Tangy Grilled Fish Roast

"Meen pollichathu" is a trademark non-veg delicacy of us Keralites. I rekon how one of my friend, who is from Assam, visited Kerala last month and falling in looove with the dish.

 

This is not the exact way of preparation. The authentic means goes for frying the marinated fish and later steaming it wrapped in banana leaf. I have made it more user friendly, and of course, the better way - grilled it, rather than frying.

 



                                                          ...."gals"......hmmmm....

So, off to the recipe.....

For the marinade:
Chilly powder- 4 tbsp
Turmeric powder - 2 tbsp
Ginger- garlic paste - 1 tbsp
Tamarind pulp- 1-2 tbsp
Fennel powder- 1/2 tsp
Pepper powder - 1/2 tsp (optional)

For the masala gravy:
Onions chopped- 2 cup
Tomatoes - 1 medium
Green chilly - 2
Coriander leaves chopped- 2 springs
Coriander powder- 1 tbsp
Fenugreek powder- 1/2 tsp
Salt to taste

sadly..Mr. Frank and his friends...fell for these "gals" and now Resting in Peace on my counter top.

 

 

Cut and clean the fish and make diagonal slits on them. Make a paste with the ingredients listed under the "marinade" head .

 

 

 

 Marinate the fish and keep aside for ten minutes. 

 

 

Wrap in aluminum foil and grill for about 15 - 20 mins or almost done.

 

 

 

Meanwhile...in order to prepare the masala, heat oil in a pan and saute the chopped onions, tomatoes and all the remaining items in the "masala gravey" head.

 

Any marinade leftover from coating the fish can be added to the masala too.

 

 
                                              The fish would be done by now.

So, in the pan, move aside the sautes, carefully place the grilled fish and coat atop with the masala.
Cover and simmer on low heat for a few miutes, for the flavoures to penetrate the fish and be well coated.

                     Serve hot. Goes well with plain rice and a bowl of fresh veggie salad.

                                         __________________________________

Clab cleaning - a tutorial, and simple crab-stock soup

Crab meat is just ultimate !!..its tastes heavenly..but its all about getting there. To prepare it. I have had quite a few people telling me..that they love crab but not sure how to get started with it. So, decided to put something up on the very basics of Crab - from cleaning....storage..to a simple soup recipe.

 

Step 1 : Removing the Arpon

 

Usually, the crabs we get here would have its mandibles (the mouthparts at the front) removed . All the more better. Now, to what we call the APRON.

 

Flip the crab over. You'll see a triangular part on the underside near the rear of the crab That is the crab's abdomen .(called the APRON) with the excretory and reproductive organs, and you don't want to eat that  , so get your nails into the crack  and pry the abdomen open.

Inside,  see that there's many loosely attached white coloured things that don't look like meat. Those are the crab's gills, which are obviously not good for eating, so get them all off.

 

(Apron and the gills removed and cleaned)

 

Step 2 : Removing the Carapace

 

 

Chop off the last segments at the end of the legs (the crab foot/toe). You dont need those either. (left side image above)

 

Carapace is the back of the crab,and we remove it by sticking our thumb into the hole left from removing the apron and lifting up firmly. The shell will detach from the body with some guts attached. Remove and discard the leaf-like, spongy gills from either side of the body. Rinse out the greenish-brown guts (image on the right hand side above, with the carapace removed)

 

Step 3 : Seperate the legs and the claws

  

 

 

Now twist the leg at the joints to break it into parts.

 

and the next is to cut the body into half, at the centre, halfwise.

 

          

Rip off the smallaer claws. U keep it. Wash all the cut parts thoroughly in running water.

 

 

 that the cleaning part is done..you are literally, more than half way through the process....phew !

 

 

A L M O S T   D O N E  !!!

 

 

now to the stove top part. Always have seen my mummy do this - with crab and prawns, as well.

 

 Cook them in enough water with salt and pepper .

 

 

 

  Drain the stock and keep the cooked meat for future use.

 

And  what ended up of the stock was a quick simple soup. Basically, its just some veggies and noodles added into it.

 

 

Into a wok, goes a tbsp or two of olive oil.

Saute some garlic, fine julian cut carrot, sweet corn, cooked noodles (which i had beforehand-some lefotver, to be honest).

Once the carrtos are tender, add in the stock.

