Kayi curry, raw plantain slices cooked in coconut milk gravy

I've always wanted to be a vegetarian, if not for anything else, at least to help me lose some weight. But who am I fooling.. the minute I set eyes on some delicious fish curry or chicken fry, I lose all control. I've decided not to give up so easily though.. am on a path of research now, discovering new recipes with vegetables that resemble their non-vegetarian counterparts. And hopefully, I'd be able to cut down on the meat and fish gradually, at least, that's the plan. This is one such discovery, not my invention though.. this one is a specialty of our cook. Upon first look, it can fool you into believing that it's fish curry and tastes equally good too.

For this curry you'll need,

Raw banana, preferably plantain 1, sliced thinly, diagonally
Tamarind juice 1 cup
Shallots 10, sliced thinly (can be supplemented with 1 onion)
Tomato 1, sliced
Ginger 1" piece, chopped
Green chillis 2-3, slit in half
Turmeric 1tsp.
Red chilli powder 1/2 tsp.
Salt to taste

Boil all the above together, till the plantain is cooked. This shouldn't be over-cooked, b'coz the plantain slices should be intact and not mashed up.

Coconut milk, 1 1/2 cups
Coconut oil 1 tbsp
Garlic 3 cloves, crushed
Curry leaves 1 sprig

Pour the coconut milk in and when the gravy starts to boil and thicken, add the coconut oil, garlic and curry leaves. Serve hot with rice.

Mochakottai/Avarekkai Sambhar

Mochakottai, also known as Avarekkai, is a very popular bean around Karnataka. There are many many ways of preparing it, but by far I personally feel that sambhar is the best of the lot. This is the way my mother-in-law prepares it. Usually when she prepares it, she has to empty the entire rice to the curry vessel itself coz all 5 of us (my husband, his brother, brother's wife, sister and me) would crowd around her to feed us. I know its disgusting for most people, to be fed by someone else, but ya, that's how I like it, I really love to be fed. Makes me 'feel' like a child again. When I go to my parents place, its the same story there too, its either my dad, mom or my sister (though she's younger to me) who end up feeding me.

OK, now coming back to Mochakottai, there's a preparation with mutton that's really good too, I would be adding that in shortly. Mochakottai can be used without removing the skin too, but it causes slight gastric problems that way, or so I've heard. I decided not to take a chance and peeled the skin even though it is double the work. But the end result pays for the hard work.                                                           

Dal – ½ cup
Potato – 2, cubed
Tomato – 1, cubed
Turmeric – ½ tsp

Cook the dal with the potato, tomato & turmeric, till the dal is almost mashed, in a pressure cooker this may take about 3-4 whistles.

Mochakottai beans – ½ kg

Take the seeds out from the beans, as you would with fresh peas, and soak the beans for a few hours or overnight preferably. Then remove the skin on the seeds. You can do this by gently squeezing from one end of the seeds.
Add these to the cooked dal. Cook for some more time till the beans are cooked and soft. They should not get mashed. 

Tamarind juice extracted from a handful of raw tamarind - 1 cup.
Or, if it’s tamarind extract, then about 1 tbsp mixed in 1 cup of water

Add this to the dal mixture. Boil for 5 minutes.

To grind:

Oil – 1 tsp
Channa dal – 1 tbsp
Urad dal – 1 tbsp
Peppercorns – 1 tbsp
Methi seeds – 1 tsp
Jeera – 1 tsp
Curry leaves – 10-12 leaves
Shallots - 10
Garlic – ½ a pod
Coconut – ½ cup, grated
Asafoetida/Hing – ¼ tsp
Chilli powder – 1 tbsp, or as per heat tolerance
Dhaniya powder – 3 tbsp

In a kadai, heat the oil, roast the channa dal, urad dal, peppercorns, methi seeds, jeera, curry leaves, garlic, coconut and asafoetida. To this add chilli powder and dhaniya. Fry till the raw smell of the masala goes away. Grind this to a smooth paste with little water and add to the dal mixture. Add salt as required. Boil for 5 more minutes.

