Kerala Style Baked Fish

Whewww!!! Its been one hectic couple of weeks , with my moving and all , still settling in  almost there but I decided to take a break and post a dish I had made a while back . This is a typical dish you can find anywhere in Kerala , here the fish is coated with a subtly spiced coconut mix and then baked covered in banana leaves . The aroma is itself mouthwatering so here goes..............................

INGREDIENTS

2-3 medium sized white  pomfret or red snapper
1 inch pc ginger
4-6 garlic cloves
4 green chillies
1 tsp coriander seeds
1 tsp fennel seeds
1/2 cup freshly grated coconut
1/2 cup shallots peeled
1/2 cup vinegar
salt to taste
4 tsp coconut oil

for the garnish

2 tsp coconut oil
2 tsp curry leaves roasted
1 tbsp coriander leaves chopped

METHOD

Clean the fish and make large slits on both sides
Roast the seeds and grind it .
Grind the coconut , shallots , ginger, garlic , green chillies into a paste.
Add the roast and ground powder to it and salt to taste .
Smear the fish with this paste and set aside.
Grease the banana leaves with the coconut oil and line it in the baking dish .
Now place the fish on the banana leaves and pour vinegar all over it and cover it with the banana leaves and bake it in a preheated 180 c oven for about 20 -35 min or till done .
Now transfer the fish to a serving dish and garnish it by sprinkling the coconut oil , roasted curry leaves and coriander leaves .

Kerala Style Spicy Beef Fry

I think almost all keralites would agree when I say this that fried beef is the favourtite dish among us .Who can resist the succulent beef coated in nice aromatic spices and then fried in coconut oil to bring out their flavour and the best thing to eat it with is soft delicious appams or a nice , crispy , flaky Kerala paratha .The aroma itself is enough to make you drool . Mmmmm !!! Just telling you guys about it is making me crave to have it . One thing I can guarantee is there will be no leftovers at all . It is finished as soon as it is served . Ok enough of my babbling ( also getting very hungry ) , without further ado here goes..........

INGREDIENTS

1 kg beef cut into cubes 

6-8 garlic cloves minced

1 inch pc of ginger minced

3 tsp red chilli powder

2 and 1/2 tbsp coriander powder

1/4 -1/2 tsp turmeric powder

1 tsp fennel seed powder

1 tsp or more coarsely ground black pepper

4-6 green chillies 

1 medium onion finely chopped 

1 cup water

coconut oil 

10-20 curry leaves

4-5 dried red chillies 

1-2 tbsp freshly grated coconut 

1/2 tsp garam masala (optional)

METHOD

In a saucepan add the beef , spices , ginger , garlic, onions , green chillies and 1 cup water.

Bring to the boil and then lower the heat and simmer till the beef is done . If more water is needed add in , the beef should be just done . If using a pressure cooker , only add half cup water and switch off with 3-4 whistles .

In another pan , heat coconut oil to shallow fry the cooked beef cubes.

Don't overcrowd the pan , fry the beef cubes till it is crisp and set aside .

Add a little more coconut oil and add in the dried red chillies , curry leaves and the grated coconut  and fry them for a few seconds.

Now add in the liquid the beef was cooked in and keep on high heat till the gravy thickens .

Now add the fried beef cubes and mix them in the gravy till it coats the beef cubes and sprinkle the garam masala.

This may take about 5 min . Garnish with curry leaves and red chillies and serve hot .