Shrimp Biryani...

Thanksgiving came and went. Eid came and went.:) and my hands were too full to sit down and wish you all properly. This is what happens when you decide to study in old (:) age. Everything takes second place even celebrations.
Eid Mubarak to all my readers! Happy Thanksgiving too!! Hope you all had a wonderful days on both occassions with friends and families.
I was talking to my parents and they were regaling me with incidents from the Eid lunch at my Grandpa's house with all the cousins and aunts and uncles. Eid lunch there is something I miss, even more than at my house. My grandma makes the best beef biryani ever. Though now she is old and hardly has any energy at home, she would still make everything from scratch, finely slicing to mincing to grinding the chutney on the ammi (stone grinder). No food processor or grinder for her. The house will smell of all the green leaves and green chilies chopped up, just before the fragrance of dalda and ghee takes over. She believes that dalda makes every thing taste better and that what she uses in her biryani. I never got the opportunity to sit with her and learn to cook her way so even now the mystique remains. For me and my cousins, biryani, Eid and grandparents house go hand in hand.

Eid has been quiet here.. Just another monday. But I will take that any day compared to the mayhem in Mumbai. That's all that is there everywhere, from the media to the mind. Though we here always complain that the US media never covers the world news, this is the saddest way to have the complaint answered. The Taj burning is an image that won't be ever go away, just like the cars I saw burning a eon ago in the 84 riots and people jumping off the WTC in 01. The people hurt have no relation with the senseless killers hurting them!!The terrorists have to be brain dead to inflict such damage without thought. Words are inadequate to express the anger towards those killers and to understand the anguish of those affected.

Now it's all cold and rainy outside and its one of those days that you just want to curl up with a good book or movie, with someone taking over the kitchen.:)It's almost the end of the year and almost the end of the time period I set for myself to finish my long drawn out exams and now there is so much to do and so little time. Soon it will all be over and then we can move on to bigger discussions.

So hardly feel like blogging anything. So just posting a biryani I made a while ago but didn't get around to posting. Enjoy while I hit the books again!!

Shrimp Biryani is very similar in preparation to the fish biryani..in both, the fish/shrimp is marinated lightly and fried just a bit to seal the flavor and then placed on the masala/gravy and layered with rice and baked. It's pretty simple and though there are a couple of steps, if you have more than one stove burning, the work is done simultaneously and its gets you the fastest and easiest biryani.
For 4 people.
The Marinade
Shrimp- 1 1/2 lb more or less
Red chili powder- 3/4 tsp
Turmeric-1/4 tsp
Lemon Juice-2 tsp
Salt-1/2 tsp

For the Masala:
Onion –3 or 4 medium ones( one onion is for garnish onions)
Tomato - 2 medium sized ones cut into chunks.
Green chilies –10 in number
Ginger - 1” piece
Garlic pods –5 cloves (big)
Pepper powder – 1/2 tsp
Turmeric powder – 1/2 tsp
Plain Yogurt- 1/2 cup (thick)(Drain the yogurt to thicken it)
Fennel Seeds/Perinjeerakam/Saunf - 3/4 tsp
Cashew nuts-4
Poppy seeds (Khus khus) – 3/4 tsp
Mint leaves (Pudhina) - 1/2 cup chopped
Cilantro leaves (Dhania) - 1/2 cup chopped
Curry leaves- a handful chopped
Biryani Masala- 1 teaspoon
Lemon juice- juice of 1/2 lemon.
Salt-2 tsp Or as per taste

For the rice:
Basmati rice - 2 cups
Cinnamon (Karuvapatta) -1 stick of 1 inch length
Cloves (Carambu) -2
Cardamom (Elakkai) -2
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) – 2-4 tbsp or 2 tbsp mixed with 2 tbsp oil( For frying garnish onions)
Salt to taste
Canola/Vegetable Oil -3/4 cup or as needed for frying the fish.

