Kerala fish curry with coconut milk

Recipe adapted from here

 

King fish/ seer fish- 500 gms cleaned and cut into small curry pieces. Its ok if they are slightly larger steak pieces as well.

Coconut oil- 2tbsp (use any refined oil, but coconut oil makes a world of a difference)

Shallots- 10 to 12, peeled and halved

Ginger- 1 inch piece, peeled

Garlic- 6 to 7 medium size pods, peeled

Green chilli- 1, add more if you would like the curry to be spicy

Curry leaves- 1 sprig

Turmeric powder- 1 tsp

Coriander powder- 1 tbsp

Kashmiri chilli powder- 1 tbsp

Fenugreek powder- a little less than 1/2 tsp

Tomato- 1 medium, finely chopped

Malabar tamarind (kudampuli)- 3 medium

Thinned out coconut milk- 2 cups (refer notes)

Thick coconut milk- 1/2 cup

To temper

Coconut oil- 1 tbsp

Mustard seeds- 1/2 tsp

Cumin seeds- 1/2 tsp

Curry leaves- 1 sprig

Shallots- 2 tbsp

Turmeric powder- a generous pinch (optional, but imparts a nice flavour)

Soak the tamarind pieces in 1/2 cup warm water.

Coarsely grind together the shallots, garlic, ginger and green chilli or crush them all together using a pestle and mortar. Dont make it into a paste.

Heat oil in a kadai and throw in the ground shallot mix along with a curry leaf sprig.

Cook on medium heat till they dont smell raw anymore and the onions have caramelised slightly. They dont need to brown.

Add the turmeric, coriander, kashmiri chilli and fenugreek powder. Add a dash of water and cook for about a minute or so.

Throw in the diced tomato and cook till they turn mushy and the oil begins to surface around the sides.

Pour in the tamarind along with its water, the thinned out coconut milk, enough salt, and bring to a boil, covered.

Once it boils, add the fish slices, give a gentle mix and cover and continue cooking for about 15 minutes or till they are cooked through.

Open lid and add the thick coconut milk. Swirl the pan. Dont mix with a ladle as the fish slices may break. 

Boil for a few minutes on medium heat and then turn off the heat. Dont heat the curry a lot after you've added the thick coconut milk, as it could change the taste of the curry, or split.

In another small pan, heat the coconut oil to temper/

Add mustard seeds, let it crackle, followed by cumin seeds and curry leaves.

Stir for a few seconds and add the shallots and turmeric powder. Saute till they turn slightly brown.

Immediately pour over the fish curry. Swirl the pan, and keep covered till ready to eat.

Best had with steamed rice.

Notes: If using coconut milk from a can or coconut cream, remove 1/2 cup of thick milk/cream and to the rest add enough water to make it 2 cups. Stir well and then add to the curry. This is the thin coconut milk. The 1/2 cup kept aside is to be used at the end.

I gently nudge the tamarind between my fingers before pouring it into the curry so that the juices get released a bit. I also pass this through a sieve to catch any mud or sediment from the tamarind.

I also remove 2 of the tamarind pieces from the curry after its done, as i find they end up being too sour if left in there. You can of course leave them in there if you prefer it that way.

Curry is not spicy, add green chilli accordingly.

The curry can be left at room temperature for a day or so. Reheat on low heat before using.

Needless to say, the curry tastes best the next day or even the day after.

Parma Ham wrapped fish with pesto sauce

 

Last week I attended a cooking session hosted by The Consorzio del Proscuito di Parma at the Underground Cookery School. It was a day the tube strike was on and the Underground cookery school being really 'underground,' it was a bit of a feat to get there and also to find the place. But one glug of the chilled Processo, on arrival and I was ready to tackle the evening. 

We are big fans of cured meat and I even cook with it once in a while. My asparagus wrapped in Parma Ham is a hit at parties and the simple Parma Ham with mayo on toast is a regular at ours. Did you know that by law Parma Ham can only be produced in the Parma region using pigs born and bred in Italy? I had absolutely no idea. I also didn't know they were low in cholesterol and high in proteins..well, am I glad or what that I was invited to attend the hands-on cookery class with Parma Ham as the hero.

