Pressure Cooked Sardines/ Sardine Sandwich

Pressure cooked sardines tastes like the  canned ones.It can be refrigerated & used like it, without the fear of salt or chemicals used in canning.Sardines are rich in Omega 3 fatty acid, so include it in your diet & protect your HEART!       

Here I’ve made sardine sandwiches.

INGREDIENTS:

Sardines: 500 g

Onions: 1 cup chopped

Shallots: 1/2cup chopped

Green chilli: 3 chopped fine

Ginger: 1”piece chopped fine

Tomatoes: 3 blanched, skinned & chopped fine

Red chilli powder: 2 tsps

Tomato sauce: 1/2cup

Vinegar: 1 tbsp

Oil: 1 tbsp

Salt to taste

METHOD:

Mix the onions, shallots, green chilli, ginger, tomato, chilli powder, tomato sauce, vinegar & salt in a bowl.

In a pressure cooker, layer half the onion mix & place fish one by one over it.

Cover with remaining onions & dribble oil over it.

Pour a cup of water cover cooker & place on fire.

After the first whistle, lower flame & cook for 1 hour.

When done the fish bone will be soft, you can give it to children too.

Sardine Sandwich:

Cooked sardine: 2

Butter: 1 tbsp

Cucumber: 6 slices

Tomato: 1 sliced              

Bread: 6 slices

Mash the fish with a fork, add the butter.

Apply on one side of the bread, layer cucumber, tomato, or lettuce over it.

Cover with another slice, cut side & serve.

Pan Chicken Satay with Peanut Sauce (Party Menu)

Everybody knows this recipe, usually made on a charcoal barbeque. You can also do the same on a pan, of course sans the charcoal flavour!

INGREDIENTS:

Chicken: 250 g boneless

Coconut milk: 2 tbsps (thick)

Chilli powder: 1 tsp

Coriander powder: 1 tsp

Turmeric powder: 1/4tsp

Ginger- garlic paste: 1 tsp

Lemon grass: 2 tsps finey chopped

Sugar/jaggery: 1 tsp

Vinegar: 1 tsp

Salt to taste

 Oil: 1 tbsp

METHOD:

Cut chicken into long pieces & marinate with all the above, except oil.

Let it rest for at least 4 hours.

Skewer it on bamboo skewers.

Grease a non stick pan & place the sticks on it, dribble oil in between.

Keep rotating the sticks till evenly browned.

Serve with peanut sauce & salad.

PEANUT SAUCE:

Roasted peanuts: 1 cup coarsely crushed

Onion: 1

Garlic: 1 tsp

Lemon grass: 1 tsp

Red chilli powder: 1 tsp

Tamarind paste: 1 tsp

Coconut milk: 1/2cup

Oil: 2 tbsps

Sugar/jaggery: to taste

Salt to taste
 

Coarsely crush onion, garlic & lemon grass.

Heat oil, fry crushed onion paste.

Add chilli powder, tamarind, coconut milk & half the crushed nuts.

Pour 1 cup water, add salt & sugar.

Adjust consistency by adding more water, if required.

Mix in the remaining nuts before serving for that extra crunch.  

For those who like the sauce spicier, fry a teaspoon of red chilli powder in 2 tbsps of oil & pour over peanut sauce before serving.

Baked fish (Just bakes)

INGREDIENTS:

Fish: 500 g boneless

Onion: 3 sliced

Capsicum: 2

Marinade:

Curd : 1 cup

Red chilli powder: 1 tsp

Turmeric powder: 1/4tsp

Pepper powder: 1/2tsp

Cumin powder: 1/2tsp

Ginger- garlic paste: 1 tsp

Lime juice: 1 tbsp

Salt to taste

METHOD:

Marinate fish with the ingredients in marinade for 1 hour.

Layer a baking dish with sliced onions & capsicum.

Place fish over this & bake at 180⁰C for 40 minutes.

You can sprinkle some grated cheese over it, if you like, before baking.

Serve with garlic bread.

Cheese biscuits (Just Bakes)

This new section is for only baked items, like the name suggests. It will contain both sweet & savoury, veg & non veg recipes.
Here's the first one.

INGREDIENTS:

Plain flour: 200 g

Butter: 50 g

 Cheese: 100 g

Pepper powder: 3/4tsp

METHOD:

Pre-heat oven to 180⁰C.

Rub butter into flour till it resembles crumbs.

Add cheese & pepper powder, sprinkle a tablespoon of cold water & form a dough.

Do not over knead.

Rest dough for 20 minutes in a refrigerator, then roll into small balls, press centre with your finger, place on baking tray.

Bake at 180⁰ C for 15 minutes or till golden brown.

Let it cool well before storing.

