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.

Pomfret Ticka

Pomfret slices cooked in a hot and sour coconut gravy Preparation Time : 30 minutes Cooking Time : 15 minutes

Ingredients

Pom fret, sliced 1 inch 2-3 medium Lemon juice 1 tablespoon Salt to taste Tamarind 1 lemon sized ball Garlic 5-6 cloves Whole dry red chillies 6-8 Coriander seeds 2 teaspoons Coconut, scraped 1 cup Oil 3 tablespoons Onions, chopped 2 medium Turmeric powder 1 teaspoon Coconut milk 1/2 cup Fresh coriander leaves, chopped 2 tablespoons

Method

Mix lemon juice with a little salt, apply liberally on the fish slices and keep aside. Soak tamarind in one cup of warm water for half an hour, remove the pulp, strain and keep aside. Dry roast black peppercorns, garlic, red chillies and coriander seeds separately and grind to a paste along with scraped coconut. Heat oil in a pan, add onions and stir-fry for two minutes or till translucent. Add masala paste and turmeric powder and saute for two to three minutes. Add two cups of warm water, tamarind pulp and salt. Bring it to a boil, reduce heat and cook further on medium heat for three to four minutes. Gently slide in pomfret slices and cook on medium heat for four to five minutes or till fish is firm and cooked. Stir in coconut milk, reduce heat and simmer for a minute. Garnish with chopped coriander leaves and serve hot accompanied with steamed rice.

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AATTU KAAL SOUP

Lamb trotter soup Preparation Time : 18 minutes Cooking Time : 6 hours 15 minutes

Ingredients

Lamb trotters (paya) 8-12 Turmeric powder 1/2 teaspoon Salt to taste Tomato 1 medium Sambhar onions 10 Ginger 1 inch piece Garlic 4-6 cloves Green chillies 2 Fresh coriander leaves 1/2 bunch Curry leaves 10-12 leaves Coconut, scraped 1/2 cup Star anise 2 Bay leaves 2 Cinnamon 1 inch stick Asafoetida 1/4 teaspoon Sesame oil (til oil) 4 tablespoons Lemon juice 1 tablespoon Masala powder Whole dry red chillies 4 Fennel seeds (saunf) 1 tablespoon Cumin seeds 1 teaspoon Coriander seeds 1 tablespoon Black peppercorns 1/2 teaspoon

Method

Scrub, clean and wash trotters thoroughly and drain. Boil the trotters in sufficient water with one fourth teaspoon turmeric powder, salt. Blanch the trotters over rapid heat for five minutes, remove and wash. This will remove the dirt from the trotters. Peel and wash sambar onions. Wash and roughly chop tomatoes. Peel and chop ginger and garlic together roughly. Remove stems, wash and slit green chillies. Clean, wash and finely chop coriander and curry leaves. Grind scraped coconut in one-cup warm water, squeeze and extract thick coconut milk and reserve. Dry roast masala items and pound to a coarse powder Heat oil in a vessel add star anise, bay leaves, cinnamon and fry till the flavor is released. Add the trotters and sauté till light brown. Add ginger, garlic, sambar onions, green chillies and curry leaves. Keep stirring. Sprinkle the masala powder, remaining turmeric powder and asafoetida and continue cooking. Add the chopped tomatoes, chopped fresh coriander, salt and about two liters water. Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer for at least four to six hours. The soup quantity should have reduced by half by now. Remove the trotters carefully and keep aside. Strain the soup, pressing the residue to extract all the flavors. Reheat the soup, add coconut milk, check seasoning and serve piping hot poured over the trotters with a lemon wedge.

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Tip

* Fruit will keep better if you don’t wash it until just before serving.

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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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DHABI FISH

Fish marinated in spiced yogurt and cooked with onions and other spices Preparation Time : 25 minutes Cooking Time : 15 minutes

Ingredients

Rohu fish, 1 inch pieces 400 grams Yogurt, whisked 1 cup Turmeric powder 1 teaspoon Salt to taste Garam masala powder 1 teaspoon Oil 1 tablespoon Onions, chopped 3 medium Ginger paste 1 tablespoon Garlic paste 1 tablespoon Green chillies, chopped 3

Method

Take yogurt in a bowl, add turmeric powder, salt and garam masala powder, mix well and marinate the fish pieces in this mixture for fifteen minutes.Heat oil, add onion, sauté until soft. Add ginger paste, garlic paste and green chillies, sauté for two to three minutes. Add fish along with marinade and cook for five to seven minutes or until done. Serve hot.

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CRAB SUKHE

Crabs cooked with onions, ginger, garlic and malvani masala - a lip smacking dish Preparation Time : 30 minutes Cooking Time : 30 minutes

Ingredients

Crabs 4 medium Tamarind 1 lemon sized ball Oil 4 tablespoons Onions, sliced 3 medium Ginger, sliced 1 inch piece Garlic, sliced 12-16 Coconut 1 1/2 cups Mustard seeds 1/2 teaspoon Curry leaves 6-7 Turmeric powder 1/2 teaspoon Malvani masala 1 teaspoon Red chilli powder 1 teaspoon Salt to taste Fresh coriander leaves, chopped 2 tablespoons

Method

Clean crabs and wash thoroughly. Detach and crack the claws. Cut each crab into two pieces. Soak tamarind in one cup of warm water for half an hour, remove the pulp, strain and keep aside. Heat one tablespoon of oil in a pan and fry onion, ginger, garlic and coconut and till light golden brown. Remove from heat and cool. Add a little water and grind in to a thick paste. Heat remaining oil in a pan, add mustard seeds, when they start to crackle add curry leaves. Immediately add masala paste and cook on medium heat for half a minute, stirring continuously. Add turmeric powder, malvani masala, red chilli powder, tamarind pulp and salt. Stir well and add one cup of water. Bring it to a boil and add crab pieces and claws. Cook further on medium heat for ten to fifteen minutes, stirring occasionally or till the gravy becomes a little thick. Serve hot garnished with fresh coriander leaves.

CRAB CURRY

Simple yet delicious – this crab curry is worth a try

Preparation Time : 30 minutes

Cooking Time : 20 minutes

Ingredients

Crabs 6 large Coconut, scraped 1/2 Garlic 8 cloves Whole dry red chillies 8 Cumin seeds 1 teaspoon Turmeric powder 1/4 teaspoon Oil 1 tablespoon Onion , sliced 1 large Tamarind pulp 1 tablespoon Salt to taste Garam masala powder 1 teaspoon

Method

Boil crabs and clean them, only the body and claws are used (the crab claws can be lightly cracked and the body cut into half, to facilitate eating). Grind scraped coconut with garlic, red chillies, cumin seeds and turmeric powder to a fine paste. Heat oil on medium heat and sauté onion for two minutes. Add ground masala and sauté for a minute. Add tamarind pulp, salt to taste, crabs and one cup of water. Cover and simmer on low heat for fifteen minutes. Add little more water if necessary and cook till done. Sprinkle with garam masala powder and serve hot.