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 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 very little water to a fine paste. Only after that, add the green chilies, ginger, garlic and pulse to make it into a coarse 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 shrimp: Cut the shrimp into medium size pieces,wash with 1 tbsp lemon juice and drain. Marinate it with the chili powder (use Kashmiri chili powder if you want it milder), turmeric, lemon juice and salt. Keep aside for half hour to one hour.
Heat up 1/4 cup oil(even less if u are using a non stick pan) in a wide shallow pan and pan fry the shrimps on medium high heat till they just look cooked on both sides. The shrimp should just change color and NOT get crisp as in a fry. Drain onto paper towels and remove any pieces left in the oil. Drain all the oil into a bowl.

3.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 and raisins on medium heat till it turns brown on all sides. Remove onto paper towels. Drain the ghee/oil into a small bowl and keep aside for flavoring the rice.
4. Rice Preparation: Clean and soak rice for 10 minutes. Drain and keep aside. Boil 4 cups of water. Heat the ghee/oil mix and saute the whole spices and one onion. Add the rice after 2 minutes and saute that till the grains turn opaque. Add 3/4 tsp salt. Add the boiling water and stir well. Let the whole rice mix come to a boil and then lower the heat to medium and cover it. Cook it for about 10 minutes and check. If all the water seems to have disappeared but there is still water left beneath the top layer, remove from fire and just let it sit covered for another 10 minutes. It should be cooked perfectly by then.
5.Cooking the biryani masala/gravy: Use 2 tbsp of the reserved shrimp oil and add the rest of the sliced onions to the pan and saute on medium heat till it starts getting brown on the edges(about 8 minutes). Add the poppy seed – ginger garlic green chili mixture, tomatoes, curd, lemon juice, pepper, salt, turmeric, biryani masala one by one. Cook on medium heat for another 10 minutes till the tomatoes get cooked and everything comes together. Add the coriander, mint and curry leaves and mix thoroughly. Check the taste and add salt or lemon juice if needed. There should be some semi-thick gravy left. Mix in the shrimp with this gravy. Take it off the stove.
6. Layering the Biryani: Spread a bit of the gravy around it. Spread the cooked rice over the shrimp and garnish with the onions, raisins and cashews. If you want more flavor, you could add the oil from frying the shrimps over the rice now.:) Only if you want to. Not more than 1/4 cup of oil altogether.
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. You could heat a cast iron griddle/pan or tawa and place the covered pan with biryani in it over that and let it cook for 20 minutes on medium heat and just leave it there on the tawa without flame after that for another 15 minutes.

Alternately, you could layer the shrimp 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 masala gently and serve.
Serve with coconut chutney (biryani chammandi), Onion relish (Ulli surka), Yogurt and Papadam.

That's how my dirty rice looks all mixed together. :)

Shrimp or Prawns Curry...Goan Style

No, I haven't changed the profile of my blog.. Just hopping over to Goa for a visit thru my cooking...I haven't been blog hopping and visiting all my blogger friends and trying out new recipes as I used to.... "simbly" because there is hardly any time now amidst all the responsibilities.

Meanwhile, the bathroom work I had mentioned earlier is over and after 3-4 weeks of disruption, we finally have two brand new baths and the contractors and workers out of our house. Everything is spanking new and sparkling...when there is a new addition to the family, you feel unsure and possessive...with the new bathroom, I feel protective yet awkward.

Unlike in India, where the building supplies are tucked away in wholesale areas, not very accessible to everyone, here everything is available to the common man at the one stop Home Depot. Materials are relatively cheap here but the labor costs are too high.... the direct opposite of Asian construction. So when I was describing custom changes to my desi contractor, he was all heads shaking in agreement(in the desi style of side to side..like a pendulum)"yeah yeah no problem...." since there was not much additional material cost. Then at the end, when we were settling accounts, all the small changes turned into expensive man hours!! No wonder most people here try their hand at doing everything themselves from plumbing to electrical work to painting! You would see a handyman to a contractor to a homeowner here at the shop at the same time buying the same stuff.

