Fried mackerels(Fish Fry)

Ingredients : - 500 grams pomfret,few banana leaves, 4 tablespoons lemon juice, ½ cup grated coconut, ½ cup chopped coriander leaves, 4 green chillies, ½ tablespoon coriander seeds, 2 teaspoons cumin seeds, 1 tablespoon chopped garlic, salt to taste.

Preparation time : - 25 minutes Serves : - 2

Method:Clean and wash the pomrets thoroughly. Make horizontal cuts in the fish fillet making small pockets. Rub some salts into the fish fillet and then pour some lemon juice in it. Let it marinate for an hour. Now take a blender and put the grated coconut, coriander leaves, green chillies, coriander seeds, cumin seeds, garlic, 1 tablespoon lemon juice and salt to taste. Blend all these ingredients into a fine paste. Now apply this paste on the fish and let it marinate for half an hour. Now take the banana leaves and place a fish inside it. See to it that there should be enough marinade in and around the fish. Wrap up each leaf with a fish inside and set it on a steamer. Steam this for about 25 minutes. Just before serving only remove from the wrap and garnish with lemon slices and serve.

Fish Fry(Baked Fish)/Kerala Fish Fry

Ingrediants:
Maharashtrian bombay marathi style fish dish

4 big mackerels(Fish) cut into 2-3 pieces each and insides cleaned thoroughly
1 teaspoon(s) turmeric powder
1 tablespoon(s) lemon juice
4 teaspoon(s) red chilli powder
1 tablespoon(s) garlic paste
1 tablespoon(s) ginger paste
1 teaspoon(s) coriander powder
1 tablespoon(s) tamarind pulp or kokum peels pulp
4 tablespoon(s) slightly coarse rice powder
salt to taste
oil to deep fry
onion rings and lemon wedges to garnish (optional)
Method:

1. Wash the mackerels thoroughly. Apply some salt, turmeric powder and lemon juice. Keep aside for 10 minutes.
2. Marinate the mackerels with the rest of the ingredients except rice powder preferably in a refrigerator for about an hour.
3. Heat the oil till it is very hot. Roll the mackerels in rice powder one by one and and deep-fry in batches on medium heat till they are crisp.
Garnish with onion rings and lemon wedges.

TIPS:
* Mackerels can be fried whole as well. Clean the insides, wash well and make deep incisions or gashes on both sides and proceed as above.
* To make this recipe a low fat one, the marinated mackerels can also be shallow fried or grilled with a minimum amount of oil instead of deep frying.
* Kokum is a fruit whose peels are sun dried and stored to use as a souring agent. It is very abundant in the western coastal region of India and is used in most of the recipes there. However, tamarind pulp could be used instead.
* Traditionally, fried fish is made very spicy and had with steamed rice and gravy. Fried mackerels can also be had as a snack with a dip or a chutney.

Serve hot with: Green Chutney (Hari Chutney) accompanied with a tall glass of chilled Appetizing Kokum in Yoghurt (Quick Sol Kadi) or with Appetizing Kokum in Coconut Milk (Sol Kadi) poured over hot boiled rice.



Variation:kerala Style
Ingredients for “Kerala Fish Fry”

500 grams skinless firm White Fish, slices or pieces well washed
1 Tablespoon finely sliced Garlic
1 Tablespoon Ginger Juliennes
4 Green Chillies, slit
1 medium Onion, finely sliced
1 teaspoon Red Chilli powder
1/2 teaspoon Turmeric powder
1 small raw Mango, sliced or Tomato, chopped
2 cups Water
1 sprig Curry Leaves
2 Tablespoons Oil
Salt to taste

Method for “Kerala Fish Fry”

Heat the oil in a heavy-bottomed pan till hot. Add the garlic, ginger, green chillies and onions. Saute for about 4 minutes. Add the turmeric powder, red chilli powder, curry leaves and salt. Saute briefly. Add the water and raw mango slices/chopped tomato. Bring to a boil. Drop in the fish and mix gently. Cover and cook on low for about 10 minutes or till the fish is cooked and the gravy is semi-dry. Serve hot with steamed rice.

