Beef Curry (Kerala Style)

I want to wish you and your loved ones a "Great Holiday Season and a Happy New Year." As this is the last post of 2017, I can't help but feel a little nostalgic and sentimental about the year gone by. I guess the last week of December in any year has that effect on people. :-) I started this blog in April 2017 and I was determined to post a new recipe every week. I am happy to report I have done so successfully and I am quite pleased with myself. For those of you wondering what's the big deal in this rather low achievement, I'd like to share that I have been trying to write a blog and post consistently for the last seven or so years. This is the first time I have planned my blog posts in advance, written them diligently and published them consistently. Yay! for me. And a big thank-you to all you lovely people who visit me here and read what I have to say.... Bless you guys!

Now coming back to the recipe below, which by the way has no connection whatsoever to my ramblings above, is one of my all time favourites. This dish makes a fairly regular appearance in my elder sister's (Anita) home. And obviously if I am visiting it is a part of the menu for one of the meals. What I particularly like about this preparation is the number of spices that come together to create this delightful spicy curry. As always, please use the number of chillies, cinnamon and peppercorns as per your spice tolerance. You may also use your discretion in using ginger and garlic. This dish is fiery hot if prepared with the exact measurements given below. It is a very popular dish in Kerala. Enjoy!

Recipe credit: Ms Anita Arakal

Ingredients:

1. Beef - 1 kg (cubed into 1 inch pieces)
2. Oil - 3 -4 tbsp (as required)
3. Mustard seeds - 2 tsp
4. Curry leaves - 3 sprigs (roughly 25 leaves)
5. Onions - 3 big sized (roughly chopped)
6. Green chilly - 4 nos ( roughly chopped)
7. Garlic - 25 flakes (finely chopped)
8. Ginger - 2 and 1/2 inch piece (finely chopped)
9. Red Chilly powder - 1and 1/2 tsp
10. Turmeric powder - 1 tsp
11. Coriander powder - 2 and 1/2 tbsp
12. Bay leaves - 3 nos
13. Vinegar - 1 and 1/2 tbsp
14. Methi (fenugreek) seeds - 1/4 tsp (roasted and ground)
15. Coconut - 1 and 1/2 cup (thinly sliced into 1/2 inch bits)

Spice Mix coarsely ground:

1. Cinnamon - 7 one inch sticks
2. Cloves - 6 nos
3. Cardamom - 6 nos
4. Cumin - 1 tsp
5. Aniseed (Saunf) - 1 tsp
6. Peppercorns - 10 nos

Method:

1. Wash and drain the meat. Apply salt and keep aside.
2. Heat oil in a pan, add mustard seeds, when they stop spluttering, add the curry leaves, onions and green chilies. Fry till the onion are brown.
3. Add the chopped ginger and garlic, and continue frying for another 2-3 minutes.
4. Add the ground spice mix, the powders, bay leaves, meat and vinegar. Mix well.
5. Cook till the meat is done. This should take about twenty to thirty minutes depending on how tender the meat is.
6. While the meat is cooking, fry the coconut bits in oil till they change the color. Add a pinch of turmeric powder to this. Keep this aside.
7. Dry roast the methi seeds and and powder it. You can use a rolling pin or a mortar and pestle to do this.
8. When the meat is cooked, adjust the consistency of the curry. It should ideally be a thick gravy. Add the fried coconut and methi powder. Mix well. Put off the flame after about two minutes.

This curry goes well with steamed rice, appams and dosas.

Minced meat cutlets

Cutlets are a great accompaniment to any meal. They can be had as starters by themselves or can be eaten with pao like a sandwich, or with a meal of rice and daal. Many years ago, when I was studying in Goa, going to Miramar for cutlet pao was an exciting event and my friends and I looked forward to that trip with all the excitement that we could muster. We also loved the choris pao, squid masala, sorpotel pao and other delicacies that could be bought at the cart and eaten, whilst looking at the crowded beach on Sunday evenings. The cart was very popular and had a loyal clientele. Just thinking about the cart at Miramar makes me so nostalgic.

