GARLIC CRAB

Deep fried crabs in a lip-smacking and spicy chilli garlic sauce Preparation Time : 30 minutes Cooking Time : 20 minutes

Ingredients

Crabs 3 large Red chilli paste 2 tablespoons Garlic, chopped 14-16 cloves Oil 2 tablespoons + to deep fry Tomato ketchup 2 tablespoons Fish stock 1 1/2 cups Salt to taste MSG 1/4 teaspoon Cornflour/ corn starch 2 tablespoons Sugar 1 teaspoon Vinegar 1 tablespoon Spring onion greens, chopped 2 stalks Egg, whisked 1

Method

Heat sufficient oil in a wok and deep fry the whole crab along with the claws. Drain and set aside on absorbent paper.Heat two tablespoons of oil in another wok. Add garlic and sauté for a minute. Add tomato ketchup, red chilli paste and stock. When the mixture comes to a boil, add salt and MSG. Dissolve cornflour in half a cup of water and add to the sauce. Add sugar and cook till it thickens slightly. Add vinegar to the sauce along with spring onion greens and mix. Add the egg in a thin trickle and cook till the egg strands rise to the top. Place the fried crab in a serving dish, pour the sauce over it and serve immediately.

BAKED FISH WITH CHILLI COCONUT SAUCE

Preparation Time : 15 minutes Cooking Time : 30 minutes

Ingredients

King fish (surmai) fillets 4 Sea salt to taste Fresh red chillies, chopped 2 Lemon juice 2 tablespoons Olive oil + to grease 4 tablespoons Dry parsley 2-3 sprigs Crushed red chillies 1 teaspoon Coconut milk 1 cup Butter 2 tablespoons Onion , chopped 1 small Garlic, chopped 4 cloves Ginger, chopped 2 inch piece Tomato puree 1 cup Salt to taste Fish stock 1 1/2 cups Refined flour (maida) 2 tablespoons

Method

Preheat the oven to 220C. If the fish fillets are too long cut them into six inch pieces. Make criss-cross slits on top. Apply sea salt, chopped fresh red chillies and lemon juice. Grease a baking tray. Place the fish pieces on it and dribble two talespoons olive oil on top. Bake in the preheated oven at 220C for twenty minutes. Heat butter and one tablespoon of olive oil in a pan. Add onion, garlic, ginger and sauté. Add fresh tomato puree, salt, fish stock, crushed red chillies and cook for about ten minutes. Strain the mixture pressing nicely. Heat the remaining olive oil in another pan. Add refined flour and sauté for two minutes on low heat. Add the prepared sauce and cook. When it thickens add coconut milk and bring to a boil. Remove from heat. Place the fish on a serving dish. Pour the sauce on the sides. Garnish with a parsley sprig and serve hot.

EGG KORMA

Ingredients

Eggs 6 Ginger, chopped 1 inch piece Green chillies, chopped 2 tablespoons Coconut, scraped 1 tablespoon Coriander powder 1 tablespoon Cloves 3 Cinnamon 1 inch stick Green cardamoms 2 Turmeric powder 1/2 teaspoon Milk 1/4 cup Salt to taste Ghee 3 tablespoons Cashewnuts, chopped 8 Onions, chopped 2 medium Fresh coriander leaves, chopped 2 tablespoons

Method

Grind together ginger, green chillies, coconut, coriander powder, cloves, cinnamon, cardamoms and turmeric powder. Break eggs, separate whites from yolks into a bowl and beat the egg whites till stiff. Add the egg yolks, milk and salt to taste to the egg white mixture. Beat the mixture again after ten minutes and place the egg mixture bowl into a large vessel containing a little water and boil till the egg is set. Cut the set eggs into cubes.Heat ghee in a pan and fry the chopped cashewnuts till golden brown. Drain and keep aside. In the same ghee add chopped onions and fry till light brown. Add the ground masala and fry till the ghee floats to the top. Add half a cup of water and bring to a boil. Then add the egg cubes and cook gently till the korma thickens. Garnish with chopped coriander leaves and serve hot with rice or paranthas and chutney.

