Simple Fish Fried Rice

We won world cup...we won it..

I was glued to the laptop during the game, enjoyed the tension every second. And this is the winning special dish. An easy and simple fish fried rice.

Ingredients. 

Fish (Tuna,white fish, or any large variety) = 1/2 k.g. 

&

1. Long grain rice= 2 cup.
2. Onion chopped = 3
3. Oil= 1/2cup.
4. Cumin seed=1/4tspoon
5. Fenugreek seeds= 1/2 tspoon
6. Fish sauce: 1 t spoon.
7. Lemon juice=1/2 t spoon.
8. Ginger= A small piece ( finely chopped)
9. Garlic=1 t spoon (finely chopped).
10. Turmeric powder=1/4 tspoon.
11. Chilli powder= 1Tablespn
12. Salt= to your taste.
13. Garam masala=1/4tspoon plus 1/2 tspoon.
14. Soya sauce = 1/2 tspoon.
15. Pepper powder = 1/2 tspoon.
16. Ginger garlic paste = 1/4 tspoon.
17. Bay leaf= 1
18. For garnishing = dry fruits, sultans and nuts = 1 Tablespoon.

Method

1. Soak rice in water for 30 mnts and drain.

2. Cut fish into small square pieces.

3. Mix turmeric powder,Chilli powder, salt= to your taste, garam masala (1/4tspoon) , soya sauce = 1/2 tspoon, pepper powder and Ginger garlic paste well with few drops of lemon juice.

4. Marinate fish pieces with this masala and keep aside for at-least 1/2 an hour (if possible).

5. Fry the fish pieces in the oil then, fry the dry nuts in this oil and keep aside.

6. Now add cumin seed and fenugreek seeds and fry for a second, ginger garlic and stir well, now add onion and stir well for 4- 8 mnts, till it is transparent, add rice to this and stir well then add fish sauce cover this and cook for next 3 mnts in low flame. Then add three cups boiling water and salt to this with lemon juice and cover this with a lid. 

7. Cook the rice in the low flame for 20 mnts.

8. Around 15mnts add the fish pieces and stir carefully now cook the rice in open flame for next 3-5 mnts.

9. Garnish with the fried nuts.

kerala Lemon pickle/naranga achar

Lemon pickle..naranga achar a photo by {deepapraveen very busy with work..back soon on Flickr.

Lemon pickle and kanji. 
Once in my life I hate this..
Yes during my childhood flue days my amma tortured me with her Lemon pickles and Kanji... may be 20 days in a row on all most every month..see I was a very healthy child..But later I developed a strong passion for Lemon pickles, those were the times when those biriyani"s and fried rice dishes entered into my life, sharing lunch box season begN and my taste-buds started experiencing the culinary expertise of my friends mom"s..yes I rediscovered my passion for lemon pickles.

Few rains back I bought a bottle of lemon pickle(not from India) and it tasted like....and for that I paid sum. So I decided to prepare pickles myself after that not a hard job.

Ingredients. 

Good ripe lemon=10.
Asafoetida(Kayam) powder - 1/4 tsp
Fenugreek seeds(Uluva) - 1/2 tsp
Sugar=1/4 tspoon
Salt = 3 tablespoon.
Green chillies(medium) - 10 nos
Ginger(sliced) - 1 tablespoon
Mustard seeds - 1 tsp
Turmeric powder - 1/2 tsp
Garlic pods slit - 8
Chilly powder - `1 1/2 table spoon. (I used only one)
Vinegar - 1 tbsp.
Curry leaves=1 steam.
Sesame oil=1/4 cup.

Method:
1.Wash the lemon properly. Brush some sesame oil on top and steam this for 5 mnts allow it to cool and dry them using a dry cloth.

2.Then cut it to 8 pieces. If it is small lemon make 4 piece out of a single one.

3.Add salt,sugar to the lemon pieces and keep this away for few hours. (It is best if you can keep this mixture for few days on an air tight container. Add one or two lemon leaves and one green chilli silt to this mixture if you plan to keep this for few days and when you are ready to prepare your pickle remove the excess water and lemon leaves from this mixture).

