Kottayam style Fish Curry (Meen mulakitathu)

                                                                            Kottayam style Fish Curry (Meen mulakitathu)

Kottayam style fish curry/Meen kudampuli ittu vattichathu /Meen mulakitathu is a traditional

fish curry of Kerala. Again, this recipe is from my mom-in-law which is very well known in our family.


Ingredients

Fish - 1/2 Kg (cleaned )

Kashmiri Chilli Powder - 3 to 4tbspn

Chilli powder - 1 tbspn

Turmeric Powder -  1/4 tspn

Coconut Oil -  2tbspn + 1 tbspn to drizzle at the end
Mustard seeds - 1/4 tspn
Fenugreek seeds - less than 1/4 tspn (10-12 nos.)

Fenugreek Powder - 1/4 tspn
Shallots -  5nos. finely sliced
Ginger - 1 inch finely sliced
Garlic - 4 finely sliced
Kudampuli (Malabar Tamarind) - wash and soak 1 or 2 pieces 
in water according to the sourness of the puli
Boiling water
Salt to taste
Curry Leaf

Method:

1. In a pan (cheenachatti), add Chilli powder and Turmeric powder. Keep the pan in low flame 

    and keep mixing. The powders has to be just heated (no need wait until it changes the color).
    Immediately transfer the ingredients to a mixer jar and add 1 small piece ginger, garlic and 

    shallots (from the sliced). Add enough water and grind to a smooth paste 

    (this gives a very good consistency to the fish curry)

2. Heat a Manchatty (earthernware pot) and add 2 tbspn of coconut oil.
     Add mustard seeds, fenugreek seeds and allow it to splutter. Then add add curry leaves.

3. Add sliced shallots, Ginger and garlic. Saute until it turns light golden color.

4. Once it turns to light golden color, add chilli and turmeric paste and saute for few seconds 

    (in a very low flame). Now add salt.

5. Add soaked and washed tamarind. Then add the fish and gently mix (make sure you don't

    break the fish). Add curry leaves and wait (5 min) until the water oozes out from fish 

    (keep the flame in low - med).

6. Now add less than 1/4 tspn fenugreek powder. Add hot boiling water as required and let the curry

    boil for 2 minutes (high flame). Now cover and cook in a low - medium
    flame for 10 - 15 minutes or until you see oil on top (please do open and check the
    curry in between). Now add a pinch of Fenugreek powder, a sprig of curry leaves
    and  drizzle 1tbspn of coconut oil and switch off the flame. Let the curry cool down completely
    and serve with Kappa or rice.

:

Notes:
1. Use good quality Kashmiri chilli powder for that fiery red color.
2. Using very little turmeric powder gives a reddish color to this fish curry (If we use more
    turmeric powder, the color of the curry will change to brownish red)
3. Reheat the left over curry on the next day morning and night so that it stays good for 3 days
    at room temp.(Also don't forget to remove the Kudam puli while reheating).

A simple but powerful egg curry - Mutta masala (Egg masala)

Mutta masala (Egg masala)

                                                 Here is a surprise recipe which my husband came up with his "crude" cooking skills!

 This goes well with Puttu, Appam, Chapati and Idiyappam, but can also be eaten as a standalone dish.
 If you are on Keto (go lightly on onions as it has carbs).

Ingredients:

Coconut Oil - 2tbspn
Mustard seeds - 1/4 tspn
Curry leaf 
Onion Big- 1 diced
Hard boiled egg - 3 diced
Turmeric - 1/4 tspn
Chilli Powder - 3/4 tbspn
Garam masala  - 1/2 tbspn
Salt to taste
Water



1. Heat a pan, add 2tbspn oil. Add the mustard seeds and once they begin to pop, add curry leaf.
Add onion, salt and saute until it turns light golden color.

3. Add turmeric, chilli powder, garam masala and saute it. Once done, add a glass of water and bring it to boil .

4. Add diced eggs. Let it simmer on a low flame until it turns to your preferred consistency.

5. Serve with Idiyappam, Appam or Chapati. The thick gravy of spices mixed with egg yolk makes this curry very yummy.

Pidiyum Varutharacha Kozhicurryum

                                                           

Pidiyum Kozhiyum

Pidiyum Kozhiyum is one of the traditional foods of Christians in Central Travancore region.

This is usually made during Christmas, Easter and other family gatherings.

There are many other variations in preparing pidi, but this is the traditional method 

and it's a  tedious process.

There are 3 steps in making pidi. 

In the first step, we need to roast the flour and grated coconut together until light golden brown.

(This flour can be be made a day before)

In the second step, we need to make balls (pidi) and,

in the third step, we need to cook the pidi in crushed coconut and coconut milk.