 

 

I didnt go for much additives, as i wanted the crab flavour to stay. Some hot and spiced vinegar, pepper powder and salt. Thats all that went it.

Mix some corn flour in water and add to the boiling soup, stirring well..to thicken.

 

Serve hott !

 

 Egg, chicken, cabbage, soya sauce... anything could go in. Feel free...

 



SSS - 08 : Instant Wheat Dosa (sweeter version)

School Snack Series - 08

A  quicky preparation for your kids school tiffin, or for evening teatime serving. This is something which i learned from my Mother-in-law, and goes well with our boys. Some mess-free eating, guarenteed.

 

 

 

You need :

 

Whole wheat - 2/3 cups

Jaggery syrup - 1/4 cup (more or less, depending on the sweetness required)

Cardamom powder - a pinch

Salt - a pinch

Grated coconut - a few tbsps

Water

 

 

You can determine if a product is whole grain by looking at the ingredient legend. Look for “whole” or “100% whole” before the name of the grain or flour to determine if the product is whole grain.

Preparation

To prepare the jaggery syrup - Boil the jaggery chunks with some water in a pot till all melted. Strain  (never miss out on that ! ) and store in closed containers for future use.

 

Mix all the ingredients listed above.

Add water just till it reaches the right flowing consistency . Not too thick..not too lose either. 
Heat a non-stick tava, apply some butter and scoop in a laddleful of the batter and swirl round with the bottom of a scoop, just like for a normal dosa.

Wait for a minute or slighlty more and flip over till both sides are well cooked.
Serve hot, as such.

 

In my kitchen, most work would go in pairs. Really helps to save time .

Sugar & Jaggery

Sugar is simplest form of sucrose, hence it is instantly absorbed in the blood and burst of energy is released. Hence, it is not recommended for people with diabetes. Jaggery on the other hand, is made up of longer chains of sucrose, therefore, it is digested slowly and energy release is also slow. Hence, energy is provided for a longer period of time and it not harmful for the body.

 

Since jaggery is made up in iron vessels, it is also rich source of iron. It acts as a cleansing agent and cleans the lungs, stomach, intestines, esophagus and respiratory tracts.

It is better to consume jaggery as compared to sugar for iron contents, minerals and vitamins present in it along with sucrose. However, if you are diabetic, you will have to control your intake of jaggery as well, as it predominantly is made up of sucrose.

 

 

His breakfast, for the day before "off to school"

Pachoru - a Keralite Christian offering

For Catholic Christians, September 8 marks the Feast of Mother Mary, or Nativity of Mother Mary, believed to be Her birthday. 

 

 

The winegrowers in France called this feast "Our Lady of the Grape Harvest". The best grapes are brought to the local church to be blessed and then some bunches are attached to hands of the statue of Mary. A festive meal which includes the new grapes is part of this day.

 

In Kerala, meanwhile, most churches would give "THIS" as an offering to the devoties , after the Church Service. Traditionally, known as "pachoru" in Malayalam it's raw rice cooked in coconut milk and served with jaggery syrup.

 



 

 

Ingredients

Raw rice - 1 and 1/2 cup

Thick coconut milk - 1/2 - 1 cup

Thin coconut milk - 5 cup

Cumin seeds - 1/2 tsp

Salt as needed

Jaggery as needed

 

Preparation

 

Pressure cook raw rice along with 5 cups of thin coconut milk, salt and cumin seeds till 2 whistles.

When the pressure is released, add thick coconut milk to the cooked rice. Boil it. Switch off the stove.

Grease a plate and pour the cooked rice to this and flatten it, keep it for sometime, so that you can cut it into the desired shapes.

 

Pachoru is ready to be served with jaggery syrup .

 

How to prepare jaggery syrup

Boil jaggery with some water on low flame till it melts completely to forms the syrup. Cool and strain before using.

 

 

Now, hope over to my Pick Quicks blog if you would  like to have a peep into OUR Parish Church Feast back home in Kerala, The Thykoodam St. Raphael's Churuch, and not to miss, the best of the most " in"music band at the moment..."The Thaikoodam Bridge".

 

 

The link "here"



Recipe source - a dear co-blogger friend Beena . Here blog in the link here

Avalose - podi - Cookies (instant no-bake treats) with chocolate and pecans

Avalose Podi (fried rice flour with grated coconut and cumin) and Avalose Unda (Balls made of this roasted rice flour) is soo typical to a Keralite household, and believe it is one of the staple items most "non-resident keralites" carry with them back from vacations. I have never had to prepare it myself, coz most of the time, it would be already prepared and ready for us , by the time we reach our paternal homes.

