for 5 min or until its done. Turn off the flame. Finally do the seasoning. Serve hot with boiled rice or basmati rice.

Note:
Oil can be of your choice. Can garnish with coriander leaves also.

Green gram dal curry (Hesaru bele saaru)

This one is a traditional recipe from karanataka. Green gram dal is healthy and easy to digest. I simply love this delicious curry with rice or chappathi. I have used a swirl of cream to garnish just for the picture. Authentically there is no cream used even for garnishing. The beauty of this recipe lies in original flavours of green gram dal and all the selected spices used. Here goes the recipe...

Ingredients:
Green gram dal (uncooked)- 1 cup
Water - 2 cups
Onions - 1 nos
Chilly powder - 1 tsp
Green chillies - 1 nos
Oil - 4 tbsp
Salt for taste

To grind:
Onions - 1 nos
Tomatoes - 2 nos
Chilly powder - 1 tbsp
Coriander powder - 1/4 tsp
Ginger 1" piece - 1 nos
Garlic minced - 2 tbsp

Method:
Pressure cook moong dal along with water till its done and keep aside. Grind all the ' To grind ' ingredients to smooth paste and keep aside. In a wok, heat oil and add finely chopped onions and fry till Golden brown. Add chilly powder and saute for a while. Add the ground paste and saute for 2 min. Add the cooked moong dal along with the water in which the dal was pressure cooked, green chilly slit lengthwise, salt for taste. Cook for 5 min or till its done. Serve hot with rice or chappathi.

Note:
Can roast and grind red chillies, coriander seeds if the powder is not preferred.

Drumstick masala gravy (Nuggekai gojju/Moringakai/Murungaikai masala)

Drumstick is one fantastic vegetable with lots of health benefits. I usually use them in sambar, and dals. It increases the flavour of sambar so much that its is simply superb. Occasionally I make this traditional nuggekai gojju or thick masala gravy of drumsticks and this goes really well with rice. Here goes the recipe...

Ingredients:
Drumsticks (cut into 1 and 1/2 " pieces) - 1 bowl
Onions- 1 nos
Chilly powder - 1 tbsp
Ginger-garlic paste - 1 tbsp
Oil - 4 tbsp
Salt for taste

To grind :
Onions (chopped) - 1 nos
Tomatoes (chopped)- 2 nos
Coconut grated - 2 tbsp

Fry in 1tbsp oil and grind:
Red chilly -6 nos
Coriander seeds - 1 tbsp
Turmeric powder - 1 pinch
Cumin seeds - 1/4 tsp
Aniseed - 1 tsp

Method:
Grind all the 'To grind ingredients' into a smooth paste and keep aside. Fry in 1 tbsp oil and grind red chilly, coriander seeds, turmeric powder, cumin seeds and aniseed to a smooth paste and keep aside. In a wok, heat oil and fry finely chopped onions till they turn golden brown. Add ginger-garlic paste and saute for a min. Add the chilly powder and give it a stir. Add both the ground paste and saute for a min. Add the drumsticks (chopped into 1 and 1/2 ' pieces), salt for taste (water may be added if required). Cover and cook till its done. Serve hot with rice, roti etc.

Note:
Use kashmiri chillies if less spice is preferred.

Tandoori chicken (Tandoori murg/murgh)

This tandoori chicken makes me feel nostalgic about Tanzania where we used to get so many colorful kebabs and grills. We were fascinated by the colors. Some colors of grills and kebabs were golden, yellow, orange, red, green,etc...Tanzania was very much like India. Due to the large Indian crowd there, everything from Indian clothes to food were all easily available. We had so many good Friends there and was always invited for some lovely Gujarati lunch and dinner. I miss them all now...
Tandoori chicken is a famous Indian grill. It is chicken marinated with yogurt and tandoori masala (usually a mixture of chilly powder, turmeric powder, garam masala powder, cumin powder, aniseed powder etc) for 48 hours or more (I usually marinate for 72 hours) and then grilled in tandoori oven (I used charcoal grill) at high temperatures. The world famous chicken tikka is derived from this tandoori chiken. The Moti mahal restaurant in Delhi is very famous for this. So, when I visit Delhi, I just want to sneak into Moti mahal Restaurant's kitchen just to find out their secret recipe... Here goes my recipe....

