Prawn Roast/Chemmeen varattiyathu Kuttanad Style

Meen Curry is something that you can find in my adukala in almost all the days of the week or year for that matter.Hailing from one of India's famous harbors, my love for sea food needs no introduction.Mummy on the other hand is not a great fish eater.She used to tell me, that she got bored because her mother(My ammooma) always fed her with fish ,either fry or curry.So mummy got bored and doesnot cook fish if am not at home.My daddy leans on the vegetarian side ,so no issues for him even if mummy does not cook fish.

Prawns/Konju is something that i buy whenever i find them.I prefer the relatively smaller ones rather than the hefty creatures.Even though de-veining them is such a pain i donot mind ,coz i dream about the yummy end product.A back breaking business indeed.

This time when i got some from the meenkaaran my brother was insisting that i make pickles out of it.My mom wanted to make a Padavalanga chemmeen curry and i wanted to make olarthu.I was convincing both of them that i need to blog about this and so on.My marketing strategy worked and here it is Yummy prawn olarthu.The main reason why i opted for this version of cooking prawns is that i wanted to try this.I followed the recipe to the T and it was amazing.Oh my ,amazing would be an understatement.Any number of adjectives will not explain how yummy it turned out.My brother who was going around with a sad doggy face for not getting the prawn pickle was overjoyed for that matter.He told me,"Namakku adutha pravashyam chemmeen medikumbol ithu thanney undaakam tto".That says it all.It is a spicy preparation so please go easy if you find the measurements to be too much for your standards.But trust me itz worth it.

Coconut oil does wonders to this yummy delicacy from Kuttanad.

Ingredients

1. Prawns- 1 lbs (peeled ,cleaned and deveined )
2. shallots- 1 cup to 1 1/2 cup chopped
3. Ginger - 1 1/2  tbsp minced finely
4. Garlic - 1/4 cup julienned 
5. Green chillies - 4 slit lengthwise
6. Thenga kothu/Cocunut slices-1/3 cup
7. Kudam puli -1 or 2 pieces.
8. Masala powder
9. Red Chilly powder- 2 tsp
10. Coriander powder-1 1/2 tbsp
11. Turmeric powder-1/4+1/4 tsp
12. Freshly squeezed lemon juice-1 tbsp(I omitted this coz i didnt have any)
13. Coconut oil-As required
14. Salt-To taste
15. Curry leaves- A handful

For Masala Powder

1. Fennel Seeds -1 tsp
2. Black pepper-1/2 tbsp
3. Cinnamon 4 or 5 1/2 inch sticks
4. clove -1
5. Cardamom-1

I added two cloves and two cardamom coz they were small in size.Grind the above to a powder using a coffee grinder or the smallest jar of your mixer grinder.Set aside.

Method

1. Make a marinade with the masala powder,1/4 tsp of turmeric powder,salt ,lemon juice and half of the chilly powder and coriander powder and set aside for an hour.
2. Soak the kudam puli in a cup of water.
3. Heat oil in a manchatti,and saute the small onions till they become translucent.Now add the ginger,garlic and green chillies and cook till the raw smell goes.
4. At this stage add the remaining turmeric powder,chilly powder and coriander powder.have stove in low flame when adding the masala powder coz they should not get burnt.
5. Now add the coconut slices and curry leaves and give a quick mix.
6. Add the marinated prawns along witht the masala thatis sticking with the vessel used for marination.
7. Add the soaked kudampuli and required salt at this stage.
8. Cover and cook in medium flame till the prawns are done.
9. Remove the lid and roast till all the water is dried uo and the prawns are lavishly coated with the masala.It should get a brown color as mentioned by Shn.Do a taste test at this stage and add coconut oil  and curry leaves as this is what gives a great face lift to the dish.
10. Serve with Rice or Roti or simply eat like we did.

Notes:

1. This is a really spicy dish for people who are not used to.
2. Donot replace Shallots for big onions as it will be a compromise on the taste.
3. The dish does not have an overpowering taste of garlic.
4. I donot advice substituting or avoiding any of the mentioned ingredients.

Thanks a lot Mishmash for sharing an absolutely yummy recipe.
Sending this to Made with love.

