Kadai Fish fry in Coconut milk gravy

I had some frozen Tuna Steaks in my freezer which I used to make Kadai Fish fry. I shallow fried the fish and then added it to a Coconut milk gravy. This I served as a side-dish along with Roti.

I received the Yummy Blog Award from Usha of Veg Inspirations. I received one more award from Ranji of Ranji's Kitchen Corner. Its called "Blogging with a purpose award":) Thank you so much Ranji and Usha :) ....Coming to think about it, I remember the initial purpose with which I started "My Kitchen Treats" :) .....It was for the sole purpose of having some kind of proof to show some people in my life who think I don't know the abc of cooking ;)) ...Yes friends, believe it or not that was my initial purpose,.....but believe me, its changed a lot from way back then. I did not get what I thought I would get (because some people are called "Impossible" not for nothing when it comes to their prejudiced ways of judgment), but I got something much bigger than what I wanted, I got a lot of friends, confidence, encouragement, and last but not the least a lot of creative ideas, tips and tricks from a lot of blogs. Apart from these I realized my interest in writing, and photography . Blogging definitely made me learn lot of things which I would not have otherwise given a second thought.


Here is how I made the Kadai Fish fry in Coconut milk gravy:

For Kadai Fish fry:

Ingredients:

2 frozen/fresh Albacore Tuna steaks (boneless)
Oil for shallow frying
Shallow frying pan

For the marinade:

Chilli powder: 2 teaspoons
Vinegar/lemon juice: 1/4 cup
Coriander powder: 1 teaspoon
Cumin powder: 1 teaspoon
Onion powder: 2 teaspoons
Ginger-garlic paste: 2 teaspoons
Salt: as per taste



Method:

After thawing the frozen tuna, cut the steaks into chunks and marinate it with the above marinade for 15-20 minutes. In a shallow frying pan, add oil until it is 1/4 the level in the frying pan. Let it heat on high flame.

Fry the fish pieces taking care that the pan is not crowded, else the fish will not be cooked uniformly. Turn the pieces from time to time to cook all sides. If the oil is sufficiently hot, it will take around 3-4 minutes to cook each side. Collect the fish pieces on a dish layered with paper napkins to absorb excess oil.
For the Coconut milk gravy:
--------------------------

1/2 cup thick Coconut milk
1/2 cup luke warm water
1 teaspoon cornflour
Grind to a paste: 4 shallots + 3 tablespoons ginger-garlic paste + 4 red chillies
Mix : 1/4 teaspoon red chilly powder + 1 teaspoon coriander powder + a pinch of turmeric powder + 1 tablespoon water to form a thick paste
Asafoetida (hing): 1/4 teaspoon
Tomato paste: 1 tablespoon
Salt: as per taste
Oil: 2 tablespoons
Garam Masala: a pinch


Method:

In a shallow pan on high flame, add 2 tablespoons of oil. Then add the hing, and low the fire to medium low. Then add the powder paste and stir well for 5 seconds, then add the ground paste and stir until the raw smell is gone. This will take approximately 1-2 minutes, on medium flame. Then add the tomato paste, stir for 5 seconds. Add a little salt. Meanwhile take half of the thick coconut milk and combine with 1/2 cup of luke warm water . Then add it to the pan little by little so that it mixes well with the masala for approximately 3 minutes at high flame. When the masala starts to boil, lower the fire to medium and add the fried fish and again bring it to a boil. Lower the fire to medium. Mix the rest of the coconut milk with 1 teaspoon cornflour and add it to the fish. Stir for a minute. Check for salt again and add if necessary. Sprinkle with a pinch of garam masala and garnish with spring onions.

Did you folks check out the yummy combination of Gobi Manchuri and Layered Porotta (Kerala Porotta) in Ranji's blog? She is shared useful tips she got from Cham :) ..I am gonna try that:)

Pollay- Pitto (Dosa/Idli podi)

The Idli/Dosa podi is something very popular in pantry of almost every South Indian. "Pollay-Pitto" ("Pitto" means powder in konkani. "Polo" means Dosa) is what we call it in konkani in our home. Once made it lasts for months. And it comes in so handy during one of those days when you are too lazy to make any side dish or gravy to go along with Dosa/Idli. My mom usually packed Idli/Dosa with coconut chutney for my lunch at school. But sometimes, I used to have Polley Pitto too :) I like it spicy :) It was recently that I made it the first time at home and its really easy. I made some variations after some tricks I learned from my Fil. He adds garlic cloves while roasting the other ingredients. Here is how I made it:

Ingredients:

Urad dal (without skin): 1/2 cup
Channa dal: 1/4 cup
Dry Red Chilli : 10 nos (you may increase or decrease according to your taste)
Asafoetida (Hing) : 1/2 teaspoon
Tamarind : a very small ball (size of a dime)
Garlic clove: 1 clove cut in half
Salt: as per taste

