Fish Biriyani

Here you go with another Biriyani special for this week, yeah its “Fish Biriyani”. It is a combination of spicy Biriyani rice with fried fish. Especially, making of this “Kerala style Fish Biriyani” is a unique process and served better with pickle and pappad (Pappadam). This Biriyani will be tastier when made with King Fish (Nei Meen) or Tilapia (Jilabi). I tried this for the first time and it made a real wonder at “My Kitchen”

Ingredients:

• Fish pieces cut into small pieces – 1.5 Lbs or 1 Kg
• Basmati Rice – 2 cups
• Bay leaves – 3
• Cinnamon -2
• Cloves – 1 Tspn
• Star Anise- 2 Nos
• Cardamom – half Tspn
• Large Onions (Chopped) – 3
• Tomatoes (Chopped)– 2
• Ginger Pieces
• Garlic Pieces
• Green Chillies chopped – 7
• Cashew nuts – one handful
• Turmeric powder – 1/2 tspn
• Raisins – 2 tspn
• Coriander powder – 3 tspn
• Yogurt – 3/4 cup
• Garam Masala powder- 1 tspn
• Kashmiri Chilly powder (optional) or normal chilly powder– 2 tspn
• Mint leaves chopped-1 cup
• Cilantro chopped-1/2 cup
• Salt – to taste
• Oil/ghee – as needed
• Lime Juice- 4 Tspn

To marinade:

• Pepper powder – 1/2 tspn
• Kasmiri Chilly powder or normal chilly powder– 1 tspn
• Turmeric powder – 1/4 tspn
• Salt – to taste

To Grind (As powder without adding water):

• Poppy seeds– 1 tspn
• Fennel seeds 1/2 tspn

Method:
Separate Frying and grinding:

• Clean and soak the rice at least for 20 minutes and set drain.
• Powder the poppy seeds and fennel seeds and keep aside.
• Heat oil/ghee in a separate pan and fry the cashew nuts, raisins and keep aside

Fish Frying:

• Grind all the ingredients for the marinade adding little water and marinate the fish pieces with the grinded ingredient at least for 30 minutes, after 30 minutes fry the marinated fish pieces for shallow fry (with less oil) and keep aside.

Cooking Rice:

• Heat little ghee in a pan and lightly fry the cinnamon, cloves, cardamom and bay leaves for few minutes. Now add the drained rice and again fry for few minutes, then add 3 and 3/4 cup of water, salt and lime juice and cook for 2 whistles and keep aside.

For Fish Gravy:

• Add oil in a separate pan fry the onion until translucent, add ginger,garlic and green chillies and saute it .Add coriander ,turmeric, kashmiri chilly powder or normal chilly powder and sauté again. Add grounded poppy seed-fennel seed powder, now add yogurt, garam masala powder,salt, tomatoes. Now add the fried fish pieces to this and donot stir for long time as fish pieces may broke. add chopped coriander and mint leaves and remove from heat.

Layering:

• In a large heavy bottomed pan, pour a little ghee and spread the rice. Then, layer the prepared fish gravy on top of it and spread the rice once again over the gravy. Add the fried cashew nuts, raisins on it, followed by rice again.

Repeat the layering process and keep the pan covered with the Lid in the stove in low heat and cook for 10 minutes. Remove from the flame and transfer to a bowl without stirring as fish pieces may broke.

Tips:

"You can replace oil with ghee in all the process.

Adjust the chilly powder how much ever you need it as spicy.

While layering if you put a wet cloth on top of the lid will give you good taste and aroma however it’s purely optional.

Adding curd is also optional but it gives a good taste.

Since no water is added while layering process, keep the flame as low as it may burn at the base."

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Rasagulla (Step by Step Photos)

Rasagulla is one of the milk or cottage cheese based sweet, served with sugar syrup. The process of making this sweet may look lengthy or tedious but when you try this once, if you will understand the simplicity.The making of rasagulla will also help you to learn how to make home made paneer. These sweet little cheese balls are loved by everyone, especially kids. I thought, scripting alone may not help you to understand the better, so, given below the step by step pictures of making these sweet Rasagulla at your kitchen.