You have to get involved in every small decision here if you want the bathroom customized which was a fun learning experience for both of us, but was also very time consuming. It did take some urgent paint color changes, last minute runs to Home Depot to change non-compatible faucets and tiles and a hazaar other small things to look into but we are finally there...

Now everything has been cleaned but still there is the dust that's slowly settling down that is still being cleaned from every nook and corner of the house.
Anyway, it was in one of these cleaning sessions that I found a Goan Cookbook tucked away in my bookshelf bought eons ago but never used. It was a sign to try cooking in a different way from the standard Yellow curry /pacha aracha and Red Curry/ molaku chaar for fish and in the span of 2 weeks, I have already tried out 3 recipes from it successfully.. all fish.. Just like the coastal state of Kerala, Goa hugs the coastline of the Arabian Sea, and has similar weather and vegetation and Goan Cuisine is very easy on the palate and immensely enjoyable if you like fish, chicken and coconut.

I could go on and on about Goa, a place that I have very fond memories of starting with a college tour, a case study tour for thesis, a family tour but I have to get back to my work so a quick note on this quick shrimp recipe which has a long list of ingredients but is really just blending it all together and cooking at one go.

You Will Need:
Prawns/Shrimp -1cup
Potatoes-1 cut into cubes
Coconut Milk- 2-3 cup(1 cup thick and 1 1/2 cup thin milk)
Vegetable/coconut oil-2 tbsp
Green chilies-3 slit vertically
Onion- 1 small one chopped fine
Curry leaves 5
Tamarind- a walnut sized ball soaked in 1/4 cup water and extracted.(or 1 tsp extract)
Rice flour- 1 tsp
Sugar- 1/2 tsp
Salt to taste

For the Spice Paste:
Dried Kashmiri Chilies-8 (They are less spicy and add lots of flavor and color)
Coriander Seeds-1 1/2 tsp (or roasted coriander powder 1 1/2tsp)
Cumin seeds-1 tsp
Rice powder- 1 tsp
Turmeric- 1/4 to 1/2 tsp
Garlic-6 cloves

Preparation:
Soak the red chilies in warm water for 5-10 minutes and then grind all the ingredients for the spice paste with 2 tbsp of water. You could substitute the red chilies with Kashmiri chili powder and regular chili powder but blend it with the other spices to let the spices soak. I use slightly roasted coriander seeds or powder as I don't like the raw taste. Also I use half Kashmiri chilies and half spicy South Indian dried chilies for added kick. If you can, do grind the spices with as little water as possible for a better flavor.
Place the potatoes in a microwave safe bowl with 1/2 cup water and microwave it for 4-5 minutes or until cooked. Drain the excess water and keep aside.

Heat the oil in a clay pot, (chatti) or heavy pan, and saute the onions for 4 minutes. Just until it starts turning brown at the edges and then add the spice paste. Saute this mix very well for 2-3 minutes on medium heat taking care not to burn it. It's done when the fragrance of garlic and chilies spreads everywhere and you have to turn on the exhaust. Add more oil if you feel its sticking to the pan.

Then add the thin coconut milk, green chilies, boiled potatoes and curry leaves. Cover and cook for 6 minutes and then add the tamarind pulp. When the mix comes to a boil, add the salt and sugar, and then add prawns. Cook for 5 minutes and then add the rice flour mixed with 3-4 tbsp of water. Let it boil for a minute, and then lower the heat and add the thick coconut milk. Do not let it boil too much after adding the thick milk. The rice flour thickens the gravy without needing too much coconut milk and is optional.
Do try this with Ann's Chitiaps(Rice Pancakes). I had served it with Jeera Rice and fish fry.

