Malabar Fish Biryani

For 8 people.
To Marinate the fish:
King Fish- 3 lb (5 big slices)or 1 1/4 kg
Red chili powder- 3 tsp
Turmeric-2 tsp
Lemon Juice-2 tsp
Salt to taste
Canola/Vegetable Oil -3/4 cup or as needed for frying the fish.

For the Masala:
Onion –6 medium ones(including one for garnish onions)
Tomato - 2 1/2 medium sized ones cut into chunks.
Green chilies –15 in number
Ginger - 4” piece
Garlic pods –10 cloves (big)
Pepper powder – 1 tsp
Turmeric powder – 1/4 tsp
Plain Yoghurt- 1 cup (thick)
Fennel Seeds(Perinjeerakam/Saunf) - 1 1/2 tsp
Cashew nuts-4
Poppy seeds (Khus khus) – 1 1/2 tsp
Mint leaves (Pudhina) - 1 cup chopped
Cilantro leaves (Dhania) - 1 cup chopped
Curry leaves- a handful chopped
Biryani Masala- 1 tbsp
Lemon juice- 1/2 tsp or juice of 1 lemon.
Salt-2 tsp Or as per taste

For the rice:
Basmati rice - 4 cups
Cinnamon (Karuvapatta) - 1 big stick
Cloves (Carambu) -6
Cardamom (Elakkai) - 4
One bay leaf, salt -1tsp.
Lemon juice- 2 tsp or juice of 1 lemon
Garnish: Cashew nuts – A handful, Raisins- A handful
Clarified butter (Ghee) – 5 tbsp or 3 tbsp mixed with 3 tbsp oil( For frying garnish onions)

Biryani Masala:
Cinnamon 2 inch piece
Cardamom 8
Cloves 8-10
Nutmeg (Jathika)-1
Bay leaves- 1
Fennel seed- 1tsp
Mace( Javithri/Jathipathri) 5-6
Caraway seeds/Shah Jeera- 1 tbsp
Star Anise-1
Dry roast all together and grind to a fine powder. Store in a tight lidded bottle and use only 1-2 tbsp for this biryani.

1.Basic Preparation: Soak the fennel(Perunjeerakam) seeds, cashew nuts and poppy seeds in a bowl with water for an hour at least. Wet grind the soaked nuts and seeds with the green chilies, ginger, garlic and very little water to a fine paste. Keep aside. Alternately, you could first powder the poppy seeds and fennel seeds and then soak and grind to make it smoother. Chop the tomatoes into cubes and slice the onions. One onion should be sliced extra fine. This one is for the fried onion garnish.
2. Marinating and Frying fish: Cut the fish into medium size pieces,wash with 1 tbsp lemon juice and drain. Marinate the fish with the chili powder, turmeric, lemon juice and salt. Keep aside for half hour to one hour. Heat up the 3/4 cup oil in a wide shallow pan and pan fry the fish fillets on medium high heat till cooked on both sides. This should take about 7-10 minutes depending on the quantity of the fish. Spread as many fish fillets as possible in the pan. The fish should NOT get crisp as in a fish fry. It should just get slightly browned. Drain onto paper towels and remove any pieces left in the oil. Drain all the oil into a bowl.
3. Rice Preparation: Clean and soak rice for 10 minutes. Drain and keep aside.Boil 7 cups of water with the whole spices and 3/4 tsp salt. When it boils, add the rice and let it cook uncovered for about 10 minutes. When the rice is still hard, with a bit of cooking left, drain the rice and let it cool.It will cook further in the baking.
4. Frying the Garnish: Heat the ghee/oil in a heavy bottom pan. Add the garnish portion of the sliced onions and fry, till golden brown and crisp. Sprinkle some sugar over the onions to speed up the crisping. This should take about 10 minutes. Remove the onions and fry the cashew nuts on medium heat till it turns brown on all sides. Drain and remove. Add the raisins now and stir till they plump up. Remove onto paper towels. Drain the ghee/oil into a small bowl and keep aside for flavoring the rice.
5.Cooking the biryani masala/gravy: Use 2 tbsp of the reserved fish oil and add the rest of the sliced onions to the sauté pan and sauté on medium heat it till it starts getting brown on the edges(about 8 minutes). Add the poppy seed – ginger garlic mixture, tomatoes, curd, lemon juice, pepper, salt, turmeric, biryani masala and the coriander, mint and curry leaves and mix thoroughly. Cook on medium heat for another 5 minutes till the tomatoes get cooked and everything comes together. Check the taste and add salt or lemon juice if needed. There should be some semi-thick gravy left. Take it off the stove.
6. Layering the Biryani: Lay the fried fish fillets gently on the gravy, taking care not to break them. Spread a bit of the gravy around it. DO not stir as it would break up the fish. Spread the cooked rice over the fish and garnish with the onions, raisins and cashews. Now pour the ghee saved from the garnish frying and the oil remaining after the fish frying over the rice in a circle. Pour 2 tsp lemon juice over it. Now cover with a lid and set it back on the stove over high heat for 6 minutes and then on very low heat for 10 minutes. Turn off the flame and let it remain covered for another half hour.
Alternately, you could layer the fish and gravy and rice and garnish as described above in a oven proof dish and bake at 250 degrees for half hour. Mix the rice with the fish masala gently and serve.
Serve with coconut chutney (biryani chammandi), Onion relish (Ulli surka), Yogurt and Papadam.
This is how the rice looks after being mixed together with masala.
Related Links: RP's Fish Biryani