Ingredients:

• Milk (with Full Fat)-1 Liter
• Lemon Extract – 3 Tsp
• Sugar- 2 Cups
• Water- 3 Cups
• Elachi powder- 1 Tspn
• Pistachios- 5 Nos(optional)
• Saffron- a small piece (Optional)

To Make Home Made Paneer:

• In a heavy bottomed pan, heat milk when it starts boiling add lemon extract, when it starts curdling switch off the flame( step 1 pic)
• Transfer the curdled milk to a muslin cloth, show this towards cold water and clean it so that the lemon smell will go off (step 2 pic)
• Then squeeze the excess water gently and Hang the muslin cloth for at least 20 minutes (step 3 pic)
• Now kneed the crumble mixture (step 5 Pic) it like soft and smooth dough gently with hand and make small balls.

Method:

• Apparently in a pressure cooker add water, sugar, elachi powder and boil it till it becomes thick just as sugar syrup.
• Now add the small balls of prepared paneer one by one to the syrup, close the lid and cook for 2 whistles.
• After 2 whistles, open the cooker and show the cooker immediately to running cold water, as it will take off all the heat.
• When you open the cooker, as a surprise you could see those small balls has become double in the size (Step 6 Pic).
• Store in refrigerator and serve with saffron toppings.

Tips:

"You can add vinegar instead of lemon extract if the milk doesn’t curdles.
If you are using lemon extract make sure that it should be sour enough to curdle the milk.
You can also add some ice cubes along with lemon extract while milk curdles as it will turn the Rasagullas very soft."

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Egg Kothu Parota

Most of the kids loves this recipe and even mine too :). I make this recipe mostly in weekend nights as a request from my BF :).Kothu Parota is one of a delicious dish popular in Tamilnadu, everyone would have attracted by this sound of making this Egg Kothu Parota while crossing the fast food or road side food stalls. The better you follow the process in making of this Kothu Parota makes the taste better. This is primarily made of a Parota (shredded), cooked with egg served with chicken or mutton sauce (kurma or salna).

Ingredients:

• Egg - 2 Nos
• Frozen Parota - 2 Big
• Large Onion(Chopped) - 1 Nos
• Tomato (chopped) - 2 Nos
• Coriander leaves - a Bunch
• Chilly Powder - 1.5 Tspn
• Corainder Powder - 1 Tspn
• Garam Masala Powder - 1 Tspn
• Chicken Masala Powder - 1 Tspn
• Oil - As needed
• Salt - To Taste

To Temper:

• Ginger garlic paste - 1 Tspn
• Cloves - 2 nos
• Cinnamon - 1 small piece
• Poppy seeds - half Tspn
• Curry Leaves - 10 nos
• Green chillies - 3 Nos(Chopped lengthy shape)

Method:

• Make small pieces of parota and keep aside.
• In a pan, pour oil, add all the items under To Temper List.
• Add onion and sauté for few min then add tomato, now add all the powders and salt listed under the ingredients and sauté till the texture turns into pulpy and masala sm
• Reduce the flame to low, add eggs one by one and sauté slowly, make sure the texture is semi liquid; else the eggs will role up. Saute till the egg bakes well and make sure the base is not burnt, now add coriander leaves.
• To this add the parota pieces and saute again. Switch off the flame and serve hot with raitha.

Tips:

"You can add little water before adding egg if you want gravy in it.
You can add either garam masala or the spices mentioned in the ingredients however adding both will give the real taste.
You can add a little lemon extract at the end if you want to add a sour taste in it. "

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Moru Curry/More Kulambu

More Kuzhambu is one of a very popular sauce or side for rice across southern part of India. Kerala Style More Kuzhambu is one a simple recipe made with thick curd. This makes better when you make with winter melon or white gourd or okra or pumpkin. More Kuzhambu will be more delicious than plain curd, and it is really good for digestion.

The making of this recipe differs in both the states. The one which is given below is how it is made in kerala. This is a simple curry when it served with hot meen curry will be very delicious. 