Chemeen Ada/ Rice Pancakes with Shrimp stuffing

This is one of my earliest posts but since it is a Ramadan Iftar item, I thought of republishing it. This is also one way of making meen pathiri.i.e. without grinding the rice and using rice powder instead.

Ada, as most south Indians know, is a delicious preparation of sweetened grated coconut encased in a layer of rice paste , wrapped in banana leaves and then steam-cooked. As it cooks, the rice absorbs the earthy aroma of the banana leaves. I love the ada whether it is filled with coconut and sugar, jaggery, or jackfruit.
But the similar preparation I was used to at my household, was pathiris and pies made of rice paste, rice flour, or steamed rice. One such pie (pathiri) is the meen pathiri, rice ground to a paste with coconut and spices, and filled with fish/shrimp masala and steamed in banana leaves. While the meen pathiri is traditionally made as a pie, cut into triangles and served, I found it easier to handle the stuffing when it is shaped as an ada. Quite like a pocket pita sandwich. So it can be made either way.
I first tasted the shrimp version of the pathiri when my aunt made it and found it a nice variation from the fish masala as the shrimp adds a hint of sweetness to counter the spicy filling. So this recipe from my aunt(elama) was a must add to my collection, especially since we get more fresh shrimps here than fresh sea fish. And though I cannot recreate the flavor of banana leaves, I reconciled to making pathiris using parchment paper or aluminum foil. Not quite the same, but the contrasting texture of soft and crunchy, the mild coconut flavored rice shell and the spicy shrimp filling is just as satisfying.So I decided to blog abou the shrimp ada before the meen pathiri.


You will need: this makes about 10 adas
For the filling:
Shrimp- 1lb
Onion- 3 medium sized ones
Tomato-1 medium sized one
Green chilies- 4
Red chili powder-1 tsp
Coriander powder- 1 tsp
Turmeric- 1/2 tsp
Curry leaves- 3 sprigs
Salt to taste
Oil- 4 tbsp
For dry roast:
Coconut grated-1/2 cup
Shallots-4 small ones chopped
Fennel seeds-1/2 tsp
Green chilis-2 chopped
Preparation:
1. Wash and marinate the shrimps in ½ tsp chili powder, ¼ tsp turmeric and ½ tsp salt. Keep for 15 mins.
2. Chop the onions, curry leaves and green chilies finely .Heat 2 tbsp oil and sauté the onions, chilies and leaves in that order. When they look translucent, add the chopped tomato and the spice powders. Cover and cook for 5 minutes or till the tomatoes look pulpy and add salt. Add a bit more oil if needed. Stir and sauté till the whole mixture gives out oil and moves as one mass in the pan. Keep aside. In another pan, add the shrimp and let it cook in its own juice till all the juice dries out. Add the remaining 2 tbsp oil and let it fry for a minute or two.
3. Remove and coarsely chop the shrimps (or use a chopper) and add to the onion mix and stir together on low heat.
4. Meanwhile, in a cast iron skillet or a heavy bottom pan, dry roast the ingredients specified above, all together on very low heat till the coconut gives out its aroma and starts turning brown at the edges. Take it off the flame and pulse in a dry grinder to powder it coarsely. No water is to be added.
5. Add the powdered coconut to the shrimp mixture and stir everything together. Turn off and let it cool down before filling.