Comedy guy makes bollywood funny

Check out how this guy makes the bollywood songs we take for granted look absolutely corny!

Spring Is Almost Here.....and So Is A New Tamil Portal

Photos of the tree in my yard which heralds the onset of spring. The pink blooms erupt first from the buds in the branches and then slowly fall off making way for the leaves. The whole display lasts only for a couple of weeks but we eagerly anticipate it every year! See how the flowers are almost out of their buds..

On another note, sometime back we had started an Essence of Kerala Cuisine site for referencing all the various Kerala recipes blogged so far. Revathi and Prema have similarly indexed the Tamil recipes from the bloggers into a Tamil Cuisine Site making it easier for someone searching through the familar and unfamiliar recipes in different sites. (No more trying to remember whether the recipe I liked was a kuzhambu or poriyal and then going through all the sites I know.)
Any blogger posting authentic Tamil recipes can send the links to them at the new site.

Hmm.. Now who is going to make the other portals?

Bhindi Ki Subji/Stir -Fried Okra

Okra is one of the highly misunderstood vegetables. Tossed aside as a slimy gooey vegetable, best known for thickening Gumbos and soups here, you have to eat it in its crispy form to appreciate it. The only problem is getting the okra at the right level of ripeness. They are best at the 2-3 inch size , not too thick and not hard to touch. My mom used to snap off the ends of the okra to check the freshness. If they cut off easily, they are and if they bend without snapping off, better look for another vegetable for dinner.
I can't do the snap and bend routine here so its just eyeballing that works. At the Indian Grocery here, it is a common sight to see 2-3 women or men hovering around the okra counter, sifting through, trying to find the smallest and youngest. They dig deep, they dig far into the pile, hoping to find more. There is a slight edge to their glance as one more person joins in the treasure hunt and the pace quickens. If you steady your gaze and continue searching, the best ones will be in your bag.:)

Okra with raita is summer for me, spicy, crunchy and cooling. That was my favorite lunch coming home from school. I love it with hot rotis and cold cucumber raita. And now since summer is still dancing just around the corner, an okra- roti meal may work to hasten the approach.
Try to use tender thin okras which do not have thick seeds as they don't cook easily and tend to get hard. Traditionally, this should be made in an open pan in as much oil as you like.:)There are oven methods to make it with less oil, but for this taste of summer, do it the proper way.

You Will Need:
Okra-1 pound(1/2 kg)
Dried Mango powder (Substitute with 2 tsp lemon juice)-1/2 tsp
Ground Roasted Cumin -1/2 tsp.
Turmeric-1/4 tsp
Coriander Powder-1/2 tsp
Red Chili Powder-1 tsp (more or less as you like it)
Salt to taste.
Oil for frying-3-4 tbsp
Garam Masala: 1/4 tsp
Cilantro leaves- 1/4 cup chopped
lemon Juice-1/2 tsp

Preparation:
1. Wash the okra well and dry each one with a paper towel or kitchen towel till its is absolutely dry. Cut them into small circles and keep aside. Mix all the powders (except the garam masala) with 1 tablespoon water.
2. Heat half the oil in a non-sticky pan and stir fry the spice powders on low heat till it smells good. Add the cut okra and stir well for about 2-3 minutes on high heat till the lacy threads of the okra leaves it. It is important to do this on high heat. ONlY after that, add salt and cover and cook on medium heat for 4-6 minutes. Open and taste. If it is cooked, now increase the heat, add the rest of the oil and saute it on medium high heat to dry it out and make it crispy.
3. At this point , if it is sticking to the pan, add some more oil. When it looks sufficiently brown, remove from flame and sprinkle garam masala and cut coriander leaves.
If you have the patience to hover around the stove top with constant monitoring and stirring, you can reduce the oil.
This serves 2-3 people depending on how much they like bhindi.