Ingredients:
Chicken leg pieces - 4 nos
Butter for basting

For the marinade:
Thick yogurt - 4 tbsp
Red chilly powder - 4 tbsp
Coriander powder -1 tsp
Turmeric powder - 1/4 tsp
Cumin powder - 1/2 tsp
Garam masala powder - 1 tsp
Aniseed powder - 1 tsp
Ginger-garlic paste - 4 tbsp
Lime juice - 1tbsp
Red color drops (optional) -1 tsp
Chicken stock cube - 1 nos
Salt for taste

Method:
Mix all 'for the marinade' ingredients to form a thick paste. Slit the chicken legs and mix it well with this paste. Marinade for 72 hours. Take out from the fridge 1 hour before grilling. Grill it on hot charcoal grill for 5 min, baste with butter and cook until done. Serve with lemon wedges, onion rings, chips etc.

Note:
I used a red chilly powder which was not only spicy but gave nice rich red color. If less spice is preferred kashmiri chilly powder can be used. Can also add paprika powder. Butter can be substituted with olive oil while grilling

Chilly mutton

This is one spicy recipe. Have it as a starter or as a part of the main course. But, just make sure you set your spice sensory level to slightly higher than normal. Here it goes...

Ingredients:
Boneless meat - 1 kilo
Onions- 2 nos
Chilly powder - 1 tbsp
Ginger- garlic paste - 1 tbsp
Chilly paste - 1 tbsp
Pepper powder - 1 tsp
Green chillies - 2 nos
Dark soya sauce - 1 tsp
Salt for taste
Oil - 4 tbsp

For the batter:
Maida or all purpose flour - 4 tbsp
Corn flour - 1 tbsp
Chilly powder - 1 tbsp
Ginger-garlic paste - 1 tbsp
Soya sauce - 1 tsp
Salt for taste
Sparkling water to make thick paste


oil for deep frying

Method:
Mix all the ' for the batter' ingredients using sparkling water to make a batter which is like a thick paste in consistency. Roast the meat in the oven for 30 - 40 min at 220 degree Celsius or untill its almost done. Now, cut it into small cubes and mix it in the batter paste. Mix well so that the meat is well coated. Deep fry in hot oil, till its done. Drain excess oil using kitchen tissue and keep aside. In a wok, heat oil and add finely sliced onions, ginger-garlic paste and stir fry for a min. Add chilly powder and chilly paste and give it a stir. Now add the meat, dark soya sauce, pepper powder, salt and stir well. Finally garnish with green chillies slit lengthwise and serve.

Note:
The meat can also be pressure cooked. I preferred to roast it. Increase or decrease the roasting time depending on the meat (if its too soft or hard)

Healthy Plats (Chawarma/Shawarma)

Healthy food is something that has gained so much of importance these days. People are hunting for healthy recipes, which can let them along with their family members stay fit and healthy. Any food which is packed with carbohydrates, proteins, vitamins, minerals, fibre and healthy fats (rich in omega-3 fatty acids like olive oil) are simply healthy when consumed in right propotions. Here is one...

Ingredients:
Pita - 1 large
Stir fried chicken - 300 grams
Egg Salad - 1 cup

Method:
Place the pita on hot tawa, and heat it for 30 secs or until its soft. Place it on a serving plate. Top it with stir fried chicken and egg salad. Now the healthy plat is ready. Enjoy the meal

Note:
Can smear some garlic -mayonnaise paste or hummos or sesame seed paste etc on the pita. I have excluded it to keep the plat healthy.

