Meen Curry

My idea of comfort food is Potato Chips as appetizer, followed by Meen (fish) Curry and Rice for main course and mangosteen for dessert. Weird, no? But if I have a never-ending supply of these (and unlimited books of course), I can survive on any deserted island till I die.

Err… while you’re at it, throw in those 5 people in my life as well :D

I love the way my Wallima (aunty) makes Meen Curry!
*drool*

I’ve lost count of the number of times I’ve called her up for the recipe. Each time, she painstaking drawls out the recipe over the phone, interrupted, of course, by my queries and dumb-ass doubts. I then make the dish and promptly misplace the piece of paper. Something I’m wont to do quite often. And the next time I want to make it, well, there’s yet another harried phone call. :D

Anyway, here’s her recipe… with some subtle changes by me to suit my palette.

You Will Need:
Salmon/ Shark (or any fish of your choice) – 1 pound
Onion – 1 big (thinly sliced)
Garlic – 4 pods (chopped fine)
Tomato – 2 (chopped)
Green chilly – 2 (slit)
Dry red chilly – 2 (broken in half)
Mustard – 1 tsp
Fenugreek – ½ tsp
Curry leaves – 2 sprigs
Tamarind – 1 gooseberry sized ball
Oil – 1 1/2 tablespoons
Salt as required

Powders:
Turmeric powder – 1tsp
Chilly powder – 2 tsp (or as per your taste)
Coriander powder – 2 tablespoons
Asafoetida – ½ tsp

Seasoning:
Oil – 1 tsp
Shallots – 8 chopped
Curry leaves – 6

Method Of Preparation:
- Soak the tamarind in ½ cup hot water
- Combine the powders and salt in a separate bowl with water to make a thick paste
- Heat the oil
- Add mustard seeds
- When they begin to pop, add the fenugreek and red chillies
- Stir for a few seconds
- Add the onions, garlic, curry leaves and green chillies
- Fry on medium flame till the onion turns golden brown
- Add the tomatoes and stir for 5 minutes
- Next, add the paste made with the powders
- Stir for 7 minutes or till the raw smell leaves
- Extract the juice from the tamarind and add
- Add 3 cups of water and bring to boil on a high flame
- Lower the flame to ‘medium’ and simmer for 15 minutes
- Add the fish and cook for another 15 minutes or till done
- Don’t stir once you’ve added the fish
- Once the fish is cooked take it off the flame
- Heat the oil for seasoning in another pan
- Fry the shallots and curry leaves till the onions are caramelized (make sure you don’t burn it)
- Switch off and pour it over the Meen Curry
- Cover for 5 minutes and then stir and serve

P.S. This tastes better on the second day. Just fyi.

Olan

The most precious memories of my childhood are of the days I spent with my Amamma and Ammacha (Grandma and Grandpa). They never failed to spoil me rotten with goodies and clothes… and a incredible kind of unconditional love.

Amamma was a great cook. In retrospect, I think she had magic fingers, because everything she touched translated into delectable dishes.

My favorite was her Olan.
Olan, rice and a good story would guarantee that mini-me ate in peace without throwing one of her famous tantrums :D

So here it is, a recipe for the Olan I used to (and still) love. It’s super easy, super tasty and super healthy if you avoid adding the oil at the end. Though most people make it with black-eyed peas, I prefer the plain version.


You will need:
Ash gourd – 250g thinly sliced
Green chillies – 6 to 7 slit
Salt - As required
Thick coconut milk(1st extract) - 1 cup
Thin coconut milk(2nd extract) - 1 1/2 cups
(I use tinned coconut milk. If you prefer using it too, then shake the tin well, divide the contents into two. Mix one half with 1 cup water. That will be your ‘second coconut milk’)
Curry leaves – 12 leaves
Oil - 2 tsp

Preparation Method
- Combine the ash gourd, green chillies and salt along with second extract of coconut milk in a pan, and bring to boil on medium flame
- Simmer and cook for 25 minutes
- Lightly mash the mixture with your ladle
- Add the first (thick) extract of coconut milk
- When you see it begin to boil take it off the flame
- Add curry leaves and oil and cover
- Open and stir well before serving

Chunky Butter Cookies

I love cookies! Especially home made ones. Though my weighing machine groans in silent agony each time I gobble a cookie in front of it, I cannot but give in to some devilish inner urging… every time.

Sigh!

Anyway, this is an extremely simple recipe which comes in handy when my sweet tooth’s a-calling and I’m too bored to drive to the nearest Mapco or Publix. Minimum mess, zero fuss and great taste, makes this one of my most favored ‘to go’ cookies.

You will need:
180g unsalted butter (softened at room temperature)
90g castor sugar
250g all purpose flour (maida)
Cashew nuts according to your taste
1tsp vanilla essence
Raw sugar for coating


Method:
- Beat the butter and sugar together in a bowl until its well blended and fluffy
- Add the nuts and vanilla essence
- Add the flour a little at a time and, using your hands, work the mixture to form a smooth dough
- Roll into small sausage shapes
- Sprinkle a thick layer of raw sugar on greaseproof paper/aluminum foil
- Press-roll each piece into the sugar to coat it
- Wrap and chill in the refrigerator for 30 minutes
- Meanwhile preheat the oven to 325 degrees F
- Remove the dough from the refridgerator
- Cut into thick slices and place slightly apart on greased baking trays
- Bake for 20 minutes
- Cool and store

These easily last for 3 weeks… that is, if you don’t hog them before then.

Latha's Rasam

After two disastrous years in a hostel where a breakfast of bread soaked in cold rasam *shudder* was considered avant-garde cuisine, I went COMPLETELY off rasam, concrete (aka Upma) and bread. To this day I can’t look any of these three without a shiver of repulse.

And then, one afternoon, Latha (our maid back home) cheated me into tasting her ‘special’ rasam. And I was hooked. This is probably the only rasam I will ever have. Not that the others taste bad, but just that parts of my taste buds are still hiding under the table in my old hostel refectory… hoping against hope that Mother Superior won’t catch them ;)

Anyway, for this rasam, you will need:
Tomatoes – 4, chopped
A small gooseberry-sized piece of tamarind
Turmeric powder - 1/4th teaspoon
Water - 4 cups
Mustard - 1 teaspoon
Shallots - 4,finely chopped
Red chilly - 1 dry
Chopped coriander leaves – 2 tablespoons
Salt to taste

To Grind:
Peppercorn - 1 tablespoon
Cumin seeds - 1 tablespoon
Red chillies - 4 dry
A few curry leaves
A few sprigs of coriander leaves
Garlic pods - 4
Asafoetida - ½ teaspoon


Method Of Preparation:
- Boil chopped tomatoes, turmeric powder, tamarind and water for 7-8 minutes on a medium flame, or until tomatoes are cooked
- Cool and blend it in a mixer/mixie/blender
- Strain the juice and discard the pulp
- Dry grind all the ingredients (under ‘to grind’) without frying them.
- Heat a pan and add 1 ½ teaspoon oil
- Add mustard seeds
- When they begin to pop add the dry chilly and scallions
- Sauté for a few minutes till the shallots turn golden brown
- Add the ground masala and sauté on low-medium flame for 3 minutes
- Add the tomato juice and salt
- Boil till it start to froth
- Remove from flame and garnish with chopped coriander leaves