Happy Vishu!

Vishu Ashamsakal to all my readers and fellow bloggers. Vishu denotes the first day of the Malayalam month, Medam (Aries) and is celebrated with much fanfare throughout the state. Keralites place much importance to the Vishukkani, the first sight that strikes the eyes upon waking up on this day, believing it to influence the shaping up of the entire year.

According to the Kerala websites and wikepedia, the entire ritual has some unique facets; on the eve of Vishu, uncooked rice, a bolt of new cloth, a ripe cucumber, green mangoes, betel leaves, arecanut, jack fruit, a metal mirror, the yellow Konna (Cassia fistula) flowers etc. are arranged artistically in a shallow bell-metal vessel called an uruli which is placed in the prayer room. A lighted nilavilakku or traditional lamp is placed besides the uruli; each of the family members are roused from sleep by an elder and led with closed eyes to the prayer room, to open and view the auspicious uruli which symbolises prosperity throughout the year.

Vishu, is the Keralites’ way of wishing for prosperity that sticks throughout the year. The Keralites have an English(roman) as well as a parallel malayalam calender in each home, which mark out the months and star signs for each day.



Though I don't celebrate Vishu, I am too much of a Keralite to ignore it completely.
Traditonalists celebrate it with a sadya reminiscent of the Onam heavy duty sadya and payasams.

And today is a wet, gloomy Sunday with nothing much to look forward to. :(
Spring is still elusive and the we still can't get rid of our jackets.
So today after a hectic week long marathon in the office, it is time to celebrate the new year with a naadan lunch and a malayalam movie. So long to the frenzied slapdash dinners of the week. My spread is a rice meal with avial, olan, fish curry, fish fry and rice. The malayalam movie(or any other movie) is the equivalent of digestive tablet after a heavy meal on a lazy Sunday afternoon. Nothing like laughing to the slapstick comedy and double edged puns in the (mallu) movies to help digest the lunch. (I am not a die hard fan of the mallu movies, but I can appreciate some of them.;))
Mostly its lunch and a family movie on the holidays as one by one everybody drops off into blissful sleep.
So here we are with the whole deal. Most of you are already familiar with avial and olan and I hear groans.."not that recipe, it's what we make regularly"... but I am posting it anyway for anybody unfamiliar with it.

Avial/ Mixed vegetables in Yogurt.


Avial is a semi-dry preparation with mixed vegetables, held together in a yogurt-coconut base. Avial in my house is made with curd(yogurt) for sourness but there are versions (South-kerala)with mango or tamarind added instead of yogurt. The mix of vegetables is a combination of vegetables such as potato,yam, raw bananas and ashgourd, snake gourd etc.
Yam(Chena)-1 cup
Ash gourd(Kumbalanga)-1 cup
Raw Plantians/Bananas-2 nos
Drumsticks(Muringya)-2 nos
Potato-1 no
String or Yard long Beans- 1 cup
Carrot- 1cup
Green Chilies-4-5
Turmeric powder-1/2 tsp
Curry leaves -one srig
Coconut oil-2tbsp
Sour curds-1 cup
Salt to taste

Grind to a paste : Coconut-1 cup
Green chillies-2 nos.
Cumin (Jeera) seeds-1 tsp.

Preparation:
1. Grind together the coconut, green chillies and cumin seeds to make a fine paste, adding very little water. Keep aside. Whip the curds into a smooth blend.
2. Peel and chop all the vegetables into similar sized 2-inch lengths.
3. Cook the vegetables separately with little water in a heavy-bottomed vessel.
You can cook the beans and carrots together, the soft gourds together and the potato and yam together. Keep an eye on the vegetables as they may need more water as they cook. Add the salt, green chilies and turmeric powder while cooking.
4. Mix all the cooked vegetables gently , taking care not to break up the softer vegetables.
5. Add the coconut paste and heat through, taking care to prevent curdling. Turn off the flame and add the curds/yogurt.
6. Add the coconut oil and curry leaves while the avial is still hot and mix well. Do not heat again. It stays well in the fridge for 2-3 days but does not take well to freezing.


Olan/ Black-Eyed Beans in Coconut Milk



Black-eyed beans-1 cup
Ash Gourd(Kumbalanga)-1 cup
Green chillies-3-4 nos vertically slit
Coconut milk-1 1/2 cups
Curry leaves-5-6 nos.
Coconut Oil-1 tablespoon
Salt to taste

Preparation
Cut the ash gourd into cubes after removing the skin.
Soak the beans overnight. Pressure cook the next day for 2-3 minutes after the whistle. The cooking time will vary based on how long they have been soaked. SO adjust accordingly.
Add chopped ash gourd, salt and slit green chillies. Cook with a little water. When the pumpkin and the beans are completely cooked, pour hot oil tempered with curry leaves into it. Add the coconut milk and simmer(not boil) for 3–4 minutes. Serve with rice.

