Simple Karimeen (Pearl Spot) Fry ( Karimeen Pollichathu)

Ingredients

1. Fish - 1 Karimeen (Pearl Spot Fish )
2. Salt - as needed
3. Turmeric Powder- 1/4 tsp
4. Pepper Powder- 1/2   tsp
5. Chilly Powder- 1  tsp
6. Coriander Powder- 1 1/2tsp
7. Ginger Paste - 3 tsp
8. Garlic Paste-2 tsp
9. Curry Leaves  , tomato pieces , onion pieces- Garnishing
10. Oil - as needed for deep frying

How to Cook :

1. Clean fish pieces well. Make fine slits on both sides of the fish  and marinate the fish pieces in salt alone for 5 minutes.
2. Slightly roast  Coriander Powder in oil for 1/2 minute. ( Till the raw smell is gone ).
3. Mix the  ,turmeric powder, chilly powder, pepper powder  and roasted coriander powder with very little lime drops to form a paste   and marinate the fish pieces in this . 
4. Marinate the fish pieces with ginger garlic paste and make sure this goes well into the slits made on th fish.Keep this for half n hour
5. Take plantain leaf cut into rectangular shape . Gently heat both sides of the plantain leaf on open flame.
6. Take a nonstick pan , Pour little oil over it.
7. Place the plantain leaf on the nonstick pan.
8.  Keep the marinated  fish on it . Fold the leaf such as to cover the fish . Cook each side  for 10 minutes on low flame.
9. Serve Hot !

FISH FRY

Ingredients :

1. Fish - 1/2 kg
2. Salt - as needed
3. Turmeric Powder- 1/2 tsp
4. Pepper Powder- 1/2   tsp
5. Chilly Powder- 1 1/2 tsp
6. Coriander Powder- 1 1/2 tsp
7. Ginger Paste - 2 tsp
8. Garlic Paste-1 tsp
9. Curry Leaves - Garnishing
10. Lime drops - as needed 
11. Oil - as needed for deep frying

How to Cook

1. Clean fish pieces well and marinate the fish pieces in salt alone for 5 minutes.
2. Slightly roast  Coriander Powder in oil for 1/2 minute. ( Till the raw smell is gone ).
3. Mix the  ginger garlic paste ,turmeric powder, chilly powder, pepper powder  and roasted coriander powder with very Lime drops to form a paste   and marinate the fish pieces in this . Keep this for half n hour.
4. Take a vessel for deep frying and pour oil.Wait for 2 minutes.
5. When oil is hot , pour each piece and deep fry each piece and Serve Hot !!

Note : You can also opt to fry the fish in nonstick pan. This way you can reduce the oil used to fry the fish.
Place a flat pan and pour  1/2 tsp oil on it . Fry each side of the fish for 5 minutes.
If you feel the fish is sticking to the pan , pour more oil.

Chocolate Cake w/o Oven

Ingredients:

1. All Purpose Flour  -  1 1/2 Cup
2. Cocoa Powder - 3 tbsp
3. Baking Powder - 1 tsp
4. Sugar- 1 Cup
5. Vanilla Essence - 1 tsp
6. Milk - 3/4 Cup
7. Melted Butter - 3/4 Cup
8. Eggs - 2 No
9. Cashewnuts and Raisins

How to Cook

1. Mix flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, sugar and vanilla essence in a bowl.
2. Melt the butter at low heat and add to the dry ingredients.
3. Beat the   eggs until they are a light pale yellow and foamy and add to the above ingredients
4. Add milk and  mix them well with a mixer for  5 minutes. ( You can also use either a blender or a ordinary mixie )
5. Add Raisins and Cashewnuts to the batter.
6. Keep this aside for 15 minutes.
7. Grease the bottom of the steel bowl with butter .
8. Transfer the ingredients to a  steel bowl.Make sure the ingredients/ Batter  fill just half of the steel bowl. 
9. Take a thick nonstick pan and on the bottom of the pan keep a plate ( i used the  steel plate which we use to close the pans ).
10. Now on top of the steel plate , place the bowl with ingredients  ( Bowl i used is a round bottomed  steel bowl )
11. Close the thick nonstick pan and cook in low flame for 45  minutes . ( The more batter you add , more time it takes to cook )
12. Make sure to check after 30 minutes first. Take a knife and press it into the prepared cake and if you dont find leftovers sticked over  to the knife , your cake is ready )
13. Wait for 30 minutes before you  take the cake from the bowl .
14. After 30 minutes , when the cake is cool , transfer the cake to a serving dish and Serve.