Anyway, coming back to the cutlets, the recipe I share with you today is my mother-in-law's recipe.  Whatever I am in the kitchen today is due to her encouragement and guidance. She has taught me many things inside the kitchen and other wonderful things about life. What can I say, I am a lucky girl!

Recipe credit: ms Rozita Coutinho

Ingredients:

1. Mince meat (beef) – ½ kg
2. Turmeric – ½ tsp

Method to cook the mince:

1. Wash and drain the mince on the drain board.
2. Put a pan on the stove, and put the mince and the turmeric, dehydrate the mince completely.
3. Once dehydrated you could mince it further in a mixer. Keep aside.

Ingredients:

1. Onion – 1 medium (finely chopped)
2. Tomato – 1 medium (finely chopped)
3. Ginger Garlic paste – 1 tbsp
4. Coriander leaves – 1/4 cup tightly packed
5. Green chilly – 3 nos (finely chopped)
6. Egg – 1 no
7. Bread crumbs – as required
8. Oil – as required
9. Salt – as required

Method:

1. Heat oil in a pan, fry the onions, add salt, fry till translucent, add the green chillies and tomatoes, fry well, and add the ginger garlic paste. Let this cook well and then put off the flame.
2. Cool the above mixture and then give it a twirl in the food processor or a mixer. Add this to the cooked minced meat, add one egg and mix well.
3. Make small balls and flatten in your palms, roll in the bread crumbs and shallow fry on both sides till they turn brown.

Daal Fry

Daals or lentil preparations are common in most Indian meals. There are a vast variety to choose from and every part of the country has a different way to cook it, and not to mention each family has their own recipe. It is a staple food in many Indian homes, mostly among vegetarian families that rely on daals or lentils for their rich protein content. A regular Indian meal typically includes daal, chawal, sabzi, roti or chapatti and achar(lentil soup, rice, vegetable sauté, Indian flatbread, and pickle). A wholesome and nutritious meal. The beauty of cooking dals is that it can be cooked in so many different ways, by adding as many or as little spices, vegetables and other ingredients from your kitchen. I personally prefer to keep it simple. But today's post is by no means a simple dal recipe. It is one of the most popular daal preparations of all time.

I learnt this recipe from my elder sister, Anita, and this recipe has a special place of honor in her kitchen. Her family loves a meal of daal fry with jeera pulao and fried chicken. Who wouldn't! In fact as I am writing this post I am salivating for this meal. :-( But this meal will have to wait, at least for now.

This specific daal preparation goes well with jeera pulao (cumin tempered rice), Indian pickle and papad. According to me, this simple meal is worth many scrumptious buffets, as it brings many fond memories of my childhood and loved ones. Hope you like it as much.... Enjoy!

Recipe credit : Ms. Anita Arakal

Ingredients:

1. Tuvar Dal - 1/2 cup
2. Onions - 2 medium (Finely chopped)
3. Tomatoes - 3 medium (Finely chopped)
4. Green chilly - 6 nos (Finely chopped)
5. Garlic - 6 fat flakes (Finely chopped)
6. Ginger - 1/2 inch (Finely sliced)
7. Cumin powder - 1/2 tsp
8. Coriander powder - 1 tbsp
9. Turmeric powder - 1/2 tsp
10. Mustard seeds - 1/2 tsp
11. Asafoetida (hing) - 1/4 tsp
12. Curry leaves - 20 leaves
13. Coriander leaves - for garnish (Finely chopped)
14. Oil - as required
15. Salt - as required
16. Juice of 1 lime
17. Coriander leaves for garnish

Method:

1. Wash and soak the daal and cook in 1 cup of water till it is soft and squishy. Once cooked, whisk it so that the consistency is thick throughout. Keep aside.
2. In case your cooking the daal in a pressure cooker, take three whistles, and then take it off the stove. The daal should be thick in consistency, and not watery and runny. Keep aside.
3. Heat oil in a deep pan, add the mustard seeds, let it stop crackling. Then add the chopped garlic,green chilly, curry leaves, and asafoetida(hing). Mix well and let it fry for a minute. Add the ginger.
4. Then add chopped onions and fry well till the onions turn golden brown.
5. Add the tomatoes. Mix well. Let this mixture cook for a couple of minutes. When the oil starts leaving the sides, add the powders. Stir well and fry the mixture for two to three minutes.
6. Finally add the cooked daal and salt. Mix well. Let the daal simmer and mix with all ingredients for three to five minutes. Add the lime juice and mix well. Check for taste and consistency. Switch off the flame. 
7. Garnish with fresh chopped coriander leaves.
8. Serve hot with steamed white rice or jeera rice, papad and pickle.