Stir fried chicken

Chinese cuisine has a lot of stir frying involved and I simply like stir frying as it is easy and quick. It gives so much flavour for food, and is much healthier when compared to shallow frying or deep frying. I have adapted the Asian way of stir frying chicken, similar to pan fried chicken. This one is simple, tasty and so full of flavour. Here it goes....

Ingredients:
Boneless chicken - 300 grams
Onions - 1 nos
Garlic paste - 1 tsp
Chilly paste - 1 tbsp
Pepper powder - 1/4 tsp
Light soya sauce - 1 tbsp
Capsicum - 1 nos
Salt for taste
Oil - 2 tbsp

Method:
Wash and dice the chicken into cubes and keep aside. Slice onions, dice capsicum and keep aside. Heat oil in a frying pan, add garlic paste, chilly paste and stir for a min. Add chicken and stir fry for 5min. Add all the remaining ingredients (add little water if required) and stir fry till its done. Serve hot with roti, rice, plats or use it as a filling in wraps, rolls etc. . Can also enjoy this like a starter or side dish.

Note:
In this recipe onions should be added later along with the capsicum.

Egg Salad

Salads are really filling and satisfying as they are usually so full of fibre. The water content is also high specially when cucumber, tomatoes etc. are included. I simply love salads and can have them anytime of the day. This one is a protein rich egg salad and a healthy one too as I have used egg white (not the egg yolk) in the recipe... Here it goes...

Ingredients:
Cucumber - 1 nos
Onions- 1 nos
Tomatoes - 1 nos
Parsley (chopped) -2 tbsp

For the egg:
Egg white of 2 eggs
Chilly powder - 1/4 tsp
Pepper powder - 1/4 tsp
Salt for taste
Olive oil - 2 tbsp

Method:
Beat the egg white along with chilly powder, pepper powder, salt for taste and keep aside. Heat oil in a frying pan and add this egg and prepare it like a omelette. Turn over and cook on both sides now cut this into strips and keep aside. Slice onions horizontally and separate them into rings. Chop the tomatoes, slice the cucumber. Now mix onion rings, tomatoes, cucumber and parsley in a mixing or salad bowl. Now transfer it to the serving bowl along with the egg strips and enjoy.

Note:
Salt is not added directly to the salad as it makes the veggies leave some water. Have the veggies along with the egg to get the taste (since, salt is added in it)

Spicy pork / Pandi/ Panni

Whenever I cook Pork, I have a Coorgi style of cooking influence on it. Maybe because, I was so much used to seeing that Or My mom cooks pork more often or rather Coorg and pork are inseparable, lol!!!. Whatever maybe the reason, I always manage to cook pork the spicy way like most people cook at coorg. The aroma that comes when the coriander powder is roasted is simply fantastic. And the dark color that is imparted to the pork because of the spices and kachampuli (tang used to give sourness and extra taste) is simply incredible. Since I don't get ingredients like kachampuli here, I cook pork in a similar manner but not the same as Coorgi pandi curry. The next time I'm in India, will surely post about authentic Coorgi pandi curry. Here comes the recipe...


Ingredients:
Pork - 500 grams
Coriander powder - 50 grams
Green chillies - 2 nos
Ginger - garlic paste - 2 tbsp
Chilly powder - 1 tbsp
Turmeric powder - 1/4 tsp
Onions - 1 nos
Black pepper powder - 1 tbsp
Salt for taste
Oil - 1 tbsp

For the garnish:
Bell pepper chopped - 2 tbsp
Green chillies - 1 nos

Method:
Dry roast coriander powder and mix it well with chopped pork pieces and keep aside for 30 min. In a pressure cooker, Heat oil, add finely chopped onions, ginger - garlic paste and saute for a min. Add the chilly powder, turmeric powder, meat, salt for taste and just enough water to cover the meat and cook up to one whistle. Now, take this out and again stir fry in a wok along with pepper powder until all the water is evaporated. Garnish with chopped bell peppers and green chillies and serve.

Note:
Select pork meat which also has fat for best results.