Seafood platter (Mackerel fish curry)

One of the good things of moving to mumbai is the seafood- fresh, variety, abundance. My kids and I love seafood. My daughter does not eat rice or anything else when seafood is prepared at home. She is satisfied only with eating fish all three meals in the day. The prawns here is excellent. I used to not prepare prawns much when in Bangalore but here i love preparing it since it is fresh and does not smell a lot. I marinate prawns in a little turmeric and salt for 15 mins after cleaning and washing it. For curry, mackerel is the best and tastes yum. The meal posted below was prepared the last sunday before diwali (we don't eat non-veg for a month after diwali).

MACKEREL FISH CURRY:





Ingredients:

1 kg mackerel (wash and pat dry)
1/2 cup coconut
1 tbsp red chilli powder
1 tsp dhania powder
a pinch turmeric
1 tbsp thick tamarind extract
salt to taste
8-10 peeled shallots (sambhar onions)
10 cloves of garlic (peeled)
2 sprigs curry leaves
1 tbsp oil
1 tbsp vadiyam (if you do not have vadiyam, use 1 tsp mustard seeds, a little jeera, 5 methi seeds)

Method of Preparation:

1. Make a paste of coconut, chilli powder, tamarind extract, turmeric, dhania powder and salt with a little water.
2. Heat oil in a wide thick bottomed vessel. Add vadiyam and fry for 30 seconds.
3. Add the peeled shallots and garlic and fry for a minute
4. Add curry leaves and stir fry for 15 seconds.
5. Add the ground coconut paste and add a little water as the curry will thicken.
6. Let the curry come to a boil and add the fish pieces. Cook for 10 mins, garnish with coriander leaves.

Serve hot with rice. Also tastes superb with dosas and idli.

Tomato Rice and Chicken Curry

I like trying out different combinations when preparing non-veg dishes. Biriyani always stands alone without any accompaniments when there are no guests, or else, biriyani with green chicken curry. Ghee rice/coconut rice with green chicken/mutton/vegetable stew. Tomato rice usually is prepared when i'm unable to prepare any vegetable dish or curry, hence one dish meal. Last time, after i had made all the preparations for tomato rice when i remembered that i had chicken in the freezer. So, i decided to make red chicken curry to go with the tomato rice. Posting the recipe for the same.

TOMATO RICE AND CHICKEN CURRY:



Ingredients:

for tomato rice:

1 cup rice (washed and soaked for 15 mins before cooking)
1 large onion (sliced)
3 tomatoes (chopped fine)
50 gms green peas (optional)
2 green chillies
1/2 tsp chilli powder
1 sprig curry leaves
1 tsp ginger garlic paste
1 tbsp oil

for chicken curry:

1/2 kg chicken
4 tbsp coconut
1 tsp chilli powder
1/2 tsp coriander powder
a pinch of turmeric
1 tbsp tamarind thick extract
1 tbsp vadiyam
1 tbsp oil
2 tbsp ginger garlic paste

Method of Preparation: (Tomato Rice)

1. Heat oil in a pressure cooker, add onions and stir fry till they turn translucent.
2. Add ginger-garlic paste and fry till the raw smell goes.
3. Add the green chillies, green peas and curry leaves and fry for 30 seconds.
4. Add the tomatoes, fry for 30 seconds and add chilli powder, fry for 1 minute
5. Add the rice, 2 cups of water and pressure cook for 2 whistles and switch off the flame. Open after the pressure is completely released.

To cook this dish in rice cooker, follow steps 1-4 in a kadai in place of the pressure cooker. Add the seasoning for the rice alongwith the rice in the rice cooker.

(Chicken curry):

1. Grind coconut, chilli powder, turmeric, coriander powder, turmeric and salt into a smooth paste
2. Heat oil in a pressure cooker, add vadiyam and fry for a minute.
3. Add ginger-garlic paste and fry till the raw smell goes, then add curry leaves.
4. Add chicken and fry for a minute, add the ground paste and pressure cook for 2 whistles.

You can serve this curry with dosa and idli also.

Majjige Huli (Majjiga pulusu)

A very relished dish by all at home. My daughter and me particularly like the ash-gourd in this dish. The coconut in Mumbai is so expensive and not available as easily as in Bangalore, at the same time dairy products here are of the best quality and available in abundance. The milk and milk products here are very creamy and thick..... We will have to cut curds here and not pour it..... the same way we eat lassi here and not drink it. Hence, it is very convenient to prepare curd based dishes often. There are 2 versions to cook this dish which i learnt from my granny and from my aunt. My granny's recipe has a lot of ingredients in the masala... coconut, pepper, jeera, dhania, curry leaves, mustard, ginger, chana dal, fiery red chillies and methi seeds. My aunt uses only, ginger, coconut, green chillies and chana dal. I merged both methods and took out the ingredients i like the most and made my own recipe and VOILA!!! my own version of majjige huli.

MAJJIGE HULI:



Ingredients:

1/2 kg ash gourd (diced into big squares)
2 cups curds (well beaten)
4 tbsp coconut
1 tbsp dhania seeds (coriander seeds) (dry roast)
1 tsp jeera (dry roast)
7 green chillies
1 tbsp chana dal (soaked for an hour)
a pinch of turmeric
salt to taste

for tempering:

1/2 tsp mustard seeds
a pinch of asafoedita
curry leaves
1 tbsp oil

Method of preparation:

1. Pressure cook the peeled and diced ash gourd for one whistle. Strain and keep aside.
2. Grind together jeera, dhania seeds, coconut, chillies, ginger, chana dal and turmeric into a paste
3. Heat oil in a vessel and splutter the mustard seeds, add the asafoedita, and then the curry leaves.
4. Add the strained ash gourd to this and stir for half a minute. Add the ground paste to this, mix well and cook this for 2 minutes. Add water if necessary.
5. Switch off the flame and then add the beaten curds, mix well and switch on the stove and cook this for a further minute. Garnish with coriander leaves if necessary.

Tastes very good with rice.