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.

Crab Curry

Crab curry is one of the tasty coastal dishes of Kerala. This is one of my favourite dishes.

During my summer hols visits to grandma's house was always a treat. My grandmother lived on the banks of Ashtamudi lake and I waited for the bus to arrive at the bus stop, my eyes wanted to see the lake, the sun set, the coconut palms standing on the banks of this lake and the birds passing over this lake. It is a view that no man on this earth can give us.

The midday meal always consisted of fish in some form or the other. I am not fond of fish but the way grandma prepared it made me relish it. Fish pachcurry, fish fry, fish red curry and crab curry were my favourites. Here is the recipe for crab curry.

Ingredients:

1. 500 gms crabs
2. 1/2 coconut
3. 200 gms onions
4. 100 gms green mangoes cubed (If mangoes are not in season, fish tamarind may be used)
5. 4 cloves of garlic
6. 8 green chillies
7. 1 inch ginger
8. 1/2 tsp. turmeric powder
9. 2 sprigs curry leaves
10. 50 ml. oil
11. 1/4 tsp. mustard
12. salt as required

Method:

• Clean crabs and cut into required pieces.
• Grind coconut, garlic, green chilles, turmeric powder and ginger together.
• Heat oil and splutter the mustard seeds. Add chopped onions and curry leaves and fry.
• Add the coconut masala and fry for 3 minutes more.
• Add the crab pieces and cubed mangoes and mix.
• Add sufficient water and salt to cook the crab curry and cook over slow fire.
• A tasty dish is ready.

Meen Pachacurry (Fish curry)

Yesterday when Rosly asked me for more fish recipes, the first recipe which went through my mind was Meen Pachacurry. This curry may be called by different names in different places in Kerala.
I remember the excitement I used to get when my family used to pack our bags for our long awaited summer holidays. It used to be a tiring trip. We lived in Gujarat and to reach Kerala by train, took almost 3 days and 2 nights and now with the introduction of the Konkan railway, this time has been cut short. I used to get up very early on the third day and wait for Palakkad to come. There was always a feeling of happiness as soon as I entered the starting point of Kerala state. I did not want to miss the coconut trees, the jackfruit trees, the mango trees, the paddy fields and so on. This land will never lose its beauty at least from my mind. It is picture perfect. I forget my worries whenever I remember this natural beauty. I have strayed away from my topic isn't it? That is me, a big day dreamer.
The story of my meen pachacurry originates from Ashtamudi, a place in Kollam district. This is the place where my mother grew up, the house is on the banks of Ashtamudi lake. I used to go and sit near the lake to watch the sunrise and sunset. Did you ever watch the night sky near to a lake? It is beautiful and if one is lucky, one can get a glimpse of a shooting star. At night you can hear the fisherman making sounds by hitting slowly on the boats to attract the fishes.
Early in the morning one can see the boats passing by with the fishermen chattering and gathering their nets. This brings in the fresh catch of fish especially Karimeen. It is a type of flat fish with black spots. When the fisher woman brought this to our door, I was sure that I would get meen pachacurry for lunch. I love that curry. Here is the recipe.

Ingredients:

1. 1 kg fish (karimeen or angel fish or any other flat fish)
2. 1 cup Coconut shredded
3. 1/2 cup fresh green mango pieces or 1/4 cup tamarind juice
4. 5 green chillies
5. 4 garlic flakes
6. 1/2 inch ginger
7. 1/2 tsp coriander powder
8. 1/2 tsp chilli powder
9. 1/4 tsp turmeric powder
10. 1/4 tsp fenugreek seeds
11. few sprigs of curry leaves
12. salt to taste
13. little water

For seasoning:

1. 1 tblsp. oil
2. 1/3 tsp mustard seeds
3. 2 shallots thinly sliced
4. 2 whole dried red chillies

Method:

• Grind the grated coconut, green chillies, garlic, ginger, chilli powder, turmeric powder, coriander powder and fenugreek seeds to a very fine paste. Keep it aside.
• In a pan, heat oil, splutter the mustard seeds and put in the shallots and dried red chillies and saute for 2 minutes or until the shallots have turned slightly brown.
• Add the mango pieces and 1/2 cup water along with salt or the tamarind juice and salt. When you add tamarind juice add water accordingly. Bring it to boil. Put in the fish pieces and cook until nearly done.
• Add the ground coconut paste and curry leaves and let it cook till done and the curry is of a thicker constituency.
• Serve it with hot white rice.

Prawn Korma

Ingredients:

1. 1 kg. cleaned medium sized prawns
2. 4 green chillies sliced thinly
3. 2 medium sized onions sliced thinly
4. 1 inch ginger sliced thinly
5. 4 cloves of garlic sliced thinly
6. 2 tomatoes sliced
7. 50 gms of tamarind juice
8. 3 tsp. of coriander powder
9. 2 1/2 tsp. of chilli powder
10. 1 tsp. of turmeric powder
11. 1 tin coconut milk
12. curry leaves (optional)
13. 1 tblsp. oil
14. 1 tsp. mustard seeds
15. salt according to taste

Method:

• Heat oil and splutter the mustard seeds.
• Put in items from 2 to 5 and curry leaves and saute until slightly brown.
• Now add all the powder spices i.e. coriander, chilli and turmeric and saute for 1 minute.
• Add 1/5th of the coconut milk with 1 glass water and the turmeric juice.
• Add the cleaned prawns and salt, let it cook on low fire. When the prawns are half done add cut tomatoes and cook until fully done.
• Add rest of the coconut milk and let it simmer until the gravy is of the required constituency.