 

Home-made Avalose Podi in its packaging. Usually, it is taken with honey or sugar in its powder form, or mixed with honey/jaggery syrup to form balls aka the Avalose Unda.

 

Read about the making of the Avalose powder and ball versions here.

 

And this pack was there, in my pantry shelf...staying as such and to be honest, i am not than keen a fan of it...be it in any form.  So, on a wild instinct, last weekend...decided to give it a facelist...a makeover kindof.  Unlike the regular honey or jaggery, decided to use condensed milk as the liquid base. A trial...

You need ( i took)

Avalouse poowder - 2 cups

Condensed milk - 1/4 cup or more

Ghee - 1 or 2 tsp

Milk - few tbsps

Vanilla essence (optional)

Cooking chocolate

Chopped pecans

 

Thats 2 cups of Avalose podi . Not being specific on the quantity for the condensed milk. May be 1/4 - 1/2 cup, coz we need it sweet.

 

In a wok, added 1-2 tsp tsp ghee, added the powder and condensed milk mix. Warm on medium flame.

Added some regular milk, a few tablespoons, until we get the right consistency to shape it. It has cumin and grated coconut within, so didnt try with much added flavours.

 

I tried with these cookie cutters, round and star shaped, but finally decided to stick on to handshaped ovals.

Now..for the choco-touch.

 

Take the cooking chocolate in a M/W safe bowl. And mind it..do not leave it by its self..lest these mini hands would snatch it in no time.

Break to roughly small chunks and microwave on high for 1 minute. Sitr and then go less on time. Say 30 secs more.

 

 

This was about 4 cubes from the choco bar at 1 minute and 30 secs in M/W.

 

 

Stir well.

 

 

Line the shaped cookies (alright..from now on..we call them...cookies! ) and drizzle the melted chocolate in lines.

 

 

For a change, dipped one portion of the cookie into the melted chocolate and later into chopped pecans to coat over the chocolate.

 

 

There you go. Instant no-bake- Avalouse Cookies with chocolates and Pecans !!!

 

 

LoR - 06 : Inji-Puli-Idli

Leftover Remake Series - 06

 

Puli-inji  (ginger cut to tiny pieces and cooked in spices and mainly tamarind sauce) is one of the  main ingredients of the Kerala Ona-sadhya, and ask me which is my favourite of all the n number of dishes we have served on the banana leaf for the sadhya, the answer is again ..Puli-inji.  Infact, I don’t mind adding  the tangy flavouring of the tamarind in literally anything, esp upma, veggie dishes, chutneys....

 

 

Had some idlis leftover from morning breakfast and thought about some remake for it. Idli Manchurian, Idli 65….the options were various, but deciding on the flavor… you know how it is, your mind keeps wandering around your favourites (the selfish me, afterall) and some how want to bring those on board.

(no wonder i love this thing ! )



Wanted to get tamarind somehow in…that was for sure..either tamarind paste combined with something and that’s when I happened to notice some puli-inji (recipe shared above in the link) in the refrigerator. Life made easy….was what came to mind, after some thought.  

(look alikes)

And  Tamarind + GInger = Puli - Inji.

(a borrowed image of the same from google)

 

You need

Leftover idli’s, cut to small pieces

Puli-Inji (Ginger-tamarind chutney)

Chopped garlic

Chopped shallots

To temper

Mustard seeds

Cumin Seeds

Seseme seeds

Asafoetida seeds (optional)

Curry leaves

Dry chilles

 

How to:

Splutter some mustard seeds in oil, followed by cumin, seseme and asafoetida seeds.

Once tempered, add the rest – chopped garlic, onions, curry leaves and dry chillie. Saute for a few minutes till the shallots turn golden brown.

Now add few spoon fulls of the puli-inji and few spoonfuls again of water to make it loose.

 

When the mix gets to boil, add the idli-cuts and mix well till combined.  

 

Garnish with some chopped coriander leaves and serve hot as such.

Add some fried cashewnuts too for added taste.

 

 

It has all the flavours..the spicy, the tangy and you don’t even need any other side chutney or sauce for it. 

Idli-ki-kasam !!! ;) ;)

click on LoR- 05 to go to the previous post in this series.