Ingredients:

• Curd- 1 Cup
• Okra - 2 Chopped (Optional)
• Winter Melon/White gourd - Chopped (1/4 Cup)
• Tomato- 1 Chopped
• Salt – To taste
• Oil- As needed

To Grind:

• Shredded Coconut- 1 Cup
• Garlic Pieces- 3 Nos
• Turmeric Powder- 1/4 Tspn
• Cumin Seeds(Jeera/Jeeragam)- 1/2 Tspn

To Temper:

• Mustard- 1/2 Tspn
• Curry Leaves- 5 Nos
• Dry Red Chillies- 2 Nos

Method:

• Grind all the ingredients under the items in To Grind list to fine paste and keep aside.
• Mix the paste in the curd with little water with salt and keep aside.
• In a pan, pour oil and add all the item under To Temper list, and add the okra and Winter Melon/White gourd, add little water(just to bake this veggies) and cook for 10 minutes covering with a lid. Add the mixed curd in this and keep in low flame just for 2 minutes or until the sides starts boiling, transfer to serving bowl.

Tips:

"Do not keep the mixture in the stove for long time, as it won’t taste good.
While adding the paste to the curd, the texture should be thick else it may turn out watery.
Adding okra is optional. ."

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Onion Bonda/Vada

I never thought making a onion bonda or vada would be this easy. Its just like a readymade food and involves no process of draining the rice for hours nor a lengthy process as well. It goes well with coconut chutney and best for a Tea Time . It’s the most important and often seen cuisine in most of the Indian Tea shops.

Ingredients:

• Gram Flour/Kadala Maavu- 100 Grams
• Rice Flour- 2 Tspn
• Rava- Half Tspn(Optional)
• Onion- 1 Large(Cut to lengthy pieces)
• Green Chillies- 2 Nos
• Curry Leaves- 10 Nos(Optional)
• Coriander leaves- 10 Nos
• Asafetida- Half Tspn
• Salt- To taste
• Oil- To Fry

Method:

Mix all the ingredients by adding water and mix well.

Deep fry it in hot oil by flipping it both the sides and transfer it to a paper towel and set dry.

Tips:

"Adding curry leaves is optional.

Adding rava is also optional but it turns the vada to crispy.

You can add a little of baking powder if you want even more crispy."

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Tiffin Sambar

Sambar is the only cuisine which is served for many varieties of food, if its rice or a tiffin item sambar goes well. When I say the word of Tiffin Sambar I remember the big silver bucket full of it served in most of the Tamil Nadu restaurants :) for breakfast recipes like idly,dosa or pongal, It’s a real time magic added to these breakfast recipes which turns the dishes absolutely tasty. It is easy to make and tasty to serve as well.

Ingredients:

• Moong Dal/Paasi Paruppu-1/3 Cup
• Onion- 1 Nos (cut into small pieces)
• Tomato- 3 Nos (with sour taste) or Tamarind (1/4 lemon size) smashed in water- half Cup
• Brinjal- 2 Small
• Potato- 2 small 
• Carrot- cut into round shape -3 
• Chilli powder- 1 Tspn 
• Turmeric Powder-half Tspn
• Coriander Powder- 1 Tspn
• Coriander Leaves
• Salt- To Taste

To Temper:

• Mustard- 1 Tspn
• Jeera- 1 Tsp
• Asafetida- Half Tspn
• Green Chillies- 2 Nos(Cut into lengthy shape)
• Curry Leaves- 10 nos

Method:

Pressure cooker moong dal for 2 whistles along with salt, after whistle goes off, add onion, tomato, brinjal, potato, carrot and again pressure cook for 2 more whistle (Reason behind is if you add all vegetables at first then it will be over boiled)

Open the lid of the cooker and cook it again in medium flame, add tamarind juice along with chilli, coriander, turmeric powder with coriander leaves and stir well.

In a separate small pan, pour oil and mustard, when it splits up add curry leaves, green chillies and Asafetida.

Tips:

"If you want reduce the time of cooking, bake all the veggies and the dal together and whistle it for 3 whistles and smash it well.

If you are using sour tomatoes then no need to add tamarind extract else, you need to use the tamarind extract."

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Chilly Chicken

This is from my Amma’s cookbooks, she prepares this so nicely and I enjoy it having when served with parota. It comprises lot of capsicum pieces and lifts up the taste and turns to a spicy dish. The name itself tempts all non vegetarians, Chicken recipes are all time favourite for all rite from kids to grannies. This is a only non veg recipe which has a combination of both crispy and semi gravy as well.