Preparation time: 8-10 minutes
Cooking time: 20-22 minutes
Serves: 4

Goan Fish Curry

INGREDIENTS

6 dried whole red chillies1 tablespoon cumin2 teaspoon coriander seeds1 teaspoon mustard seeds2 teaspoon ground turmeric3 garlic cloves3cm piece ginger2 tablespoons white vinegar2 tablespoons vegetable oil1 onion, thinly sliced1 ripe tomato, chopped3 large green chillies, seeded and sliced thinly440g can coconut milksalt to taste800g fillets flat head, halved

METHOD
Using a spice grinder blend chillies, cumin, coriander, mustard seeds and turmeric to a fine powder.crush garlic and ginger to a fine paste. Add spice powder and incorporate well into the ginger paste. Mix in vinegar.In a large deep frying pan heat oil. Add onion and fry until slightly coloured. Add spice paste and fry for 3 minutes until fragrant. Add tomato and chilli and cook for 10 minutes or until tomato breaks down. Add coconut milk, season with salt and then add fish fillets. Bring to the boil and simmer for 5 minutes, turn fish over and simmer for remaining 5 minutes or until fish is cooked as desired, this will vary with size of fillet used. Serve with basmati rice.

Vada Pav

Ingredients :

Serving size - 4
6-8 medium sized boiled potatoes,
2 cups gram flour (besan),
oil for frying,
salt,
pav -If pavs are not available, you can use any other bun. Choose the ones which do not taste sweet.
Masala
1 small piece ginger,
4-5 flakes garlic,
4-5 (or more) green chilies,
1/2 cup coriander leaves (chopped),
For tempering
1 tea spoon turmeric powder,
curry leaves,
1 teaspoon mustard seeds,
2 teaspoon oil

Method :

1. Grind ginger, garlic and green chilies together into a paste.
2. Peel and smash potatoes with a potato masher (or simply use hands). Do not smash completely. Let some small chunks remain.
3. Add ginger, garlic and green chili paste, coriander leaves, and salt to the potatoes.
4. Then take 2 teaspoons oil in a kadai. Add mustard seeds. When they splutter, add turmeric powder and curry leaves.
Pour this tempering on the mashed potatoes and mix gently. .
5. Make small balls of mashed potato mixture. (You can flatten the balls if you like)
6. Add some salt, turmeric powder and chili powder to the gram flour. Add water gradually and keep mixing with a sppon or wire whisk. Remove lumps if any. The batter should not be too watery or too thick. If lifted by a spatula, it should flow in a ribbon like consistency.
7. Heat some oil in a pan. To check if oil is properly heated, drop some batter in the oil. If the batter immediately turns soild and float on the surface of the oil, the oil is ready. Also make sure that the oil is not too hot. Otherwise, the vadas become dark from the outside before they are actually done from the inside.
8. Now dip each ball in the batter, letting the excess batter drip off and slowly add to the hot oil. Do not overcrowd the pan, else the temperature of the oil reduces which in turn slows down the frying process. Like this, deep fry all the vadas until golden. Remove on a paper towel and drain. Batata Vadas are ready.
9. For Vada Pav, split Pav keeping the base intact & spread garlic chutney or green chutney (Please refer to chutney's link)on the inner surfaces of it. Place the vada in it. Serve hot.

Paneer Pakoda

Paneer pakora or cheese pakora is a true rainy day comforter. Since its monsoon time in India, pakoras with hot cup of tea makes for a treat. It’s not that every day we eat deep fried goodies but its okay once in a while.

Ingrediants:

250 grams paneer (cottage cheese)

1 1/2 cups besan (gram flour)

Salt to taste

1/2 tsp red chilli powder

1-2 green chillies- chopped

1 cup water

2 tsp oil

Oil to deep fry

1 tsp chaat masala

Method:

1. Cut paneer into thick cubes. Sprinkle chaat masala on them and keep aside.

2. Mix rest of the ingredients in a bowl except water and oil to deep fry. Slowly add water to this, stirring, so that no lumps are formed. Adjust the quantity of water to get thick pouring consistency. Beat this batter in a blender so that air is incorporated and pakoras turn out fluffy. You can also beat with a big spoon or using a hand blender. Set aside the batter for 15-20 minutes.

3. Heat oil in a heavy bottomed vessel (kadhai). You can find out if the oil is sufficiently hot by dropping a small portion of the batter in the oil. If it sizzles and comes to the surface, your oil is hot enough. Turn the heat to medium.