Tandoori chicken in Nonstick Grill

Ingredients :

1. Chicken - 8 pieces
2. Lime juice concentrated - 2 tbsp
3. Ginger Paste- 1 tsp
4. Garlic Paste -1 tsp
5. Garam Masala- 1 tsp
6. Turmeric Powder-1/4 tsp
7.  Pepper Powder-1/2 tsp
8. Cumin Powder-1/2 tsp
9. Coriander Powder- 1 tsp
10. Chilly Powder -1 tsp
11. Asafoetida- 1/4 tsp
12. Mustard Powder -1/4tsp
13. Salt as required
14. Curd- 6 tbsp
15. Oil - 3 tsp or more if required

How to cook:
1. Clean the chicken pieces. (Preferably Breast/Leg pieces) . With a sharp knife make fine slits on the chicken pieces.
2. Apply lime and salt over the pieces and keep for half and hour.
3. Mix Ginger Paste,Garlic Paste,Garam Masala,Turmeric Powder,Pepper Powder, Cumin Powder,Corainder Powder,Chilly Powder,Asafoetida,Mustard Powder.
4. Add 6 tbsp thick curd to the Masala mix, salt as required and marinate the chicken pieces. 5. Place in refrigerator for atleast 6 hours. (Read note below for additional tips)
6. Keep the chicken pieces outside for 1 hour before cooking.
7. Apply 1 tsp oil over the nonstick grill/ nonstick pan and place the chicken pieces over the pan and brush the top of the chicken pieces with oil. ( Butter can also be used instead of oil ) . Close the pan with a suitable vessel.  After sometime flip the chicken pieces and again apply oil on the top and close the pan again with a suitable vessel. Make sure you cook on low flame always. Keep this at least for 20 minutes. Sometimes it may take some more time depending on the size of the chicken pieces.
8 . When the chicken is cooked, apply little oil and fry the chicken pieces on both sides for 2 mins without closing the pan .Chicken will trun brownish after it is done.




Note:  In case you want to cook within 3 hours after marinating the chicken pieces , it is not necessary to  keep in refrigerator . You can keep it outside for 2 hours before cooking.

Ammas Kerala Chicken Curry (Naadan Chicken Curry)

Ingredients :

1. Medium Sized  Chicken  Cleaned  - 1 Kg
2. Chopped Onion - 1 Kg
3. Onion Shallots- 10 No
4. Ginger- Garlic Paste - 2 tsp
5. Chilly Powder- 1 tsp
6. Coriander Powder- 2 tsp
7. Garam Masala - 1  tsp
8. Turmeric Powder- 1/2 tsp
9. Green Chilly - 2 No
10. Oil - as needed
11. Salt - as needed
12. Curry Leaves-few

How to Cook:

1. Heat oil in a non-stick kadai. Saute the onions till golden brown in colour. 
2. Grind the onion shallots.
3. Add the grinded onion shallots, ginger garlic paste. .
4. When it gets cooked add Chilly Powder, Coriander Powder, Garam Masala , Green chilly and saute well till the nice odour of the masalas come (The gravy will look brownish in color) 
5. Add cleaned chicken pieces into the masala. Add salt , turmeric powder and mix well till the chicken pieces gets a good coating of all the masalas .
6. Add water as required ( it should just cover the chicken pieces.) and bring to boil.
7. Close the Kadai, cook for 25 minutes (Make sure you saute the chicken pieces in between as required)
8. When the chicken is cooked (chicken will be soft by that time ) add curry leaves.

Fish Curry with Coconut Gravy. (Thenga aracha Meen curry))

I got this recipe from my mother-in -law. She cooks excellent kerala style fish curry.

Ingredients: 

1. Fish  - 1/2 kg
2. Coconut- 1 Cup
3. Green Chilly- 3 No
4. Ginger  paste - 2 tbsp
5. Garlic paste - 1 tbsp
6. Turmeric Powder- 1/2 tsp
7. Chilly Powder-1 1/2 tsp
8. Coriander Powder- 2 tsp
9. Fenugreek Seed- 1/4 tsp
10. Curry Leaves - 15 leaves or more
11. Oil - 2tsp
12. Kudampuli (Gambooge) or Raw Mango

How to Cook:

1. Grind the coconut with coriander leaves to a very fine paste and keep this aside.

2. Apply 1 tsp  oil and when oil is hot enough fry fenugreek lightly .

3. Add the ginger garlic paste and cook for sometime, till the raw smell is gone.

4. Lower the flame, add the chilly powder and saute till raw smell is gone .

5. As soon as the raw smell is gone , add the grinded coconut-coriander paste  prepared in step 1,turmeric powder , kudampuli , salt , water ( 2 Cups ) and bring to boil.

6. When it start to boil , add the fish pieces , curry leaves and close the pan . Cook in low flame  and it start to boil . (Make sure by holding the pan on both sides,  you move the pan in circular motion  instead of directly stirring since it might crush the fish  pieces ).

7. Again close the pan and cook for 10 minutes.

8. After 10 minutes make sure the gravy start to thicken . Add oil and curry leaves and off the flame.

NOTE : Instead of kodampuli we can also add  raw mangoes.