To temper:
Oil – 1 tbsp
Mustard seeds – 1 tsp
Dry red chillis – 3-4, broken into pieces
Curry leaves – 10 leaves

Heat the oil and add the mustard seeds, when it sputters, add the red chillies and curry leaves. Pour this on top of the curry. 

Coriander leaves – 1 handful, chopped 

Garnish with the coriander leaves. 

Serve with hot rice!

Chicken Piralen, Malabar style

Chicken is definitely the most versatile meat. And this preparation is one of the most common one all around Kerala. Almost every blog has a version of this recipe. This is the way my Mom makes it: 

Chicken 1kg, medium to small pieces

Coriander powder 3 tbsp

Chilli powder 1 tsp

Turmeric ½ tsp

Pepper-Saunf powder* 1 tsp

Cumin powder ½ tsp

Cloves, cardamom, cinnamon, a little of each

*'Pepper-Saunf powder' :

Take pepper and saunf in equal proportions and grind and store in an airtight jar. This masala can be added to almost any non-vegetarian preparation.  It improves the taste a lot. 

Grind all the masala ingredients together with a few drops of water and marinate the chicken in it for an hour.

Ginger 2” piece, chopped

Garlic 10-12 cloves, crushed

Shallots, 10-15, sliced

Apple cedar vinegar 1 tbsp (You can substitute with normal vinegar if you don’t get this one)

Water 3 cups

Salt 1 tsp

Cook all the ingredients together with the marinated chicken, until the chicken becomes tender. Then take the chicken pieces from the gravy and keep both aside.

Coconut oil 4-5 tbsp

Onion 1, sliced thinly

Chilli powder 1 tsp

Curry leaves, a few

Heat the oil in a deep skillet and fry the onion and curry leaves in it. When the onion turns golden brown in color, add the chilli powder and sauté for a minute. Now add the chicken pieces and fry well for about 10 minutes on a medium heat. The chicken shouldn’t get scrambled. Now add the gravy which was kept aside and mix well into the fried chicken. Keep cooking on a medium to low flame till the gravy becomes thick.

Goes well with Rice, Chapatti, Vellayappam etc. 

Vellarikka unakkachemmeen curry

Vellarikka 1 small, cubed

Toor dal ½ cup

Turmeric ½ tsp

Chilli powder 1 tsp

Garlic 3 cloves

Curry leaves, a few

Cook all the above in a pressure cooker till the dal is well cook. The Vellarikka shouldn’t get over cooked.

Coconut grated, ½ cup

Jeera, ½ tsp

Turmeric ½ tsp

A small piece of onion

Water ¼ cup

Grind all these into a smooth paste and add it to the cooked dal mixture. Add some salt. Let it boil for about 5 minutes.

For the garnish:

Coconut oil 1 tbsp

Mustard ½ tsp

Dry red chilli, 2

Curry leaves, a few

Heat oil, add the ingredients for garnish in the given order. Add to the curry, close the lid and serve after 10 minutes.

The curry goes well with rice, curd and your choice of side dish.

Karnataka style greens curry, Soppu saaru

Cheera curry (in Malayalam), which is called Soppu saaru (Soppu is 'leaf' and saaru is 'curry' in Kannada), pronounced "Soppsaaru", is one of the most popular vegetarian curries in Karnataka. It's rich in fiber and flavor. Pretty easy to make except for the part of cleaning the leaves.

In Bangalore we're usually woken up early in the morning, every Tuesday and Friday, by the calls of the 'Soppu aunty' as we call her. She comes to our doorstep with a broad smile and a basket laden with freshly cut greens  and fresh flowers on her head. She'll always have at least about 10 different types of greens and around 5 or 6 types of flowers. It's a pleasant sight to wake up to. The reason she comes very early on Tuesday and Friday is b'coz around here these two days are considered very auspicious and almost every Hindu house will buy flowers to decorate the Puja room on these days. On other days she makes her visits a little later in the mornings.