Collard Green Thoran/ Stir Fry

You will need:
I bunch of Collard Greens
Shallots- 2 sliced
Whole Red chilies- 2
Red Chili Powder-1/4 tsp (optional)
Turmeric- 1/4 tsp
Garlic- 2 cloves
Coconut- 1/4 cup.
Mustard- 1/2 tsp
Salt to taste (use sea salt preferably)
Oil- 1 tbsp

Preparation:
1. Soak the greens in lots of water for 5-10 minutes to get rid of the sand. Wash it well under running water. Let it drain thoroughly. Optional, mop up excess water with paper towels. Remove the central thick stem and chop the leaves finely in ribbons.
2. Pulse the coconut, shallots and garlic together without water in a dry grinder till it looks scrambled.
3. Heat the oil in a pan and add the mustard and then the whole red chilies. Fry till it turns translucent and then add the collard greens and turmeric. Add 2-3 tablespoons of water and keep the pan covered for over 5 minutes on low heat to wilt the leaves. They take longer to cook than regular greens so check the pan after 5 minutes and add water by spoonfuls if needed.
4. Make a well in the middle of the greens and add the coconut mix and cover it with the leaves. Let it cook uncovered on medium flame for another 5-10 minutes till all the water evaporates. Add salt and mix the coconut and leaves. Serve with rice.

Rich Chocolate Cake

I collect chocolate cake recipes like some one collecting coins or stamps. Both my mother and my mother-in-law have made an indelible impression on my son and he believes they make the best cakes. Can't dispute that, and I mostly make it their way. But I do try out every recipe that comes my way to see if it is any better.
This is my friend Asha's recipe for her favorite chocolate cake and of course I had to try it. Initially, the ingredients list daunted me and I held it thinking if I should cut down the butter or the sugar or both. The age of low fat cakes!!!An oxymoron!
Then I remembered an old Doordarshan (yes, I grew up in pre-cable TV era in India)serial where a couple made a dessert from grated carrot (Gajar Ka Halwa) from a cookery show, but substituted the Ghee(clarified butter) with oil, omitted the sugar as they were old and diabetic, and cooked the carrots in water instead of milk. Needless to say it tasted nowhere near a Halwa and they blamed the cooking show!
So this time, I made it with no substitutions, in its full fat form, resolving to eat less instead. You have to try it once. It has a melt in the mouth rich and moist quality,that I normally associate with only high end bakeries and patisseries.
I made it in the morning just before we left for Longwood Botanical Gardens in PA and could only take photos of it placed on the hood of my car on the garden's site map, so bear with the photos.The photos don't do justice to it and when I make it next, will certainly change it for a better shot. Thanks a lot, Asha, loved the cake.

You Will Need:
Sugar - 1 1/2 cup
Egg - 2
Butter - 1/2 cup (melted)or 8 tbsp
Cocoa Powder- 3 heaped tbsp.
Yogurt - 1 1/4 cup (in India, Nandini's or Nestle's 'set curd' works very well)
Soda Bicarbonate - 1 1/2 level. tsp
Sunflower/Canola Oil - 1/4 cup
Vanilla Essence - 1 tsp
Salt - a pinch (Don't add salt if the butter is salted)
Maida and/ or Whole Wheat flour- 1 1/2 cup(Mix half and half)
Walnuts/Almonds -1/2 cup ground to a powder

Preparation:
Sift the flour with the soda and salt (if using) and keep aside. Beat the eggs slightly and keep aside. Preheat the oven to 350 F or 175 C.
Powder the sugar and beat with the melted butter till the sugar dissolves. Touch it to see if there is any granular texture left. Add the eggs and mix well. Add the canola oil, cocoa powder,vanilla essence and yogurt one by one till well mixed. Use a whisk or a fork while blending. Add the flour slowly, blending it in as you go. Do not add at one go as it makes lumps which would be difficult to mix. The mix should be smooth textured and then add the ground walnuts. Adding it earlier makes it difficult to figure out if the batter is well mixed in or not.Do not over mix after the flour is added.
Prepare a baking pan (8x8 inch or cicular pan) with a coating of oil and then sprinkle a dusting of flour on it evenly. I use the disposable aluminium baking trays easily available at supermarkets.
Bake in the middle rack for about 35-45 minutes. It is cooked when a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean and the whole house smells of cocoa and butter. Cool and cut into squares.

