Meen Pollichathu- Fish cooked in banana leaf

 My husband's Malayalam accent is terrible. He doesn't know most words and what he does know, he cannot pronounce right. But, if it is to do with food, then he will keep saying it - till I make it for him.  And that is the story of the meen pollichathu; he had it for the first time in Kerala and was so smitten that he wanted to have it again. In Kerala they predominantly make this dish with the Karimeen or pearl spot or green chromide fish which is found in the backwaters.  In Melbourne, I used the Spanish Mackeral - which is my go to for a lot of these types of traditional dishes.  The Karimeen is a fish that tastes divine for all Malayalis and the Spanish Mackeral can never match that; but still, the dish tasted immensely satisfying.  The one thing you need for this dish is a nice banana leaf with no tears. The fish is cooked "en papillote" style - and the banana leaf is the key to getting the flavours right.  Last year I planted some banana trees in my backyard and I was lucky to get fresh leaves for the dish.

Seafood Risotto

Comfort food, but also loaded with calories! I went all ahead with this one for my children with the butter and cream, but if I made this for myself, it would probably be just with olive oil and chunks of fish.  We are having a dry February, so there was no wine to drink with this beautiful risotto; but I did have left over wine from before that I used for cooking the rice. This could be a quick mid week dinner too as it is easy to prepare and quick to cook.  All up, it took me just about an hour including prep. I adapted the Recipe Tin Eats recipe to suit my taste.  I served it with a simple salad of shredded beetroot, cucumber, salad leaves and a feta cheese dressing.

Prawns with Mango and Chilli Mayo

 In my early days in Australia, I used to wonder how people could eat prawns that were just passed through steam - unshelled and with the intestines intact.  In fact, when I asked my first ever manager in Australia how they ate the prawns without removing the intestines, he was not able to answer me. He had always eaten them like that, he said and he had not fallen sick.

I avoided having them for several years. Eventually, when I did work up the courage to eat one, I found them juicy and sweet.  This image of a prawn is of course totally opposite to what I grew up with. I now like them like this - and in Summer, most people enjoy prawns cold in a salad.  I hope you try this prawn and chilli mayo salad with ripe mango - the mango sets off the sweetness of the prawns.

Fish Pickle - Meen Achar

 The year was 1993, the place - Adelaide. I was newly married, in a brand new place, 8000 kms away from home. I had no friends and I knew no one. I was armed with a few deadly recipes, though; and the fish pickle was one of them. My recipe said "seer fish" which is the local Indian name - and they had nothing like that in Central Market. Until a friend told me that in Australia they called it Spanish Mackerel!  My joy knew no bounds - and soon, presents for people was a bottle of home made fish pickle. My Aussie friends loved it - apparently it is best had with a glass of Chardonnay.  So that is my story about the fish pickle and its elevated status. Back home it is a humble staple - always present as an accompaniment in the meat safe ready to spice up any meal at any given time!  I haven't made it in  along time - and last week fresh Spanish Mackerel was going at $22.00 a kilo - which is cheaper than usual, so here we go!  Happy pickling!

Netholi Curry with Green Mango - White Bait Curry with Green Mango

It was January 2019 and I was in India for a get together with my University friends. I met my long time friend Yaso after 31 years and spent a few days with her in home in Madurai.  Yaso had come down from the United States for the get together and also to visit her mother who lived in Madurai.

Yaso said to me one day that she wanted me to meet dear friends of hers  who lived close to her mother's - and we turned up at this lady's house.  She said her name was Sarala Mohandas and that she was originally from Nagercoil. 

When someone says to you they are from your parents home town you start asking a lot of questions - and turns out this lady, who was known by her "common" name Rajam, knew my mother and my mother's siblings too.  In fact she went to University with my mother's youngest brother!

What a coincidence, and when she offered this lip smacking white bait curry with crispy dosas, it felt like my mother was making my favourite dish for me - and I ate like an ogre - with no inhibitions.  Personally, I took it as a sign my mother was definitely looking after me! 

I fell in love with aunty Sarala's fish curry so much that I asked her for the recipe and she was generous enough to write it out for me.

The other day, I made just enough for me since my husband is not a fan of fish curry as such.  He sat there licking his fingers and telling me "How come you never made this before?"  

Anyhow, this is going to be a permanent dish at home during whitebait season, I can tell you!