Coming back to Soppu saaru, this was a preparation I had never seen before coming to Bangalore. The way my Mom prepares greens is very different from this and the taste is entirely different too. Frankly I prefer Mom's preparation, but this version is supposed to be extremely nutritious as it contains not 1, but atleast 4 to 5 types of leaves.
 
Mixed greens, 4 or 5 types, which includes spinach, coriander leaves and gongura leaves, washed and chopped, about 4 cups
Toor dal, or sambhar dal, 1/2 cup
Moong dal 1/2 cup
Garlic 10 cloves
Tomato 1
Green chillis 6-8
Turmeric 1 tsp
Water 1 cup

Cook all the above together in a pressure cooker for 5-6 whistles or till both the dals are cooked well. Remove from heat and when it cools, add salt and use a heavy ladle to mash the contents a little.

Coconut grated, 3/4 cup
Jeera, 1/2 tsp
Turmeric 1/2 tsp

Grind the above to make a smooth paste. Add this to the curry.

Tamarind pulp, 1 tbsp (If you are not adding gongura leaves, then you'll have to increase this to 2tbsp)

Add to the curry along with the coconut mixture. Mix well. Let it simmer for 5 minutes.

For the garnish:
Coconut oil, 1 tbsp
Mustard, 1/2 tsp
Dry red chillies, 2
Shallots, sliced 2tbsp
Curry leaves, a few

Heat the oil, add the ingredients in the given order and fry till the shallots turn golden brown. Then add the curry leaves, pour onto the curry, close the lid for about 10 minutes. You can add a dollop of ghee too, but that would be a lil on the heavier side. I usually avoid the ghee, even though it improves the taste drastically.

This curry goes well with rice, chappati or Ragi ball or Ragi Modde, as its called in Kannada. It tastes best when accompanied with curd and fish fry.

Varutharacha Sambhar, better known as Kerala style sambhar

An unavoidable part of the Kerala Sadya. 

Step 1:


Dal, ¾ cup
Onion, 1 small, sliced
Tomato, 1 medium, cut into small cubes
Potato, 1, cut into small cubes
Carrot, 1, cut into lil longer cubes
Beans, 5-6, cut into 1” pieces
Vellarikka  or Yellow cucumber ½ of 1, cut into small cubes
Ash gourd, 1 piece, cut into small cubes
Curry leaves, 1 sprig

Cook all the ingredients with a pinch of salt and turmeric in a pressure cooker for about 3-4 whistles.

Step 2:

Tamarind extract, 1tbsp, Diluted in 3 cups of water
Drumstick, 1, cut into 4” pieces
Ladiesfinger, 4-5, cut into 2” pieces
Brinjal, 2, cubed
Sambhar powder, 1 ½ tbsp, I used Eastern Sambhar powder

Cook all the vegetables in the tamarind water, with a little salt, for about 8-10 minutes. Just before removing from heat, add the sambhar powder.

Step 3:

Coconut ½ of ½ grated
Red chillies 6
Garlic 8-10 cloves
Curry leaves 1 sprig
Fenugreek ¼ tsp
Jeera 1tsp
Whole dhaniya or coriander seeds 1 handful
Peppercorns 1tsp

Dry roast all the ingredients till the coconut is golden brown in color. Grind to make a smooth paste.


Step 4:

Asafoetida ½ tsp
Salt, to taste


For garnishing:

Mustard seeds 1tsp
Dry red chillies 3, broken into pieces
Curry leaves 1 sprig
Coconut oil 1tbsp
Coriander leaves, a few stems, chopped

• Add the ground paste and the dal mix from the cooker to the tamarind mix. Let it boil for 5 minutes. Add asafoetida and more salt if necessary. Remove from heat.
• In a separate pan, heat the oil for the garnish, add mustard seeds, red chillies and curry leaves. Pour over the sambhar. Add the coriander leaves.
• Can be served with Idli, Dosa, or Rice.

Chemmeen manga muringakai curry (Prawn with raw mango and drumstick curry)

Fresh prawn – ½ kg, shelled and de-veined

Raw mango – 1, cubed

Drumsticks – 2, cut into pieces

Onion – ½ of 1, sliced

Ginger – 1 piece, chopped

Green chillies – 2, slit in half

Turmeric – ½ tsp

Chilly powder – 1 tsp

Salt

Cook all the above ingredients in a Manchatti for about 5-10 minutes.