So after we were segregated into groups, we got around to our tasks. First up was making our own pasta. GULP! I've never done that before and although the kneading and mixing was not really new to me, the pasta maker did intimidate me a bit. Luckily, our chef was very patient and helpful and he guided us towards making fresh tagliatelle. The pasta maker did prove a bit difficult to handle in the beginning, but I soon got the hang of it and it ended up being a fun exercise. 

(Photo credit: Parma Ham event)

After the strands were hung out to dry, we moved on to getting dessert done. A stiff meringue was whipped and baked and the filling, some gorgeously tasty raspberry coulis was whisked with Chantilly cream and made into a roulade. How the Parma Ham was going to be incorporated into it was still a mystery. The final bit of the session was learning how to separate the legs, thighs and breast from a whole chicken (believe it or not, the first time I've ever done that) and then fill the breasts with a tarragon-cream cheese mix, wrap them in Parma Ham and baked.

We took our place at the table while the food was being plated and we chatted with fellow food bloggers over some delicious wine. First course was the tagliatelle we made, tossed with black pepper and truffle oil and topped with a generous sprinkling of Parma Ham and Parmigiano Reggiano. It tasted divine. Main course was the stuffed chicken wrapped in Parma Ham, fried to get the outside crisp, and then baked till done. This was served on a salad of new potatoes, spring onions, cress and purple sprouting broccoli. I loved how the dish looked and ate as much as I could, but was too full to finish the whole thing. I'm not a chicken breast fan, but this was nicely moist and not stringy and dry like other preparations. The grand finale, and perhaps my favourite was the dessert- meringue roulade with candied Parma Ham. This was mindlblowing good. I mean I would have never thought of adding parma Ham to the dessert, but this was really good. The salt for the ham went very well with the sweetness from the roulade and although I was terribly full, I ate the entire thing without flinching.

The evening ended with a nice cup of coffee and we were sent away with a goodie bag full of information and samples. With that I decided to make this fish wrapped in Parma Ham- my take on the main course- and threw in some veggies and a sauce to make a meal of it.

(Photo credit: Parma Ham event)

Serves 2 as part of main meal

Italian Parma Ham- 6 to 8 thin slices

White firm fish- 250 gms (I used River Cobbler)

Salt & pepper- to taste

Sage leaves- 5 to 6 (optional)

Olive oil- 2 tbsp

New Potatoes- 4, quartered

Asparagus heads- 300 gms

Onion- 1 large, finely chopped

Basil pesto- 3 tsp

Spinach- 100 gms

Single cream- 1/2 cup

Salt- to taste

Clean the fish, slice into smaller portions if they are too long and season well with salt and pepper.

Separate the Parma Ham slices and lay flat on a chopping board or plate. 

Place the fish slice on top and roll tightly. Use more than one slice of ham if needed. Keep aside.

Boil the potatoes and asparagus till done. Drain and keep aside.

Melt the butter in a large frying pan and when hot, fry the sage leaves till crisp.

Remove with a slotted spoon and drain on kitchen towels.

Into the same pan add the wrapped fish and fry on all sides till done.

Make sure you dont over cook this, or it will turn touch. Around 3 minutes on each side should be good if the fish is really fleshy.

Drain on paper towels and keep aside.

Add some more oil into the same pan if needed and saute the onions till caramelised, around 5 minutes on medium heat.

Add the pesto and mix it all in.

Throw in the cooked potatoes, asparagus and spinach, mix it all in. 

Add salt and pepper to season.

Pour in around 1/4 cup of water and let it come to a simmer.

Reduce heat, pour in the cream and mix well. 

Add the fish, gently stir and cook closed for another 5 minutes, just so the fish takes in some of the pesto flavour.

Finally garnish with the fried sage leaves and serve with some crusty bread.

Notes: Follow the same method for chicken breast, but remember, cooking time will be longer.

The pesto flavour just comes through, if you want it stronger, add a tsp more

With thanks to The Consorzio del Proscuito di Parma for the event invite.

Foil-baked pomfret with Indian spices (meen pollichathu)

I didn't mean to stay away from the blog for 2 weeks, but things just got a wee bit crazy over at my end with guests one after the other and then the lethargy and laziness that caught on, leaving me drained and void of energy. I mean I have completely ignored my work for the past 2 weeks, stopped swimming classes and cooking has invariably taken a back seat.