Method:

Dry roast Urad dal, and Channa Dal until they are slightly brown on medium-high flame. Then add the Red -Chillies, Asafoetida, Tamarind, and Garlic clove. Increase the flame a little more than medium-high. Keep stirring continuously , taking care to see that the Urad and Channa dals don't burn. (It would be a good idea to switch on your vent-fan to high as the red -chilli can cause you to start sneezing when it starts giving out its heat). Reduce the flame to medium low and stir until garlic and tamarind have lost most of their moisture content. Switch off the flame. Let the powder cool. Powder it in your spice grinder or Indian Mixie to a very fine powder. In a warm dry pan (you may use the same pan in which you roasted the ingredients), add salt as per your taste, just stir it so that it becomes a bit warm (maybe 10 seconds). Add it to the powder. Mix well. Store this in a dry airtight container. It lasts for several months together. To serve it with Idli/Dosa, take 1 tablespoon powder and make a small well inside it and add 1/2 teaspoon oil. mix it well to coat every bit of the powder. Just be careful not to accidentally inhale this powder as its very spicy. I am telling this from my own experience :-))


It makes me feel joyous if I can inspire another person. My friend/cousin , Ranji of "Ranji's Kitchen Corner" passed me the "Inspirational Award". Thank you so much Ranji :) You inspire me too :) Hugs :)

Jamie of the Flavour Pantry. started this wonderful award with a very nice image, I loved the design in the coffee cup :) ...According to Jamie,

“This is given to bloggers whose stories and recipes inspire us. Whether it’s to eat healthier, dive back into our past to conjure up something we ate as children, or just make the light bulbs in our brains go on with a new idea for a recipe. As recipients of this award, please share with us what inspires you and then pass on the Inspiration Award to 4 other deserving bloggers. Please let them know what the award means and what to do with it.”

I am passing it to:

Ramya of ManeAdige
Kamala of Mom's recipes
Cynthia of Tastes Like Home
Sukanya Ramkumar of My Cakes and Cookies


What inspires me most?

a) My husband Vijay who willingly eats whatever I make :) .....He takes curd if the dish becomes too spicy, but even then, he manages to finish the dish somehow ! Love you V for your patience and cheerfulness:)

b) The thought of all utensils and ingredients I have in my pantry when I want to bake/roast something for which I needn't go to the market to purchase something more.

c) My mom's cookbooks(recipes she jotted down from TV shows,magazines,news paper clippings etc..), Food Network, Top Chef, Law and Order (SVU,CI) (Yes that's mine and V's most favorite show on TV, "Mariska Hargitay" being our favorite actress in it :), we are so fond of it that we have scheduled its recording on our DVR in case we miss any episode ;-)

d)All those wonderful food blogs and food websites that just makes me think"Wow!! How creative !!"

e) The almighty for being so generous

I also got the "Nice Matters" award from my dear friend , JZ of Tasty Treats
Thank you so much JZ :) !!

Carrot and Peas Paratha

This was one something I tried a few weeks back. It came out well and is fairly simple to try out. If you want to try a simpler version of stuffed Parathas, you may want to try out my Mooli Paratha too. I was bad at making stuffed parathas, I started with Mooli Paratha and slowly picked up the art of making stuffed parathas. Once you learn it, its just as easy as making chapathi.

To make Carrot and Peas Paratha, I used frozen peas and carrots , defrost them, cook them until soft and mashable. Grind them coarsly or mash them as much as you can. Then stuff it in the paratha dough and make tasty parathas. You may refer my other parathas for making stuffed paratha. I am sending this to Srivalli's Roti Mela

Friends check out the Coconut -Masala stuffed puri Srivalli is made for the Roti mela:) I cant wait to try that out :) Thank you Srivalli for hosting this event:)


Serve it along with cool raita, or pickle.

See you all at the Roti Mela

Ududha Appay

Appay is a very common konkani breakfast/snack. I am sure its made in other communities too. But in konkani Appay made with Urad-dal is called "Ududha Appay". Though the name has only Urad dal, its basically made with the idli/dosa batter. I make a little variation by adding chopped shallots (for the picture click here) and minced ginger to the batter.

(Idli/dosa batter)To make Appay, you need Appay Kailee. The same "Appay Kailee" is used to make "Unniyappam" which is a sweet Appay. Now here is where I found that Appay is not just something made in India, but its popular in US too, with the difference that, in US they call it "Pancake Puffs" which is made with a different batter though, but its made on the same mould which we konkani's call it "Appay Kailee" . We had already bought our "Appay Kailee" from my in-law's house. When I saw it in the 'Bed, Bath and Beyond' store, I was so happy and surprised to see it. Here you get the non-stick version of the mold. The traditional ones in India is made with cast iron.