Coconut - ½ of 1

Garlic – 5 cloves

Ginger – 1 small piece

Turmeric – 1 pinch

Grind these into a smooth paste and add to the cooked prawn mix. Boil for about 5-10 minutes.

Coconut oil – 1 tbsp

Shallots – 5-6, sliced

Garlic - 5-6 cloves, sliced

Curry leaves – 2-3 sprigs

Heat oil, add the remaining 3 ingredients and fry till the shallots become golden brown in color. Add to the prawn curry. Close lid and serve with rice or rotis after 15 minutes.

Coorgi Pandhi Curry / Coorg Pork curry

This is the typical Coorgi style pork curry… I first had it at my best friend Dipti’s place, in Coorg, made by her mom. Auntie’s a terrific cook and there are a lot of her preparations which I love... but this is an all time number one... This recipe was passed on to me through word of mouth, but don’t worry, its accurate…

This preparation consists or 3 parts -- the marinated pork, the coarsely ground masala. Roast and powdered masala

(1) Pork or ‘pandhi’ (as they call it in Kodavatakk or Coorgi language) 1 kg, cut into medium sized pieces. Marinate this in ½ tsp of salt 1 tsp each of turmeric & chilly powder each, for about ½ an hour.

(2) Coarsely ground masala:

1. Shallots 8
2. Garlic 10 pods, that’s right PODS, not CLOVES (if they are small, or about 7 if they are big)
3. Green chillis 4-5
4. Ginger 1” piece
5. Coccum 2-3 pieces or strips

The above ingredients should be crushed rather than ground. 

(3) Roast and powdered masala:

1. Coriander seeds 1 tsp
2. Black peppercorns 2 tsp
3. Cumin seeds 1 ½ tsp
4. Mustard ½ tsp

Roast and make a fine powder.

Preparation:

• Add the ground masala and 1 cup of hot water to the pork and cook well in the pressure cooker, about 10-12 whistles should be fine.
• When cooked, add powdered masala. Mix well and simmer for another 10-15 minutes, till you get a thick gravy.
• The gravy will be black in color thick in consistency.
• Best when served with ‘Otti’ (which is a Coorgi style rice flat bread) or with rice.

Malabar Crab Curry

This is a typical Mallu preparation, and especially a Malabarie one.

1.  Crab 500gms, cleaned and cut in half
2. Onion 1 big, sliced
3. Tomatoes 2, sliced
4. Ginger 2” piece, chopped
5. Turmeric powder ½ tsp
6. Salt to taste
7. Coconut oil 1 tbsp
8. Curry leaves 1 sprig

For the masala:

1. Coriander powder 2-3 tbsp
2. Chilly powder 1 tbsp
3. Black Peppercorns 1tsp
4. Jeera  ½ tsp
5. Cinnamon ½” piece
6. Cloves 2
7. Garlic 3-4 cloves
8. Curry leaves 2 sprigs

Preparation:

• Heat a pan and dry roast the masala ingredients together till it turns into a dark brown color. Keep aside and let it cool.
• Once it’s cool, grind into a smooth thick paste with some water. Keep aside.
• Now, heat a fish-chatti or a skillet and add the oil. Fry the onion and ginger together, (you can add a green chilly too if you want to, but I wouldn’t recommend that coz that might make the curry too hot as it already contains black pepper as well as red chilly powder) when the onion stats to become transparent, add some salt and turmeric powder. Keep frying for couple of minutes, then add the tomatoes and curry leaves. Fry till the tomatoes are soft.
• Add the crab pieces, and half a cup of water. Close lid and simmer for about 10 minutes.
• Open the lid and cook for a couple of minutes, now add the ground masala. Add half a cup of water.
• Close lid, leaving a small gap to let it evaporate and cook on a slow flame for another 15 minutes.
• Now open the lid and increase the heat a bit and cook for 5 more minutes.
• And the crab curry’s ready to be served.
• Can be served with rice or any other Mallu main course like appam, kallappam etc. 