Black eyed beans in tamarind curry - Puli Kuzhambu

My idea of South Indian cuisine for a very long time, was limited to idlis, dosas, sambhar, avial and vegetarian preparations that use massive amount of coconut. I'm sure many people share my narrow view. However, this changed when I met Sudha, a dear friend and a great cook. She is a Tamilian and has opened my eyes to the wonders of the amazing Tamil and Telugu cuisine. And she has very kindly shared so many of her recipes with me when we were neighbours in Cebu. She was always generous with her food, she'd send me a bowl of whatever she cooked almost everyday. One of the preparations that I absolutely loved was the tamarind curry or "Kuzhambu"(pronounced koh-ehm-buh). Recently she visited me and very kindly offered to cook something for me and made the "Puli Kuzhambu" or black eyed beans in tamarind curry.

Recipe credit: Sudha J

Ingredients:

1. Black eyed peas or Chawli beans - 2 cups cooked
2. Onions - 2 medium sized, chopped
3. Tomatoes - 3 medium sized, finely chopped
4. Green chilly - 3 nos, chopped
5. Garlic - 8 cloves
6. Red chilly powder - 1 tsp
7. Coriander powder - 1 tbsp
8. Tamarind - a lime sized ball soaked in water
9. Salt - as needed

Tempering:

1. Mustard seeds - 1/2 tsp
2. Channa dal - 1/2 tsp
3. Urad daal - 1/2 tsp
4. Jeera - 1/2 tsp
5. Curry leaves - a few sprigs
6. Oil - as required

Method:

1. Soak the peas in water for 6 to 8 hours and cook in a pressure cooker for 5 to 6 whistles. You can take 3/4 cup of dried beans and it will yield approximately two cups after soaking.
2. In a pan, heat oil and add the mustard seeds first, when they stop spluttering, add the remaining ingredients under tempering. Stir the ingredients for a few seconds.
3. Add the finely chopped garlic and fry it well, add the finely chopped onions and keep stirring till they are fried well and look golden.
4. Add the green chilly and all powders and finally the tomatoes. Mix well and cook on slow flame till they are mashed well. This takes a while as the tomatoes have to disintegrate completely, so patience is the key. For faster cooking you can blend the tomato and then add to the pan.
5. Once the contents look well cooked and mushy, add the beans and tamarind water. Mix well, let it come to a boil and cook on slow flame for about ten minutes.
6. Check for salt, and consistency and switch off the flame.
7. Serve with hot steamed rice.

Mutton biryani

Biryanis are awesome! A good biryani recipe is difficult to come by and when I find a good recipe it is like I have struck gold. Since I am very fond of rice I used to look for a lot of pulao and biryani recipes, however, these days we are cutting back on white rice, and do not indulge in pulaos and biryanis like before. But these days whenever I cook white rice on weekends, I prefer to stick to my trusted recipes.  The recipe I share with you is my own, I made this dish literally with the ingredients available at home. My cook bought this lovely mutton when she came back after her weekly holiday and I didn't want to freeze it. I actually wanted to cook the chicken hyderabadi biryani from my blog, because its our absolute favourite. But I didn't have all the ingredients available and was not sure about cooking mutton the same way as chicken. Most of the ingredients are copied from the chicken hyderabadi recipe, however the quantities and method of cooking is different. It turned out absolutely mouth watering and was a super hit.