So tomorrow being a new month altogether, I have decided to get my bearings right and get back on track with the whole routine life. September according to me was kept aside for time with friends and relatives, theatre shows and short breaks, loads of eating out and drinking (yes it has started to show, again!!!), and sometimes just doing nothing at all. As much as I enjoyed that phase, I feel much better when I'm swamped with work and under pressure. Its really strange, I know, but it makes a weekend or a mid week break much more enjoyable and worth it. 

So it was after a long time that we enjoyed a quiet weekend at home and strangely I was in the mood to cook, not simple unnerving things, but elaborate dishes that needed a lot of prep and time. Saturday I made a gorgeous Sri Lankan beef roast, which I thought I should take pics and blog but as usual after that long procedure, all I wanted to do was dig into it. A hungry Ro who kept asking, is it done yet? is it done yet? was not helping either. And then for dinner (which is usually leftover stuff or we go out) I made aloo parathas which were not really awesome, but after a movie we were so hungry that they actually tasted decent. 

Came Sunday and there was no stopping. I'd picked up a whole pomfret from the Chinese store nearby and decided to work with it. Well after Ro cleaned it up and did the needful that is. I must say, I have the awesomest husband ever when it comes to things like this. As mentioned before, I'm not a big fish fan and if it has bones, I don't even go near it, leave alone clean it. So if at all I buy fish, I pick up the cleaned fillets from the grocery store and masala-fy it so much, it hardly tastes like fish anymore. This preparation was no different, and if it wasn't for the whole cleaning and dealing with the stench, I would have made it a regular.

I'd taken it out of the freezer to thaw it and when it was about 3/4th thawed Ro cleaned the fins and peeled off the entire skin (which was a great idea) and then we marinated it over night. The fish is wrapped in banana leaves and then roasted, which is the traditional way of doing this preparation. But since I couldn't get hold of banana leaves, I had to make do with the foil. No worries, it still tasted amazing to me, the gravy/masala was the best and the next time I try it, it would be with a fish fillet and loads of gravy. This time, although the gravy had covered the fish well enough, I still preferred some more to quench my craving.

Also, here's a really late Halloween wish coming your way. We didn't do anything exciting, except I made these super cute 'Boo'tatoes which I'm rather proud of :)

Recipe adapted from here and appears in the book Flavours of the Spice Coast by Mrs K. M. Mathew

To marinate

Black Pomfret- 500 gms (any firm fish should be fine-King Fish, Tilapia, River Cobbler, Pearl Spot etc.)

Pepper powder- 1 tsp

Turmeric powder- 1/4 tsp

Salt- to taste

For the masala

Coriander powder- 1 tsp

Kashmiri chilli powder- 1/2 tsp

Turmeric powder- 1/4 tsp

Pepper powder- 1/4 tsp

Fenugreek powder- a pinch

Ginger paste- 1/2 tbsp

Garlic paste- 1/2 tbsp

Shallots/ button onions- 1 cup, finely chopped

Garlic cloves- 8 to 10, peeled and roughly chopped

Green chilli- 1, chopped

Tomato paste- 1 tsp

Curry leaves- a sprig

Coconut milk- 1/3rd cup

Mustard seeds- 1/2 tsp

Oil- 1 tbsp

Salt- to taste

Clean the fish, and if using a large one with skin on, make gashes on both sides.

Mix together the marinade ingredients and generously rub it on to the fish. Keep aside for at least 1 hour. 

About an hour or so before you start preparation, bring the fish to room temperature.

Make a paste with coriander, chilli, turmeric, pepper and fenugreek powder along with the ginger and garlic paste and keep aside.

Heat about 1/2 tbsp of oil in a large non-stick frying pan, swirl it around and fry the fish till lightly brown on both sides. You don't need to cook the fish, just sear it on both sides, say about a minute or so on each side.

Remove and drain on a paper towel.

Into the remaining oil (or add some more if required) add the shallots, garlic, green chillies and curry leaves and sauté till the onions have wilted a bit. Remove and keep aside.

Add the remaining oil and splutter the mustard seeds.

Keeping heat to low add the previously prepared paste and cook, stirring continuously, till it is no longer raw. It might splutter vigorously, so be careful.

Tip in the cooked onion mix, followed by the tomato paste and salt and mix it all together.