The rice paste:
Rice flour- 1cup
Water- 1cup
Salt- ½ tsp
Fennel seed powder- ½ tsp
Coconut milk - ¼ cup (or use ¼ cup coconut ground with little water)
The rice shell can be made by soaking parboiled rice and grinding it with coconut and fennel seeds to a wet paste, as RP of My Worshop has described, or you can use rice flour mixed with water to make a pliable paste as Healthy n Spicy has described.
Two reasons for using the longer method of cooking the rice flour. a) so that it remains super soft the next day also. b) To make it easier to roll it out thinly.
6. Heat the water with salt till it boils and then add the rice flour. Do not stir. Turn off the flame and keep it covered for 5 minutes. Open it and stir in with the handle of a spoon and cover it again for 5 more minutes. Spread the flour mix onto a mixing plate and let it cool down. Add the coconut milk/ground and fennel powder and then knead it into dough. It will be a little sticky to begin with but as the dough comes together, it gets easier. The final consistency is a little wet as compared to a bread or a chappathi dough.
7. Cut parchment paper into suitable size squares. Place a lemon size ball on the paper and flatten it with the heel of the hand (like doing karate chops) to avoid sticking to the hand. If that is difficult, place another parchment paper over it and roll it with a rolling pin to a palm sized disc. Remove the top paper carefully. Place 2 tbsp of the filling on one half of the dough and gently fold over the other side (with paper) to align exactly at the edges and seal the edges, pressing down on the paper.
Check out Priya's kitchen for a wonderful description of the ada with emphasis on steaming and parchment paper.
For steaming, use a steamer or rice cooker or any large vessel half filled with water. Place a colander or a steamer basket over the water when the water boils and reduce heat to medium. Place the adas in the basket, cover it and cook for 7-10 minutes. Let it cool down before serving.

Chemeen Vartiyathu/ Skillet Shrimps

The shrimps are based on Kerala Kitchen’s Shrimp recipe, and if you are making it, just follow her recipe ad verbatim as it is perfect. This time though, I did not fry it as much to lighten it and left it semi wet with the masala sticking to it. I also switched from the onions to shallots. Fry it with a bit more oil till slightly dry and it is too good. I have linked her recipe for those who want to try it and also posted my recipe here with the variations in it.
You will need:
Shrimp - 1/2 lb
Marinade:
Chili powder - 1 tsp
Turmeric powder - 1/2 tsp
Coriander powder - 1/2 tsp
Fenugreek powder - 1/8 tsp
Lemon juice - from 1/2 lemon
Fresh ground black pepper - 1 tsp
Salt to taste

For Dry Gravy:
Ginger garlic paste - 2 tsp
Fennel seeds - 1 tsp
Red Chili powder-2 tsp
Dried red chillies - 4
Shallots-7-8
Coconut Cuts-2 tbsp
Oil - 2 tbs
Mustard seeds - 1 tsp
Curry leaves

1. Defrost the shrimp, wash and drain. Marinate it with the ingredients for at least 1/2 hour.
2. Finely chop the shallots and coconut pieces . Heat oil in a pan, splutter mustard and add the chopped shallots, coconut and curry leaves. Add the ginger & garlic paste and fry untill the raw smell goes.
3. Now add the marinated shrimp and cook on medium heat for about 10-12 minutes or till the shrimp has changed color and the masala is sticking to the shrimp all around. Since we are not frying the red chili powder, you may need to add a couple of tablespoons of water to let the powders cook. Alternately, add one more tablespoon of oil and let it fry. Now add freshly crushed fennel seeds and fry the shrimp until done. Add the fennel seeds and more chopped curry leaves after turning off the flame.

