Fish Curry

I love fish curry...the tantalizing red color, the aroma that tingles the nose, the heat bombs that explode on the tongue, the warm feeling that leave one guessing about the complexity of spices, everything about it is ambrosia to me. And that is why I keep trying out different varieties from different states of India..spicy, tangy, sweet, thick gravy, thin gravy...just about anything that catches my eye.

But of late I was feeling a bit confused about which one to cook, so I just threw in a bit of this and a bit of that and ended up with a lip-smacking curry. Some mustard paste, a little onion-ginger-garlic-masala paste, some yogurt, about half a cup of finely chopped tomatoes and of course the lightly fried fish are the core ingredients that go into this dish. With so many ingredients, it becomes important to get the proportions right especially as this curry needs to be a light one (with a thin-gravy).

Read on for the recipe -

Preparation Time - 30 mins

Ingredients -

• 6 pieces Rohu fish 
• 2 tsp (heaped) onion-masala paste
• 3-4 tsp mustard masala paste
• 1/2 cup yogurt
• 1/2 cup finely chopped tomatoes
• 1 cup boiled potato cubes
• 1 1/2 tsp chili powder
• 1/5 tsp garam masala powder
• 1/2 tsp turmeric powder
• 1 tsp sugar
• 4 tsp oil
• salt to taste
• (Oil for shallow frying fish)
• coriander leaves for garnishing

Preparation - Marinate the fish with a pinch of turmeric and some salt. Shallow fry on both sides to a golden brown. Remove and keep aside on a tissue paper to absorb excess oil.

Beat the yogurt to break any lumps.

Cooking - Heat 4 tsp oil in a wok. Add the onion masala paste and fry lightly for 3 mins.

Add the mustard masala paste and fry for 1 minute (do not overdo).

Add the chopped tomatoes along with chili powder, turmeric and garam masala. Cover with a lid for 1-2 mins to allow tomatoes to soften. Fry for another minute.

Add about 4 cups boiling water. Adjust the salt and allow the curry to come to a rolling boil.

Let it boil for 2-3 mins before adding the fish and the boiled potatoes. Cover with a lid and let simmer for a while till you get the desired consistency.

Finally stir in the yogurt along with a little salt. Let it boil for 2-3 mins before adding the coriander leaves and removing the curry from the flame,

For onion masala paste - 1 large onion, 8-10 garlic flakes, 2 inch ginger, 2 dry red chilis, 1 tsp cumin seeds, 1 1/2 inch cinnamon stick, 2-3 green cardamoms. Grind everything together into a smooth paste.

For mustard masala paste - 3 tsp mustard seeds, 2 tsp cumin seeds, 7-8 garlic flakes, 1-2 green chili. Grind everything together into a smooth paste.

Chicken Kheema Matar

A few days back I had posted the recipe for soya kheema matar . That had been inspired by the Kheema matar, a delicious recipe of minced mutton cooked along with fresh green peas. But as I have resolved to stay away from red meat this year, I substituted the mutton with chicken. I found it to be easy and quick, and one of the best side-dishes for hot puffed by rotis.

Read on for the easy recipe -

Preparation Time - 15-20 mins

Ingredients -

• 1 cup chicken kheema/minced chicken
• 1 cup shelled green peas (fresh ones only)
• 1 large tomato
• 1 medium sized onion
• 1 small boiled potato
• 1 green chili (finely chopped)
• 1 tsp ginger paste
• 1 tsp garlic paste
• 1/2 tsp Kashmiri chili powder
• 1/3 tsp coriander powder
• 1/5 tsp Garam masala
• 1/4 tsp turmeric
• 2 inch long cinnamon stick
• 1-2 green cardamom
• 1-2 cloves
• 1 bay leaf
• 3 tbsp thick curd
• 3 tsp oil
• salt to taste
• fresh coriander leaves for garnishing

Preparation - Wash and drain the chicken kheema to remove excess water.

Chop the onion into medium sized pieces. The tomato can either be finely chopped or grind into a paste.

Peel and cut the potato into small pieces.

Beat the curd lightly with a spoon to break any lumps.

Cooking - Heat the oil in a pressure cooker. Throw in the whole garam masala. Add the onions and fry for 1-2 minutes before adding the ginger paste, garlic paste and green chili. Fry for 3-4 minutes till the raw smell goes off.

Add the chicken kheema at this point along with the coriander powder, turmeric powder, red chili powder and half of the garam masala. Fry for 4-5 minutes.

Add the tomato pieces and fry for 2-3 mins. Add the beaten curd and cook for another 2-3 mins.

Finally add the green peas, potato pieces, salt and remaining garam masala. Cook for 3-4 mins on low flame before removing from the stove.

Serve hot with rotis or even with some white rice.

Note - Add some meat masala to add that extra zing to this dish !! If making this dish with mutton kheema or country chicken kheema, add about 1/2 cup hot water while adding green peas and cook it for 2-3 whistles.

Pepper Garlic Liver Masala !!!