Keep the heat to medium and cook this masala till you start noticing the oil surfacing.

Add the coconut milk at this point, bit by bit and stir it into the masala.

You would get a semi-gravy like consistency and at this point add the fried fish.

Carefully cover the fish with the masala as much as possible on both sides and turn off the heat. 

Assembling

Leave the fish in the pan as it is, while you get your foil ready.

Preheat the oven to 175C at this point

Place a large sheet of silver foil on a baking tray and layer with some masala from the frying pan.

Carefully place the fish on top and cover with the remaining masala from the pan. Clean it out completely.

Place another large sheet of aluminium foil over the fish and crimp the sides to make a parcel. Make sure you seal the edges well so that no steam can escape.

Bake in the oven for about 20 minutes.

Take it out and check if the fish is done. If it flakes off easily, then you are good to go. Otherwise cook for a further 10 more minutes.

Serve hot with steamed rice.

Notes: This is not a spicy preparation. If you want it spicier, use normal chilli pwd instead of the Kashmiri one.

I marinated the fish over night and so placed it on a plate, covered with a cling film and then refrigerated.

The process might look elaborate, but it really is not that difficult :)

Tuna and Pasta Bake and high on Sangria

Thanks to easy peacy cooking recipes like this, we are still surviving. I think UK has spoilt me in a lot of ways. If its not Indian cooking you are into, then i think being in a place like UK or US helps. The sachets of easy mix powders and gravy's and cut veggies and mixes, add to this luxury.

I am a big fan of the Coleman's brand and they have a various powders in sachets which you can just mix with milk or water and pour over anything from mashed potatoes to beef to chicken to vegetables to pasta. I bought a Tuna and Pasta bake sachet with the intention of using it for a simple bake, but instead decided to try out the recipe at the back of the cover. This is how it goes:

Pasta- 225 gms

Tuna- 200 gms (tinned)

Milk- 425 ml

Carrots- 1/4 cup cut into small bite size pieces

Green peas- 1/4 cup (frozen)

Onions- 1/4 cup (thinly sliced)

Pepper- 1 tsp

Salt- to taste

Cheese- to layer on top (I used Cheddar)

Regular bag of chips

1 sachet Coleman's Tuna and Pasta Bake

Oil- a wee bit

The onions, peas, carrots, pepper is my addition since i did not have sweet corn which the recipe asked for.

Cook the pasta as per instructions (with salt and enough water. Strain and keep aside)

In a heavy bottomed pan heat some oil, saute the onions till transparent and add the carrots, pepper and salt and cook till done. Toss in the tuna along with the green peas and pasta and mix well. If there isn't enough salt or spice you can add as per your requirement at this stage. Keep aside

In a saucepan, tip the contents of the sachet, add a little bit of milk and stir well so no lumps are remaining. Tip in the rest of the milk and bring to a boil, stirring continuously. Reduce heat and simmer for a minute. the sauce will be somewhat thick and creamy.

Pour this mixture on to the pasta/ veggie mix and make sure the cheesy sauce is blended well with the pasta mix. Take it off the stove and pour into a baking dish.

Crush some chips and layer it on top of the pasta, and then layer the cheddar. Bake for 20 minutes in a pre-heated oven at about 175C or heat on high in a microwave oven for 5 minutes or till cheese melts.

Note: The crisps added that zing to the dish and i loved the idea. I think children would love this dish

Its been really hot the last couple of days here in London and so i decided to make Sangria, the perfect summery drink and also because i had some leftover fruits i needed to finish.

Red wine- 1 cup

Rose wine- 2 cups

Orange juice- 1/2 cup

Gin/rum- 60ml or less according to your taste

Apple- 1 sliced into small cubes

Apricot- 3 sliced into small cubes

(Pears, oranges etc. can be added if you want)

Sugar- 3 tbs

Lime juice- 1/2 cup (lemonade if you need a fizzy drink)

Mix all these together in a bowl, pour into tall glasses and drink your heart away:)

Notes: The gin was a bit too strong and it kinda made us a wee bit tipsy after the first glass.

If you keep it overnight, the fruits will be infused with the flavour and will taste better i guess. We didn't have the patience though :)

Sangria is usually a red wine and rum drink, but i didn't have enough of red wine so i mixed it with the rose and it tasted just as good.