EGG CURRY WITH DAL

Ingredients

Split Bengal gram (chana dal) 1/2 cup Eggs 6 Onions 2 medium Ginger 1 inch piece Garlic 3 cloves Tomato 1 medium Green chillies 2 Fresh coriander leaves 1/2 bunch Oil 3 tablespoons Curry leaves 4 leaves Kashmiri red chilli powder 1 teaspoon Cumin powder 1 teaspoon Coriander powder 1 teaspoon Coconut milk 1 cup Tamarind pulp 2 tablespoons Salt to taste

Method

Wash and soak the dal for two hours. Put the eggs in boiling water and cook for fifteen minutes. Cool and peel. Peel, wash and grind onions. Peel, wash and grind ginger and garlic into a paste. Blanch the tomatoes, peel and roughly chop. Remove stems, wash and slit green chillies. Clean, wash and chop coriander leaves.Cook dal in one and half cups of water until soft. Mash and set aside. Heat oil in a heavy bottomed pan, add curry leaves. Add onion paste and fry till it turns light brown in colour. Add ginger paste, garlic paste, Kashmiri red chilli powder, cumin powder, coriander powder and saute well. Stir in tomatoes. Add the cooked dal, slit green chillies, coconut milk, tamarind pulp and salt to taste. Simmer for further ten minutes, stirring frequently. Add the boiled eggs and simmer for two minutes. Garnish with chopped coriander leaves.

Egg Bhurji

Ingredient

Eggs 2

Onion 1 Medium Sized Diced

Tomato 1 Diced

Turmeric ( Haldi) 1/2 teaspoon

Red Chilli Powder 1/4 Teaspoon

Salt to Taste

Coriander Powder 1 teaspoon

Fresh Coriander - Chopped 2 Tablespoons

Tomato Sauce 1 tablespoon

Oil 1 Tablespoon

Butter 1 tablespoon

Method



Take a Non Stick Pan and put on medium heat.
Add 1 tablespoon of oil.
Add the Diced Onion and saute for 2 minutes.
Add the Red Chilli Powder and stir.
Add the Turmeric Powder and stir.
Break the Eggs and pour into the pan directly.
Stir briskly .
Add the Coriander Powder.
Add the tomato sauce.
Add Butter and stir.
Add the diced tomatoes and stir.
Take it off the heat.


Garnish with Fresh diced Coriander.

Enjoy with Roti or Naan with some tomatoe sauce.
You can also put it on a toasted bread and enjoy with tea or coffee.

Seekh Kebab

Ingredients

450 gm (1lb): Lamb mince

2 medium size: Onions

5 cloves: Garlic

1.5cm: (0.5 inch) of ginger

1-2: Green chilli (de-seeded)

2-4 sprigs: Fresh coriander

* Dry Masala:

2-3: Cardamoms (small, green, ground)

-2: Cardamom (Black, ground large)

pinch to 1/2 a tbs: Chilli powder

1/2 a tbs: Salt

1/2 a tbs: Garam masala

1/2 a tbs: Cumin seeds (whole)

1 tbs: Dry coriander

Method

1. Put all the mince lamb in a large bowl and add chopped onions, garlic, ginger, chillies and coriander. Then add whole of the ground masala and mix thoroughly with either your hand or a wooden spoon.
2. Take a large hand-full and make into a long kebab using the handle of a wooden spoon.
3. Put foil on to your grill and put your kebabs under a hot grill. Cook on all sides until brown.
4. Serve on a bed of lettuce. Garnish with tomatoes, onion rings, chillies and coriander.

Afghani Chicken

Ingredient:

1/2 kg chicken breast

5 garlic cloves made into a paste

2 c curd

1 tsp black pepper, crushed (kali mirch)

Salt to taste

2 tsp juice lemon.

Method:

Mix all the ingredients of the marinate together very well in a bowl.
Clean the chicken and remove it of any fat that is seen.
Now with a sharp knife, make random slits all over it.
Cover the chicken very well with the marinate mixture and keep in a tightly covered bowl to refrigerate.
You must refrigerate the chicken overnight before cooking.
Once this is done, you should remove the chicken from the marinate and grill for ten minutes on each side or till it cooked well.
Remember not to let the chicken char.
Sprinkle chat masala powder, lemon juice and serve hot.

Chicken Sandwich

Ingredient

1/4 cup white vinegar

1/2 tbs salt

1/2 tbs pepper

1 1/14 cup mayonnaise

1 1/4 cup sour cream

6 cups celery (usually 4 stocks-just unit it looks like enough)

3-4 cups green onion (about 1 small bunch)

Cooked chicken (6 half skinless/boneless breasts. Bake, shredded)

Method:

*Mix vinegar, salt, pepper, mayonnaise and sour cream together.

*Mix celery, green onion and chicken in separate bowl. Mix all ingredients together and taste. Let set overnight for best flavor

Stuffed Eggs

Ingredent

6 hard-boiled eggs

1 teaspoon sherry

6 oz. cooked spinach

1/2 pint herb dressing

1 tablespoon yoghurt

1 teaspoon olive oil

1 teaspoon French mustard

Salt and pepper

Methord


Cut a slice from pointed end of each egg and remove the yolks, taking care not to break the whites.

Sieve the yolks and put in bowl with the yoghurt, sherry, olive oil, mustard and seasoning. Mix well together, then fill the whites with mixture. Stand eggs upright on a bed of spinach and add herb dressing. Chill for 1 hour before serving.