For the daily soap addicts, these are exciting times. Almost every show worth its salt (or TRP) is showing some new development. Whether it is the uncovering of the hijacking plot by Suraj and Sandhya in Diya Aur Bati or the marriage triangle of Jigar, Pari and Radha in long running 'Saathiya', the telly soap fans are lapping it up with glee. While I am no fan of such shows, it is my MIL who keeps me updated about the developments on the telly front.

Is it a mere coincidence that every show has something special going on at the same point of time ? Or is it a very well thought and perfectly timed strategic move ? Something to lure back the viewers after the lull which happened during the festive season. With the TRPs driving so much moolah, things can no longer be left to mere chance. It is yet another example of the application of predictive analytics or forecasting, big sounding terms both, which are not relegated to the world inhabited by geeks alone.

Being on a holiday/break does have its share of hidden perks. On of them being the freedom to introspect on seemingly trivial matters. Sometimes these very moments can give one a very fresh perspective and open up new channel/lines of thought. Coming back to today's recipe, it is a fairly simple and quick one. Read on for the recipe -

Preparation Time - 15 mins


Ingredients -

• 100 gm chicken liver (one can include gizzard too)
• 1 tsp pepper
• 7-8 fat garlic cloves
• 3-4 tbsp chopped cilantro
• 2 cloves
• 1/2 inch cinnamon
• a small piece of star anise
• 1 green chili
• 2 tbsp hung curd
• 2 tsp oil
• 1 medium sized onion
• 2 pinch turmeric
• salt to taste
• few drops of vinegar

Preparation - Wash and drain all the pieces. Add the vinegar, salt and turmeric. Mix well and keep aside for 5 mins.

Grind the pepper, garlic, cilantro, cloves, cinnamon, star anise and green chili into a paste. Add to the chicken liver pieces and marinate for 1 hour.

Chop the onion into small pieces

Cooking - Heat the oil in a wok. Add the onion and fry till translucent.

Throw in the marinated chicken liver along with nay residual marinade. Stir fry for 8-9 mins. (The liver usually gets cooked within this time)

Add the hung curd and cook for another 2-3 mins. Remove from the wok.

Serve hot with rotis.

Note - This recipe tastes great with mutton liver too. But it takes longer to cook. 

Chilli Fish

Just like many of the improvised indo-chinese recipes that have become the mainstay of our menus, Chili fish is another quick and interesting recipe that can multitask as both as a side-dish cum starters. Nothing new about this recipe, as I remember having it way back in 95'-96'. It had caught the imagination of the Oriya masses at that time and hardly any marriage/reception that we attended was complete without a serving of this delicacy.

But like all good things, it suffered an overkill and that is the reason I had been avoiding it for so long. But with the onset of summer, curries are taking a backseat. So, in addition to the plain fish fry (using only salt and turmeric) , maccha besara bhaja ( using garlic-green chilli-mustard sauce/paste ) and masala dia maccha bhaja ( ginger-garlic-onion-coriander-garam masala paste ), I decided to add it to our meals on a one off basis. Read on for the recipe:

Preparation Time - 15 mins

Ingredients -

4 pieces of Rohu fish ( or 200 gm )
1 medium sized onion
1 medium sized capsicum
2-3 green chillis
2-3 red chillis
4-5 tsp oil
2 pinch turmeric
salt to taste

For the sauce -

1 1/2 tsp corn flour
1-2 tsp vinegar
1-2 dark soy sauce
3 tsp tomato sauce
1 1/2 tsp chilli sauce
1 tsp fish sauce (optional)
2-3 tsp water

Preparation - Wash the fish pieces and pat them dry. Add the turmeric and salt. Rub all over the fish and marinate for 10 minutes.

Cut the onion and capsicum into medium sized chunks. Slit the green chillis and deseed them.

Take all the ingredients for the sauce in a bowl. Mix well.

Cooking - Heat a non-stick frying pan. Add 2 tsp oil.

Add the fish pieces and cook on both sides to a light brown (reddish) color. Remove from pan and allow to cool down. Cut into small pieces.

Heat the remaining oil in wok. Add the red and green chillis. Follow with the capsicum and onion chunks after 1 minute. Saute for 2 minutes.

Add the sauce and turn up the flame to HIGH. Cook for 2 minutes or till the sauce dries up a bit.

Add the fried fish and mix well to coat the pieces with the sauce. Fry for 1-2 minutes before switching off the flame.

Serve hot as a side dish. ( If using boneless/fillets, this can also be served as a starter. )

Chicken 65

Chicken 65 is perhaps one of the most loved chicken dishes ordered as a starter. Both my South Indian and North Indian friends like it equally. Not to mention any foreigners that I have come across. Spicy and tangy this one is bound to have you asking for seconds.

Among all the stories that abound of its origin, I believe the one that says ' It was the 65th item on the menu of restaurant in Chennai and that the year was also 1965. Hence the name stuck' . However my husband believes that it is made from chickens who are 65 days old. Another version has it that 65 ingredients go into the making of this dish. But even if I tried i could not go anywhere beyond 35 ( had even started imagining some exotic spices by then ). Stories apart, even the flavor changes from region to region and restaurant to restaurant. The best I have ever sampled came from a modest place called 'Dhawat' in Hyderabad.