Serves: 4 people

For making rice flour 

Dosa rice - 2 cups

(Soak 2 cups dosa rice for 2 hours,
drain and leave it on a cloth to absorb excess moisture.

Grind to powder (not so fine, it should be just more than fine when we grind for puttu) and

sieve it well and keep aside. (2 cups of dosa rice will yield 3 cups of flour)

Grated coconut - 2 and 1/2 cups
Cumin seeds - 1tspn

For making dough for pidi
Water - 3 cups
Grated coconut - 1/2 cup
Shallots - 5
Garlic - 3
Cumin seeds - 1/2 tspn
Salt - as needed

For making Sauce for rice dumpling
Water - 2 .5 cups
Coconut milk - 1/2 cup
Grated coconut -  1/4 cup
Shallots - 2-3 crushed
Curry leaf - 1 sprig
Salt - as needed

1. Take 3 cups of flour in a wide heavy bottomed kadai/ uruli, add the grated coconut (2 & 1/2 cups) and combine well with your hands (5 minutes). Scoop the flour to the center and close with a lid and keep it for 30 minutes. (No heating required in this step)

2. Crumble the mixture again and keep the uruli /heavy bottom kadai on a low flame and dry roast until light golden brown, in a low to medium flame (It takes about 20 - 30 min). Once it starts changing color, add 1/2 tspn of cumin seeds.

3. Once it's cooled down, sieve this and grind the larger crumbles in mixer to make it even.
Now combine the flour and keep 1/4 cup of this flour separately.

4. In a pan, add 3 cups of water, crushed coconut mixture (1/2 cup coconut, 5 shallots, 3 garlic, 1/2 tspn cumin seeds), salt and allow it to boil. Once it starts boiling, keep the flame in low and add the roasted flour and combine well (like how we make idiyappam dough) and then switch off the flame. You may add extra hot/boiling water to adjust the consistency. 

5. Once it's cooled down, make pidi (balls) with out cracks and keep them in a wide plate, sprinkled with roasted flour (which was kept aside during the step 3)

 6. In a wide heavy bottomed pan (uruli), add 2.5 cups of water, 1/2 cup coconut milk, 1/4 cup grated coconut, 2-3 crushed shallots, a sprig curry leaves and little salt. Allow it to boil.

7. Once it starts boiling, add pidi and cook the pidi in low flame for 5-10 min or until it starts to get thicken. Make sure that pidi doesn't stick to the bottom (use a spoon and gently mix the pidi from the middle of the pan.

And that's how Pidi is made!

Now we have to make the chicken curry.

Varutharacha Chicken curry (Chicken curry with roasted coconut)

Chicken - 1/2 kg
(Marinate the chicken with salt, 1/4 tspn turmeric powder,
1/2 tspn red chilli powder, 1/2 tspn lemon juice and keep aside for min 30 min)
Shallots - 8-10 thinly sliced
Onion - 1 medium size thinly sliced
Ginger - 1 inch
Garlic - 4 cloves
Coconut bits - 1/4 cup

For masala
Grated coconut - 1/2 cup
Fennel seeds - 1/2 tspn
Shallots- 1 thinly sliced
Pepper cons - 5
Whole red chilly - 5
Corriander seeds - 1 tbspn
Curry leaves - 5
Dry roast the above ingredients in a pan until dark brown and grind in a mixer.
Do not add water in the beginning, add little water in between grinding.

For tempering
Coconut oil - 1 tbspn
Mustard seeds - 1/2 tspn
Shallots - 2 thinly sliced
Curry leaves - 1 sprig
Whole red chilly - 2

Method:
1. In a pan, add coconut oil. Once the oil is hot, add coconut bits.
2. When it starts to change color, add curry leaves.
3. Now add sliced shallots and onions and saute well.
4. When the onions are sauteed well, add crushed ginger garlic and saute until raw smell goes off.
4. Now add turmeric powder and add one chopped tomato and saute until it starts to leave oil.
5. Add the marinated chicken, salt and saute well until it starts releasing water.
6. Add 1 cup boiling water and cook the chicken. Once it's 80% done, add the ground masala and cook the chicken in low flame until you see the oil floating on top.
7. Now do the tempering and add to chicken curry and mix well.

Our pidi and varutharacha chicken curry is ready!

Notes:

1. You may also use ready made avalose podi (use avalose podi without sesame seeds) for making pidi. However, make sure that you sieve it well and separate the larger crumbs and grind in a mixer. And while making the dough for pidi, you will have to add more water to attain the dough like consistency.

*But I strongly recommend to make the flour as above in the recipe.