HERB - CRUSTED FISH

I love fish, can have it every single day.Most of the time i try making the kerala type fish dishes like fish molay or meen pollichathu or fish fry. For me making those dishes are really tough because even though they are edible they dont come close to perfection.But this one is as perfect as it can be.Credit goes to my brother who taught me to cook this. I never thought such simple ingredients could make a fish so tasty. He served it on top of some caramelized onions and pepper. YUMMY!!!Its melt-in-your-mouth delicious. Its great as an appetiser.My l'il one  loves it too. This is just one of the many tasty dishes i got out of my brother, hoping for more :).

 INGREDIENTS

Fish fillet - 1-2 nos(i used tilapia. You can use any white fish like catfish or flounder)
Dry oregano
Dry thyme
Dill weed
Salt and pepper
Oil
No particular measurements just spread as much or as less as you want.
(You can use any combination of dry herbs that you have in your pantry)

METHOD

First clean the fish and wipe it dry.Apply some oil on both sides of the fish to help the herbs and salt stick to it.Put salt,pepper,and herbs all over the fish on both sides.Press it gently so tht they stick well to the fish.

Heat a tbsp each of butter and oil in a wide cast-iron skillet.When its smoking hot put the fish in the skillet and let it cook for couple of minutes on both sides.This fish cooks pretty fast.Transfer it to a paper towel to absorb the extra oil. Serve warm on the side of white rice  or as an appetizer.

THIKSANI BAJJI/ MULAGA BAJJI/ CHILLI FRITTERS

Weatherwise its been so dull the last couple of days, continuous rains and still going on.Days like this i crave to have something spicy. Most of the time i would settle for a bowl of hot soup or some spicy curry on the side. But this time when there were some ready-to-be-picked banana peppers in my garden, i just couldnt resist making these spicy Chilli Fritters to go with my hot cup of coffee.No doubt they were absolutely perfect.

Chilli Fritters also brings back fond memories of my childhood tirupati trips with my family.After getting a good darshan dad used to buy us these freshly made fritters from the small food stalls there.They fry these whole without removing the seeds which makes them extremely spicy.To add to the heat we had some delicious hot badam milk to go with it.A Deadly combo indeed.

INGREDIENTS

Banana peppers - 9-10 nos
Oil for deep frying

For the batter:-

Besan - 1 cup
Chilli pdr - 1 tsp
Asafoetida - A big pinch
Cumin seeds - 1 tsp (optional)
Salt to taste
Water

METHOD

Clean the banana peppers well. I leave the top stalk as it is to help me hold and i think the final product looks good with the stalk on it. Now using a knife slit the pepper from top to bottom to help remove some of the seeds. Apply some salt and leave it aside.

Mix all the dry ingredients of the batter in a wide bowl.Add water just enough to make a medium thick batter. The consistency of the batter should be such that it holds onto the pepper when dipped.Not too thick though ,that will take way the taste of the pepper.Check salt.

Heat oil for frying.When its ready.Dip the pepper in the batter and slowly drop it in the oil. Fry 2-3 at a time depending or how big your frying pan is.Do not over crowd the pan. Let it cook until brown on all sides. Transfer it to a paper towel inorder to soak the extra oil. Serve warm with a hot cup of tea or coffee.

ENJOY!!!

CABBAGE UNDI / STEAMED CABBAGE CAKE

Cabbage undi/Steamed cabbage cake is one of the many ways to make any cabbage hater to eat cabbage.The vegetable is mixed in this spicy and tangy pathrodo batter and steamed to perfection. You can also make it in a appam mould and make small cabbage appams with it.Another option is to make cabbage dosa which i have already posted.

INGREDIENTS

Pathrodo batter

Cabbage - 5-6 cups, finely chopped

Idli steamer

                                                                    BEFORE

                                             

                                                                        AFTER

METHOD

Put the finely chopped cabbage in a big mixing bowl.Add some salt.dont add a lot since the batter already has some salt in it.Now add  enough batter so that it holds the cabbage together.Adding little at a time helps.Pour some water in the steamer and let it boil.Using an ice cream scoop put some batter in each idli mould.Place the idli rack in the steamer and let it steam for 15-20 mins.Serve warm with some coconut oil or some spicy pickle.

We had with some light olive oil which i received as part of the foodbuzz tastemaker program.