Prawns with Moringa Leaves

 Moringa - or the Moringa Oleifera is one of the old world superfoods. The tree is very common in India lining streets and households.  The seed pods are long - like over 40 centimetres long and are delicious in curries.  We grew up calling them drumsticks - of course drumstick in Melbourne refers to chicken drumsticks so I soon stopped saying that.  We hardly get fresh drumsticks - though it does make an appearance in the market once in a while. I buy it when I see it and freeze it for later use.  The leaves and flowers of the moringa tree are also edible and used in curries. 

Yesterday, I spotted fresh leaves in the market - so today we will make one my favourite recipes that my patti (grandmother) used to make with school shrimp. School shrimp are tiny shrimp that you can cook with the shells on but it is hard to get them off season in Melbourne.  I felt lucky just getting the moringa leaves.

Moringa leaves are often sold in health food stores in powder form, but fresh is the best.  I have never used the powder form.  The hardest part of this recipe is getting the leaves off its stalk. The stalks are tough and you do not want them in your dish.  Once you have got the leaves off the stalks, this dish can be prepared in less than 30 minutes.

I guess you could try it with shredded spinach if you cannot find moringa leaves.  

Cray Fish /Tasmanian Lobster Masala

I was at the market the other day and saw these beauties for sale.  I was a bit nervous of the live ones - as it was the first time I am cooking with them.  The lady at the shop suggested I take a pre cooked one since it was my first time - so I followed her advice.  I was going to cook it exactly like crab, I thought to myself - and now that I am done, I can tell you that it tasted divine.  The flesh was firm and sweet and the coconut milk added at the end accentuated that flavour.

Don't be scared by the spiny head and body - it is very easy to cut it with your kitchen knife and shears.

I boiled the shells and the legs in water and I will use that as stock when I make seafood paella or risotto next. I was fascinated by the shell - and took lots of photographs too. It might be a while before I try buying a live lobster, though.  The lobster I bought was a little less than a kilo including the shell and it was enough for the two of us.

Jhinga Masala - Prawns Masala

 Before you get scared and run away let me tell you the fiery red is the colour of this particular type of chilli.  It is not hot - and you can buy it at your local Indian store. It is called "Kashmiri Chilli Powder".  Unlike your normal chilli powder, this variety does not have any heat, but it colours the food and makes it look appetizing.  You can always reduce the chilli in the recipe if you are nervous - so do try it because this recipe is a bit hit in my home.

It is very common in Indian restaurants and I find it quite oily in the restaurant, but you can make it with less oil and more flavour.  With Summer round the corner, you can have this with roti, chappati or rice.

The last few weeks have been extremely busy at work and I have hardly any time to work on my blog and take pictures.  So excuse me, please, I have no step by step photos.

Of Puttu and Old Fish curry - a tale of lost traditions

You know that fish curry tastes best after a couple of days - for that matter most curries taste better the next day.  But with fish curry, the older it gets the tastier it gets. I have spent last couple of weekends with the family painting our back fence and I am exhausted.  I made a pot of curry on Friday night and today I had it with puttu on my ever silver platter.  

Have you ever heard of the word "ever silver"? Back in the 20's or 30's most of the women who got married in my community started off life with a whole bunch of brass, copper and silver utensils.

As they were used, these utensils used to oxidise and get blackened with the wood fire stoves and coal fires that the women used as well. They subsequently spent a lot of time cleaning these utensils with tamarind and lime - which are naturally acidic and dissolved away the Verdigris and black stuff.  It was a lot of hard work and scrubbing, to keep them shiny and nice.

With the progress of the stainless steel industry and the arrival of new shiny utensils that did not need so much of scrubbing to keep clean and bright, my grandmother and many of my grand aunties and relatives traded in their copper, brass and silver utensils and even silver jari saris for stainless steel.  

I remember watching the hawkers come in with their scales and weights and exchanging utensils and all the haggling that happened in patti's home.

The stainless steel utensils got a new name - "Ever Silver" - they remained forever silver and bright!

Today's meal is old fish curry and fresh puttu served up in an ever silver plate with an ever silver bowl.

"Very pedestrian" - as Matt Preston would proclaim, adjusting his cravat and speaking in his English accent. "Very very tasty" - I would reply in my very Indian accent.....

Today's post is about old lost traditions and respect for my forefathers. Old fish curry is something that is available in most Nagercoil or Kerala households.  And puttu can be whipped up in under 10 minutes.  Together it is a marriage of flavours made in heaven.