Ingredients:

• Chicken cut into small pieces- half Kg/1 Lbs
• Capsicum/Bell Peppers- 1 Large
• Green chillies(cut into lengthy shape) - 2
• Large Onion cutted into square shape- 1
• Soya Sauce- 1 Tspn
• Chilli Sauce- 1 Tspn
• Vinegar – half Tspn
• Tomato Sauce- 1 Tspn
• Pepper Coarse – 1 Tspn
• Lemon Extract- 1 Tspn(Optional)
• Oil- To fry

To Fry:

• White Chola Powder- half Tspn
• Maida/All purpose flour-1 Tspn
• Chilli Powder- 1 Tspn
• Red food color- a pinch (Optional)
• Salt- To taste

Method:

Marinate chicken along with the items under To Fry list atleast for half an hour.

After marinating, fry it till turns crispy to hot oil, transfer it to a paper towel and set dry and keep aside.

In a pan, pour oil, after it turns hot,add onion, add green chillies and bell pepper and stir it for 3 minutes, add pepper coarse  and stir again.

Now, add the fried chicken pieces into this and add Soya Sauce, Chilli Sauce , Vinegar,
Tomato Sauce and stir well again until all the sauces gets well into the chicken.

Add lemon extract to this and serve hot.

Tips:

"Adding lemon extract us optional.

Adding red color is also optional but it gives nice color to the texture.

You can also add chola powder mixed with a little water while adding the sauces to the chicken if you need a little gravy ( but chilli chicken recipe doesn’t need any gravy)"

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Kerala Fish Curry

A meal without a piece of fish is rarely seen in Kerala as we all know. My Amma makes fish curry daily at home and though I have it daily I never found a small difference the taste remains the same throughout. Its a very easiest cuisine and tasty as well. Thanks to my friends Prathista and Chitra for reminding me to post this cuisine and I dedicate this to them.

Ingredients:

• Fresh Fish (Preferably King fish/Neimeen/Nemeen or any fish)- half Kg/1 Lbs
• Green Chillies- 2
• Tomato (cut into large pieces)- 1 Large
• Drumstick- 1
• Chilli Powder – 1 Spoon
• Turmeric Powder- half Tspn
• Coriander Powder- 1 tspn
• Salt- to taste

To Grind:

• Coconut- 1 Cup
• Small Onion- 3 Nos
• Tamarind- a Lemon size
• Jeera- half Tspn

To Temper:

• Oil(Preferably coconut oil or any oil)- 2 Tspn
• Mustard – 1 Tspn
• Curry Leaves- 10 Leaves.

Method:

Wash fish thoroughly and keep aside.

Grind all the items under To Grind list to a fine paste and keep aside.

In a bowl (Not in the stove) add fishes, Green chillies, tomato, drumstick, chilli powder,
Turmeric Powder, Coriander Powder, salt and the grinded coconut paste with water (how much ever you need for gravy) and mix well.

Place the mixed bowl to the stove with medium flame, cook with closed lid for about 10 minutes and without a lid for 10 minutes or until the raw smells goes out completely and the color gets darker.

In a separate small pan, add all the items under To Temper list and add this to the fish curry.

Tips:

"Adding drumstick is optional but it gives you a good taste.

You can add water to the level how you want for gravy or you can thicken it by keeping the curry for long time in the stove.

Do not mix with the ladle after it’s fully cooked, as the fishes may broke and smudge with the curry."

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Aviyal

Sadya means a "vegetarian feast" in Malayalam, comprises of various dishes, served during most of the festivals like Onam, Vishu etc. Especially without a Sadya, Onam is not complete.  Aviyal is a main dish that makes the perfect and complete Sadya. The most common vegetables added are like plantain (Vazakaa/Vazakai), carrot, drumstick, white pumpkin (Pusanika), Elephant yam (Chena/Senai Kizhangu), Snake Gourd (Padavalanga/pudalangai). If it's difficult for you to get all these veggies at your place, you can take just the first 3 or 4 items. But I would say a perfect Aviyal should have atleast plantain (Vazakaa/Vazakai), carrot, drumstick, white pumpkin.

