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 .

Nigella's Chocolate Banana Muffins

By now , you all must know that I am a huge Nigella fan , I just love.....love.....love her recipes , they all turn out so well , never has it not worked for me . I have so many things going on right now that I have absolutely no time to think or create some new flavours and recipes . I am in the middle of moving house and the kids have their hands full with their exams and stuff that it is an absolute mess around here . I thought I better get at least one new post in before I move because who knows when I will get the net connection and also get settled in .
I had a couple of bananas rotting here and was bored of making the stuff I know so I thought why not give this recipe a try , it sounds simple and delicious and as usual Nigella does not disappoint , these muffins were just too good , they were so moist and delish so here goes ................

INGREDIENTS

3 very ripe bananas
125 ml vegetable oil
2 eggs
100 gms light brown sugar
225 gms plain flour
3 tbsp cocoa powder
1 tsp baking soda

METHOD

Mash the bananas well .
Add the oil and mash it and then add the eggs and sugar and mix it well
Sift the dry ingredients together and then add them to the wet mixture and mix it up .
Grease and line the muffin pan and spoon the mixture into the muffin moulds till 3/4 full .
Bake in a preheated 200 c oven for about 15 - 20 min or till a toothpick inserted comes out clean .
Makes nice round and shiny 12 muffins .

Spicy Tuna Rolls

It's been a while since I posted anything , frankly was not in the mood for it . The end of the year and the beginning was an emotional roller coaster ride , so many things were happening all around that I was completely lost but now I am back and have to be back because making food and blogging about it is really therapeutic for me .
These rolls are really soft and pillowy to the touch , I got this recipe from Elisabeth from the blog food & thrifts , I make them all the time and decided to give it another twist to it . The basic roll recipe is quite easy and the rolls come out perfect , sweet and soft , so I decided to go with a spicy filling , which seems to work well . It is super easy to make so here goes..................

INGREDIENTS 

for the rolls 

3 cups of all-purpose flour
1 cup warm water
1 tbsp yeast
1 tsp salt
2 tbsp sugar
olive oil 2-3 tbsp

for the filling 

2 tins canned tuna fish drained
1 tsp chilli powder
1/4 tsp turmeric
salt to taste
1 onion finely chopped
2 tbsp oil
3-4 tbsp or more tomato ketchup
1/2 tsp mixed dried herbs
1/4 tsp dried basil
1 cup mozzarella
1/2 cup crumbled feta cheese or goats cheese

1 egg and 3 tbsp water beaten
Melted butter (optional)

METHOD

Mix all the ingredients for the dough and leave it to rise for an hour and a half .
Meanwhile make the filling , in a pan heat the oil and add the tuna and the spices and fry it till the raw smell of the spice disappears .
Add the onions to it and cook it till done . Season it with salt .
After the dough has doubled in size , roll it into a large rectangle .
Spread the ketchup on top and then add sprinkle with the dried spices .
Now add the fried tuna and spread it evenly .
Add the mozzarella and sprinkle the crumbled feta or goats cheese .
Roll it from the longer end like you would roll a swiss roll .
Now cut them into 12 equal pieces .
Arrange them in a baking dish filling side up and leave it to rise for about half hour .
Brush the rolls with the egg wash or butter .
Bake them in a preheated oven for about 25-30 min.
Serve them hot and enjoy .

My Dear Grandmama

The year has come to an end and everyone looks back to what all has happened , the happy times , not so happy times , bad times and most of all the losses occurred which can never be recovered like the huge loss suffered when we lost our beloved grandmama a week back . She was truly one of a kind , not your typical grandmother , no way , nobody can say that she was a conventional grandmother , she was a talented , creative , compassionate woman . 

I heard this somewhere ( don't exactly remember by whom ) that perfection is in getting all the little things done right , if that is the case then my grandmama was really perfect because she only cared of the little things , simple things which others just don't bother about but now I know she only thought of those matters that mattered the most .a truly remarkable and unforgettable woman who will be missed by many people who really love her . 

My last wonderful memory of her was the pride I saw on her face when I showed her my blog and the cakes I had decorated . She too loved to cook and feed her loved ones . Though she was fussy with her food , she loved to try out dishes I had experimented with .

The best thing was she was the only one who thought I was thin :D which I loved to hear ( wish everyone had her eyes ;p ) . So my dear grandmama , you will be greatly missed , we were all really blessed and fortunate to have you as our grandmama , love.....love...really love you .

