Ayala Varuthathe - Mackerel fry, Malabar style

It's funny how people come up with some terms. I've been learning a few new terms ever since I moved to Cochin. 'Chill-mode' is one of those. On a chill-mode day we stay at home all day lazying around, mostly with some very precious bottles of Bacardi breezers. Ya, that's right, breezers are pretty precious for us Kochites, we don't get them here, b'coz of some government regulation, and have to request our friends visiting from Bangalore and Hyderabad to get us some. The past 2 years that I have been here I've had the hope that someday they're gonna start selling it here. But now, thanks to new rules, that hope is dead. I really have no idea how the Mallu alcoholics are gonna survive this. Doesn't make a difference to us breezer drinkers, since we never did get it here to begin with.

Anyway back to food, so as I was saying, tonight's chill-mode for us, my friend Parvathi and me. And since we were gonna be downing some breezers, we got some fish to fry as "touchings" with the breezers. Touchings is something spicy that's eaten as a side-dish with alcohol, I know breezers aren't much to call alcohol, but technically they are. So, tonight's touchings was Ayala Varuthathe, Mackerel Malabar style. A very simple recipe, but thought I'll put it up for some of my friends who are upcoming Malabary cookers ;)

Ingredients for Ayala Varuthathe

1. Ayala - 2, cut, cleaned and striped
2. Chilli powder - 1 ½ Tbsp.
3. Turmeric powder - ½ Tsp.
4. Pepper powder - 1 Tsp. 
5. Salt - ½ Tbsp. or as per your taste
6. Lime juice - 1 Tsp.
7. Coconut oil - To shallow fry, about 3 Tbsp. on a non-stick pan.

Method:

• Cut and clean the fish, and give it 5-6 stripes horizontally over the entire length, so that the marinade can seep in well. 
• Mix the ingredients 2 to 6 in a bowl, add a few drops of water if required and make a slightly thick paste and marinate the fish in it for about half an hour. 
• Heat a flat pan, add the oil.
• Once the oil is hot, place the marinated fish on it. Fry on a medium-slow heat for about 5 minutes on each side or till you feel its cooked to your liking.
• Ayala Varuthathe is ready!

Prawn Roast

A worldwide favorite and definitely the most versatile seafood.... the vote would most certainly go to Shrimp/Prawn. Shellfish usually are more popular than other kinds of seafood, for most people mainly due to the ease of cooking, versatility, the ease of eating, since there's no bones to worry about (with the exception of crab of course!) and more than anything, the taste! 
I don't really wanna go on to the part where I'd have to admit to prawn being high in cholesterol... for now we'll jus skip that and get to the interesting part...

For the Prawn roast, we'll need

Prawn or shrimp - 1/2 kg
{Marinated for 30 minutes in 1/2 tsp chilli powder, a pinch of turmeric powder, a tsp of lemon juice and 1/2 tsp salt}
Onion - 1 big, chopped
Tomato - 1 big, chopped
Green chillis - 1, chopped
Garlic - 5-6 cloves, crushed and chopped
Turmeric - 1/2 tsp
Hot red chilli powder - 1 tsp
Kashmiri chilli powder (for color) - 1 tsp
Pepper - 1/2 tsp
Curry leaves - 1 sprig
Coriander leaves, chopped - 2 tbsp
Coconut oil - 3 tbsp
Salt to taste

Heat the oil in a shallow pan and fry the prawns just until they turn white. Remove and keep aside. 
In the remaining oil, add the onions and sauté till they turn pink. Add the tomatoes, green chilli and garlic, sauté till the tomatoes are softened and the oil starts to rise through. Add salt, turmeric and both the chilli powders. Fry for a minute, just enough to get rid of the raw smell of the powders. Add the prawns and mix it in well, so that the masala is well coated on the prawn. Throw in the curry leaves and the coriander leaves. Prawn roast ready to serve!!

Koondal peera - Squid fried with ginger and grated coconut

Squid is a unique kind of seafood. Squid, like cuttlefish, have eight arms arranged in pairs and two, usually longer, tentacles. In English speaking countries, squid as food is often sold using its Italian name calamari. Its rubbery texture and opaque color has led a lot of people to misunderstand it to be tasteless. But those who know about squids, will know that, if cooked in the right way, can be one of the tastiest. It can be cooked in various ways - barbecue, curry, fry etc. The arms and tentacles are edible, the parts that are not eaten are the ink, beak and gladius (pen). Cleaning squid is fairly simple, you just need to know the right technique as with crab, prawn etc. 
At home, I prepare squid in various ways, when I feel lazy, I shallow fry it, which is the simplest way. Sometimes when I feel less lazy its squid masala or I fry it with coconut and ginger, which is the recipe I am about to share here. It has a very gingery flavor with a coconut masala. This tastes great with rice. 