Egg Kabab

Ingredent

8 hard-cooked eggs, shelled

1/4 cup butter

1/3 teaspoon salt

3/4 teaspoon paprika

3/4 teaspoon white pepper

3/4 teaspoon cinnamon

Methord

PRICK whites of eggs all over so they won't split as they are heated through.

SAUTE eggs in butter over low heat, turning, until light brown.

MIX seasonings. Sprinkle over eggs.

YIELD 4 to 8 servings.

Egg Biryani

Ingredients:

1/2 cup ghee / oil

8 large eggs (hard boiled)

1 large onion (finely chopped)

2 flakes garlic (curshed)

2 bay leaves

1-inch cinnamon stick

1 brown Cardamom (badi elaichi)

4 green cardamom pods (chhoti elaichi)

1/2 tsp turmeric powder

1/2 tsp chili powder or to taste

2 cups Basmati (long grain) Rice

21/2 cups warm water

Salt To Taste

1 tsp garam masala powder

1 tbsp chopped coriander leaves

3-4 tomatoes (thickly sliced) to garnish

Preparation:

Heat the oil / ghee in a deep sauce pan and fry onions and garlic together with the bay leaves, cinnamon and cardamoms, until golden.
Carefully prick the eggs with a fork and add to the pan.
Stir in turmeric, chili powder and fry for about 5 minutes.
Add pre-soaked rice and stir slowly and carefully for 2 minutes.
Pour in water and salt to taste, and cook over a modeate heat until the rice is tender and water is absorbed. Sprinkle garam masala powder over it.
Garnish egg biryani with chopped coriander and tomato slices, serve hot.

Macaroni

Ingredent

2 chickens

1/2 lb. beef

2 onions

6 tomatoes

6 potatoes

3 T. corn oil

oil for frying

1/2 cup yogurt

1 t. ground cumin

3 sticks cinnamon

1 packet spaghetti

3 hard-boiled eggs

1 t. ground black pepper

1/2 cup finely chopped parsley

salt

Methord


Cut the chicken into four pieces. Wash thoroughly. Heat oil in pan; add chicken and fry for five minutes. Puree tomatoes and add yogurt plus half the spices. Pour the above mixture over chicken and leave to cook. Put in another saucepan the minced meat, onion and half teaspoon each of salt, pepper and cumin. Stir and cook. Place aside. Peel potatoes. Slice thinly in rings, then lengthwise in match- stick size pieces. Soak potatoes in water. Strain. Heat oil and fry potatoes until browned. Remove from oil and place on paper towel. Hard-boil, peel and slice eggs. Break spaghetti into medium-sized pieces and cook in water. Strain. Put spaghetti in serving dish, arrange chicken on top and pour on sauce. Decorate with meat, potatoes and sliced eggs. Sprinkle with parsley and serve.

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Chicken Soup with Lemon

Ingredent

Carcass and giblets of 1 chicken

3-4 stalks celery with leaves, sliced

2 leeks, sliced (optional)

2-3 cloves garlic, slivered

Salt and black pepper

Juice of 1-2 lemons

2-3 zucchini, sliced (optional)

3/4 cup rice, boiled (measure uncooked)

Methord

Collect a chicken carcass, giblets, and bones to make a rich stock. The giblets must be very fresh, and the bones and carcass those of a chicken prepared the same day, otherwise any meat on them will be hard and dry, and the marrow in the bones very stale. Crack the bones slightly to release more flavor.

There are two ways of preparing this soup. The stock can be made beforehand and strained through a fine sieve, the vegetables then being cooked in the clear broth. However, I usually cook all the ingredients together in the following manner.

Put the carcass, bones, and giblets in a large pan. Add the celery and, if you like, sliced leeks. (The basic recipe is made with celery only.) Add the slivered garlic and cover with about 9 cups water. Bring to the boil and skim the scum off the surface. Season with salt and pepper, and squeeze the juice of 1 lemon into the pan. Simmer gently for about 1 hour. Remove the pan from the heat and discard all the bones, leaving only pieces of chicken in the broth. Add the zucchini, if using them, and cook for 15 minutes longer. Adjust seasoning, adding more lemon juice if necessary. The soup should have a distinctly lemony tang. It is this and the taste of garlic which give it an Oriental flavor

Add cooked rice just before serving so as not to give it time to become sodden and mushy.

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Egg and Lemon Soup

Ingredent

7-1/2 cups chicken stock (see below)

Salt and white pepper

1/3 cup rice, washed,

or

1/3 cup Italian pastina,

or

1/4 cup tapioca

3 egg yolks

or

2 whole eggs

Juice of 1-2 lemons

2 T. finely chopped parsley or chives (optional)

Methord



Make a rich chicken stock with leftover chicken bones or giblets. If it is not strong enough, add a stock cube. Season with salt and pepper.