ENJOY!!!

CHICKEN VINDALOO

Vindaloo is a sweet and sour dish introduced by the Portugese in Goa.Its traditionally made with pork but derived variations with it using chicken or potato as main ingredients.Its a dry sauce based dish with a lot of spices and vinegar.It tastes better as it ages.A great combo with rice or roti.

INGREDIENTS

Boneless chicken breasts - 1 large ,cut into bite size pieces

onion - 1 medium size,chopped really fine(if u can also use 1 finely chopped tomato )

Tomato paste - 3 tbsp

water - 1/2 cup

curry leaves - of 1 sprig

coriander leaves - a bunch,chopped

salt

For Marination:-

Tomato paste - 2 tbsp

Fried onions - 1/2 cup

cardamam - 3-4 nos

cinnamon - 1 whole stick

cloves - 5-6 nos

black peppercorn - 5-6 nos

turmeric pdr - 1/2 tsp

red chillies - 3-4

Kashmiri chilli pdr - 1 tbsp

coriander pdr - 2 tsp

ginger - 1 1/2 tsp, chopped

garlic - 3 cloves, chopped

white vinegar - 1/4 cup

salt

METHOD

In a blender/mixer mix the ingredients for the marination and blend it to a smooth paste.Marinate the chicke pieces with this paste for about 2-3 hrs.

In a wide pan heat some oil.Add the curry leaves and onions and cook it till golden brown.Add the tomato paste and stir it for 3-4 mins.Add the marinated chicken and cook it until its cooked halfway through.Now add the water and salt.Let it simmer for about another 5 mins .Garnish with coriander leaves.Serve hot with rice or roti.

ENJOY!!!

PATHRODO & PHANNA PATHRODO

The lack or no availability of taro or colocasia leaves in US is one of the flaws of staying here. Being an avid Pathrodo fan i have to grow these in our backyard inorder to fulfill my cravings for it. I planted 6 taro roots in order to get as much leaves as possible.Waited 2 whole months and the result was well worth it.I got around 25 leaves and more waiting YIPPEE!!!I also used some of the zucchini leaves to make PHANNA PATHRODO.This one unlike the regular version which is steamed, is prepared directly in a pan with some seasoning.It tastes absolutely delicious.You can also make this with Taro leaves.I had already posted pathrodo step by step process long back thanks to my mom :).This batter recipe is slightly different than the earlier post. I added some shallots in the batter for extra flavor.

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INGREDIENTS

Taro/coloccasia  leaves - Atleast 7-8(makes 1 small roll)

Batter  (recipe follows)

For BATTER :

Idli rice - 3 cups

Shredded coconut - 2 cups

Poha - A handful

Cumin seeds - 1 tsp

Turmeric pdr - 1 tsp

Asafoetida - a big pinch

Red chillies - 7-8 nos (more if u like it spicy)

Shallots - 4-5 nos(optional)

Tamarind concentrate - 2 tbsp

Salt to taste

METHOD

Clean and devein the Taro leaves and keep aside.

To prepare the batter first soak it for 3-4 hrs.Then grind it to a coarse texture similar to rava/semolina.Transfr it to a bowl.Now grind the rest of the ingredients and mix it into the rice.Add salt.Now pick the biggest leaf of the lot and place it on a flat surfae.Take handful of batter and spread it on the leaf.

Now place a slightly small leaf over this and spread the batter again.Repeat this for a total of 8-9 leaves.This is good enough to make 1 small roll of pathrodo.In order to make the roll follow the instructions shown in the pic.

Spread batter all over the roll.

Heat some water in a steamer.Ones it starts to boil plae the rolls in the steamer and let it cook for 1 1/2 -2 hrs.You should let it cook fully otherwise it will irritate ur throat.

 PHANNA PATHRODO

For that Clean and devein the Zucchini leaves. Spread batter and make rolls in the same way.Only preparation method is different.In a flat bottom vessel prepare the tadka/seasoning by adding 1 tbsp oil,mustard seeds,cumin seeds,fenugreek seeds,urad dal and curry leaves.Place the rolls in the vessel,add some water and cover it.Let it simmer for 40-45 mins or until fully cooked.Turn it halfway through cooking. Zucchini leaves dont itch and cook faster than taro leaves.

ENJOY!!!