Squid - 1/2 kg, cleaned and cut into rings or strips
Kudampuli - 2 pieces
Turmeric - 1/2 tsp
Salt to taste
Shallots - 8-10, peeled and crushed
Grated coconut, crushed lightly - 1 cup
Jeera (cumin seeds) - 1/4 tsp (to be crushed with the coconut)
Ginger, grated - 1/4 cup
Garlic - 2 cloves, crushed
Green chillis - 4-5, (or as per your spice tolerance) crushed
Coconut oil - 2 tbsp
Curry leaves - A few


1. Cook the squid with the kudampuli, turmeric, salt and 1/4 cup water for about 10 minutes or till the squid turns whitish from opaque, on medium heat. By this time the squid would have released its juices too. 


2. Add the shallots, and cook till the water has almost completely evaporated. Add the coconut-jeera mixture, ginger, garlic and green chillis. Sauté for about 5 minutes.


3. Add the curry leaves and coconut oil, and sauté for another 5-10 minutes and the squid is ready to be served.


Its quite a simple preparation, having a distinctive flavor of the ginger. 

Fish Molee

This is a spicier version of the typical Fish Molee or Stewed fish. It's made from fried fish that's simmered in a smooth coconut milk gravy. This tastes great with bread and goes well with appam too.

You'll need:

750 gms fish, thickly sliced

½ tsp turmeric powder

1 ½ tsp salt

½ cup coconut oil

1 onion, thinly sliced

1 tbsp thinly sliced ginger

2 green chillis, slit in half

2 sprigs curry leaves

1 tbsp rice flour or all purpose flour

1 ½ cups thin coconut milk

1 cup thick coconut milk

¼ tsp garam-masala*

1 tbsp shallots, sliced thinly (fried in 1 tbsp of coconut oil) for garnish

*[For the garam-masala:

   Peppercorns 2 tbsp

   Star anise 3

   Cloves 5

   Cinnamon 3 big pieces

   Cardamom (green) 3

   Cardamom (black) 2

   Fennel 1 tbsp

   Roast and powder together all the ingredients. This powder can be stored in an airtight       container for months. But it’s better to make it freshly every time, in a smaller quantity.]

Method for making the Fish molee:

• Marinate the fish in turmeric & ½ tsp salt. Set aside for 1 hour.
• Heat the oil in a shallow pan, and fry the fish for a minute, on each side. Remove the fish from the pan when it’s lightly browned on both sides.
• In the same oil, fry the onion for 2-3 minutes, until it’s lightly browned. Then add the curry leaves, ginger and green chillis. Sauté for a minute.
• Stir in the flour. Add the thin coconut milk and the remaining 1 tsp of salt.
• Slowly add the fried fish pieces. Cook over low heat for 5 minutes.
• Gently stir in the thick coconut milk and simmer for another 5 minutes.
• Garnish with the fried shallots.

Kallu shaap meen curry... Toddy shop fish curry

Now, let me give you the recipe which is cherished by all the (non-vegetarian) coastal residents of Kerala, but mainly by the visitors of "kallu-shaaps"(toddy shop). This is always served with toddy, as a side-dish at the local toddy shops.

Its a spicy red gravy, which isn't too thick nor too thin in consistency.. It may look a little scary to the weak-hearted folks. You might think that it'll claim your tongue, but trust me its not so bad, you'll agree with me once u try it. My dad for one hates any food that's even close to spicy (or so he claims). Everytime and every meal that mom makes this curry (any given meal is incomplete in our house without it) dad has to crib that it's so hot that he gets hiccups (he says so for everything which has more than a pinch of chilly in it, but still licks his plate, when we're not watching!) but he won't let a day pass when he would not help himself to a handsome serving of the 'notorious curry'.

Its usually eaten only the next day after preparation, after its been simmered and simmered and simmered for about 3 to 4 times, by when it would have turned into a deep red shade and definitely irresistible! It'll most definitely not come out anywhere close to its authentic taste if prepared in any other form of utensil other than a meen-chatti.

So here goes...

Things you'll need:

• Fish 1/2 kg cut and cleaned
• Onion 1 sliced
• Tomato 1 sliced
• Green chillies 1 or 2 slit in half
• Ginger 1 big piece chopped
• Kashmiri chilly powder 4-5 tbsp (Use the non-spicy one which is just for color and texture, DON'T USE THE SPICY ONE IN THE ABOVE MENTIONED QUANTITY!! If u do, i will not be responsible for any casualties arising from its consumption... & I mean it!!)
• Hot chilly powder 1 tsp ONLY, coz the kashmiri chilly will have a bit of spiciness in itself, and we're also adding green chillies
• Tamarind almost half a handful soaked in hot water and about 1 tea-cup thick juice extracted (its not a a typing mistake, you'll actually need so much)
• Turmeric powder 1 tsp
• Salt to taste
• Sugar 1 tsp (to balance all the flavors)

The fish, it's called 'Uluva-meen' or 'Kadambe' in Malayalam, no idea what its called in English.. you can use any other fish of your choice

For seasoning:

• Coconut oil 4-5 tbsp
• Garlic 8-9 cloves, crushed
• Curry leaves 3 sprigs

Preparation:

• All the ingredients together (except the fish), crush it well with your hands.
  
