Beef Casserole

Ingredients:-
1. Beef - 1/2 kg
2. Onion - 1/2 kg (thinly sliced)
3. Black pepper powder - 2 tblsp.
4. Soya sauce - 1/2 tblsp.
5. Chilli sauce - 2 tblsp.
6. Tomato sauce - 2 tblsp.
7. Vinegar - 2 tblsp.
8. Ginger (thinly sliced) - 5 tblsp.
9. Garlic (cut into small) - 5 tblsp.
10. Oil - as required
11. Salt - 2 tsp.

Method:-

* Fry onions in hot oil until brown and crip. Powder it and keep it aside.
* Wash the cut beef pieces, mix soya sauce, chilli sauce, tomato sauce, vinegar, pepper powder, salt and the onion powder with the beef and steam it in a pressure cooker for 10 minutes or until it is cooked.
* In a frying pan heat oil and fry the garlic and ginger slices to a brown colour and then add this to the cooked beef and mix and serve.

Source : Lekshmi Nair's Magic Oven Recipes.

Hyderabadi Chicken Biriyani

Ingredients:
1. Chicken - 1kg
2. Biriyani rice - 3/4 kg

Ingredients to marinate Chicken:-
1. Onions - 4 (sliced long and thin)
2. Ginger paste - 2 tsp.
3. Garlic paste - 1 tsp.
4. Chilli powder - 1tsp.
5. Green chillies - 2 (slit lengthwise)
6. Coriander leaf - 3/4 cup
7. Mint leaf - 3/4 cup
8. Lemon Juice - 2 lemons
9. Cinnamon - 1 big piece
10. Cloves - 6
11. Cardamom - 5
12. Black Cumin - 1 tsp.
13. Pepper corns - 1 tsp.
14. Salt - as required.

Ingredients for cooking rice:-
1. Cardamom - 6
2. Cloves - 8
3. Bay leaf - 2
4. Cinnamon - 1 big piece
5. Salt - as required.

Other Ingredients:-
1. Ghee - 1/2 cup
2. Oil - for frying onions
3. Cashewnuts - 1/2 cup
4. Dried Grapes -1/2 cup
5. Milk - 1/2 cup
6. Saffron - 1/2 tsp.
7. Mint leaves - 1/2 cup
8. Coriander leaves - 1/2 cup

Method:-
* Powder cinnamon, cloves, pepper, black cumin, cardamom and keep it aside.
* Fry the onions to a golden colour in oil, powder it and keep it aside.
* Marinate the cleaned and washed chicken pieces for 2 hours with the fried onion powder, some oil in which the onion has been fried, ground masala, sliced green chillies, juice of 2 lemons, ginger and garlic paste, chilli powder, salt, cut coriander leaves and mint leaves.
* In 14 cups of water add 6 cardamoms, 2 bay leaves, 8 cloves, 1 piece cinnamon, 1 and a 1/2 tsp. salt and let it boil. Add the washed rice to it and let it cook. When it is cooked, drain the water and spread the rice on a flat plate.
* Dissolve the saffron in the half cup of warm milk and keep it aside.
* Fry the cashewnuts and dried grapes in half cup ghee and keep aside.
* Cook the marinated chicken by adding 1/2 cup water.
* After the chicken has cooked and gravy thickened, remove it from the stove.
* In a heavy bottomed vessel add 1/4 cup ghee. Now add half of the cooked rice on top, then sprinkle a little of the saffron milk. Now on top of this layer the chicken with the gravy. Now layer the rest of the rice, saffron milk, coriander leaves and mint leaves. Lastly add the rest of the ghee on top. Now close the vessel with a lid, which will not allow the steam to escape and cook on low fire for 10 minutes to allow the steam to build up inside. When the steam has circulated nicely inside remove it from the stove and biriyani can be served.

Source: Laxmi Nair's Magic Oven Recipes.

Fish Molee

It is a long time since I have been able to update my blog. Today I am able to bring in one of the well known fish curries of Kerala.
Fish Molee is a kerala dish, flavoured with coconut milk. It is not spicy but has its own unique taste.

Ingredients:
1. Fish - 1kg.
2. Onions - 1/2 cup(sliced finely)
3. Ginger sliced finely - 2 tsp.
4. Green chillies - 10
5. Coconut cream or thick milk - 1 can
6. Vinegar - 1 tblsp.
7. Turmeric - 1/2 tsp.
8. Pepper powder - 1 tsp. or as per taste
9. Cornflour - 1/2 tsp.
10.Cloves - 6
11.Cinnamon - 2 small pieces
12.Curry leaves as required
13.Salt as required
14.Oil
15.Chilli Powder -1 tsp.

Method:
* Cut the fish pieces into medium size and marinate it with a little chilli powder, turmeric powder and salt and keep it for half an hour.
* Put some oil in a pan and lightly fry the fish. This helps to keep the fish intact when it is put in the curry.
* In another vessel add some oil and saute the onions. When it is brown add the cornflour, pepper powder, chilli poder, turmeric powder and curry leaves and saute a little more.
* Add some water to 1/4 can of coconut milk and make it light. Add this to the sauted masala along with green chillies, ginger, vinegar, cloves, cinnamon and salt.
Cover the vessel and cook it for 10 minutes.
* Add the fried fish pieces and let it cook for some more time. Lastly add the rest of the coconut milk and take it off the fire.

Fried Prawns

Ingredients:

1. 1kg Prawns (medium or large)
2. 1 1/2 tsp. garlic paste
3. 2 medium onions thinly sliced
4. 1 1/2 tsp. ginger paste
5. 1 1/2 tsp. pepper powder
6. 1 1/2 tsp. chilli powder
7. 1/2 tsp. turmeric powder
8. A few curry leaves
9. 2 sliced green chillies
10. Oil 5 tbl.spoons.
11. Salt as needed

Method:
* Marinate the cleaned and washed prawns in ginger paste, garlic paste, chilli powder, turmeric powder, pepper powder and salt for 1 hour.
* Saute the onions, green chillies and curry leaves in oil until slightly browned and the raw smell goes away.
* Add the marinated prawns and saute it for a few minutes.
* Cover the vessel and cook the prawns until done. Check the salt if less add as required.
* The water from the prawns should have evaporated and the prawns should nicely be covered by the masala.
* Serve it hot with plain rice or rotis.

Meen Mutta Ularthiyathu (Fish eggs)

This recipe is contributed by my cousin Ani Thomas.
Ingredients:
1. 1/2 kg Fish egg
2. 1/2 tsp. turmeric powder
3. 1 tsp. chilli powder
4. 1/2 tsp. garam masala
5. Salt - as needed
6. 1 piece of fish tamarind(Or vinegar will do)
7. 1 inch ginger sliced thinly
8. 1 onion cut into small pieces
9. 2 green chillies chopped
10.2 tomato chopped
11.5 cloves of garlic chopped
12.Oil for sauteing


Method:-

* Clean fish egg and bake with turmeric, salt and tamarind.
* Saute onion, ginger, green chillies, garlic and tomamto in oil until slightly brown.
* Add chilli powder and masala and saute for a minute more.
* Finally mix the masala with fish egg and fry as needed.