So here is how you make the Ududha Appay:

Ingredients:

Idli/dosa batter
Optional : chopped shallots and minced ginger and chopped curry leaves mixed with batter.
Oil

Method:

1. Keep the mould on high flame. Pour 1/4 teaspoon oil in each mould.
2. Pour the batter in each mould such that the batter fills up to just half the mould. This is because the batter rises for forming the Appay. So there should be room for the Appay to rise in the mould. Optionally, sprinkle some Italian seasoning over the batter in each mould, for a little variation.


3. Let it cook until the edges of the Appay becomes very light brown. Mine burnt few Appay's as you can see the below pictures:)) . Don't let it burn, invert them when the edges are lightly brown.
4. Try to run a spoon through the edges to see if the Appay smoothly slides , so that it can be cooked on both sides.Invert all the Appay, when they are cooked on one side as seen below. Lower fire to medium high.

When all the Appay are cooked, transfer them onto a plate. Serve it with coconut chutney, sambar for breakfast, or as snack.



Done :)

Veg 'n Nuts Khichdi with Green Moong Ummaan

First I am glad to tell that I got two more awards. Thank you Ranji (Ranji's Kitchen Corner)for passing me the "Good Chat Blog "award :)

Thank you Anamika (Anamika-The Sugarcrafter) for thinking about me for the "You make my day " award :)

Khichdi is what I keep making when I want a one pot lunch or dinner on a day when I don't feel like preparing anything extra.

According to Wikipedia, Khichdi is Khichdi (also khichri, khichdee, khichadi, khichuri, khichari and many other variants) is a South Asian rice dish made from rice and lentils (dal). Khichdi is commonly considered to be India's comfort food, and was the inspiration for the Anglo-Indian dish of kedgeree.

Khichdi is usually served with kadhi and/or pickle, pappad, yogurt. I usually prefer just pickle, pappad and yogurt. I decided to make it crunchy by adding the nuts from the mixed nut jar we bought from Bj's. That was a great addition.

Green-Moong Ummaan is a side dish me and Vijay prepare most of the times. Did you notice I mentioned me and Vijay, its because V also is an expert at making it , he in fact makes a nice variation by adding caramelised onions and potatoes. Ummaan in konkani means gravy or saaru as some of you may call it. Its basically vegetables and/or lentils/pulses cooked in water with salt.

This is how I made Khichdi:

This serves 2 people

Ingredients:

Basmati rice (or any rice): 1/2 cup
Split Green peas (for the picture click this link ): 1/2 cup
Water: 2 . 5 cups
Vegetables (peas,carrots,corn,cauliflower): 2 cups together
Minced garlic and ginger: 2 tablespoons together
Mixed nuts: 1/2 cup
Salt: as per taste
Oil: 3 tablespoons

Spices:

Chilli powder: 1/2 teaspoon
Freshly cracked peppercorns: 1 -2 teaspoons (as per taste)
Coriander powder: 1 teaspoon
Turmeric powder: a pinch



Method:

I make this using pressure cooker. That way its faster. You may also cook in a slow cooker. I don't know about the time it takes in a slow cooker as I don't have one of my own.

1. Keep pressure cooker on high flame. Add 3 tablespoons of oil, then add the minced garlic and ginger. Reduce flame to medium - high , then add the nuts and stir well to combine for 5 seconds. Then add the spices together and stir well for 5 seconds.

2. Add the Vegetables, Lentils, and Rice and stir well. Add a little salt at this time and combine well again. Then add water and again add salt as per taste.

3. Close the pressure cooker and let it cook for 3 whistles. Switch off the flame and let it cool down by itself until all the pressure is gone.

4. Serve it with yogurt, pickle,pappad, or any side dish you like :)

For the Moong ummaan :

This serves two people

Ingredients:

Green Moong ( click this link for the picture ) : 1/2 cup
Water: 1 . 5 cups
Green Chillies: 2-3 slit vertically
Salt: as per taste
Oil: 1 tablespoon
Mustard seeds: 1 tablespoon
Freshly cracked peppercorns: as per your taste
Coriander powder: 1 teaspoon

Optional: Add Caramelised onions and potatoes and crushed tomatoes to the Moong and cook it together.




Method:

In a pressure cooker on high flame, add 1 tablespoon oil and mustard seeds and wait until the seeds splutter. (To avoid the seeds from spluttering everywhere on the stove top, I immediately cover the pressure cooker with a cover and once the seeds start spluttering I lower the fire and wait until all the seeds are spluttered. Helps reduce the cleaning mess later). Add the peppercorns, coriander powder, stir for 5 seconds. Then add the green chillies and saute for 10 seconds. Add water, Green Moong and salt. Cover the pressure cooker with the lid and let it cook for 4-5 whistles. Switch off the flame and let it cool until all pressure is gone. I sometimes garnish it with grated coconut. Serve it as a side dish with rice, khichdi, or roti.