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CUCUMBER DOSA

This year i took some interest in vegetable gardening. I planted zuchini,tomato,eggplant,cucumber etc.To my surprise the zuchini and cucumber plant yielded quite a bit.Zuchini gets over quickly since my son simply loves it.Cucumber just stays there.Well i can make a salad out of it but am simply bored just thinking about it. That got me thinking "What can one make with cucumber apart from boring salad?" and all of a sudden i remembered eating cucumber dosa when i was little. Not very often though but i remember it very well because the sheer taste of cucumber in an ordinary coconut dosa was very refreshing and it tasted really really good.

INGREDIENTS

Idli rice - 2 cups

Shredded coconut - 3/4 cup

Thin poha - a handful

Cucumber - 2 medium size, peeled and grated

Cumin seed - 1 tsp

Salt to taste

Water

METHOD

Soak rice for 4-5 hrs.Grind it to a smooth paste.Transfer it to a bowl.Now grind together coconut,poha and cumin seeds by adding some water.Mix this along with thr grounded rice.Add water.The batter should have the buttermilk consistency. Now add the grated cucumber.Check salt. Let it rest for atleast 1/2 an hr.

Heat a tawa or griddle.Rub it with some oil.Pour a ladleful of batter on it and lightly spread it.Its not very easy to spread this batter have to do it slowly or just rotate the griddle so that the batter will spread on its own.Cover and let it cook for a minute or until it turns brown on the bottom.Serve warm with some chutney or any spicy curry or just haave it on its own.

ENJOY!!!

CHICKEN BURGER

Burgers are the most popular fast food in America.You can see that with the increasing fast food restaurants all over the country and the world.To name a few popular ones are McDonald's, burger king, Subway etc.These are the ones we rely on when we are traveling.Beef is the most popular meat here for burgers but my favorite is chicken burger.For healthier reasons I wanted to give it a try making them at home.It was a success,my hubby really loved it and so did I.Its one of the easiest thing to make.Its so moist with so much of flavor.Here is the recipe.

INGREDIENTS

Bun /bread - atleast 1

mayonnaise - just enough to spread on the bun

Onions - cut into thin rings

tomato - cut into thin rings

lettuce

dill pickles(optional)

For making the Patties:-(Use the spices and seasonings more or less to your taste)

Ground chicken - 1 lbs

Onion - 1 medium size,diced small

Green pepper - half a piece, diced small

Garlic - 2 cloves, chopped

Egg white - of 1 egg

Red chilli pdr - 2 tsp

Garlic pdr - 1 tsp

Seasoned breadcrumbs - 1/4 cup(can use plain breadcrumbs)

Dried oregano - a few sprinkles

Italian seasoning - a few sprinkles

Cajun seasoning - a few sprinkles

Cilantro - a small bunch,chopped (can use fresh parsley as well)

salt and pepper to taste

METHOD

Heat some oil in a pan.Add the onions, garlic and green pepper .Saute them well on a medium low heat until they become soft and translucent.Add salt and pepper.Ones they are done mix in the chopped cilantro.Keep aside let it cool.

In a bowl ,add the ground chicken,onion and green pepper mixture and the spices.Drop in the egg white for binding it all together.Add salt and pepper.Now use your hands to slowly mix in all the ingredients .Make medium size patties and keep them aside.

Heat a pan and coat its bottom with oil.Ones the oil is hot place the patties and cook them for 3-4 mins.Flip it over and press it down gently using a spatula and cook that side too for 3-4 mins.Using a meat thermometer check the internal temperature of the patties.For ground chicken it should be 165 deg F.If it hasnt reached that temperature continue cooking the patties flipping it every 2 mins.Keep checking the temperature.Ones they are done keep them aside on a plate.

Now keep all the ingredients nearby to arrange the bun.First lightly toast the insides of the bun/bread and apply mayonnaise on it. On the bottom half of the bun arrange the ingredients in the order of lettuce ,onions,tomatoes,dill pickles and the chicken patty.Cover it with the top half of the bun/bread.Serve it alongside ketchup and french fries.

