Capsicum & Shrimp Curry

Ingredients:- 

Capsicum - 5 Big ones
Tomato - 1 Big (Chopped)
Onion - 1 Big (Thin slice)
Garlic - 1 tbsp (chopped)
Ginger - 1 tbsp (chopped)
Curry Leaves - 3 strands
Chilly Powder - 1 tbsp
Turmeric Powder - 1/2 tsp
Thick Coconut milk - 1 cup
Oil - 1 tbsp
Salt - To taste

Method:-

Clean and de-vein the shrimps and keep it aside.

In a heavy-bottomed pan (preferably non-stick), add all the ingredients together and cover and cook until all the water has evaporated and it achieves the consistency of a gravy. Check for salt and it's ready to be served.

Serve it hot hot with rice, chapati, paratha, nan, etc.........

Fried Fish Curry

FRIED FISH CURRY

Ingredients:-

Ayila/Mackerel - 6 pieces
Onion - 3 (big ones)
Ginger Juliennes - 1-1/2 tbsp
Garlic Juliennes - 1-1/2 tbsp
Curry leaves - 3 strands
Green Chillies - 2
Pepper Powder - 1 tsp
Turmeric Powder - 1-1/4 tsp
Kashmiri Chilly Powder - 2-1/4 tsp
Coriander Powder - 2 tsp
Salt - To taste
Oil - For frying
Thick coconut Milk - 1/2 cup
Vinegar - 3 tbsp or to taste
Water - 2 cups

Method:-

First clean the fish and make deep cuts on the fish. Clean it well once again. To this, add 1 tsp of pepper powder, 1 tsp of Kashmiri chilly powder, 1-1/4 tsp of turmeric powder, salt and keep it aside.

After 15 mins, in a pan, heat some oil (preferably coconut oil) and fry the marinated fish. Once done with frying keep the fried fish aside and to the same oil, add the ginger and garlic slices, slit green chillies and curry leaves and fry until the aroma comes out and then to this add chopped onions. Cook until the onions become translucent and then add 1-1/4 tsp of chilly powder and 2 tsp of coriander powder to this. Cook till oil separates. To this, add 2 glasses of water and 3 tbsp of vinegar. Check for salt. Once the mixture starts to boil add fried fish and the thick coconut milk. Give it a Swirl. Once again, check for salt and tanginess.

Do not eat it right away, let it sit for around 4 to 5 hours so that the fish can absorb the tanginess of the gravy.

Serve it with rice, chapati, paratha...etc

UNNIAPPAM

Ingredients:-

Rava - 1/2 cup
Maida/All purpose flour - 2 cups
Jaggery - 3 cubes
Cheru pazham/Dessert Banana - 3 nos
Cardamom - 4 pods
Jeera/Cumin seeds - a pinch
Salt - a pinch
Water - As needed
Cashew nuts - 10 pcs
Coconut pieces - 10 pcs
Ghee - 1 tbsp


Method:-

In a heavy-bottomed pan, add 2 cups of water and cubes of jagger and leave them to melt. Once the jaggery has melted, strain it and keep it aside.

Make a smooth paste of the dessert bananas and keep aside.

In a pan, heat 1 tbsp of ghee and fry the cashew nuts and coconut pieces until golden brown and keep it aside.

In a bowl, mix the all purpose flour, rava, cardamom and jeera powder and mix well. To this add the mashed bananas and fried nuts. To this, add the melted jaggery bit by bit until you have reached the consistency of an idly batter that is not too thick n not too thin. Mix well and let it rest for around 2 hrs or until u can see small bubbles appearing in the batter.

Heat oil in an unniappam pan and once it is smoking hot, add the batter into the pan and fry both sides until brown.

JEERA RICE

Ingredients:-

Basmati Rice - 2 cups
Water - 5 cups
Jeera - 1 tsp
Coriander leaves - 1 cup
Bay leaves - 1
Cinnamon Stick - 2
Cardamom - 2
Cloves - 2
Ghee - 2 tbsp
Salt- To taste

Method:-

First wash and soak the rice for 1 hour. After an hour, wash and keep aside the rice to drain.

In a non-stick pan, add ghee and once hot, add jeera, bay leaves, cinnamon, cardamom and cloves. Once they start to splutter, add the drained rice, salt and fry it for a few minutes. To this, add water and coriander leaves. Check for salt. Cover and cook until all the water has evaporated and the rice is cooked. Transfer the rice into a serving bowl and serve hot hot with any curry you like.

Note:- You can garnish it with fried onions and nuts if you prefer.

YUMMY AVIAL/VEGETABLE CURRY

Ingredients:-

Potato - 1 big
Carrot - 1
Cluster Beans - 7
Yam/Cheena - 1/4 kg
Tomato - 1 big
Dal/Parippu - 1/2 cup
Curd - 3 tbsp
Oil - 2 tsp
Grated coconut - 1 1/2 cup
Green Chilli - 2 (or as per your spice level)
Cumin/Jeera - 1/2 tsp
Turmeric powder - 1 tsp
Salt - To taste

Method:-

Clean, peel, and cut the vegetables into strip of 1 inch thickness making sure all the vegetables are of the same size. Cook the veggies with 1/2 tsp of turmeric powder and dal in a pressure cooker or a pan. Once the veggies are cooked, keep them aside.