Ingredients:

1. Mutton - 1 kg
2. Basmati Rice - 3 cups (240 ml - 1 cup)
3. Coconut milk - 400 ml
4. Oil - 2 tbsp
5. Salt - as needed

Marinade 1:

1. Thick youghurt - 1 cup
2. Lemon juice - 2 tbsp
3. Red Chilly powder - 2 tsp
4. Turmeric powder - 1/2 tsp
5. Garam masala powder - 1 tsp
6. Coriander powder - 1 tbsp

Marinade 2: Grind to a paste using water

1. Coriander leaves - 1/2 cup
2. Garlic - 10 cloves
3. Ginger - 1 inch piece
4. Green chillies - 10 nos
5. Cumin - 1tsp
6. Peppercorns - 10 nos
7. Cloves - 8 nos
8. Cinnamon - 3 inch piece
9. Star anise - 3 nos
10. Black cardamom - 3 nos
11. Green cardamom - 4 nos
12. Fennel seeds (Saunf) - 1 tsp

Onions - 8 medium sized onions
(Sliced thinly, fried in oil till brown and set aside)

Method: 

1. Use a pan large enough to cook the biryani to marinate the mutton. In the pan, add mutton that is cut and washed. To that add marinade 1 and 2. Add the sliced and fried onions and salt. Mix well and let it rest for 3 hours. 
2. Put the pan on the stove and cook the mutton till it's almost done. Depending on the cut of the mutton and age, the cooking time will vary. Usually it takes about forty minutes to cook. 
3. Wash and soak the Basmati rice half hour before cooking time.
4. Add the basmati rice to the mutton, add the coconut milk, oil and 1 cup of hot water. Mix it gently.
5. Put the pan back on the stove, let it come to a boil. Then lower the flame for 10 minutes and let it gently simmer. After ten minutes, put the flame off. Let  it rest for 20 to 30 minutes before serving.
6. Please note, once you lower the flame do not open the lid of the pan as the steam will escape. Open the lid only after it has rested and you are ready to serve the biryani.

White chutney for dosa

This week's recipe is an accompaniment for dosas. I started making this when I moved to Cebu and started cooking dosas regularly. I wanted a quick chutney that didn't require a lot of effort. I came up with this recipe and after a couple of adjustments the first few times, I can say it has been perfected.

Last week I posted the recipe of dosas, and after that I posted the recipe of the potato bhaji that goes so well with it and today I am posting the recipe for a chutney that accompanies the dosa and bhaji and completes it.

Ingredients:

1. Coconut - 1/2 cup
2. Ginger - 1/2 inch piece
3. Green chilies - 2 nos
4. Tamarind - 2 to 3 small bits or 1/2 tbsp paste
5. Cumin seeds - 1/2 tsp
6. Onion - 1/2 of a small one
7. Salt

Tempering:

1. Oil - 2 tbsp
2. Mustard seeds - 1/2 tsp
3. Curry leaves - a few

Method:

1. Grind all the ingredients mentioned under ingredients to a coarse paste using very little water.
2. In a pan, heat oil and temper mustard seeds, when they stop crackling add the curry leaves.
3. Then add the ground paste and mix well. Bring the chutney to a boil and let it cook on medium flame for about two minutes. You will need to keep stirring it.
4. Serve with hot dosas.

Dosa bhaji (Potato bhaji)

Last week I had posted the recipe for dosas and this week I am posting a recipe that goes well with it. Today's recipe is credited to my mum-in-law. She used to make this lovely potato bhaji with dosas every Friday, since Fridays are no meat days in their home. Dosas, chutney and this potato vegetable are a very popular South Indian fare. It is extremely simple to make this recipe and tastes heavenly with the dosas and coconut chutney.

Recipe credit: Ms Rozita Coutinho 

Ingredients:

1. Boiled potatoes - 4 medium sized
2. Onions - 2 medium sized, sliced thinly
3. Ginger - half inch piece, grated
4. Green chilly - 3 -4 nos, finely chopped
5. Turmeric - 1/2 tsp
6. Salt

Tempering:

1. Urad daal - 1/4 tsp
2. Chana daal - 1/4 tsp
3. Mustard seeds - 1/2 tsp
4. Cumin seeds - 1/2 tsp
5. Curry leaves - a few 
6. Oil

Method:

1. Heat oil in a pan, add all the ingredients mentioned in - Tempering, in that order.
2. Add the onions, salt and chillies. Fry till the onions turn translucent.
3. Add the grated ginger and turmeric. Mix well.
4. Roughly mash the potatoes and add them to the pan, and mixing the contents of the pan well.
5. Sprinkle water if needed so that it doesn't stick to the bottom of the pan. Don't pour water, if required keep sprinkling till all the contents are well mixed.
6. Garnish with freshly chopped coriander leaves. This is optional.
7. Serve hot with dosas, chutney and a hot cup of filter coffee.