4.Heat oil in a pan and add mustard seeds followed by fenugreek seeds,curry leaves, turmeric powder,ginger, garlic and green chillies followed by one by one and stir well.

5.Now you can add chilly powder and asafetida and mix well and add 1/4 cup of hot water to this mixture and bring to boil.

6.Reduce heat to low and gently add our lemon slices mixture. Mix well check the salt and remove from heat.

7. Add vinegar and mix it gently. Allow it to cool. Then transfer it to an air tight jar.

8. Pour one tspoon hot oil on top of this pickle and now u can close the jar with tight lid.

Enjoy your pickle.
would u like to have a look at my website: www.deepapraveen.com.All my images are copy righted so write to me first (madhudee@gmail.com) if you want to use them.

Puttum pazhavum/kerala steam cake/puttu

Dears,


How are you? Finished your breakfast/lunch/ dinner? Me..not yet..missing my mom a  lot now a days..and I lost my phone. what to do..need something to cheer me up.  So I thought I will post a recipe and browse your wonderful blogs.
From my archive I got this puttu picture I prepared few days back.


Puttu, is it a dish which is filled with mom"s love??? I always wonder.
There is a reason for that.
One of my favorite movies in malayalam is called Soorya manasam.  It tells us about the strong relationship of a mom and her mentally challenged son, "putturumees." The central character played by mamootty (for that he won an award) has only two passions in life one is his mom and the other thing is Puttu. There were quite few emotional scenes the movie which connects this white cylindrical shape break-fast item and a mom"s love, care and concern. Well dears, coming to business. 

What do we need?

Raw rice = 2 Cup.

Grated coconut = 1/2 cup.

Water/milk= To sprinkle.

Coconut powder= 2 table spoon.

Salt = 1/4 spoon.

Jeera powder= 1/2 tspoon (optional) .

Method:
1.Sock the rice for 3 hours. Leave it to drain. Spread it in a cloth or kitchen tissue and drain it well. Then grind it to make a fine powder.

2. Cook the rice powder for 5 minutes,keep on stirring. Then remove from heat. (You can avoid this two steps, by using ready made puttu powder, which is available in Asian shops).

4. Mix coconut powder, 1 t.spoon grated coconut and salt to the rice powder.

5. Sprinkle water/ milk to this mixture and make the powder wet. (It should look like a bread crumbs sort of mixture). If the bread crumbs sort of powder is wet and moist enough. We can transfer that to a puttukutti/ Puttu maker.

6. Put two table spoons of grated coconut + jeera in the puttu maker then add the prepared rice mixture and put two table spoons of grated coconut on top of it.
( You can put grated coconut in the middle of the layer if you want, since Mr.P is not a huge fan of this coconut mixture I avoid that middle portion filling).

7.Close the lid and steam to 4-5 minutes. (or you can see steam coming out of the puttu kutti after that an extra 2 mnt is enough).

P.S If you don"t have a puttu maker you can use a vegetable steamer layered with cloth.
You can also you an idali maker.

Best combinations for puttu:

1. Puttu+ meat stir fry( Irachi ularthiyathu)+ pappadam.

2.Puttu+pappadam+Banana/Steamed plantain.

3.Puttu+pappadam+ Ghee( Cleared butter).

4. Puttu + Kadala Curry : channa curry (all time fvrt of a mallu).

5. My recent Invention. Puttu + chocolate sauce+ Banana.

would u like to have a look at my website: www.deepapraveen.com.All my images are copy righted so write to me first (madhudee@gmail.com) if you want to use them.

Holi greetings 2011/Gujia Recipe

Holi greetings 2011/Gujia Recipe a photo by {deepapraveen very busy with work..back soon on Flickr.

Holi is a Hindu religious festival. It marks the arrival of spring, so it is celebrated during the month of march. As per Hindu calender it falls on Phalgun Purnima which comes in February end or early March. As many other Indian traditional festivals it is also celebrated to please the gods for good harvest and fertility of land. It is also time for spring harvest in india. It is famous for bonfire, throwing colors and mouthwatering food. It is observed by hindu community all over the world.In West Bengal and Orissa of India it is known as Dolyatra (Doul Jatra) (Bengali: দোলযাত্রা), or Basanta-Utsav ("spring festival")(Bengali: বসন্তোৎসব). The most popular story associated with this festival is the one with Prince Prahlad a strong devotee of Lord Vishnu. It is also associated with the everlasting love of Radha and Krishna.