"Asthram" (Maami's Corner)

A very traditional preparation with yam, colocasia or cassava & generally served with rice porridge (Kanji) & ghee.

INGREDIENTS:

Yam/colocasia: 500 g

Red chilli powder: 1 tsp

Coconut: 1 cup

Shallots: 5

Green chilli: 5

Turmeric powder: 1/2tsp

Cumin seeds: 1/4tsp

Curd: 1/2cup or 1 tsp tamarind paste

Mustard: 1/4tsp

Red chilli: 2

Curry leaves

Oil: 2 tsps

Salt to taste

  

METHOD:

Pressure cook yam, with 2 cups water, chilli powder & turmeric powder, for 3 whistles.

Grind coconut with shallots, green chilli, cumin & a few curry leaves to a coarse paste.

Put the ground paste into cooker, add tamarind/curd & salt.

Boil for 2 minutes more & season with mustard, dry chilli & curry leaves.

Paal payasam (Quick Fix) onam special

INGREDIENTS:

Raw rice: 50 g (a handful)

Milk: 1 litre

Sweetened condensed milk: 1 tin

Sugar: 2 tbsp

Salt: a pinch

METHOD:

Pressure cook washed & soaked rice in milk for 15 minutes.

After steam goes, pour the condensed milk, stir well.

Add sugar & a pinch of salt.

Rest the payasam for 10 minutes before serving.

NOTE: Generally, paalpayasam in Kerala is not flavoured with cardamom. But rice kheer in the North, similar to this payasam, is not only flavoured but dry fruits are also added to it. 

Kadala pradhaman (Traditional Fare) Onam special

Pradhamans/Payasams normally takes a long time to prepare, but with instant coconut milk it can be made in a jiffy.

INGREDIENTS:

Channa dhal/Bengal gram dhal: 250 g

Jaggery: 200 g

Coconut milk powder: 5 tbsps                                                                                                                   

Water: 750ml

Coconut: 1/2cup grated

Raisins: 25 g

Cashew nuts: 25 g

Ghee: 3 tbsps

Cumin powder: ½ tsp

Dry gingerpowder: 1/2tsp
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                         

METHOD:

Pressure cook dhal with 2 cups water till soft.

Mix the coconut milk powder in water & keep aside.

Melt jaggery in half a cup of water, cool & strain to remove dirt.

In a heavy bottomed pan, add the cooked dhal & pour the jaggery syrup.

Cook till it is reduced to a thick paste, add ghee in between & keep stirring till it reaches a soft ball consistency (the taste depends on this, so do it patiently).

Now, pour coconut milk. Bring to boil.

In a small pan heat ghee, fry nuts, raisins & coconut till brown.

Pour into pradhaman & add the flavourings.

Let it rest for sometime before serving.

NOTE:

Another variation is the green gram dhal pradhaman. Method remains the same.

Olan (Maami's Corner) Onam special

This is one of the must-haves for any Sadya, and very easy to make.

INGREDIENTS:

  Ash gourd/white pumkin/"Kumbalanga: 250 g

Yam/chena: 100 g

Cow peas/red/Vanpayar: ½ cup

Coconut milk: 1/2cup (thick)

Green chilli: 5

Coconut oil: 1 tbsp

Curry leaves

Salt to taste

METHOD:

Soak beans overnight. Cook the beans well & keep aside.

In a pan, cook ash gourd & yam with green chilli & salt in three fourth cup of water.

Then, add the cooked beans, let the water evaporate, if there’s any.

Now, pour thick coconut milk, do not boil.

Adjust salt, pour coconut oil & drop in the curry leaves.

Cover & keep for sometime before serving.

Even though traditionally the red variety (called "vanpayar") is used, I have used white ones. 

Fish Kebabs (Quick Fix)

INGREDIENTS:

Fish: 250 g (boneless)

Egg: 1

Red chilli paste: 1 tsp or chilli powder: 1 tsp

Garlic: 10 pods

Green chilli: 2

Corn flour: 11/2tbsps

Mint: 1 tbsp chopped

Salt to taste

Oil to fry

METHOD:
Grind fish with garlic, chilli paste, egg, salt & garlic to a smooth paste.

Transfer to a bowl, add corn flour, chopped mint & green chilli. Mix well.

Heat oil, put spoonful of the mix in oil, deep fry & serve with salad & sauce. 

Crispy Crunchy Fried Chicken (Quick Fix)

INGREDIENTS:

Chicken breast: 250 g

Pepper: 1 tsp crushed

Garlic paste: 1 tsp

Corn flakes: 1 cup crushed

Egg: 1

Maida/plain flour: 5 tbsps

Salt to taste

Oil to fry

METHOD:

Cut chicken breast into 4 flat pieces.

Marinate with pepper, salt & garlic.

Season the plain flour with salt & pepper.

