Kitchen Corner-Try It

  Easy Fish Pulao/ Indian Fish Pilaf- Pomfret Fish and Rice Fish Pulao/ Indian Fish Pilaf is a yummy, finger-licking good, rice recipe. Do you like easy one-pot meals with rice? There is no denying the fact that chicken and rice is the most popular when it comes to soul-satisfying and filling meals. But if you are a fish lover like me, you will love this pulao. Fish and rice have an affinity for each other and is a comforting meal. It is just like your favorite fish biryani, but a milder version. This delicious fish pulao/pilaf is no- fuss, homey weekend meal. My ideal weekend meal would be a one-pot meal, and if you are like me, this dish is a perfect example of a quick meal.  The first time I tasted a fish pulao/Ilish Pulao was in Calcutta. Ever since I, have been trying different versions, but I guarantee you this one is the easiest of all. The fish pieces are fried till golden before adding to the rice along with earthy spices to make a fragrant pulao. The rice gets cooked...

 Goan Fish Curry Goan curries have a blend of fiery spices, flavor, and texture. This fish curry is creamy and delicious with coconut milk or smoothly ground coconut paste as its base.  Xiti codi  the Goan term for fish curry and rice. If you are looking for a dish that is not overly complex but gives you an exotic eating experience, you need to try this fish curry. I found this recipe from the worn-out pages of an old cookbook and now this is one of my top favorite recipes. It will be ready in 30 minutes and is packed with a different layer of flavors. South India is blessed with a long coastline and you get fresh fish all the time. It has in no small way affected the very fabric of our every day lives. Fish curry is an integral part of the everyday meal. But of course, there are regional varieties and flavors. What I like about the Goan fish curry is that it has a similar coconut base gravy like the Kerala fish curry. Goa has an exotic range of seafood de...

Mashed Tapioca/Kappa Vevichathu/Puzhukku Hello to all seafood lovers! Today's recipe is something that all fish lovers should try!  The super delicious combo of mashed tapioca with red spicy tangy fish curry. This combo brings out the authentic taste of Kerala, that will make you crave for more. This is a full meal in itself with carbs and protein in one.  Tapioca or cassava root  has a neutral flavor and goes well with any spicy pungent curries. Mildly spiced mashed tapioca and the bold fish curry with spicy chilly, and kudam puli/Malabar tamarind strikes a right balance of heat, sourness, and flavor. In Kerala mashed tapioca is served with fish, chicken, beef or with spiced coconut chutney.  Ellum Kappa/ beef kappa biryani  is also a favorite among the people of Kerala. But in almost every household of Kerala fish curry and mashed tapioca is made often. The cuisine of coastal regions has fish as an indispensable part of an everyday meal. Tapioc...

Zesty Fish Curry With Vegetables- Thirutha Fish Curry Today's recipe is my regular Kerala style fish curry with a twist. There are days when I like to indulge in spicy fish curries and meen mulikittathu with mashed tapioca/ kappa vevichathu is a divine combo. This is one curry that I never get bored eating. I have been making this curry for ages, but once in awhile love to try variations of this classic Kerala fish curry. Guess what? I added some vegetables to my fish curry and was pleasantly surprised. It turned out to be a delicious and wholesome curry. The fish I used is Thirutha/mullet . It is a meaty tropical fish found in Kerala. It is soft and delicious when cooked and absorbs the flavors well. The recipe was inspired by the Thai style fish and vegetable curry which is a mild coconut-based curry. The base of this curry is the spicy gravy similar to the Kerala mulaku curry. It is flexible when it comes to vegetables. You can use any kind of vegetables like beans, ...

Easy Mexican Tuna Salad Tuna salad is a versatile recipe and great for quick and tasty lunch or light dinner. Tuna salad is a delicious appetizer with toasted bread, crackers, or crunchy tortilla chips. It is always a crowd-pleaser, and besides, there is nothing like a simple and easy to put together salad when you have company. You can make a super healthy, protein-packed lunch with a few ingredients, and they taste so good. Leftovers are great for school lunches. It makes a delicious filling for sandwiches and wraps. If you like to eat fish, then this salad with fresh and zesty flavors is a must-try. I cook fish almost every day, but mostly it is curried, fried, or grilled fish. Fish in the salad was something I did not want to try for a long time. Now I make this at least once a week. Tuna salad is simple with cooked or canned tuna, fresh greens, avocado, and a zesty mayo dressing. This recipe is easy to make and is a good starting point, but there are so many ways you can ex...

