Pulao ( South indian recipe)

Ingredients:

2 cups raw rice (cook such that each grain is separate, spread to cool)

1/2 tsp turmeric/haldi/pasupu

15-20 fresh curry leaves

salt to taste

large lemon sized tamarind (soak in a cup of hot water and extract pulp)

1 tsp jaggery or brown sugar

1 tbsp channa dal (split bengal gram)

1 tbsp urad dal/minappapu/split black gram

1 tsp teaspoon mustard seeds

1 tsp cumin seeds

3-4 medium dry red chilli

4-5 green chillis slit length wise

1 1/2 tsps finely chopped ginger

1/4 tsp hing/asafoetida/inguva

1 1/2 tbsp roasted sesame seeds pwd

2 fistfuls roasted peanuts

3 tbsps oil

Method:-

Sprinkle turmeric pwd, salt, a tbsp of oil and few fresh curry leaves to the cooked and cooled rice and keep aside.
Heat the remaining oil in a cooking vessel, add the mustard seeds and let them splutter. Add dry red chillis, cumin seeds, channa dal, urad dal and fry for a minute till light brown. Next add the slit green chillis, ginger, asafoetida and few curry leaves and fry for a few seconds.
Add the tamarind extract and jaggery and cook till the raw smell of tamarind disappears, approx 5-7 mts. It will be a like a thick but flowing paste. Remove from heat.
Add the cooked tamarind mix and combine well such that its spread all over the rice. Adjust salt. Finally sprinkle the roasted sesame seeds pwd and roasted peanuts and combine well. Let it sit for at least 3-4 hours for the flavors to set in.
Serve with appadam/chips, majjiga mirapakaayalu (sun dried chillis) and yogurt. Makes a complete meal.

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.

Sooji ka Dhokla

Ingredient

1 cup sooji or ready made packet

3 - 4 tbsp dahi

Green chillies finely chopped (optional)

2 tsp Ginger paste (optional)

2 tbsp oil

10 fl.oz water

3 tsp rye

1 - 2 tsp red mirchi (Chili)powder

A few green chilies slit lengthwise for garnish

Dhania (coriander) finely chopped for garnish

1 teaspoon of Eno fruit salt or baking soda

Salt as per taste

Method


Mix sooji, oil, water, dahi, ginger paste, chopped green chilies and keep aside for about 20 minutes. Pour some water in a vessel preferably a pressure cooker and heat it. Grease another vessel that will fit inside the cooker. Just before pouring the mixture, add the eno, mix and pour. Cover with a lid and let it steam. If you are using a pressure cooker, it’s easier to let the steam out. Else, use a lid which has a hole in it so as to let the steam escape. Cook for about 20 minutes. Check by inserting a knife or a tooth pick to see if the mixture sticks to it. If it doesn’t, then the dhokla has cooked through. Sprinkle some mirchi powder while they are hot so that they can stick to the dhokla. Heat oil in a small pan, add rye, let it splutter, then add the green chilies. Pour this mix over the top of the dhokla. Let it cool a few minutes and then cut it first lengthwise, then perpendicular to get that diamond shape. Garnish with chopped dhania.

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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CHETTINADU KOZHI SAMBAR

Spicy, mouth watering chicken preparation with arhar/ toor dal Preparation Time : 3 hours Cooking Time : 12 minutes

Ingredients

Chicken 800 grams Turmeric powder 1/2 teaspoon Salt to taste Split pigeon pea (toor dal/arhar dal) 1/4 cup Tamarind a lemon sized ball Sesame oil (til oil) 6 tablespoons Star anise 2 Cloves 4 Cinnamon 2 inch stick Whole dry red chillies 2 Curry leaves 10-12 leaves Onions, chopped 2 medium Fresh coriander leaves, chopped bunch 1/4 medium Ginger 1 inch piece Garlic 8 cloves Whole dry red chillies 6 Coriander seeds 1 tablespoon Black peppercorns 1/2 teaspoon Split Bengal gram (chana dal) 1 tablespoon Green chilli 4

Method

Cut the chicken into medium size pieces (approximately sixteen to eighteen pieces). Marinate in turmeric powder and salt for three hours preferably in the refrigerator. Boil toor dal in two cups of water till soft and fully cooked. Soak tamarind in one-cup of warm water. Remove the pulp, strain and keep aside. Heat two tablespoons of oil and fry the masala ingredients till light brown. Cool and grind to a paste. Heat the remaining oil in a thick vessel and temper with star anise, cloves, cinnamon, red chillies and curry leaves. Add onions and fry till light brown. Put in chicken, masala paste and sauté for two minutes. Add tamarind pulp, stir and simmer till the chicken is almost done. Add the cooked dal along with the water and cook till it combines and thickens to a curry consistency. Garnish with chopped coriander leaves and serve hot.

KUZHI PANIYARAM

A soft and tasty flavoured form of appe made with dosa/idli batter

Preparation Time : 10-12 hours

Cooking Time : 15-20 minutes

Ingredients

Rice 1 cup Parboiled rice (ukda) 1 cup Split black gram skinless (dhuli urad dal) 1/2 cup Fenugreek seeds (methi dana) 1/4 teaspoon Salt to taste Oil 2 teaspoons + for cooking Mustard seeds 1/4 teaspoon Cumin seeds 1/4 teaspoon Curry leaves, chopped 10-12 Onion , finely chopped 1 large Green chillies, finely chopped 2-3

Method

Soak rice, ukda chawal and urad dal with fenugreek seeds in six cups of water for at least five hours. Drain and grind. Ensure that the batter is not too smooth. Add salt, mix well and allow it to ferment overnight.Heat two teaspoons oil in a pan, add mustard seeds, cumin seeds, curry leaves, onion and green chillies. Sauté for two to three minutes. Add tempering to the batter. Mix well. Heat the paniyaram tawa over medium heat and grease each dent with a little oil. Pour a ladleful of batter in each dent, drizzle oil and cook for four to five minutes till the underside is done. Turn them over using a spoon and drizzle a little more oil and continue to cook for three to four minutes or until both the sides are evenly cooked. Prepare more paniyarams similarly. Serve hot with chutney.

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