 

When I am writing this, I remember all Onam spent with my Ammuma every year. She makes a traditional Sadya that I remember the taste throughout my life, hope this year also I could make it with my BF :). 

Ingredients:

• Plantain (Vazakaa/Vazakai) - 1
• Carrot - 1
• Drumstick - 1
• White pumpkin (Pusanika) - 1
• Elephant yam (Chena/Senai Kizhangu) - 1
• Snake Gourd (Padavalanga/pudalangai) - 1
• Green Chillies-2
• Mustard- 1 Tspn
• Curry Leaves- 10 Leaves
• Oil- To Temper
• Salt- to taste
• Curd- 1 Spoon

To Grind:

• Shredded Coconut - half Cup
• Jeera- half Tspn
• Small Onion- 4
• Turmeric Powder- ¼ Tspn

Method:

Grind all the items under To Grind list coarsely. Grinding it for 5 secs is fine) In a pan, pour oil, when it heats up add mustard, when it splits, add curry leaves and green chillies and put all the vegetables and salt into that and sort for 2 minutes.
Now pour a half cup of water to that and cover it with a lid and bake the vegetables for 10 mins (make sure that its not over cooked).
After all the water gets dried up, add the grinded coconut and mix well with the vegetables and switch off the stove.

After it becomes cool, add curd into that and mix well.

Tips:

"Don't pour excess water into the veggies to boil, as it may over cook and smudge the veggies, however if water is needed to bake, then you can add and after the veggies are baked, filter out the excess water. Grinding the coconut should be coarse texture not as fine paste.  Curd should be added only after it becomes cool and not when it is hot."

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Ven Pongal

Venpongal is a favourite cuisine in everyone's Kitchen; however making a “tasty venpongal” is still a challenge, offcourse, taste matters for every recipe. After couple of trials, I got the way to make it best at Minu’s Kitchen :) .It gives its original taste when served with chutney and sambar adding with a Vada will makes your meal satisfied. My Amma gave me the secret of her perfect pongal by adding little milk while boiling rice. It goes well with a perfect with Tiffin Sambar which I have already posted in my blog.

Ingredients:

• Raw Rice (Pacharisi)- 1 Cup
• Milk- half Cup
• Moong dal/pasi paruppu- ¼ Cup
• Salt-To taste
• Water-2 Cup

To Temper:

• Pepper seeds- 2 Tspn
• Ghee- 3 Tspn
• Jeera- 2 Tspn
• Cashew- 5 Nos
• Asafoetida- a Pinch

Method:

Wash rice and dal together and set it dry.

Boil rice, dal in cooker along with the said milk and water adding salt to it for 4 whistles. Adjust water according to the rice.

After the pressure goes out completely, smash it well with a ladle, so that the texture will be loose and mixed well.

In a separate pan, pour ghee, when it becomes hot, add pepper seed, let it splutter and add all other items under To Temper list.

Season the pongal with the above said tempered items and serve hot.

Tips:

"Add cashews at the last while tempering else, it will become darker.

Adding milk is optional however, it enriches the taste.

Adjust water as per rice, make sure, water should be more than the usual rice for this, as this should be loose in the texture."

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Mutton Biriyani

I bet none of the non vegetarians dislikes mutton biriyani.Sundays are meant for feast and that too with mutton biriyani makes the feast complete.Biriyani are many kinds, however most of the Indians love an authentic spicy Dum biriyani.I tried this in a manner of how biriyani is made during ramzan.

Ingrediants:

• Basmati Rice- 1 Cup
• Mutton pieces- half Cup
• Onion- 1 Large
• Tomato-1 Large
• Green Chillies-2
• Curd- 1 Tspn
• Diluted coconut milk(Not thick)-1 Cup
• Lemon Extract- 1 Tspn
• Coriander Leaves-half cup
• Cashews- 2 Tspn
• Ghee- 2 Tspn
• Chilli Powder- 1 Tspn
• Coriander Powder-1 Tspn
• Turmeric Powder-half Tspn
• Garam masala powder- half Tspn

To Grind:

• Tomato-half
• Green chillies-1 full
• Coriander leaves- half Cup
• Mint Leaves- half cup

To Temper:

• Cardomon-1 Tspn
• Bay Leaves-2 Leaf
• Star Anise- 2-3
• Cloves-1 Tspn
• Cinnamon- half stick
• Poppy seeds(Kasa kasa)-half Tspn
• Ginger garlic Paste-1 Tspn

Method:

Grind to a fine paste with the items under To Grind and keep aside.