Prawn Curry with Garcinia Cambogia

 "Ayala Porichathundu, Karimeen varuthathundu, Kudam puli ittu vecha nalla chemmen curry undu"....goes the popular song.  A woman plaintively calling out to her lover to come home for lunch as she has made deep fried mackerel, shallow fried pearl spot and prawn curry with garcinia cambogia..... if some one said this to me, I would be home in ten seconds flat - and he would be silly not to come home for this dish!

This prawn curry with garcinia cambogia refers to the third item in the song, a definite sea food lover's favourite and a signature Kerala dish.  Served with some white rice, this is literally finger licking good.

This dish took me 15 minutes to prepare because I got the shelled prawns - it is a great mid week dinner idea.

Theeyal - with prawns and drumstick ; Toasted coconut curry with prawns and drumstick

One of my dad's favorite dishes was Theeyal. It is easy to understand why - when this dish is being made, the smell of the toasting coconut and spices play havoc with your nose and taste buds.  It is a curry that takes all your senses on a journey of discovery and delight.  I normally make this dish completely vegetarian. However, I saw this recipe for prawns and drumstick and since I had both ingredients I made it this way. 

If you get fresh organic shallots, substitute all onions and vegetables and make this with just the shallots.  Trust me, you will not forget the taste experience.

Meen Varattiyathu - Fried fish in an onion tomato gravy

 This is one of my mother's signature dishes.  She usually made it with fresh Spanish Mackeral. Having been locked down for quite a while now and unable to go to the market, I have used salmon to make this dish.  I think any firm fleshed fish would work for this recipe.

The idea is to marinate the fish, shallow fry it and then cook it in a gravy of onions and tomatoes.  This recipe goes very well with chappaties.

Konju Masala - Masala Prawns - Kerala Style

When I have a Kerala craving, I make something typical Keralan - to satisfy my homesickness. This is a typical Kerala prawns dish with kokum (Garcinia Indica) used as a souring agent and black pepper for heat.  Konju means prawns.  It also means sweet talking - whatever you call it, prawns is sweet - and reminds me of home.

Netholi Varuthathu - Fried White Bait

I saw some fresh tiny whitebait that were so little you cannot really clean them.  Brought them home and washed them several times with water and rock salt. Usually the white bait I get is much bigger and it takes a while to clean them.  But since these were so little, the cleaning was quite easy.

Today I have just shallow fried them and served it for dinner with rice and dal.  They would go just on their own with a drink of cold beer too.

Toasted Coconut Chutney - Varuthu Aracha Thenga Chammandhi

It was raining heavily in Melbourne today and I was homesick for the monsoons and smell of Kerala.  Nothing better than going to Chef Pillai from my hometown of Kollam for inspiration!

I love his work and the simplicity with which he presents his/our food.

Coconut oil is always frozen in Melbourne - so I rarely use it except for occasions or special cravings.

To make this dish vegetarian, just omit the sprats.

Kottayam Fish Curry

I am always on the look out for new and interesting fish curry recipes.  Here is one I sourced from an old newspaper cutting.  Even though the curry looks hot and fiery, it is a mild curry.  The reason it looks spicy is because we have added Kashmiri chilli powder.  It is one of those chilli powders that lends the red colour without being too spicy.  Had some left over bits of Spanish Mackerel I wanted to use so here goes:

Crispy Skin Salmon Paella

This dish is made from all the left over vegetables, rice and salmon I had in the fridge - so i made it up as I went along.  I liked the end result, try it and let me know if you liked it too!

Crispy Skin Salmon with Baked Potato

I mostly like to write down my Indian recipes.  But there are some exceptions.  Baked potatoes are one and crispy skin salmon is another.  Both these dishes are very easy to make any my kids love making and eating them.  They are also very tasty - so if you want to have a day of rest, go ahead and just point your kids to these recipes.

The baked potatoes go with just about anything - barbecued meat, roast chicken and so on.

Easy Fish Biriyani

The Italians have the Risotto, Spanish have Paella and Indians have the Biriyani. I have been hunting for a good fish biriyani recipe and experimenting on how to create this dish for a while now.  I think what I did the last time finally got the stamp of approval from the family so here it is - a quick biriyani that keeps the flavour of the fish without overpowering it with the spices of the biriyani. Unfortunately I did not take pictures as I went along as I was in a hurry to cook the dish - but it is very simple so do try it.

Seafood Paella

This is my first try at making a seafood paella - so I used the easiest recipe from goodfood.com.au and modified it slightly.

I was told that ideally the rice should form a thin crust at the base giving the paella a smoky flavour.  I didn't get the crust this time around - so I will have to keep trying! :-)  The taste was very good.