Vietnamese Caramelized Fish with Basil Vietnamese Caramelized fish is very different from the fish recipes I have tried. This recipe is inspired from here and a recipe I found in a South Asian cook book. Both recipes call for fish sauce, but I am not a fan of fish sauce. So if you are like me use dark soy sauce or oyster sauce.  This is crispy fish in sticky sweet and savory sauce flavored with basil. The traditional recipe is braising the fish in clay pot.The recipe calls for catfish, but you can try with other thinly sliced fish. Ingredients Fish - 1 1/2 lb Corn starch- 1 tsp Ginger- thinly sliced- 2 tsp Shallots sliced- 1/2 cup Garlic- 3 pods Green chilly-2 Basil leaves-a hand full Dark brown sugar/palm sugar- 3 tbs Fish sauce - 1 tsp (I used dark soy sauce- 1 tsp) Black pepper powder- 1 tsp Red Curry paste- 1 tsp (optional) Lemon grass powder- 1/4 tsp Galangal powder- 1/4 tsp Salt to taste Oil as needed Cut and clean the fish. Pat dry with a p...

Sri Lankan Tamarind Fish Sri Lankan fish curry is delicious and very similar to Kerala fish curry. Creamy curries with coconut milk or  tangy spicy fish curries with rice is a  classic combo you will never get tried of  eating.Rice and curry is staple or a norm in every household in South India and Sri Lanka.Curries ranging from mild and flavorful vegetables or lentils to spicy meat and fish curries are made and served with rice. I once tried a mild fish stew and it was very tasty. I was looking for some more Sri Lankan fish recipes to try. This recipe is adapted from the book Sri Lankan Cooking , by Douglas Bullis and Wendy Hutton.Some of the Sri Lankan curries have dominant and powerful flavors that is unique to the island. This fish curry is a blend of fiery spices, flavor and texture that will tickle your taste buds and give you satisfaction of an exotic eating experience. Sri Lankan Tamarind Fish is a traditional fish curry and is usually prepared in...

Blackened Tilapia Blackened tilapia is one of my quick go-to recipes. I make this all the time, especially when I want to serve a quick and healthy dinner for my family. For this recipe, I used the whole tilapia, but if you have frozen tilapia fillets, then it is easy to whip up a quick meal. Not more than 10 or 15 minutes and your meal is ready! Serve it with some roasted potatoes or some salad and you have a filling meal. Growing up tilapia was never my favorite, but recently I have fallen in love with this mild-flavored fish. It is soft and flaky and pairs well with any kind of bold spice rub. And the added benefit, is an inexpensive lean protein, especially if you are on a diet. The spice blend is very similar to the Cajun spice mix- bold and flavorful. Spice rub for this fish fry is versatile and can be used for other fish and poultry recipes. Blackened tilapia is skillet fried fish with flavorful spices and butter. You can also bake it in the oven. This...

Unakka Meen Manga Curry/Dry Fish Mango Curry Dry fish is salted sun dried fish. It is used to make fish curry and is made just like the regular fish curry. This fish curry is coconut based and is spicy, sour  with raw mango and tamarind. The dry fish in this recipe is mackerel. You can use any other dry fish of your choice. Ingredients Dry salted mackerel- 3 Raw mangoes diced- 1 medium Shallots- 8-10 Tomato-1 Ginger- 2 inch thick Green chilly-2 Turmeric powder- 1/2 tsp Chilly powder- 1 1/2 tsp Fenugreek powder- 1/3 tsp Shredded coconut- 1 1/3 cup Tamarind- 1 small ball Mustard seeds- 1/2 tsp Dry red chilly-1 Curry leaves Coconut oil Rinse and clean  the fish thoroughly. Soak in warm water for 10 minutes. Make a fine paste or coconut, tamarind, chilly powder, turmeric powder and fenugreek powder. Finally add shallots and ginger and give it a quick pulse. Just crush it coarsely ,no need to make a paste. Add this paste into an earthen pot or pan. A...