Shrimp Fry, Shrimps, Food Blog, Indian Recipes, Kerala Recipes

Calamari/Squid Stir fry

The first time my brother went home to Calicut on vacation, he raved about this Calamari fish to my parents. It didn’t sound like any fish we were used to eating. It sounded exotic, subtle and non fishy tasting. Since he could not find the native Malayalam name for it, he went to the fish market with my cousin in search of Calamari. When he brought home this ugly looking fish, it turned out to be a squid, an average fish lost in the endless variety of big and small fish available.
A squid is a mollusk related to the cuttlefish and octopus. It has ten tentacles, and like its cousin, the octopus, it also has a protective mechanism which releases a dark ink into the water when in danger.
There in Calicut, a coastal town, you get to buy it whole, ink and all and you have to clean it well to get rid of the inky flavor. Hence, not preferred as much as the cleaned Pomfret, Mackerel or King Fish. Here it is available fresh, cleaned and ready to cook. So I find it an easy alternative to making fish. The meat is firm and white with a mild, slightly sweet/bland taste and it takes on whatever flavors are added to it. Squid is also known as calamari, its Italian name.
The squid ranges from one inch in size up to eighty feet, but the most common size for eating is less than twelve inches. Although the tentacles are edible, the body is the prime section of meat which can be stuffed whole, cut into flat pieces, or sliced crosswise into perfect rings. Squid lends itself to just about every cooking method imaginable and is often eaten raw in sushi dishes. For those who only get to buy it whole, try this link on how to clean the squid.
Also, found our that it is called Kanava in malayalam.
The most common way to eat Calamari is the breaded and fried way, with a spicy or tangy sauce which can be tomato based or cream based. We had our fill of the freshest Calamari in breaded form in Cape Cod, MA. But at home, we mostly make the spicy curry version to go with rotis. This is the way it is mostly made at home, but I added two ingredients. Lemon grass, gives the curry an added flavor and balances the spicy taste. Secondly, a bit of milk or cream is added to blend all the pieces into a sauce.

You will need:
Calamari- 2 (about 6 inch long).
Onion-1
Shallots-5-6
Green Chilies/Any hot chili-4-5
Ginger -1/2 inch piece
Garlic-4-5
Tomato- half of a small tomato.
Red chili powder-3/4 tsp (depends on spice level)
Turmeric-1/4 tsp
Lemon grass- 2 inch piece
Coriander leaves-1/2 cup chopped
Curry leaves-one sprig chopped
Milk/ Cream- 1/4 cup
Canola/vegetable Oil-3tbsp
Salt-1/4 tsp(to taste)

Preparation:
1. Crush the lemon grass to release its juices. Substitute grated lemon rind or ½ tsp lemon juice. Grind the ginger, garlic and green chilies coarsely. Chop the onions and shallots finely.
2. Wash the calamari and cut it across its length into thin circles. Marinate with ½ the turmeric, chili powder and salt.
3. Heat the oil in a sauté pan and fry the shallots and onions. When it start turning a little brown, add the ginger garlic paste, lemon grass and the stir for a minute. Add the rest of the spices and one tablespoon of water to prevent it from burning. Fry for about 2-3 minutes on very low heat. Add more red chili powder if you like it spicy but make sure it is cooked before proceeding.
4. Add the calamari and stir fry for about two to four minutes. Add the chopped tomato and continue to stir. When the calamari and the spices come together as a mass, add the cream or milk (regular milk is fine) and let it simmer just once.
5. The calamari cooks really fast so do not cook for a long time after adding the calamari. If overcooked, the calamari will turn hard.
6. Take it off the flame, add more salt if needed and add the coriander and curry leaves.
Calamari,Squid, Low Cal,Stir Fry,South Indian,

Kaya Chemmeen Kootan/ Green Banana Curry with Shrimps.

With the lentil (parippu) prices going up here, suddenly I had to do some lateral thinking to come up with non lentil curries. That’s when I came across this recipe hurriedly scribbled in my recipe book, from my in-laws last visit.
Umma had made this curry in the spur of the moment, seemingly without any effort, just tossing in a handful of shrimps into a pan of simmering raw bananas. It reminded me of the old story of the soldier and the stone soup. It is amazing how our mothers can pull off variations spontaneously. Such a simple recipe and the end result was a scrumptiously rich curry thickened by the banana’s starch. I added a very small dash of coconut milk to seal the Malabar flavor and hold the banana and shrimp together.
To entice you to try it, let me tell you that the closest approximation of the taste is of Tapioca (kappa) with fish curry. So the combination works very well. It goes well with rice and accordingly to my spouse , goes well with parathas too.