Major days or activites: Dhuli Vadana: Throwing colors at each other.
Bonfire lit : Little Holi: Holi ka Dahan or kama Dhanam, the story says, Prince Prahalad was carried to fire by Holika to destroy him but he escaped from the fire because of Lord Vishnu"s Blessings.

As mentioned earlier it is a festival of food( like all the other Indian festivals) and the sweet you can see here in the first picture is called Gujia. One of the main sweets of Holi. A pretty simple and sweet snack. The chemistry behind this is simple make a pastry base, fill that with sugar+dry fruit and fry it. Well the traditional recipe is an elaborate version of this with some must need elements.
As some one away from home I don"t have access to all the essential elements,so my gujia is a bit different from the traditional version. But it taste the same.

Here we go:
For 10 Gujia
Ingredients:
Maida/all purpose flour: 1 cup.
Khoya/,mava(or burnt milk):(which I avoided: essential element of traditional recipe)=1/2 cup or
Condensed milk=1 table spoon(I used: not an element of traditional recipe).
Clarified butter= 3 Table spoon.
Ghee or oil= For frying.
Powdered sugar=1/2 cup
or
Jagari (crushed)=4 Tablespoon.
Mixed dry fruits(crushed)=3 Tablespoon.
Cardamom powder=1/4tsp
Roasted suji=1 Table spoon.
Dedicated coconut=1 table spoon.
Method:
1.Combine the flour with ghee/oil,bit sugar and pinch of salt using your fingers.
2.Make soft dough and knead it lightly. Add water if needed. Cover with a damp cloth and leave aside for half an hour.
3. In a frying pan fry the dry fruits and turn the gas off and add suji rava +jagari + cardamom powder and mix well and make small balls(7-10) and roll it in the condensed milk Now reserve it to cool.
4.Prepare equal amount of small and thick chapati from the kneaded dough.
5.Stuff the chappathi with our sweet balls. (keep it in the middle,fold it to one side, seal the edges with bit water,roll the edges a bit using your fingers and press the edges with a fork).(or you can use a gujia mold which is available in Indian stores and markets)
5.On slow fire, deep fry this gujia till golden brown.
6.Drain and leave to cool. Our gujia is ready to be served...Enjoy it.
Happy holi again to all.
....................................

Well I am surprised to see two lovely bloggers shared two awards with me, first experience for me. ~Thanks dears.

Firs one I got from Ediblearts.one lovely blog award( the one above). Thanks dear.
It is my turn to pick 15 lovely blogs..tough choice, I had more than 150 I think in my mind because all you people are so wonderful and talented. Hopefully I will get a chance to include all you people in coming days..

My lovely bloggers:

1.Taste of pearl cityTaste of pearlcity.
2.Divyas easy recipeDivyazeasyrecipe
3.Authentic Food delights.Authenticfooddelights.
4.Vidhyas food blog.http://vidhyas-goodeats.blogspot.com/
5. Zen can cook.http://www.zencancook.com/
6. My wonderful world of cooking.Mywonderfulworldofcooking.
7. Fun wid fudFunwidfud.
8. Jishaskitchenhttp://www.jishaskitchen.com/.
9. Not quite nigellahttp://www.notquitenigella.com/.
10. Yummy yo yummyhttp://www.yummyoyummy.com/.
11. Spoonful of delight.Spoonfulofdelight.
12. Kitchentantra.http://www.kitchentantra.com/.
13 Vimitha"s Blog.vimithaa"s blog.
14. Divya"s blog.divya"s blog.
15. Vegcultural creatives.Vegculturalcreatives

And the second  award I got from neenu praveen http://mywonderfulworldofcooking.blogspot.com/.

Thanks Neenu. Now I can share this with few more lovely bloggers.