Kuzhi Paniyarams /Chettinad Kuzhi Paniyarams/ Indian aebleskiver

There are certain foods that actually kindle whole lotta happy memories. Kuzhi Paniyarams or the Chettinad Paniyarams belong to that category and are my all time favorite. My maternal grandmother used to make fluffy and out of the world paniyarams that can be devoured at any time of the day.Ammooma uses a bell metal unniyappakaral(The Æbleskiver pan),May be that was the reason for the exemplary taste…???

The addiction to paniyarams worsened, when I heard that the restaurant near my college served it as an evening snack. Soon after the boring classes are over, I used to head there to have a devils share of these bellied beauties. At times my dad joined me and that meant an extra plate (for me). During that time paniyarams were not that costly, coz not many people preferred to eat it as evening snack. After some months, lucky for the restaurant owners and unlucky for us, the prices skyrocketed and I was left with no other option than to make this at home. That meant loosing count of how many I ate.

Even though the Aachis(women folk of that region are addressed this way) from Chettinad grind the batter especially for paniyarams, idly/Dosa batter can also be used as a replacement for quick fix cases, even though I grind the batter separately when making this.

This can be had for breakfast or for dinner or even as evening snack or simply eat while roaming around the kitchen. I generally pair this with Sāmbhar and Thenga Chammanthi or even the kaara chutney or “Dangar” (A Chettinad dish).

This dish is for a lovely person "R"(Birthday Gal....) who was with me in my undergrads.It was fun as we belonged to the group that hardly studied.Sitting in the same bench,rambling,commenting,having non stop chatter only to be scolded by our parents etc. That and much more for another post peeps.May God be with You in all that u dear and Have a great time.

Chettinad Kuzhi Paniyarams

Source:My mom
Special equipment required: Aebleskiver  pan / Unniyappa karal

Ingredients

1. Paniyaram batter-2 cups(Recipe follows)
2. Kunjulli/Shallots-1/4 cup
3. Grated carrots-1/4 cup
4. Cabbage-thinly sliced-1/4 cup
5. Green chillies-4-5 thinly sliced
6. Grated coconut-2 tbsp
7. Curry leaves-2 sprigs
8. Coriander leaves-2 tbsp chopped
9. Ginger-1 tbsp
10. Mustard Seeds-1 tsp
11. Crushed pepper-1 tsp 
12. Salt- As req
13. Oil for frying

Method

1. Heat the oil in a pan and splutter mustard seeds and curry leaves.Add in the curry leaves followed by ginger , shallots and vegetables.
2. Saute till they are cooked.
3. Keep the stove in low flame and add the grated coconut followed by the coriander leaves and pepper.
4. Allow this to cool.
5. Throw this into the batter and give a good mix and leave it aside for 10 or 15 minutes.
6. Adjust the salt as only less salt was added during the fermentation process.
7. Just before using the batter give a good stir as all the vegetables and other stuff might be resting in the bottom.mix the batter each time before pouring into the holes.
8. Heat the pan and add little oil in all the holes.When the oil is hot pour a tbsp of batter into the holes.Itz enough to fill 3/4 th of the hole.Do this by keeping the stove on low flame.
9. Cover and cook for 2 or 3 minutes or thill the edges start to brown or when the batter is not sticking to the pan
10. Flip or turn then using a skewer or pappadam kutti and allow the other side to be cooked completely.
11. Drain them in paper towels
12. Continue the same till the batter is used up.
13. Pair them with Sambhar and Coconut chutney

For the batter

1. Idli rice-1 cup
2. Raw rice(Pachari)-1 cup
3. Urad dhal-1/4 cup
4. Fenugreek seed-1 table spoon

• Soak all the ingredients rice(both varieties) together and urad dal seperately for four hours and grind it to a smooth batter.
• Add little salt (lesser than that added for the batter) and allow it ferment for 6-8 hours.

Notes

1. As am a little bit partial towards coconut oil , i used it for making these.Sunflower oil is also fine to use.
2. Go easy on the green chilies and pepper as per your preference level.