Recipe for dosas is here. You may also find it under the label of bread and breakfast.

Dosa

I am a Mangalorean and dosas or as we call it polay (pronounced poh-lay, heavy L sound) were regularly prepared, specially for breakfast, while I was growing up. It went down very well with curries or plain tea and were so easy to make. And yet I never ever tried to make them, till I moved to Cebu. D, my son, is a fussy eater. When I say fussy, I mean, he doesn't eat any vegetables except potatoes. In my quest to get him to try new types of food I discovered dosas at my friend Sudha's house, where D not only ate them so well but asked for more. You can imagine the joy and awe that these humble dosas invoked!

That is when I started making dosas with an enthusiasm that is bordering psychotic. This episode happened in mid-December 2014 and since then, I have dosa batter in my fridge on any given day. For many days, D ate nothing but dosas for breakfast, lunch and dinner, and just like that he has decided to give dosas a break.

However, my husband and I have gotten used to eating dosas for breakfast. They are quick to make and an healthy option and go so well with chutney or sambhar or potato vegetable. The best part is you can make any quantities you want and store the extra batter in the refrigerator for future use. You can use the batter up to five days.

This is the simplest thing to cook besides rice and yet it took me so long to start making them. But better late than never I guess.

Recipe credit: Sudha J

Ingredients:

1. Rice - 3 measures
2. Urad daal - 1 measure
3. Methi seeds (fenugreek) - 10-15 seeds
4. Salt - to taste
5. Oil - for pan frying
6. Onion - half piece

Method:

1. Wash and soak rice and fenugreek seeds together in a bowl with enough water to cover the rice.
2. In another bowl, wash the urad daal, till the water appears clear. Soak both the rice and daal for 2 - 3 hours.
3. Grind the rice and urad daal separately in a blender to a smooth fine paste using little water. The consistency should be thick and creamy, like the pancake batter.
4. Empty the batter into a vessel, where the batter occupies half of the vessel, leaving room for it to rise. It will increase in quantity by at least half so use a large enough vessel. 
5. Do not add salt at this stage.
6. Leave it over-night or at least eight to nine hours to ferment.
7. When the wait time is over. Add salt and mix the batter well.
8. Put a fork half way through the half of the peeled onion, pour a little oil into a little bowl and dip the onion lightly into the oil and then use it to grease the pan.  
9. Heat a flat pan, grease it as suggested above and then ladle the batter onto the pan, just like a pancake. You may use the bottom of the spoon to flatten it out a bit more. Cook on medium flame till the edges start to loosen and leave the pan.
10. You may add oil on the top of the dosa and turn it over so it cooks on the other side too. This should take about 30 to 40 seconds.
11. Once done, serve it hot with your choice of chutney and sambhar.

Notes:

• Since soaked rice breaks easily, add water sparingly, or you will end up with a runny batter.
• If you are making a larger quantity to be used over a couple of days, do not add salt to the whole batter. Remove the quantity of batter in a separate bowl that will be used and add salt only to that batch. Keep the remaining batter in the refrigerator and use as mentioned above.
• Fenugreek seeds are optional. My mum doesn't use them in her recipes. 

East Indian Pork Vindaloo

Pork vindaloo is a common preparation in catholic homes during Christmas, Easter or any other special occasion. The Goan and the East Indian communities have different variations to this recipe. I have never tried any other vindaloo recipe except the one I share with you today. The reasons are simple, this recipe calls for few ingredients, the method I follow to cook is quick and hassle free, and most of all the pork can be marinated and frozen for a Sunday you specially feel lazy to cook. This recipe is yet another gem from my mum-in-law's kitchen, and is time tested.

I have mentioned two methods of cooking. The first method is the original one, noted in my mum-in-law's recipe book. If you are looking for the exact method followed in an east Indian kitchen, then stick to the original method.