While it is usually distinguished by its fiery red color, I chose to omit food coloring and went with Kashmiri red chillis. These are a natural coloring agent and have been used since long time in Indian cooking. Read on for my version :

Preparation Time - 30 mins ( Plus 2 hours for marination )

Ingredients -
For the marinade - 200 gm chicken breast (use thigh if you prefer), 1 egg white, 1 tsp GG paste, 1 tsp coriander powder, 1/2 tsp cumin powder, 1/3 tsp turmeric powder, 1 tsp Kashmiri red chilli powder, juice of half lime or 1 1/2 tsp lime juice, 1 tsp corn flour, 1 tsp maida/all-purpose flour, salt to taste.

For the saute - 1 tbsp chopped garlic, 10-11 cashews, 3-4 dry Kashmiri chillis (or use any other medium spicy one), 2 sprigs curry leaves, 3-4 green chilli (seeded and slitted), 1 tbsp chopped coriander leaves, 2 tsp tomato sauce.

For the paste - 1 tsp cornflour, 3 tbsp yogurt, 1/2 tsp Kashmiri red chilli powder, salt to taste. (Add a few drops of red color is using)

Oil for deep frying.

Preparation - Cut the Chicken into small pieces ( 3 cm X 2 cm X 1 cm ). Wash and pat dry with paper towel.
Whisk together all the ingredients for the marinade. Add chicken pieces and mix.
Keep aside for 2 hours.

Whisk together all the ingredients for the paste. Add a little water to thin if required.

Cooking - Heat sufficient oil in a wok. Bring up the flame. Once it reaches the right temperature, add 6-7 marinated pieces and lower the flame. Fry with regular stirring so that it gets cooked uniformly. Once done ( 3 mins or less ), remove and keep aside.

Add another batch of chicken and repeat. Fry all the remaining chicken in the same manner.

Heat another wok. Add 2 tsp oil to it.

Add the cashews, fry for 30 seconds and remove from wok.

Add the green and red chillis along with curry leaves. Then add the garlic and saute for 1 minute.

Add the yogurt paste and saute for 1-2 minute.

Add the fried chicken pieces and saute on medium to high till all the liquid is absorbed. Remove from flame.

Garnish with the chopped coriander and fried cashews. Serve hot as a starter or side.

Egg Butter Masala ( Low calorie version )

Chicken Butter Masala happens to be one of the most popular Indian chicken dishes. I guess if the Tandoori chicken wins first place in any popularity contest, the butter masala would be considered as a close second. Whenever I invite any friends who do not eat chicken, I feel rather sorry at not being able to serve them this wonderful dish. That is what egged me to recreate the magic of Chicken Butter Masala with eggs (Yeah ...everyone loves eggs). And it turned out to be a winner.

You can use fresh cream if you like but I have added low-fat milk instead of water to add richness to the gravy. Keeping a close check on the calories these days. Read on for the recipe:

Preparation Time - 30 minutes

Ingredients - 4 eggs, 2 big onions, 2 small/medium tomatoes, 2 tsp ginger garlic paste, 1/2 tsp cumin seeds, 1 big cardamon, 1/2 tsp red chilli powder, 1/3 tsp turmeric, salt to taste, 3 tsp oil, 1 tbsp butter, 7-8 cashews, a fistful of raisins, 1 cup skim/low-fat milk.

Preparation - Soak the cashews and raisins for 3-4 hours.
Grind into a smooth paste.

Roughly chop the onions and tomatoes.

Cooking - Heat 1 1/2 tsp of oil in a wok. Add the roughly chopped onions. Fry on low flame till you can see brown spots. This indicates that caramelization has started and the onions turn sweet.

At the same time, heat sufficient water in a saucepan. Add the eggs and boil for 12-15 minutes. Allow to cool down a bit and remove the shells.

Remove the onions from the wok and allow to cool a bit. Grind into a smooth paste.

Add the boiled eggs along with a pinch of turmeric to the wok. Fry to a golden color. Remove and keep aside (You can skip this step if you wish)

Add the remaining oil and butter to the wok. Once it is hot enough, add the cumin seeds and big cardamon. Fry for 30 seconds and remove the cardamon as it tends to overpower the other flavors.

Add onion paste and fry for 2 mins. Add GG paste and fry for 3-4 minutes.

Add the roughly chopped tomatoes with salt, turmeric and red chilli powder. Fry till oil separates from the paste.

Add the cashews and raisins paste and cook for 2 mins. The raisins add sweetness to this curry hence i have skipped sugar. If not using raisins add 1 1/2 tsp sugar.

Slowly stir in the milk and bring to a boil. Simmer for 2-3 minutes.

Make small cuts into the eggs and add to the curry. Simmer for another 2-3 minutes. Switch off flame.

Serve hot with rotis/phulkas or rice. (I like to have it with both)