SPICY AND TANGY TENDLI

 What all dishes do you prepare with Tendli?I love this vegetable but i have eaten and prepared this only one way my entire life,Tendli potato and cashew upkari.No doubt this dish is delicious but now am bored to prepare it .I want change.I remember seeing Tindora pickle in the Indian grocery store.I used that idea for preparing this Finger licking,Lip smacking SPICY AND TANGY TENDLI. You know what can really enhance the flavor of this dish even more? A CLAY POT. Yes thats the best way to prepare this dish, in a clay pot .But no worries if you dont have one you can use any vessel.

INGREDIENTS

Tendli/Tindora - 25-30 nos,slit crosswise ,not fully
Onions - 1 medium size, finely chopped
Mustard seeds - 1/2 tsp
Urad dal - 1 tsp
Garlic - 1 tbsp
Kashmiri chilli pdr - 2 tbsp ( for color and not too spicy)
Coriander pdr - 1 tsp
Green chilli - 3 nos, slit
Asafoetida - a big pinch
Curry leaves - 1 whole sprig
Rice pdr - 1 1/2 tsp,just for thickening
Tamarind concentrate - 2-3 tbsp (depending on how tangy u want it)
Salt to taste
Oil
Water
Manchatty(clay pot)

METHOD

First we need to brown the tendli's on the outside.For that heat some oil in a large pan.Put the tendli's in the pan,add some salt and stir.The heat should be on medium high otherwise it will simply steam and not brown and also make sure you use a wide pan.The tendli's just has to be brown on the outside need not be fully cooked.Ones brown keep aside.

Heat 1 t bsp oil in a clay pot.Add mustard seeds.Ones it starts to pop add urad dal,curry leaves,green chilli and garlic.Stir for a minute.Now add the chopped onions and some salt.Saute until its soft and translucent.Add turmeric pdr,kashmiri chilli pdr, coriander pdr and rice pdr.If needed sprinkle some water.Stir for a min then add the tamarind concentrate and the browned tendli's.Now add just enough water to cover the tendli's.Check for salt.Cover with a lid and let it simmer(cook on low) for 15-20 mins or until the tendli's are soft and tender.Serve warm with hot steaming rice or kanji.

ENJOY!!!

CHICKEN SUKKA

When i eat a dish in a restaurant or in a friends house and simply fall in love with it i try to recreate it in my kitchen.Sometimes the outcome is just the way i want it to taste.

It's quite a while since i ate or prepared chicken and so was craving for it. Wanted something that was quick and easy to prepare.So decided on making Chicken sukka.

I hade my first bite of Chicken sukka during my college days in manipal,karnataka.A dry coconut based dish with mild spiciness prepared with minimal ingredients.It's truly a delicious dish especially with some hot steaming rice.The recipe didnt disappoint me.The dish tasted same as the one i ate back then , YUMMY!!, brings back memories of college days.

INGREDIENTS

Chicken tenders - 4 nos, diced small
Onion - 1 medium size, chopped
Coconut - 1 cup, grated
Garlic - 1 tsp chopped
Mustard seeds - 1/2 tsp
Cumin seeds - 1 tsp
Turmeric pdr - 1/2 tsp
Masala pdr - 2 tbsp + 2 tsp(recipe below)
Curry leaves - 1 sprig
Oil - 1 tsp + 1 tsp
Salt to taste

To Roast and Grind:-

Coriander seeds - 2 tbsp
Cumin seeds - 1 tbsp
Peppercorn - 1 tsp
Fenugreek seeds - 1/2 tsp
Fennel seeds - 1 tsp
Curryleaves - 4-5
Dry red chillies - 3 nos

METHOD:-

First make the masala pdr by roasting and grinding the ingredients mentioned above.Marinate the chicken with 2 tbsp of the griunded pdr.Keep the rest aside.Add salt and 1 tsp of oil to the chicken.Mix all well .Let it marinate for 1 hr. In the meantime in a large nonstick pan heat some oil.Add mustard seeds.Ones it starts to pop add cumin seeds,curry leaves and garlic.Stir for a minute then add onions.Add salt.Saute until its soft and translucent.Add turmeric pdr and 2 tsp of masala pdr .Stir for a minute.Now add the marinated chicken.Stir again.When the chicken is half cooked add the grated coconut.Mix it all in.Cover with a lid and simmer for 5-8 mins or until the chicken is fully cooked.Check for salt.Drizzle with some lime juice if you want.Serve warm with hot steaming rice.Great with chapathi's as well.

ENJOY!!!