Pulissery ( Kottayam Style )

  Ingredients: 

1. Curd - 2 Cups ( Thick and sour)
2. Mustard Seeds- 1tsp
3. Jeera( Cumin Seeds)- 1 tsp
4. Fenugreek Seeds( Uluva)- 1/4 tsp
5. Ginger chopped- 1 inch piece
6. Garlic chopped - 4 Pods( Optional )
7. Green Chilly-2
8. Curry Leaves
9. Salt
10. Oil

How to Cook :

1. Grind the curd, green chilly( 1 No) , Ginger (1/2 the quantity) and Garlic ( 1/2 the quantity ) just for one round in a mixie.
2. Add oil to the pan , splutter mustard seeds.
3. After it splutter , add fenugreek seeds, curry leaves,ginger and garlic chopped, green chilly, jeera and saute for 1 minute.
4. Add 1/4 cup water ,turmeric powder and saute for 1 minute.
5. Add the curd to the mixture , salt required .
6. As soon as the bubble start appearing , make sure you switch off the flame. ( it should not be over cooked)
7. Garnish with curry leaves.

Paneer Coconut Gravy

Ingredients: 

1. Paneer pieces- 1 cup
2. Thick coconut milk - 1 Cup ( Mix  5 tbsp coconut milk powder with 1 cup water)
3. Ginger paste- 1 tsp
4. Cloves- 2 pieces
5. Cardamon- 2 pieces
6. Bay Leaves- 2 pieces
7. Tomato- small sized- 1 No
8. Onion - 2 No
9. Turmeric Powder- 1/4 tsp
10. Chilly Powder- 1/2 tsp
11. Garam Masala-1 tsp
12. Green Chilly - 1 No
13. Salt to Taste
14. Butter- 1 tbsp
15. Oil - 1tbsp

How to Cook:

1. Heat 1 tbsp butter  in a pan  and saute the paneer pieces till they turn light brown in colour.Keep this aside.
2. Heat 1 tbsp oil in a pan and saute the cloves , cardamon and bay leaves.
3. Add onion to the pan and saute till onion turn translucent.
4. Add ginger paste, tomatoes to the onions and saute for 1 minute.
5. Add turmeric powder, green chilly, chilly powder , salt and saute for sometime till the masala  and tomato gets cooked.
6. Add 1 cup thick coconut milk, close the pan and cook for 10 minutes.
7. Add the paneer pieces and saute for 3 minutes
8. After it is done, add 1 tsp garam masala .
9. Garnish and Serve hot with appams.

Cheera Mezhukkuvaratti

 

Ingredients

1. Green Cheera (  cut into small pieces)-  7 Cups
2. Mustard Seeds -  1 tbsp ( Optional )
3. Onion Shallots- 8 No
4. Red Chilly- 2 No
5. Green Chilly- 1 No
6. Chilly Powder-  1 tbsp
7. Turmeric Powder- 1/2 tsp
8. Oil -as required
9. Salt- as required

How to Cook

1. Heat oil in a pan , splutter mustard seeds. ( Optional)
2. Add red chilly, green chilly ,curry leaves , onion shallots and saute for 2 minutes.
3. Add the cheera leaves, little salt  and saute for 3 minutes , close the pan and let it cook.
4. After the cheera gets cooked , transfer to the serving bowl and serve hot with rice.

Note : When you add salt to leafy vegetables make sure you add  little salt at first and after it gets cooked well  , add salt if necessary after checking for a second time. The vegetables will get reduced in quantity after it gets cooked.

You can  avoid using mustard seeds and  directly add the onion shallots, green chilly, red chilly, curry leaves to the oil .Continue the same recipe .

Cheera ( Green ) Thoran

 

Ingredients

1. Green Cheera (  cut into small pieces)-  7 Cups
2. Coconut   grated - 1 Cup
3. Mustard Seeds -  1 tbsp
4. Onion Shallots- 8 No
5. Red Chilly- 2 No
6. Green Chilly- 1 No
7. Chilly Powder-  1 tbsp
8. Turmeric Powder- 1/2 tsp
9. Oil -as required
10. Salt- as required

How to Cook

1. Heat oil in a pan , splutter mustard seeds.
2. Add red chilly, green chilly ,curry leaves , onion shallots and saute for 2 minutes.
3. Add the cheera leaves, little salt  and saute for 3 minutes , close the pan and let it cook
4. After the cheera gets cooked , add the grated coconut and saute for  2 minutes.
5. Transfer to the serving bowl and serve hot with rice.

 

Note : When you add salt to leafy vegetables make sure you add  little salt at first and after it gets cooked well  , add salt if necessary after checking for a second time. The vegetables will get reduced in quantity after it gets cooked.