PHOTOS FROM THE LONGWOOD GARDENS, PA.

Spicy Fish Cutlet

One of my earliest food memory is of a 5-6 yr old(me) sitting on the kitchen counter, waiting for my mom to finish frying cutlets anxiously. I ate and sometimes fought with my brother for the first one. The first greedy bite almost always lead to a game of hot potato.. too hot to swallow and too good to spit it out. When I finally managed to taste it, I was making A-one signs with my hand to show appreciation. (A-one Sign: Hold your thumb ad forefinger together to form an "o" and raise the other three fingers up.)
Since then, cutlets are a comfort food, fried and spicy, but I need it really straight off the frying pan. Now my son and better half have taken over the baton of loving cutlets, whether its meat or vegetable or fish. And now I like making them than eating them, though I love them if someone else has made them and I am at the receiving end.

The fish cutlets are an oxymoron..fish is good for you, fried is bad for you..:)..but they are so easy to make here, as all the ingredients are straight from the pantry..canned tuna, potatoes, eggs, bread crumbs.. so they get made on a regular basis. My mom doesnt't use the canned tuna for the cutlets as there is a plethora of large fish around her in Calicut. The luxury! This recipe originated with my ma-in-law and now I have adopted it as my own. It is also a good dinner item..Slap it between two slices of bread with some dressing, salad leaves and you have a fish sandwich.
You will need: (Makes 14-16 cutlets)
Light Tuna Cans(in water or oil)- 2
White Potato-2 (Approx. 3 /4 lb)
Onions- 2 medium sized ones
Green chilies- 8 (use less or more as per taste)
Garlic- 2 cloves
Black pepper- 2 tsp
Biryani Masala/Garam masala- ½ tsp (optional)
Lemon juice- 2 tsp.
Salt to taste
Coriander/Cilantro leaves- 1 cup washed, dried and chopped finely
Canola Oil- 2-3 tbsp
Egg or 1 Egg white–1
Bread crumbs- 1 cup

Preparation:
1. Chop the onions, garlic and chilies finely into tiny dices. Open the can lid completely and press into the can and drain all the liquid away. If you are using the tuna packed in oil, drain the oil seperately and use half of that for frying the onions. Else use the canola oil.

If you are using fresh fish, use a larger fish such as Salmon, King Fish or Swordfish as they hold up well. Marinate them with a bit of salt and pepper, and place them in a pan with 1 tbsp of oil, covering the pan to steam cook them. Remove the skin and bones, flake the flesh and keep it ready.

2. Heat the oil in a shallow non-stick pan and add all the onions, green chilies and garlic. After a couple of minutes, add the tuna too. Keep stirring and slightly fry the ingredients till the tuna's can smell goes away and the onions reduce in size. Add the garam masala and salt. This should take about 6-8 minutes. Take care not to let the mix stick to the pan and not to add too much oil in the beginning itself. You can always add a bit more if it starts sticking.
3. After 15mins, take the mixture off the flame and add the lemon juice, and pepper. Adjust the seasoning.
4. Meanwhile, wash each of the potatoes, wipe them dry and cover with plastic wrap. Place them in the microwave and adjust the setting for the baked potatoes. All the potatoes can be cooked at the same time. Alternatively, the washed potatoes can be pressure cooked with ½ cup water for a single whistle.
5. Peel the potatoes and mash them with your hands/potato masher or the back of a spoon. There should be no lumps. Add the fish mixture to the potato, and add the chopped coriander leaves and salt. Mix and taste and add more salt or lemon juice if needed.
6. Make lemon sized balls of the mixture and shape it into an oval or round shape.
Beat the egg (You can use just egg whites too) with a pinch of salt. Keep a plate with bread crumbs also ready.
7. Dip each oval ball into the egg and then into the bread crumbs. Give it a final shaping. Heat oil in a pan and shallow fry the cutlets till brown on either side.

This is a slightly time consuming snack and works best in large batches, so I make them and freeze them for the days when we get home from work famished and raid the freezer for anything resembling food or for impromptu guests.

Freezing Tip: After shaping them with the bread crumbs, place them wide apart on a plate or tray and freeze them for at least 12 hrs. They will turn rock solid and will not stick to each other anymore. Then, you can seperate them from the plate and collect all of them in a ziplock freezer safe bag and store in the freezer for upto 2 months. When you need to use them, remove as many as you need, thaw them outside for an hour or microwave them for 20-30 seconds(more or less as per microwave)and then fry as usual.