NOTE: 

It’ll be tastier if you could cook it a day before and reheat the curry a couple of times, the gravy would then become a thick blackish brown color.

Chicken in green gravy

In this dish, the chicken is cooked in a coconut and herbs paste, which imparts a garden-fresh flavor and fragrance. It’s best served with rice.

You’ll need:

1 whole chicken weighing about 1 kg, cut into medium to small pieces

2 onions, sliced

2 tomatoes, quartered

1 tsp minced ginger

2 tsp minced garlic

1 tbsp lime juice

1 tbsp salt

¼ cup oil

Coconut paste*

Garam-masala**

*Coconut paste:

   ½ cup grated coconut

   1 cup fresh coriander leaves (cilantro)

   ¼ cup fresh mint leaves

   4 green chillis
   Curd ¼ cup 

   Grind the ingredients into a smooth paste.

**Garam-masala:

     6 cardamoms

     6 cloves

     2 cinnamon sticks

     Roast and grind to a powder.

Preparation:

• Heat the oil in a large skillet. Add the onions and fry for a couple of minutes, until they are soft.
• Add the ginger and garlic, and stir-fry for 2-3 minutes, until they are browned evenly. Add the coconut paste and fry for 2 minutes or until the oil rises to the top.
• Add the chicken, salt and spice powder. Mix well, cover and cook for about 20 minutes over low heat, stirring occasionally, until the chicken is cooked and well seasoned.
• Add the tomatoes, fry for another minute, then remove from heat. Stir in the lime juice, just before serving.

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.

Malabar Mutton Stew

•   
  My mom is very popular for her great culinary skills. I know a lot of moms are, but there are few of my mom's recipes which are so yummy that I feel, no mom can beat her. If you tried out this recipe, you'll agree with me. Here's the recipe for her famous Mutton Stew.
  
  You'll need:
  Mutton 1kg, with bone; medium pieces
  Onion 3; sliced
  Green chilies 4-5; slit in half
  Potatoes 3-4; cubes
  Ginger - about 2"; julienne slices
  Coconut milk:
  1^st milk or thick milk 2 cups
  2^nd milk or thin milk 2-3 cups (We would be cooking the meat in this, so take as per the gravy as u require for the stew, but don't make it too loose either, coz that'll end up giving you a very watery stew, which would not be good.)
  Curry leaves 2 sprigs
  Cinnamon 2" piece; crushed, but not powdered
  Cloves 2 pieces; crushed, but again not powdered
  Star anise - 1; broken into pieces
  Coconut oil 2 tbsp.
  Peppercorns 2 tbsp.; crushed coarsely
  Curry leaves - 1 sprig
  Salt to taste
  
  
  For garnish:
  Coconut oil - 1 tbsp.
  Shallots - 2-3; sliced
  Curry leaves - 1 sprig
  
  
  
  
  
  Method:
  • In a heated pan add coconut oil; then the cloves, cinnamon, star anise, green chilies, onion and ginger,  sauté till the onion starts to turn golden. Add 1 sprig of the curry leaves.
  • Add the thin coconut milk (2^nd); then the meat, potatoes, crushed peppercorns and salt. Pressure cook these for about 6 whistles or till the mutton and potatoes are cooked.
  • Once this is done, do a taste test for salt and spice, do any adjustments if required as per your taste. Do not add more salt after this stage, as you'd be adding the thick coconut milk after this, and ideally salt should be added before thick coconut milk is added to any gravy, else it tends to spoil the texture of the gravy.
  • Let it simmer for a while till the gravy starts to thicken. Now add the thick coconut milk (1^st ). Cook for 5 more minutes and remove from heat.
  • Garnish with sliced shallots and some curry leaves fried well in the coconut oil.
  • Stew's ready. Serve hot!
  • This stew tastes the best with freshly baked Bread, Vellayappam, Kallappam, Vattayappam and Ghee rice.