Kerala Fish Curry

Ingredients:

1. 1 kg fish sliced


2. 3 dsp. chilli powder


3. 1/2 tsp. turmeric powder


4. 1/4 tsp. fenugreek powder


5. 2 tablespoon oil


6. 2 dsp. sliced shallots


7. 1 inch ginger sliced


8. 6 garlic flakes


9. A few curry leaves


10. 3 pieces of fish tamarind


11. Salt to taste


12. 1 tsp. mustard seeds

Method:

• Soak and grind chilli powder, turmeric powder, fenugreek powder, shallots, ginger and garlic to a paste.


• Heat oil and splutter the mustard seeds.


• Roast the masala paste over slow fire.


• Add 2 cups of water to the masala and let it boil.


• Add the fish, curry leaves, tamarind and salt.


• Let the fish curry simmer till the gravy is of the required consistency and the fish is cooked.


• Serve it with rice.

Masala Prawns

Ingredients:

1. 500 gm prawns shelled and deveined


2. 1 tsp chilli powder


3. 1 tsp. turmeric powder


4. 1 tsp. pepper powder


5. 1 tblsp. coriander powder


6. 2 large onions finely chopped


7. 5 cloves


8. 5 cardamoms


9. 3 tblsp oil


10. 1/2 can of chopped tomatoes (fresh ones can also be used)


11. salt to taste

Method:

• Mix the prawns with the powdered spices and salt


• Heat oil in a wok or a heavy bottomed pan and add the whole spices and heat for a minute


• Now add the onions and heat until lightly brown


• Add half a can of chopped tomatoes and heat it slowly for 5 minutes or until the water has been absorbed


• Add the prawns and cook on a low heat until done.


• Serve it with rice or rotis.

Fish Cutlet

Ingredients:

1. 3 cans of tuna chunks in brine
2. 2 medium potatoes boiled
3. 1 inch ginger cut into small pieces
4. 2 egg whites
5. 1 tsp chicken masala
6. 1/2 tsp. turmeric
7. 1/2 medium onion cut into small pieces
8. 2 green chillies
9. 100 gms bread crumbs for coating
10. salt as per taste
11. oil for frying

Method:-

• Saute the onions in a little oil until lightly brown.
• Add the ginger and green chillies.
• Drain the brine and add the tuna chunks to the above mixture
• Add the chicken masala and turmeric and mix.
• Mash the boiled potatoes and add it to the fish and the rest of the ingredients and heat it until the mixture is dry.
• Let it cool slightly and then shape into cutlets.
• Whisk the egg white. Dip the cutlets in it and coat it with bread crumbs.
• Heat oil and deep fry the cutlets.
• Serve it with salad.

Fish Peera

Ingredients:-

1. 2 tins of canned tuna in brine(shredded or chunks)
2. 1/2 cup dessicated coconut or 1 cup finely grated coconut
3. 1/4 tsp turmeric powder
4. 1/4 tsp cumin powder
5. 2 green chillies cut finely
6. 1 inch ginger cut finely
7. 1 small onion cut into pieces or sliced small
8. 2 pieces of fish tamarind-washed, soaked in water and torn into small pieces
9. 1/2 tsp mustard seeds
10. 1 dsp oil.
11. Salt to taste.
12. 2 tblsp of water

Method:-

• Heat oil in a pan and splutter the mustard seeds.
• Add the onions and let it lightly brown. Then add the ginger,chillies and curry leaves and just leave it for a minute.
• Add the drained tuna, the powder spices i.e. turmeric and cumin powder and the coconut and mix.
• Add 2 tblsp of water ,fish tamarind and salt.
• Cover it and let it simmer for a minute or two.
• Serve it with plain rice.

Fried Fish

Ingredients:-

1. 1 kg Fish
2. 2 1/2 dsp. chilli powder
3. 1 tsp. pepper powder
4. 8 garlic flakes
5. 1 inch ginger
6. 20 button onions
7. Salt as required
8. lemon juice 2 tsp.
9. oil for frying

Method:-

• Clean the fish and gash it closely.
• Grind all ingredients from item 2 to 9 into a paste.
• Rub this paste on to the fish and keep it for 1 hour.
• Heat small quantities of oil in a heavy bottomed pan and fry the fish on both sides over a slow fire.
• Serve it with rice.

Kerala Prawn Curry

Ingredients:-
1. 1 kg prawns
2. 1 tin coconut milk (425 gm)
3. 2 inch ginger cut into thin julienne pieces
4. 6 clove garlic cut into thin julienne pieces
5. 8 green chillies sliced
6. 3 shallots (small onions)sliced
7. 1tsp mustard
8. 1 and a half tsp turmeric
9. salt as required
10. Oil 1tblsp

Method:-

• Marinate the prawns with 1 tsp turmeric and salt for half an hour.
• Heat the oil and splutter the mustard seeds. Put in the sliced shallots, ginger and garlic and saute for a minute or two. Put in some curry leaves and the rest of the turmeric.
• Add the marinated prawns and cook till almost done and water from the prawns have evaporated.
• Add the green chillies and cook for further one minute.
• Add the coconut milk and heat for a minute.
• Do not boil it.
• Serve with plain rice.