1.Ediblearts.http://ediblearts.blogspot.com/.
2.Indiankhanna.http://indiankhanna.blogspot.com/.
3.My experiments with foodhttp://myexperimentswithfood.blogspot.com/.
4. Angiesrecipes.http://angiesrecipes.blogspot.com/.
5.Michaeltoahttp://michaeltoa.blogspot.com/.
6. Minisoven.http://minisoven.blogspot.com/.
7.Krithiskitchenhttp://krithiskitchen.blogspot.com/.
8.Sravscc.http://sravscc.blogspot.com/.
9.Colloborativecurryhttp://www.collaborativecurry.com/.
10.Kitchenswathi.http://kitchenswathi.blogspot.com/.

would u like to have a look at my website: www.deepapraveen.com.All my images are copy righted so write to me first (madhudee@gmail.com) if you want to use them.

Palappam and Egg Roast.(Frill appam (:P) and egg roast): Revisited with the recipe.

Palappam and Egg Roast.(Frill appam (:P) and egg roast): Revisited with the recipe., originally uploaded by {deepapraveen very busy with work..back soon.

Thinking about Palappam is thinking about soft and delicate memories...The most divine and delicate soft pancake with a crispy golden layer outside which will melt in your mouth with the spicy gravy of an egg curry or a stew. It is a "taste of food symphony for me".

A Sunday special in many households. (may be decade back,before the introduction of super-market food). A usual menu in our local small tea shops back home in Kerala. A must go item for parties. Even for 3 course marriage meals this one works well as a starter.

For 10-12 appams:
...............................
Ingredients.
1.Raw rice -2 cups.
2.Cooked rice-1 cup
3.Active dry yeast - 1 tsp
4.Sugar - 1 tsp
6.Coconut powder or grated coconut- 1/2 cup
7.Egg - 1 no
8..Milk - As reqd
9.Salt - A pinch.
10.Coconut water-1/4 cup(from one coconut)

Pre-mixed coconut water and sugar mixture=add one tsp sugar to 1/4 cup of coconut water and keep it in fridge for one or two days

Method:

1. Sock the rice in water for few hours.
2.Drain it and grind this with coconut(grated or powder) and cooked rice add enough milk.
3. Combine yeast in luke warm water and then add to coconut water mixture. Keep it for half an hour, for fermentation.
4.Add this to the grinded mixture and mix well.
5. Keep it over night for fermentation.
6.Next morning, mix egg white and salt together add this to the mixture,just check the batter and if it is not so sweet for you, you can add more sugar( but not too much).
7.Heat appachatti or a non-stick pan and pour a big spoon of mixture(2 to 3 tsp of batter together) and rotate the pan in circular shape holding both the handles of the pan to get the laze like edges as shown in the picture.
8.Cover this and cook in medium heat for 2-3 mnts if you get a bit golden shade to the edges your appam is ready to be served.

NO need to FLIP.



In a hurry?
Transfer rice batter to a micro-wave friendly container and in medium heat cook for 1/2 mnt.
Add warm water(not boiling) to a big dish and place the batter can in this. Replace this water twice. You can prepare appam with in 4 hours.



P.S : We use the same batter to prepare 2 pancakes. One is palapam and the other one is the vella appam.
Vella appam- you make in a pan like a thick dosa or a pancake. Use the above mentioned batter and prepare a normal pancake.
Palappam is the frilled one- The one with the golden Frill. The batter is more watery, bit more milk to the batter will make it bit runny.

Let me know if you enjoyed this...
Cheers
Deepa

P.S : Frilli or Frill appam is what I call this dish. :P

Achinga payaruthoran/long yard beans stir fry-kerala style.

Getting ready for the frying pan, originally uploaded by {deepapraveen very busy with work..back soon.

Yard Long beans+curry leaves+green chilli+dryied chilli+shallot+grated coconut..all getting ready for kerala "payaru thoranan@long beans fry"

Ingredients:

Yard long beans- 1/2 kg or 20 long ones.
Onion - 1big or
Shallots-10
Green chillies- 3
Curry leaves- 10 leaflets.
Garlic= 3 cloves
Coconut Grated- 3-5 tbspns.
Dried red chilli=one
Mustard, jeera (cumin seeds- 1 tspn (for tempering)
Oil- 2 tbspns.
Termaric powder =1/4 tsp.
Salt to taste.