• Then add the fish. Add about 2 cups of water.
  
• Simmer for about 1/2 an hour. By then it would be almost a dark red to orange color, and quite thick in consistency.
• Add the seasoning ingredients directly to the curry. Close lid immediately.
• Keep aside. Reheat after about 5-6 hours, repeat again in another 5-6 hours.
  
• Serve with rice and a couple of 'kaandari mulagu' (bird's eye chilly) . Mash the chillies into the gravy and there you go!! The kallu shop fish curry.. Enjoy!!

Grandma's fish Curry

This is one of my grandmom's wonderful recipes....
Mathi or Sardines are one of the very popular fishes, especially in Kerala. Its something you can call cheap and best. I for one feel its very under-priced, for the awesome thing that it is. But at the rate prices are shooting up nowadays, i'm quite certain that it wouldn't be long before mathi would be priced like seer fish or prawn, i don't even wanna imagine how much those would cost by then.
This is one of my all time favorite fish curries, it triggers nostalgia in me, coz this is one of the most prominent memories associated with my granmom's house. My Achamma (Dad's mom) is a great cook, and this curry she makes has been the same since I first ate it, 25 years ago, when I was less than a year old, and is still exactly the same. But for me, the actual taste comes only when Naathi-- short for Naarayaniadathi, (my granmom's helping hand from 30 years or more maybe. I remember seeing her ever since i was born. She's a very short lady, not more than 4 feet, who looks the same then and now, except for a little hunch which has come in the last few years) feeds me with her 'vayasaaya kai' (Malayalam for 'old hands') as she puts it.

For the curry, you'll need:

1. Mathi 1/2 kg Cut & cleaned (Don't cut it into pieces, if u usually do that, keep the fish whole)
   
2. Turmeric 1/2 tsp
3. Salt to taste
4. Tamarind, a small lime-sized ball (Soak in hot water for about 10 min, and take out the juice)
5. Green chillies 3 Slit in half
6. Ginger 1" piece Chopped
7. Onion 1 small sliced
8. Coconut 1/4 of a whole coconut, ground to a smooth paste along with a pinch of turmeric

For seasoning:

1. Coconut oil 2tbsp
2. Garlic 5-6 cloves Crushed
3. Curry leaves 2 sprigs

Preparation:

• Boil all the ingredients together.
  
• Let it simmer for about 15-20 mins.
  
• When it starts to thicken, and the seasoning ingredients directly to the curry.
  
• Serve hot or cold, tastes great anyway.
  

This dish is best served with rice, especially boiled rice and chapatti.

Quilon Shark curry

This is a very famous Shark Curry, or Varutharacha sravu curry. Its a thick dark brown curry with the taste of a variety of spices flirting with your taste-buds, making it almost impossible to decide which flavor taste's better. It's a lil tangy, a lil bitter, lil spicy and very hot! If your tongue has even a little ability to take hot and spicy food, make the best use of it while eating this, coz this is one of those curries which tends to be stubborn on being itself and not being altered at all. Not that it is any less tasty if u make slight changes, but if u reduce the spices in this recipe, it looses some of it original charm. But i'm sure u'd still enjoy it no less.

1. Shark 500gms Cleaned and cut into cubes
2. Coconut 1, grated
3. Methi 1/4 tsp
4. Turmeric 1/4 tsp
5. Saunf 1/2 tsp
6. Peppercorns 1 tsp
7. Corriander seeds 2 tbsp
8. Kashmir chillies, the long wrinkled ones 5 (For color)
9. Spicy dry red chillies 5
10. Shallots 3 (This is used to balance the smell and flavor of all the spices)
11. Tomato 1
12. Green chillies 3 or 4 (You can reduce or avoid this one if your tongue is on the sober side, coz it wouldn't make a huge difference to the curry's texture or color unlike the dry chillies or pepper)
13. Curry leaves 2 sprigs
14. 'Kudampuli' or kochampuli 3 strips or pieces (Soaked in 3/4 cup hot water)

For seasoning:

1. Coconut oil
2. Curry leaves 1 sprig
3. Dry red chillies 2 Broken into 2 or 3 pieces
   
4. Shallots 5-6, sliced

• Roast the ingredients 2 - 10 together, till the coconut starts to turn golden in color. Let it cool.
  
• Once its cool, grind it into a smooth paste and keep aside.
• Heat a Meen-chatti (Flat earthen pot used mainly or rather exclusively for cooking fish in Kerala), add tomato green chillies, 2 sprigs of curry leaves and the soaked kochampuli (with the water). Saute till the tomato becomes soft.
  
• Add the fish pieces, stir slowly and carefully so as not to break the fish.
  
• When the fish turns white in color, add the ground masala.
• When it starts to boil turn off the heat. Don't let it boil for long coz it makes the gravy watery and looses the texture of the curry.
  
• Heat the coconut oil, and add the remaining ingredients for seasoning.
  
• Add this to the curry, close lid immediately and keep aside for at least 1 hour before serving. This curry tastes good with plain white rice.