Spicy Chilly Sardine/Mathi  Adukkiyathu Sardine is very common sea food in Kerala. I love this small oily fish and tastes best when it is fried. Mathi adukkiyathu refers to layering of the fish and the masala.This recipe is very similar to the Pepper Sardine posted earlier. But the best part of this recipe is that, the fish and the masala is spicy and slightly crispy. This is inspired from a recipe I found this in a newspaper and I guess it is one among the collection of Mrs K. M. Mathew recipes.Had  tried several of her recipes in the past and they have turned out really good. So I decided to give this  a try and was really surprised as to how simple, yet tasty this turned out. Ingredients Sardine- 1 lb Shallots- 1/2 cup Onion- 1 medium chopped Ginger -1 inch thick piece Garlic- 4-5 cloves Turmeric powder- 1/3 tsp Dry red chilly- 6-7 (or according to spice tolerance) Pepper powder- a pinch Coriander seeds- 1 tsp Fenugreek seeds- a few Thick tamarind p...

Goan Fish Fry Fish fry is my all time favorite comfort food and we make them often for lunch and dinners. For all those lazy days, I usually stick to a simple and basic marinade for fish fry. But sometimes experimenting with different regional flavors is good to take simple fish fry, to the new level.This recipe is inspired from Mye's Kitchen and from a tv show. The marinade has an enticing flavor similar to the Vindaloo marinade.This is a tasty and tempting fish fr. Try this you will surely love it. Ingredients King Fish- 4 slices Kashmiri chilly powder- 1 1/2 tsp Ginger- 1 inch piece Garlic- 5-6 pods Turmeric powder- 1/4 tsp Whole black pepper- 1/2 tsp Fennel seeds- 1/4 tsp Clove- 2 Cumin seeds- 1/2 tsp Mustard seeds-1/ 2 tsp Roasted fenugreek seeds- a few Rice flour or semolina- 1tbs(optional) salt to taste Vinegar- 1 1/2 tbs oil for frying Clean fish and squeeze some lemon juice,rub on the fish and then give a final rinse. Make a paste of ginge...

Mathi Puliyum Mulakum/Sardine Fish Curry Mathi puliyum mulakum/sardine fish curry is a regional specialty. Kerala is a paradise for seafood lovers with so many drool-worthy fish and seafood recipes. Now let's be honest, the real joy of Kerala is its food. If you are feeling adventurous, try what the locals eat. This is one such curry, simple and straight forward with distinctive regional flavors. Mathi mulakum puli means sardine cooked in chilly tamarind paste. It is a spicy seafood delicacy with a bold and assertive taste. If you like to indulge in spicy food this is a perfect dish. Sardine is a small oily fish found plenty in Kerala coast. Curried or fried sardine fish taste delicious. It is healthy and rich in protein, calcium and omega fatty acids. It boosts the immune system and helps maintain healthy skin. Spicy sardine curry is an absolute comfort homey food and goes well with kappa puzhukku/boiled mashed tapioca or with rice. Don't forget fried curry leaves and c...

Nadan Vaala Meen Curry This is a nadan style fish curry. It is my grandmothers recipe. When ever she gets vaala meen/ribbon fish/belt fish she makes a similar curry . This is a varutharacha meen curry/roasted coconut gravy. You can also make it without roasting the masala. But the roasting gives a distinct aroma and enhances the taste of the curry. You can add regular tamarind as souring agent or fish tamarind/kudampuli. Try this you will surely love it. Ingredients Vaala meen- 1 kg Pearl onion- 2 cup (roughly chopped) Dry Kashmiri red chilly-12-15 Coconut grated- 1 cup Thondan mulaku/banana peppers-2 Ginger- 1/2 inch thick Muringakka/drumstick- 10-12 pieces Kudampuli/Malabar Tamarind- 3 pieces (or tamarind lemon sized ball) Turmeric powder-a pinch Mustard- 1/2 tsp Fenugreek seeds- 1/3 tsp Curry leaves- 1 spring oil and salt to taste Clean the fish, sprinkle salt on a broad and a rub the fish  with salt. Rinse and cut into small pieces. Soak kudam p...