Chicken Dum Biryani

Since it's the festive season I thought why not post a recipe of a biryani coz that is what we make for every occasion . Everyone has a different way of making them and this is one of my fav ways . Here the chicken is marinated in an array of aromatic spices and yoghurt is added to make the chicken more tender and  juicy . The aroma is itself to make you salivate and the process of cooking it in dum meaning slow-cooking  makes the rice so aromatic and you get to taste the flavour of each and every spice in the rice . Trust me it's soooooo good so here goes..................

INGREDIENTS

1 kg chicken cut into medium size pieces
1 tsp ginger paste
1 tsp garlic paste
3 large onion finely sliced
3 green chillies chopped
1 cup chopped fresh coriander
1 cup chopped fresh mint
1 tsp red chilli powder
2 cups yoghurt
half a lemon cut into wedges

dry grind
7 cloves
4 cardamom
1/2 inch pc cinnamon
2 tsp whole black peppercorns

1/2 kg basmati rice
8 and 1/2 glasses of water

for the bouquet garni
7 cloves
2 bay leaves
5 green cardamom
1/2 inch pc cinnamon

10 strands of saffron
1/2 cup milk
3/4 cup oil
2 tbsp ghee

METHOD

Heat oil and fry the sliced onions till golden in a deep bottomed dish
Grind them and set aside
Rub the ginger and garlic paste all over the chicken .
Add the chilli powder , salt , half the mint and coriander, lemon , green chillies , ground spices and the ground  onions in the same pan with the oil .
Add the yoghurt and the chicken pieces and leave to marinate 4 hours or preferably overnight .
Soak the saffron in the milk and set it aside
Now bring the whole thing to boil and turn it down and simmer till the chicken is done .
Meanwhile bring the water to boil and add the spices for the bouquet garni and salt to taste.
Add the washed and drained basmati , bring it to boil till the rice is almost done .
Now strain the rice and set aside .
Remove the chicken with its juices in another bowl and add a tbsp of ghee inside the pan .
Add half the rice in the bottom and sprinkle with the safffron milk then add the chicken with all its gravy on the top of the rice  .
Add a little of the chopped coriander and mint on top .
Now add the rest of the rice , then the rest of the coriander and mint .
Now pour the rest of the saffron milk and the ghee .
Cover it tightly with a lid and cook on very low fire for about half an hour or till the aroma wafts around the house .
Serve it with pomegranate raita and enjoy :).

Coffee Milk Cupcakes with Caramel Whipped Cream

While I was going through my food photos , I came across this one and realized that I hadn't put this one up . These cupcakes have a subtle coffee flavour and the frosting is simply the best and very easy too so here goes......

INGREDIENTS

100 gms butter (room temp)
1 cup white sugar
2 eggs
2 tsp vanilla
1 and 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 and 3/4 tsp baking powder
1 and 1/2 tsp instant coffee powder
1 cup milk

for the frosting 

1 cup whipping cream
3-4  tbsp nestle caramel treat

METHOD

Cream butter and sugar till pale and fluffy .
Add the eggs and vanilla and beat well .
Sift all the dry ingredients together .
Now add the dry ingredients and milk alternately ending with the dry ingredient .
Grease and line the cupcake tin and fill it 3/4th.
Bake in a preheated 180 c oven for about 20-25 min or till done .
Whip the cream till stiff and fold in the caramel treat .
Now top the cooled cupcakes the with frosting and  garnish with chocolate flakes or sprinkles if you like .

Crispy Fried Fish with Mayo Tahini Dip

This is an all-time fav in my family , who doesn't love crispy fried fish esp while it's hot and the dip is really delish too . I make this very often as it is easy to put together and also you can freeze them too . The fish is subtly spiced and coated in panko breadcrumbs as this makes it extra crunchy and the zest , tangy dip is the perfect accompaniment to it so here goes.....................

INGREDIENTS

2 large fish fillets cut into fingers
1/2 cup plain flour
1/4 tsp chilli powder
1/2 tsp coarsely ground black pepper
salt to taste
1 egg plus a little water mixed
1 cup Panko breadcrumbs
oil for frying

for the dip

1/2 cup low-fat mayonnaise
2 tbsp yoghurt
3 tbsp tahini paste
zest of a lemon
juice of half a lemon
2 tbsp chopped parsley

METHOD

Mix the flour and the spices together very well .
Dust the fish in the flour mix , egg wash and then finally the breadcrumbs .
Fry them in oil till they are golden and crisp .
To make the dip  , mix all the ingredients together and serve with the fried fish .

NOTE

If you don't find panko breadcrumbs , normal bread crumbs is fine .
To freeze the fish , coat them as said above and lay them out on the tray and pop it in the freezer for about half an hour and then pop them in the bag and freeze them till you are ready to use .
You can freeze them for about a week .