But if you are not that fussy and are looking for a quick way to get the vindaloo going, the second method is your answer. I have followed the second method since I first started cooking this dish many years ago. I have not found the taste to be any different. However, you choose to cook, this vindaloo tastes great after a day of rest. So plan ahead and lets cook!

Recipe credit : Ms. Rozita Coutinho

Ingredients:

1. Boneless pork - 1 kg
2. Kashmiri chillies - 10 nos whole, and 5 nos de-seeded*
3. Garlic - 15 cloves
4. Cumin seeds - 1 tbsp
5. Turmeric powder - 1 tsp
6. Vinegar - 1/4 cup to 1/2 cup**
7. Salt - as needed

Original Method:

1. Cut the pork into big pieces (3/4 inch thick, and three to four inch pieces), apply salt generously and set aside for three hours. 
2. After three hours wash the meat well and drain in a colander and towel dry to remove excess moisture from the meat. 
3. Dry grind the red chillies and cumin seeds to a powder first, then add the garlic, turmeric and vinegar, grind to a fine paste. This will ensure you do not use too much vinegar. Do not use water to grind the masala.
4. Apply the ground masala to the pork and and marinate over-night or 8 hours, preferably in a glass bowl or earthen pot. Please refrigerate the meat as soon as your marination is done. 
5. When the meat is ready to be cooked, bring it to room temperature, put the meat and the marinade in a pan, put it on the stove, bring to a boil, lower flame and cook till the meat is tender. Usually the pork releases water and fat and hence the dish will not need any additional moisture.
6. But if you do feel the need to add moisture to the meat so it won't stick to the pan, add vinegar. Sparingly.
7. Let the meat cook for 45 minutes to an hour till its completely done. The meat is allowed to rest for a day before serving.
8. On the day you'd like to serve, you can take the fat from the cooked vindaloo and fry three finely sliced onions till they have softened. 
9. Mix with the meat and heat the meat and give it a nice boil. It's ready to be served.

Short-cut method :-)

1. Cut the pork into big pieces (3/4 inch thick, and three to four inch pieces), wash and drain.
2. Dry grind the red chillies and cumin seeds to a powder first, then add the garlic, turmeric and vinegar. and grind to a fine paste. This will ensure you do not use too much vinegar. Do not use water to grind the masala.
3. Apply the ground masala and salt to the pork and and marinate over-night or 8 hours, preferably in a glass bowl or an earthen pot. Please refrigerate the meat as soon as your marination is done. 
4. When the meat is ready to be cooked, bring it to room temperature, put the meat and the marinade in a pan, put it on the stove, bring to a boil, then lower the flame and cook till the meat is tender. Usually the pork releases water and fat and hence the dish will not need any additional moisture.
5. But if you do feel the need to add moisture to the meat so it won't stick to the pan, add vinegar. Sparingly.
6. Let the meat cook for 45 minutes to an hour till its completely done. You can let the meat rest for a few hours before serving.

* Always use chillies as per your spice tolerance. De-seed all chillies, if you 'd like it less hot. Kashmiri chillies give this dish a deep red colour and makes the sauce thick. 

** Only vinegar is used to grind the spices for this recipe. But do so with utmost caution, as you might end up adding more vinegar and making it to sour. To avoid this, I dry grind the red chillies and cumin to a powder first and then add the other ingredients. This ensures I use less vinegar while grinding and I can always use more later if required.

Simple veg soup

Soups don't usually feature in my menu unless someone is sick or has specifically requested for it. We live in a city that is warm all year, and that's why I believe we never really crave soups. Soups can be super comfort food when the weather has cooled down a bit or you have a sore throat and donot want to chew. Whatever my reasons are, this is one of the few soup recipes I know and make.

This recipe is one of the many recipes that I have learnt from my mum-in-law. We've had had this numerous times on our visit to her home. And for someone who doesn't like soup, my son D gobbles it up at an amazing speed. You can either blend the soup and make it into a cream soup or leave it as is and have it in it's original thin liquid form with near melted vegetables and bites of macaroni.