Add the rice, pastina, or tapioca to the boiling stock and simmer until tender. Beat the egg yolks or whole eggs and add the lemon juice, beating constantly. Add a ladleful of the soup to the egg mixture and beat well. Pour this back into the pan slowly, still beating constantly. Keep the heat under the pan very low, and cook the soup gently, stirring all the time, until it thickens. On no account allow it to boil, or the eggs will curdle. Taste and adjust seasoning, adding more lemon juice if necessary.

Garnish, if you like, with chopped parsley or chives, and serve immediately.

Tip

In Greece, fish and meat stocks are also used to make the soup,

OMELETTE WITH SPROUTS

An omlette is stuffed with healthy sprouts. Preparation Time : 2 minutes Cooking Time : 10 minutes

Ingredients

Eggs 12 Salt to taste Oil 6 tablespoons Onions, chopped 2 medium Green chillies, chopped 4 Mixed sprouts 1 cup Sev 1/4 cup

Method

Break three eggs in a bowl, add salt and beat well. Heat one and a half tablespoons of oil in a non-stick pan, add a portion of onions and green chillies and sauté for one minute. Add beaten egg and mix. Mix with a spoon, allow to set while it cooks. Place some sprouts and sev on one side and fold over the other side. Cook for a minute. Flip over and cook again for a minute. Serve hot immediately. Similarly prepare the other omelettes

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MALABAR CHEMEEN KARI

Prawns or chemeen cooked with drumsticks in the typical Keralite style Preparation Time : 15 minutes Cooking Time : 30 minutes

Ingredients

Prawns (kolambi/jhinga) 1 kilogram Drumsticks, 3 inch pieces 2 Turmeric powder 1 teaspoon Salt to taste Raw mangoes 2 medium Fenugreek seeds (methi dana) 1 teaspoon Coconut, scraped 2 cups Oil 6 tablespoons Sambhar onions, halved 10-12 Red chilli powder 1 tablespoon Coriander powder 1 tablespoon Green chillies, slit 2 Curd chillies, slit 4 Curry leaves 10-12 Kodumpuli 6 pieces Coconut oil 1 tablespoon Whole dry red chillies 4

Method

Clean, de-vein and wash the prawns. Pat them dry and marinate in turmeric powder and little salt. Peel mangoes and cut into wedges. Lightly pound the fenugreek seeds. Soak and grind coconut with half a cup of warm water and extract thick milk. Reserve the coconut residue also. Heat four tablespoons of oil in a deep pan, add onions and fry till transluscent. Add red chilli powder and coriander powder and stir. Put in the green and curd chillies, curry leaves and the kodumpuli. Add the coconut residue and four cups of water. Boil till it reduces by half and thickens. Strain the curry through a mesh pressing well to extract all the flavors. Keep aside. Heat the remaining oil and coconut oil, add the pounded fenugreek seeds and the whole red chillies and stir well. Add the marinated prawns, drumsticks and mangoes. Cook till the prawns are almost done. Pour in the curry and simmer till it combines well, add salt to taste. Remove from heat and add the coconut milk and reheat to simmering point.

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Tip

* Store olive oil, herbs and spices away from sunlight. They keep better.

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KARIMEEN POLICHATHU

One of the most popular dishes from Kerala – it’s absolutely lip smacking. Preparation Time : 90 minutes Cooking Time : 10 minutes

Ingredients

Pearl Spot (karimeen) 4 medium Banana leaves 4 Coconut, scraped 1/2 cup Kodumpuli 4 pieces Whole dry red chillies 8 Turmeric powder 1/4 teaspoon Coriander seeds 2 tablespoons Ginger 1 inch piece Garlic 8 cloves Green chillies 4 Lemon juice 2 tablespoons Curry leaves 10-12 Salt to taste Oil to shallow fry

Method

Scale, clean and wash the fish thoroughly. Make deep slits on either side. Wash, wipe and cut the plantain leaf into four and remove the center core. Singe over open flame to make it malleable. Grind coconut, kodumpuli, red chilies, turmeric powder, coriander seeds, ginger, garlic and green chillies to a smooth paste. Add lemon juice and the curry leaves and mix well. Apply this paste liberally on the fish and also stuff it into the slits. Brush a little oil on each leaf and wrap each fish tightly in the leaf and tie with thread. Rest it for an hour in the fridge. Heat a little oil in a pan and shallow fry the parcels on medium heat for about three to four minutes on each side or till the fish is completely cooked. Ensure that the leaves don’t burn during cooking. Serve hot in the parcel itself. ***** Tip Kodumpuli, also called Fish tamarind is used extensively in the Malabar region. Can be substituted with regular tamarind or dry mango powder also.

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