4. Dip the paneer cubes in the batter and drop gently in the oil. Deep fry pakodas from both sides till golden brown.

5. Drain on an absorbent paper towel by using a slotted spoon (pauni/ chhari). Serve hot with tomato sauce or coriander chutney.

Quick Bhelpuri

You can munch on this bhel puri as an evening snack or anytime when hunger pangs hit without bothering about your waist line. This is a low calorie healthy snack. If you have ready made bhel puri chutney like that made by Smith and Jones, available at a nearby store, then this bhel can be made in a jiffy.

Ingrediants:


2 cups murmura (kurmura/ mamra/ puffed rice)

1 small potato- boiled, peeled and cubed

1 small tomato- chopped

1 small onion- chopped

2 green chillies- chopped

1 tbsp peanuts (moongphali)

1/2 tsp chaat masala

1/2 tsp salt or to taste

3 tbsp meethi chutney (see the recipe below)

2 tbsp green chutney

Method:

1. Dry roast the peanuts in a heavy bottomed vessel (karahi). Take them out and in the same karahi, dry roast the murmura on medium heat stirring continuously till they begin to change color.

2. In a large bowl, mix all the above ingredients and serve immediately.

Oots Upma

Vegetable oats upma is not the tastiest of dishes but we eat it on a regular basis keeping in mind its health benefits. Also it is very quick and easy to make, packed with goodness. This is an almost instant food without compromising on health.
Healthy Bytes- oatmeal is a rich source of dietary fiber, both soluble and insoluble. Oats are proven to be effective in lowering blood cholesterol. Whole oats also reduce high blood pressure. Fiber in oats helps in regular bowel movement. Oatmeal also helps with weight loss.

Ingrediants:

1 cup oats

Mixed chopped vegetables like carrot, green beans, potato, peas, cauliflower

1 onion- chopped

1 inch piece ginger- grated or chopped

2 green chillies- slit lengthwise

1/2 tsp mustard seeds (kali sarson)

Salt to taste

2 tsp peanuts

2 tsp cashew nuts- broken

1 tsp chana dal (split Bengal gram)

1 tsp urad dal (skinless split black gram)

4-5 curry leaves

1 1/2 cups water

1 1/2 tblsp oil

Method:

1. Take a non- stick pan and dry roast the oats till they leave their whitishness and turn brown. Take them out of the pan.

2. Heat oil in the same pan after wiping off with a dry cloth. Add mustard seeds. When they splutter, add chana dal and roast for 1/2 a minute. Add urad dal, peanuts and cashew nuts. Roast till they become light brown.

3. Add onion, green chillies, ginger and curry leaves. Sauté for a minute.

4. Add vegetables, water and salt. Cook covered till vegetables are tender.

5. Add oats and mix well. Lower heat and cook for about 3-4 minutes, covered. Turn off heat and let it stand for 3-4 minutes.

Aloo Palak (Potato and Spinach)

Ingredients:
3/4 kg spinach-washed and chopped fine
2 potatoes-boiled, peeled and chopped
2 tbsp clarified butter (ghee)
1 tsp cumin seeds
1/4 tsp powdered methi dana (fenugreek seeds)
2-3 whole red chillies
1 tbsp thinly sliced ginger
1 1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp sugar(Optional)

Method: Heat the clarified butter in a heavy-based stainless steel broad pan and add cumin, whole red chillies and the methi. When they begin to darken, add the ginger and saut� till light brown.

Keeping the heat on high, add the chopped spinach and potato, salt and sugar and mix well.

Continue to cook over high heat till the spinach is tender and excess water has dried.

Onion Kulcha

Ingredients:

5 cups whole wheat flour
For the stuffing
3 onions chopped
2 tbsp green chillies
2 tbsp coriander leaves
1 tsp mint leaves
2 tsp ginger-chopped
1 tsp carrum seeds(ajwain)
1 tsp red chillie powder
1 tsp coarsely ground pomegranate seeds
salt to taste

Method: Prepare dough with flour and water (the dough has to be a little hard). Allow to rest for an hour.

Divide the dough into four equal parts and make round balls using dry flour.

To prepare the stuffing, use chopped onions, green chillies, coriander and mint leaves. Add seasoning and carum seeds.

Stuff each ball of dough with a portion of the filling in the middle. Fold the filled balls of dough and pinch the edges to seal the dough.

Roll out the kulcha with a rolling pin. Place the kulcha on a plate and put it in microwave to grill 10 minutes on both sides.