Sending this to Sowmya's event ,Cooking with seeds event and also to Pari and Sowmya's event.
Am also sending this to Shruthi and Gayathri's WTML event.This is my second time with the Walk through memory lane event.
Am also sending this to Made with love mondays week of 6-10-2013 by Javelin warrior.
Am also sending this to Dish it out 
Happy Cooking

Idli Sambhar/Tiffin Sambhar

Hi, How are you?Howz life treating you.Hope everything is going on smooth sailing.Okay,What does Authentic Recipe mean to you?Does it mean anything that is cooked by following the age old method to the dot or the taste that you grew up with?Anyhoo,for me authenticity of a recipe is just being able to relate to the taste i grew up with.

When i was in school,mummy used to make Sambhar especially for idlis(with Moong Dal) and the fussy eater me will suddenly start to behave in a sweet manner and finish up what was given on my plate.Those were the days my mom gave me so many incentives if i finished my food.The incentives were simple like extra play time or having a new ball to play with or playing with my baby blue teddy, simple as that.I was too naive then, to be fooled by simple things.Now itz only that i am being fooled by simpler things.My brother who is self trained to bug me, says all sorts of nonsense and i still believe his stories.

So what was i telling,authentic food.Yes.This particular sambhar recipe is according to me the AUTHENTIC  Idli Sambhar recipe.It really complements plain coconut chutney.Also,u can pair this with Pongal,even Uzhunnu vadas or with paniyarams.I slightly adapted by not adding Fenugreek while grinding the masala but used it for tadka.The choice of vegetables depends on the availability.Carrots,Radish,Potatoes and Drumsticks will be a lovely combo.

Method

Source:My Mummy     Serves :4      Cooking time :45 min

Ingredients

1. Moong Dal - 3/4 th of a cup
2. Veggies -5 pieces of drumstick,Potato one diced,Carrots 2 sliced.(This is what i used,it totally depends on your choice and availability)
3. Tamarind pulp got from soaking a gooseberry size (Nellikaya size) ball of tamarind in water(1/2 cup).
4. Shallots(Kunjulli) - 12
5. Tomato -1 big
6. Green chilly - 2 
7. Salt -As required
8. Curry Leaves - generous bunch
9. Asafoteida - A pinch
10. Garlic - 4 or 5 cloves

To Grind

1. Coriander Seeds-1.5 Tbsp
2. Channa Dal/Kadala Paripu -1.5 Tbsp
3. Red Chilly -2
4. Optional Fenugreek-1/4 Tsp(I used it for Tadka and not while grinding.)

For Tadka

1. Oil - 1 Tbsp
2. Mustard Seeds - 1 Tsp
3. Jeera -1/2 Tsp
4. Urad Dal -1/2 Tsp
5. Fenugreek - A generous pinch

Method

1. Dry roast moon dal till you get a nice aroma.To a slighly golden brown color.
2. Cook the dry roasted  Moong Dal in a pressure cooker along with asafoteida,green chillies,Garlic and turmeric powder. Mash it with the back of a laddle.Reserve
3. Dry roast the ingredients in low flame till a nice aroma emanates.Grind this to a fine powder.The ground mixture.
4. In a kadai add half tbsp oil and add the kunjulli vegetables , Tomato, along with the vegetables that you are going to add to make sambhar.
5. Saute nicely and cook with enough water.
6.  When the vegetables are cooked add them to the dal and give a good mix.
7. Add the tamarind pulp,Ground masala to the dal in the mashed dal and if you feel that the sambhar need to be a bit watery add the required quantity of water after keeping it on the stove.
8. Check for salt and doneness .
9. Do the tadka with the items mentioned and pour in the sambhar.
10.  Donot allow the sambhar to be on the stove for too long or in high flame for a long time as it may result in adikku pidikkal.
11. Pair with Idlis,Dosas,Paniyarams and the like.
12. It goes well with pesarattu even.

 Notes:

1. The cooking time of the dal greatly depends on the quality of the dal.
2. I added the cooked vegetables and the tadka to the pressure cooker that i used to cook the dal.
3. Add water and heat the sambhar if you are using it for the next meal/day coz the sambhar may get thick.
4. refrigerate the leftovers if any coz moong dal has the tendency to get spoiled fast.

Sambhar using the above recipe with uzhunnu vada.

Am sending this to Crazy For Potatoes hosted by Nivedhanams Sowmya and Pari of Cooking good food.

Am also sending this to  Made with Love Mondays and tosowmya  and Priya's event.
Am also sending this to Dish it out
Happy Cooking