Whisk egg, keep aside.

Spread the cornflakes onto a plate.

Take a piece of chicken, roll in plain flour, shake off excess, dip in egg & coat with cornflakes. Press it well with your hand.

Now deep fry till brown on a medium flame.

Serve with any dip/sauce.

Varutharacha meen curry (Traditional Fare)

Coconut is so much a part of Kerala cuisine, be it Travancore or Malabar. It is used fresh or roasted or just as coconut milk to thicken gravies.

This recipe is about roasted & ground coconut, like the name suggests. The masala can be made & stored for use when required because it takes time to dry roast the coconut. But, don’t give up, try this.

INGREDIENTS:

Fish: 500 g (I used Mackerel)

Coconut grating: 1 cup

Ginger: 1 tsp

Shallots: 6

Garlic: 6

Dry red chilli: 10 or 1 tbsp powder

Coriander seeds: 1 tbsp or 1 tbsp powder

Fenugreek: 1/4tsp

Black pepper: 1/2tbsp

 Curry leaves: few

Tamarind or Kokum: to taste

Salt to taste

METHOD:

Dry roast coconut, dry chilli, coriander, shallots, ginger, garlic, fenugreek & pepper. When half done add the curry leaves & brown it well.

Cool & powder (do not add water while grinding,this brings out the oil from the coconut itself.)

Put the ground masala in an earthen ware (Curry chatty).

Pour 400 ml water, add salt & put in the kokum or tamarind. ( add more water if you need gravy.)

Bring the gravy to a boil, add the fish & cook on a low flame till oil clears on top of the curry.

Down south in Kerala, Shark, Tuna or Mackerel is cooked this way, while in Cochin, Sardine-coloccasia, crab-yam or prawn-drumstick is the combination with this type of roasted masala.

  

Mutton Ball Curry (Quick Fix)

I have already  given a traditional meat ball curry recipe, now, here’s a quick fix. This is a tomato based gravy, which can be made, bottled & used for various preparations.

INGREDIENTS:

Mutton mince: 250 g

Egg: 1

Green chilli: 2 chopped fine

Ginger-garlic paste: 1 tsp

Coriander leaves: 2 tbsps

Red gravy paste: 4 to 5 tbsps

Garam masala powder: 1/2tsp

Oil: 1 tsp

Cumin seeds: 1/2tsp

Salt to taste

METHOD:

Mix ginger-garlic paste, green chilli, coriander leaves, salt & half the egg with the minced mutton.

Make small balls, keep aside.

Heat 1 tsp oil, add cumin seeds & the red gravy paste.

Pour 1 cup water, bring it to a boil before dropping in the meat balls.

 Adjust salt, cook till meat is done.

Sprinkle garam masala powder & some more coriander leaves.

Serve with rice/bread.

For the red gravy:

Onions: 500 g

Tomatoes: 500g red ripe ones

Ginger-garlic paste: 1 tbsp

Red chilli powder: 1 tbsp

Turmeric powder: 1/2tsp

Cardamom: 4

Cloves: 6

Cinnamon: 1” piece

Star anise: 1

Cashew nuts: 10

Poppy seeds: 1 tbps soaked in water

Oil: 100 ml

Salt

Pressure cook onions & tomatoes with 1/2cup water for 5 minutes. Cool & grind.

Also, grind cashew nuts & poppy seeds to a smooth paste.

Heat oil, add whole spices & ground tomato-onion paste. Fry till oil clears on sides of the pan (about 10 minutes).

Add chilli & turmeric powder. Last, add cashew paste & salt.

Cool well, bottle & refrigerate. 

Can be used for veg/paneer or non veg curries.

   

Coconut Rice (Traditional Fare)

Very traditional, yet, very special even now. The best combination is the meat ball curry or pork vindaloo.

There are numerous ways of making this. Here’s one.

INGREDIENTS:

Basmati rice: 2 cups or any aromatic rice

Coconut milk: 4 cups

Onions: 2 sliced fine

Cardamom: 2

Cloves: 4

Cinnamon: 1” piece

Bay leaf: 1

Whole black pepper corns: 10

Turmeric powder: 1/4tsp

Ginger-garlic paste: 1 tsp

Oil: 2 tbsps

Salt to taste

METHOD:

Wash & drain rice.

Heat oil, fry the whole spices, pepper & bay leaf. Then add onions.

Fry them brown  & add ginger-garlic paste.

Now add turmeric powder & the rice. Fry well & pour coconut milk.

Add salt, cover & cook till done. Stir occasionally.

If using a pressure cooker, which is easier, use only 3 cups coconut milk for 2 cups rice.

(1 ½ cups liquid for 1 cup rice)

 Cook for one whistle, cool cooker, stir rice & serve.