Now grind the grated coconut with 1/2 a cup of water, 1/2 tsp of turmeric powder, green chillies and 1/2 tsp of cumin seeds. No need to make it into a smooth paste, just coarsely grind it.

In a pan, mix the cooked veggies and the coconut paste, let it cook for 5 to 10 mins. Add salt to taste. Once the raw taste of coconut is gone, you can add well-beaten curd into it and give it a good stir. No need to boil it again. Switch off the flame and add 2 tsps of oil and give a good stir once again.

Serve the yummy avial hot hot with rice......

DUMPLINGS IN MUTTON GRAVY

Ingredients:- For Mutton Gravy

Mutton - 1/2 kg
Onion - 1-1/2 big
Tomatoes - 1-1/2 big
Ginger/Garlic paste - 1 tsp each
Coriander powder - 1 tsp heaped
Kashmiri chilly powder - 3/4 tsp
Turmeric powder - 1/4 tsp
Garam Masala - 1/2 tsp
Cinnamon - One 1/2 inch stick
Cardamom - 3 pieces
Cloves - 3 pieces
Fennel Seeds - 1/2 tsp
Salt - To taste
Oil - 2 tbsp
Thin coconut milk - 2 cups
Thick coconut milk - 1 cup
Chopped coriander leaves - 1 cup

Method:-

First cut the mutton into small pieces, clean them well, drain and keep it aside.

In a pressure cooker, add 2 tbsp of oil and when the oil is hot, add the whole spices and wait till it starts to splutter. To this, add thinly sliced onions and saute till the onions become translucent. Now, add the ginger/garlic paste and saute till the raw smell goes. Add chopped tomatoes into this along with the coriander, chilly, turmeric and garam masala powder. Cook until the raw smell of the masala is gone, the tomatoes mashed and the oil starts to separate. To this, add the mutton pieces, mix well. Add 2 cups of thin coconut milk into this and cook for up to 4 to 5 whistles or until done. 

Once the mutton is cooked, transfer it into a wide pan. Add the dumplings into the boiling mutton gravy and cover and cook until the dumplings are well cooked and the gravy has thickened. Now, to this, add 1 cup of chopped coriander leaves and 1 cup of thick coconut milk.
Give it a good stir taking care not to break the dumplings.

Serve hot hot.

Ingredients:- For Dumplings

Rice Flour - 4 cups
Boiling water - 2-1/2 cups
Cumin seeds/Jeera - 1 tsp
Grated coconut - 1 cup
Salt - To taste
Oil/ghee - 1 tsp

Method:-

Boil 2-1/2 cups of water along with salt and oil. To this, add rice flour and stir it well. Once the mixture has cooled down a bit, mix it well with your hands into a soft dough. Now, make small balls and press them gently with your palm and make a small hole in the middle with your finger. Add these to the boiling mutton gravy and cook until done.

MUTTON ROAST

Ingredients:-

Mutton - 1 kg

Onion - 4 big 

Tomatoes - 3 big

Potato - 1 big (cut into strips or as you desire)

Cashew nut - 1/4 cup (chopped)

Kismis (Raisins) - 1/4 cup

Ginger/Garlic paste - 1 tbsp each

Curry Leaves 2 strands

Coriander leaves - 1 cup

Cinnamon - 2 inch sticks

Cardamom - 5 pieces

Cloves - 5 pieces 

Turmeric powder - 1/2 tsp

Kashmiri Chilli powder - 3/4 tbsp

Coriander powder - 1 tbsp

Garam masala - 1/2 tsp

Coconut milk/powder - 2 cups (thin milk)/ 1 cup thick milk

Oil - for frying

Salt - to taste

Method:-

First clean and cut the mutton pieces and keep aside.

In a non-stick pan or cooker add 2 tbsp of oil and when the oil gets hot, add the whole spices and once it starts to splutter add 3 thinly sliced onions and curry leaves into it. Cook till the onion turns translucent. To this, add the ginger/garlic paste and saute till the raw smell disappears. To this, add the chopped tomatoes, coriander powder, chilly powder, turmeric powder, salt, and garam masala. Cook until the masalas are cooked, tomatoes mashed, and the oil starts to separate. To this, add the chopped mutton pieces, no need to add any water at this point. Let the mutton pieces cook in its own juices. (If using a cooker, add 1 cup of coconut milk and cook it for up to 5 whistles or until cooked.) Cover and cook stirring occasionally. Once all the water has evaporated and the meat gets well coated with the masalas, add 2 cups of coconut milk and cover and cook again until the meat is cooked.

Peel, wash, and cut the potato into thin strips or any shape you desire. Add 1/4 tsp of turmeric powder and salt. Marinate it for a few minutes and deep fry them until golden brown. Keep it aside.

In another pan, add 2 tbsp of oil and add the sliced onion. Saute it until it turns translucent and den add the chopped cashew nuts into this. Once the cashews starts changing color, add the raisins into it and fry till they change into golden brown. Keep it aside.

Finally, add the fried potatoes, fried cashes/raisins/onions, 1 cup of thick coconut milk, and 1 cup of chopped corianders into the cooked mutton and give it a good stir. Check for salt. Cook it for another minute and itz done.

Serve hot with rice, paratha, chapati, nan, bread, etc.......

NOTE: Adding fried cashews/raisins/onions are not necessary, but it does give a special taste to the curry. You can also decrease the amount of oil if you prefer. This curry is not very spicy, so if you want you can increase the amount of chilly and coriander to your taste.