Prepare coconut mixture first:



Crush shallots, garlic and green chili,portion of jeera,turmeric,salt and coconut together. We need to combine them together as a crushed mixture.

Method:
1.Cut long yard beans into small pieces as shown in picture.
2.Add coconut mixture to the beans. Mix well with your hands. (Set aside for 10mnts-not necessary)
2.In a pan, heat oil. Then add mustard seeds. When they begin to crackle,add few cumin seeds,curry leaves and dried red chilli saute for 2 minutes.
3.Add the beans mixture to it mix well.
4. stir well for one minute.
5.Sprinkle just a hand full of water on top of it and stir again then keep everything to center cover it with a lid and cook in low flame for another 5mnts or till the beans became tender. Check in-between and mix well. Once it is dry remove from heat.
(My mom"s kottayam method)

P.S :Another option is cooking the beans alone first with 1/4 water and add the coconut mixture at the end, then you will get a more raw taste of coconut,shallot and chilli mixture.

(my mother in laws-palakad method-I have also seen her using urududal in step two).

Enjoy the dish...and let me know if you like it..hey womans day greetings

Sweet and sour Masala Pasta

Worlds Greatest Pasta Recipes (Book #2)...182 PAGES of the best Pasta Recipes on the web!!
Sweet and sour Masala Pasta, originally uploaded by {deepapraveen}.

My comfort-zone in cooking is Indian dishes. The masalas,spices, dry nuts, rice,coconut, cant think about a dish with out one of them. But I love to experiment food from other side of the world. Don"t know whether it is a strong point or weak point I do ended up in adding spices to it. (So now a days before cooking I lock my spice tins in a safe place for happy and original cooking.)

This is my version of a pasta dish.

Cooking instructions.
-We are cooking pasta and the sauce same time. And going to mix it.
-For me cooking pasta takes around 15-to 20mnts(that depends on pasta).
-For the sauce I need 10 mnts or so. (So u can adjust time accordingly).

Pasta=200gm.
Crushed /ground mixed spices= cinnamon+ /or,coriander+/or,cloves,cardamom.
Salt= According to your taste.
Oil=few drops.
Orange zest= few.
Lemon juice= Few drops optional (It will prevent the pasta from sticking to one another)
Water= Enough to cover the pasta and bit more. (I use 2 1/2 cups).
Allow water to boil, then add mixed spice,salt,oil and orange zest. Mix well. Add pasta. Make sure it is covered with water. Bring heat to medium. Check and stir in between and make sure pasta is covered with water. If not, add boiling water to it. Normally it will be ready between 12-18mnts.
Sauce:
Boiled mixed beans+chickpeas=3/4cup.
Big onion =1 1/2.
Ginger garlic paste=1/2tsp.
Soya sauce=1/2tsp.
Greenchilli=1.
Mild chilli powder=1 tsp.
Garam masala=1/2tsp.
Dobule creame or coconut milk=2 tsp.
Fresh orange juice= From half an orange Or any sweet dessert wine.
Parmesan=freshly grated 2tbsp
Any greens,leaves only, finely chopped( I use curry leaves).
Olive or Veg oil=1 tbsp.
Salt= Your taste

1. Heat the oil in a frying pan and cook the sliced onion,salt,greenchilli (sliced) ginger garlic paste and the leaves you choose for 5 minutes until crisp and golden brown.
Now mix the masalas and chilli in soya sauce and make a cream. Add this to the onion mixture and stir well.
2. Add mixed beans+chickpeas mixture. Stir well for 2mnts.
Heat medium.
3. Take 1/4 water from your boiling pasta and add that to this. Cover it with a lid and in slow flame let it cook for next 5-7 minutes.
4.Drain the pasta by removing the water to another container, we need this water. So keep it aside.
5.Add pasta to the chikpea masala mixture stir well.
6.This is not a dry pasta so we are going to add 4/3 cup of water which we used for boiling pasta.
7.Heat to low. Add double cream or coconut cream. Mix well or another 2-3mnts. Add grated Parmesan cheese.
8. Squeeze half a lemon on top of it or add your dessert wine few tsps. Cover it with a lid
9.Remove from heat. Allow it to set the for few more minutes.
Sweet and sour masala pasta ready.