You will need:
Shrimp- 1 cup peeled (about 20)
Green banana (plantain or regular)-2 medium sized ones.
Green chilies- 2 vertically slit
Red chili powder-1 1/2 tsp
Turmeric- 3/4 tsp
Fennel Seed/Saunfperunjeerakam)-1/4tsp
Salt to taste
Coconut Milk Powder- 1 tbsp(Optional)
For seasoning:
Mustard seeds- 1/2 tsp
Shallots or small onions- 2
Curry leaves- 1 sprig
Coconut oil-1 ½ tbsp

Preparation:
1.Chop the shallots finely and keep aside with the curry leaves.
2.Peel the green banana and quarter them into ½” inch long cubes. Soak them in water with a pinch of turmeric and salt for 10 minutes. Marinate the washed shrimps in ½ tsp chili powder, salt and ¼ tsp turmeric. Cut the shrimps into 2-3 pieces if they are very big.
3. Rinse the bananas and put them in the sauce pan with1 ½ cup water on a medium flame. Add the green chilies, salt, aniseed and the rest of the chili powder and turmeric.
4. Add ½ cup more water as the bananas start getting cooked. Add the shrimps to the bananas after 10 minutes. It will take about 10- 15 minutes for the bananas to be cooked to a point where it starts breaking down. The bananas have to turn starchy and the water should look clouded.
5. Check the salt and liquidity of the curry and add more salt and water if needed. Stir in 1 tbsp coconut milk powder (blended with 2 tbsp water) and let it come to a full boil and take it off the flame.
6. Seasoning: Heat the oil in a small wok/pan and as it heats up, add mustard seeds and cover till it tops sputtering. Add the curry leaves and shallots and fry till the edges of the shallots turn brown. Pour the flavored oil over the curry.

Shrimp-Drumstick Curry/ Chemmeen-Muringakka Chaaru

This is a curry which doesn't have a singular name and rather has a list of ingredients as its identity. It is a summery dish made special by the availabilty of bits and pieces of local flavours. A piece of unripe mango, some drumsticks, some jackfruit seeds leftover from an overindulgence of jackfruit eating, and some shrimps to give it the semblance of a fish curry. Everything thats found in my parent's house during the humid summer, and everything I buy from the freezer section here in an effort to recreate the monsoon magic.

Cooking time:15 mins but preparation time is another 5 mins.
You will need:
Shrimp-1/4 kg or 1/2 lb, cleaned and sliced into a suitable size.
Turmeric powder - 1/2 tsp
Red chilli powder- 1 tsp
Coriander powder-2tbsp
Aniseed powder-1/2 tsp
Green Mango- 1/2. cut into big slices.
Drumsticks- 2 long ones, cut into 3 inch pieces.
Jackfruit seeds- 10-15 nos, without skin.
Onion- 1 medium size one chopped finely
Green chillies - 5 nos sliced
Garlic cloves - 3 cloves
Ginger-1/2" piece
Grated coconut - 1/2 cup
Salt - to taste
For seasoning:
Oil-2 tbsp
Fenugreek- 1 tsp
Curry leaves - 10 nos
Small onions/shallots- 4 nos chopped

Preparation Method
1. Wash the shrimps and lightly toss it with salt and rinse again. Drain well onto paper towels or slotted drainer.
2.Crush the ginger and garlic together.
3. Grind coconut and aniseed together with very little water and keep aside. The consistency of the paste should be smooth and not too watery.
4. Heat the oil lightly and add onions. Saute it till it turns transparent and then add the green chillies, ginger, garlic.
5. Fry for a minute and then add the mango, drumsticks, jackfruit seeds and 1 cup water. Add the spices. When the mango is cooked, add the shrimps and salt.
6. When it boils, lower the heat and add the coconut paste mixed with 1/4 cup water. Check for salt and add if needed. Simmer on low heat for another 4-5 mins.
7. Heat 1 tbsp of oil in a pan. Season with fenugrrek seeds, curry leaves and shallots.Fry for
a minute till the shallots turn light brown and pour over the curry.
Serve with rice.