Achinga Chemmeen Ettu Ularthiyathu/Long Beans-Prawns Stir Fry

Adding prawns into veg stir fries is quite popular in Cochin.  Should be an invention from a clever, innovative granny who tried to trick her family into eating more greens.  Who can abandon prawns, even if they are peeping out of greens!!!

You will need...
Achinga/Long Beans - 500 gms cut into 1 inch long pieces
Small prawns/cocktail prawns - 100 gms
Onion - 1 sliced
Green Chillies - 2-3 slitted lengthwise
Turmeric powder- 1/2 tsp
Chilli flakes - 1 tsp
Shallots - few sliced
Curry leaves - few
Salt - to taste
Oil

Peel and cook prawns with little salt and turmeric. Keep aside.  Cover and cook long beans with sliced onions, green chillies, few drops of oil, salt and turmeric powder in medium heat until half cooked. In a thick bottomed pan heat oil and saute shallots and curry leaves. Add chilli flakes and saute for one minute. Add prawns and cooked beans.  Stir fry until dry.  Serve hot.

Kanava Fry/ Squid/Calamari Fry

I'm sharing a very simple yet yummy squid stir fry.  Seafoods like squids and prawns have some magic imbibed in them, they are delicious no matter how you cook!

You will need...

Squid - 500gms

Onions - 2 big sliced

Green chillies - 3-4 slitted lengthwise

Curry leaves - few

Chilli powder - 1-2 tsp

Turmeric powder - 1 tsp

Salt - to taste

Cut squid into rings. Marinate with salt, chilli powder, turmeric powder and keep it for at least 30 minutes. Heat oil in a thick bottomed pan and saute onions, green chillies and curry leaves. Add squid and stir fry in high heat until all the water disppears. Serve hot. Can be served as a starter as well as a side dish. 

Meen Paalu Curry/Fish Curry

Meen paalu curry is a preparation with vinegar and coconut milk. A change from the usual fish curry with gambooge/kokum(kudam puli).

You will need...

1. Fish - 750gms cleaned and cut into   pieces(i used black pomfret)
   Green chiliies - 6-7 slitted lengthwise
   Turmeric powder - 1 tsp
   Vinegar* - 2-3 tbsp
   Salt - to taste
   Water - 1/4 cup

Put all the ingredients together in a pan, cover and cook in medium heat and keep aside.

2. Big onion - 1 sliced
    Tomattoes - 1 sliced into rounds
    Garlic clove - 1 sliced
    Ginger crushed - 1 inch piece
    Coriander powder - 1 tbsp
    Chilly powder - 1-1 1/2 tsp
    Turmeric powder - 1 tsp
    Coconut milk* - 1 cup(thick consistency)
                               and 2 cups(thin consistency)
    Shallots(Cheriya ulli) - 5-6 sliced
    Curry leaves - 2 stems
    Salt
    Oil - 2-3 tbsp

See coconut milk recipe here.  Mix coriander powder, chilly powder and turmeric powder in 2-3 tbsp water to a paste and keep it aside. In a thick bottomed pot or terracotta cooking dish(currychatti) saute shallots to golden brown and add curry leaves. Keep it aside. In the same pan saute onions, ginger and garlic(do not allow it to brown),  add tomattoes and saute for one minute. Reduce heat and add the masala paste and saute until oil leaves to the sides of the pan. Add the thin coconut milk( edappal) and let it boil in medium heat. Add fish pieces into it taking special care so as not to break the pieces. If there is any water left out in the pan add that too along with the chillies. When it boils reduce heat and add thick coconut milk(thalappal). Just heat it, do not allow to boil. Garnish with fried shallots and curry leaves. Serve hot with rice or roti.

Vinegar - Distilled malt vinegar is used in this preparation. Can use coconut vinegar if it is available.

Coconut Milk - Fresh coconut milk is used here, suitable substitutes can be used like instant coconut milk powder or tinned coconut milk. Dilute it to thick and thin milks.

Note: 

After adding the  thick coconut milk do not let it boil. The milk solids will get seperated and spoil the curry, specially the look of it. Taste should be alright.

Fish preparations are usually made using currychatti(terracotta dish) which is supposed to make the preparation tastier.

To get an authentic kerala taste you can prepare it in coconut oil.

Fish Fry/Meen Varuthathu

Fish, fish and more fish from the Arabian Sea!!! It's a daily affair in Cochin and fish fry is the simplest of all preparations. Even though frying is not recommended for a healthy diet, due to it's simplicity and taste we end up frying.

You will need...

Fish - 500gm
Chilly powder - 1 tbsp
Turmeric powder - 3/4 tbsp
Pepper powder - 1 tbsp
Salt - as needed
Oil - for frying

Clean fish and marinate with all the ingredients. Keep for about half an hour and deep fry. Serve hot.

 Marinated sardines

Fish Cutlets

My MIL is well known among our relatives for her yummy cutlets. They have even branded it as 'Linda Aunty's Cutlets'!!! It was the first dish I learned from her. I served it as starter for a party and it was a hit!!! After going through the recipe, even if you feel like it's too complicated, trust me, it's worth a try!!!

You will need...

Tinned tuna chunks in brine(185gm tins) - 4

Vinegar - 1 tbsp

Turmeric powder - 1/2 tsp

Ginger paste - 1 tsp

Pepper powder - 1 tsp

Garam masala powder- 1/2 tsp

Oil - 1 tsp

For Sauting...

Big onions - 2 finely chopped

Green chillies - 7-8 finely chopped (I add 10 to make it real spicy)

Curry leaves - few finely chopped

Ginger paste - 1 tbsp

Garam masala powder- 1 tsp

Turmeric powder - 1 tsp

Oil - 2-3 tbsp

Salt - to taste

To make patties...

Boiled and mashed potatoes - 4-5 meduim

Egg - 1 large beaten

Bread crumbs - Enough to cover approx 20 cutlets

Oil - for frying

Upper left: after the first step

Lower left: sauted with onions until golden brown

Upper right: mixed with mashed potatoes

Lower right: moulded into patties

Drain the tuna into a cooking vessel and mix with the first set of ingredients and keep stirring in meduim flame until it is dry. Transfer it into another vessel.

Add oil to the cooking pan and saute onions, green chillies, curry leaves and ginger paste until onions are golden brown. Add garam masala powder and turmeric powder in low heat and stir well. More pepper powder can be added now if u need it hot. Add tuna into this and fry until well mashed and almost golden brown. Check salt and add if needed. Once it cools down mix with mashed potatoes.Mould into patties of desired shape with hand or with the help of cookie cutters. Dip the patties in beaten egg and then roll it in bread crumbs. Deep fry and serve hot with tomatto ketchup and onion salad.

Note:

-Tuna chunks in brine are mostly salted, so be careful while adding salt.

- Fresh fish can be used instead. If so cook fish with little water and the first set of ingredients and remove bones.

- In case if it is brittle while moulding into patties, mashed potatoes can be added more to make it pliable.

- The secret trick is saute in a low heat for some time until fish turns golden brown, and the taste of just pepper and garam masala makes it unique. I have tried adding coriander powder and chilli powder and realised that it tastes better without.

- Can add garlic if you like.

- Can freeze, and will stay for almost a month.