Recipe credit : Ms.Rozita Coutinho

Ingredients:

1. 1 large onion
2. 1 large tomato
3. 1 large potato
4. 1 large celery stalk
5. 1 large carrot (optional)
6. 1/4 cup uncooked macaroni/noodles
7. 1 tbsp yellow moong daal (split moong)
8. 1 tbsp Oil
9. 2 stock cubes/ 1 ltr of stock
10. Salt and pepper for seasoning

Method:

1. Soak the moong daal in half a cup of water an hour before you start making the soup.
2. Roughly chop all the vegetables and set aside.
3. Heat oil in a large pot, add the onions and fry till they soften, add the tomatoes and fry well for about a minute or two.
4. Add the potatoes, carrots, moong daal and celery and mix well. Let it simmer on medium flame for about two minutes, stirring as required.
5. Add a litre of water, bring the soup to a boil and let it simmer it for 15 minutes.
6. Add the macaroni/noodles, and the stock cube and let it simmer till the macaroni is cooked. Adjust the consistency and check for seasoning.
7. Serve hot with a slice of toasted bread and butter.

Curd and Pepper fried Chicken

Today's post is a dish I prepared many years ago (about 12 years) trying to imitate a fried chicken preparation from a local restaurant. I believe it was called dahi chicken. I have the fondest memories associated with this dish as it was an instant hit with everyone, including the first time I tried it, just based on the flavours I identified from the time I tasted it. And back then I was an occasional cook, which means I cooked about four to five times a year. And yet this dish turned out awesome! I don't know of anyone who has eaten it and not loved it instantly. And the best part is like most of my recipes, this one is so easy to put together, it might actually surprise you. It's a great recipe for beginners as it can be put together with few ingredients and is easy to cook. If you're trying to impress folks with your culinary skills this is a safe recipe to try. You can't go wrong with it.

Ingredients:

1. Chicken on the bone - 500 gms
2. Curd - 1/2 cup
3. Ginger garlic paste - 1and half tbsp
4. Freshly ground pepper - 1/2 tsp
5. Salt - as required
6. Oil - as required

Method:

1. Mix all the ingredients in a bowl, except oil. Let the chicken marinate for minimum two hours.
2. Pour oil in a pan and shallow fry the chicken pieces till its done. The cooking time will differ based on the cut and size of the chicken pieces used. Use your discretion.
3. After all the pieces are fried, remove them from the pan. In the hot pan pour the remaining marinade. Let it come to a boil, simmer it for about a minute or two, when the marinade turns brownish in colour, take it off the flame and pour over the chicken pieces.
4. Serve hot as starters or as a snack with drinks.

Notes:

• I personally prefer to use chicken legs and thighs for this preparation. I would suggest, avoid using boneless chicken for this dish.
• Use pepper as per your spice tolerance.

Tuna cutlets with potato

Tuna cutlets are eaten with relish in my home. A simple meal of dal rice with tuna cutlets can be very comforting and lift spirits even on the dullest days. I have two tuna cutlet recipes and I alternate them so we get to eat both. This recipe was shared by my younger sister Doreen, who is quite the chef and baker. She is always trying out new recipes, and loves to experiment.

This recipe is a little different from the one I used to make regularly. The addition of potatoes and spices to the cutlets in this recipe, adds a lot of flavour and also gives it a lovely texture.

Recipe Credit : Ms. Doreen D'sa

Ingredients:

1. Tuna flakes(360-400 gms) - 2 tins 
2. Boiled potatoes - 3 medium
3. Onion - 1 large, chopped finely
4. Garlic -1 tsp finely chopped
5. Ginger - 1 tsp finely chopped
6. Green chilies - 2 finely chopped
7. Coriander leaves - 3 tbsp finely chopped 
8. Chili powder - 1 tsp 
9. Turmeric powder - ½ tsp 
10. Freshly ground pepper - 1 tsp 
11. Garam masala powder - 1 tsp 
12. Oil, as required for shallow frying
13. Salt, as per taste
14. Eggs - 2 nos
15. Breadcrumbs - 1 cup  

Method:

1. In a pan fry the chopped onions, ginger, garlic and green chili till the whole mixture turns brown.
2. Add all powders except the garam masala powder and stir well.
3. Add the tuna and mix well, keep stirring and let it cook for about two minutes.
4. Add the garam masala powder and coriander leaves and mix well. Put off the flame.
5. Let the tuna mixture cool, post which add the mashed boiled potatoes. Mix the whole thing well and make round balls and flatten it out like patties.
6. Refrigerate the patties for half hour.
7. Break the two eggs in a bowl and lightly beat it. Season with salt and pepper.
8. Spread the breadcrumbs in a plate.
9. Heat a pan, add oil for shallow frying. When the pan is hot, dip the patty in egg and coat it in the breadcrumbs, and put it in the hot pan.
10. Shallow fry on both sides for five minutes each or till they turn brown and look done.