Soak Basmati rice in water for atleast 30 minutes.

Fry cashews and sliced onion in ghee separately and keep aside.

Add a Tspn of Ghee in pressure cooker, add all the items under To temper list,ginger garlic paste,add sliced onion,when it
turns golden add half chopped tomato.

Add chilli,coriander,turmeric and garam masala powder and saute well, add the grinded mint paste,curd into this and add mutton pieces
as well along with required salt.close the lid and bake for 4 whistle.

Dry the basmati rice from water and add to the mutton After the whistle goes off.

Add the diluted coconut milk along with 1 cup of water(Adjust water according to rice),coriander leaves and cook for 2 whistle again.

After opening the cooker,mix well from all the direction so that the masala mixes well with rice, now add the fried cashew,onion,lemon extract to this.

Tips:

"Adding fried cashew and onion is purely optional, you can skip this if you dont want too much of ghee.

Mutton can be replaced with chicken only difference is only 3 whistles will be fine if chicken.

You can replace ghee with normal oil as well.

You can add raisins along with cashew, which will give a bit of sweet taste( biriyani will be complete only if its spicy :) )

Add water according to the rice level, but normally basmati rice will need a little water less than the normal rice, as it will get cooked early.

Coconut milk should be diluted well and should not be thick."

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Maravalli Kizangu/Marichini/Kappa

Kappa or marichini is a malayalam word which means maravalli kilangu one of the best partner for kerala fish curry.The master chef of this receipe is my grandma, she serves me this hot with Nethilli karuvadu(Dry fish) roasted, and cannot be replaced by any other non veg receipe.There are lot of ways to cook this, however what i posted here is one of the simplest way to have as a snack at tea time or with hot white white rice and fish curry.

Ingredients:

• Maravalli Kilangu-1 Large
• Turmeric Powder-half Tspn 
• Salt- To Taste

To Grind:

• Shreded Coconut- Halg cup
• Cumin Seeds/Jeeragam-half Tspn
• Garlic-a small piece

To Temper:

• Mustard- half Tspn
• Urud dal-half Tspn
• Curry leaves- a bit
• Dry Red Chillies-2
  

Method:

Presure cooker maravalli kilangu with turmeric powder and salt for 3 whistle, dry the water and keep it aside.

Grind all the items under To Grind, not as a fine paste, just a crush in blender for 3 seconds is fine.

Pour little oil in a pan, add all the items under To temper, let it fry for a minute.

Add the grinded cocount and the tempered items to the baked kilangu and mix well.

Tips:

"You can exclude the tempering step if you dont want oil in that.

Other than with fish curries, it can be served hot with green chilly paste."

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Fish Fry

Everyday at my home my mom cooks fish, as fish is a vital receipe for most keralite families. My mom way of making fish fry is shallow frying as it doesnt consume much oil, and she fries it in coconut oil for best taste,but i used the normal vegetable oil to avoid cholesterol.

Ingredients:

• Fish pieces - preferably Mackerel will be best for this.
• Lemon Extract - 1 Tspn
• Oil - For Shallow Frying

To Grind:

• Small onion-3 Nos
• Cumin seeds/Jeeragam-half Tspn
• Pepper seeds-3 Tspn

Powders to add:

• Chilli Powder- 2 Tspn
• Coriander Leaves-2 Tspn
• Turmeric Powder- half Tspn
• Salt- To taste

Method:

Wash the fish pieces and let the size be medium as shown in the picture.

Grind all the items under To Grind and make a fine paste.

To this, add all the powders and apply to the fish pieces along with lemon extract and marinate for atleast for half an hour.

Pour oil in a pan(For shallow fry) and fry it in medium flame. Flip it both the sides, and make sure both the sides fully cooked by
the masala and transfer it to paper towel.

Serve hot with cut onions.

Tips:

"Shallow fry is best than deep frying, as this will be finely cooked with the masala and little oil will be consumed.

You can add pepper powder instead of pepper seeds while grinding."

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