Some good books for reference :
The Complete Book of Pasta and Noodles
CR Gibson Al Dente Pocket Page Recipe Book
Worlds Greatest Pasta Recipes (Book #2)...182 PAGES of the best Pasta Recipes on the web!!
The Essential Pasta Cookbook
Cookin': A Musical Cookbook
Grilldog Presents: Episodes 44 - 47
Grandmas Favorite Pasta Recipes (Book #3)...179 PAGES of Grandmas best Pasta Recipes on the web!!.

Jalebi Recipe

It is time for some sweets... another easy indian sweetdish..hot Jalebi and pistachio ice cream are best combination fordinner party desserts.Jalebi is an an Arabian sweet but it is so popular in India. Now it is a celebration sweet of India. The picture is an Indian rather Kerala version of the original recipe. It is a food+ medicine in Pakistan (wiki says so). For headache it is placed in boiling milk and placed standstill before eating. We can see the reference of this sweet dish in some early classics :)-
Recipe:#
1. Maida flour( all purpose flour)=1 cup.2. rice flour= 2 Tsp 3.baking powder= a bit 4. curd= 1tsp or bit less(optional)5. warm water or warm milk=4/3 cup (if you are using curd avoid milk) 6. sugar=1 1/2 cup7.water =1 cup8. cardamom powder=bit or crushed cardamom 3. 9. Food colour-orange or red few drops.10 Ghee or vegetable oil for frying
Method:1.Mix maida flour, rice flour, baking powder, curd and mix well by adding water to get a thick cream.2.Let it ferment for a day..at least 4 to 6 hours then whisk again.3.Dissolve sugar in 2 water and boil till it becomes a syrup of one thread consistency. 4. Transfer the thick cream to resealable food and freezer bag then pierce it from the bottom. I use a coconut shell with a hole in one of those three eyes of coconut.5.Heat oil or ghee in a pan. 6.Allow the batter to fall into continuous double circles as shown in the picture(not necessary if u fancy some other design you can follow that).7.Deep fry them,allow the jalebis to set and then turn over once, once it is golden in color and crisp all over remove from heat and transfer to sugar syrup let it immerse in the sugar syrup. 8. After some time say few minutes remove from the syrup.
Jalebi is ready for u.

Navarathana Kurma

Boiled vegetables (9 varieties-potatoes, carrots, green peas, frenchbeans, cauliflower, capsicum, cabbage, bottle gourd, cluster beans)=1CupGrated paneer =50 gmsTomatoe =1Grated onion=small oneGinger paste -1/2 tspGarlic paste-1/2tspSalt To TasteTurmeric Powder -1/4 tspRed chilli powder-1/2 tspCoriander powder-1/4 tspGaram Masala Powder-3/4 tspCream-1 1/2 tspVegetable oil -2 tbspGhee-1/2 tbsp Milk or water-1/2 cupDry fruits- almond,cashew nuts, raisins or anything u like few.Any green leaves u like for decoration.
Method.1.Boil tomatoes till tender. Allow them to cool. Peel off the skin tomake puree. Or use Readymade tomato puree.2. Take ghee and slightly fry the dry fruits on medium heat til golden.3. Heat oil in a pan. Fry onions then add ginger-garlic paste stir itwell for couple of minutes. (till that raw smell goes)4.Add salt, turmeric powder, red chilli powder, coriander powder,garam masala and fry for few minutes.5. Add tomato puree and dry fruits. Stir well and cook the mixturefor 4 minutes.6.Add milk or water. Bring it to boil.7.Reduce the heat and cook until the gravy becomes thick.8.Add paneer to the gravy and stir well.9.Add all the vegetables to the gravy and cook for further 5 to 10minutes.(maximum)10.Put cream and chopped leaves on the navaratna korma decorate .