1. Steamed rice with plain coconut juice curry

2. Tuna cutlets with potato

3. Steamed broccoli with pepper 

Click here to find the other recipe of Tinned tuna cutlets published a few weeks ago on this blog.

Pork Sorpotel (Goan style)

Today's post is truly special. I am posting the recipe of my most favoritest pork dish. SORPOTEL. I have eaten pork sorpotel for every Christmas for the last so many years And of course on other special occasions too, like a wedding in the family, Easter and a loved one visiting after a long time. The credit for this recipe completely goes to my mum in law (MIL). She has been laboriously cooking this dish year after year on every special occasion and she has been kind enough to share the exact details not only of the ingredients but the method too. She in fact made a smaller quantity once, no special occasion, just so that I could watch and learn. How great is that! I learnt to cook this a few years ago when my MIL was visiting her daughter in another city for Christmas and we would be without sorpotel. I took this opportunity to put my notes to good use and voila....here we are

Sorpotel has Portugese influence, and is made by the Goan, Manglorean and East Indian Christian communities. This dish is made in large quantities since it is mostly served on special occasions like weddings, birthdays and parties. The best part about this dish is that it can be cooked well in advance. In fact it tastes much better and more pickled with each passing day. Each community makes it differently, for instance the Manglorean community cook sorpotel with the pork offals, and parts of the pig that are otherwise usually discarded. They also add pig blood to the preparation. I have never eaten this dish, as it is not available commercially. So unless you get invited to someone's house for a meal, where this dish is prepared and served, there is a slim chance of you getting to taste this. The East Indian community, on the other hand, has two versions of the sorpotel, one red sarpatel, where they  use their famous bottle masala and the green sarpatel, where they use whole ingredients i.e.without being ground. And finally the Goan community cook this dish with pork meat and liver. The method is mostly the same, where the meat is par-boiled and then chopped into tiny pieces and fried in its own fat, after which the spices are ground in vinegar and added to the meat, and is left to soak in the spicy goodness for a few hours after which it is finally cooked. This dish tastes best a couple of days after it is made.

This dish is not for the faint hearted. So brace yourselves for some hard work, and no shame in asking for help, specially when it comes to chopping the meat. But you will love it when it's ready and when you see your loved ones taking third and fourth helpings. All the hard work will be worth it! So let the cooking begin!

IMPORTANT NOTE :

• The ingredients in the recipe are for half kg meat (meat includes liver). Please adjust ingredients as per the quantity of meat you will cook.
• It is recommended that for every 1 kg of pork meat, add 1/2 kg pork liver. This combination tastes best. However this is optional. You can adjust these quantities based on your preference.
• Use pork belly for this dish, as the belly portion has the best distribution of meat, fat and skin.

Spice Mix: For 1/2 kg meat

1. Kashmiri Cilly - 5 nos
2. Cumin seeds - 1/2 tsp
3. Black peppercorns - 20 nos
4. Cinnamon - 1 inch stick
5. Cloves - 5
6. Cardamom - 2
7. Turmeric powder - 1/4 tsp
8. ***Vinegar - as required

Dry grind the above ingredients to a fine powder. Add vinegar last to make a paste. Use as much vinegar as needed but be careful as too much will make the dish too sour. You may use water sparingly.

Ingredients for chopping:

1. Onion - 1 medium (finely chopped)
2. Garlic - 5 medium flakes (finely chopped) 
3. Ginger - 1/2 inch piece (finely chopped)
4. Green chilly - 1 no (finely chopped)

Method:

1. Wash the meat well. Place the whole chunk of meat in a sauce pan and add 1 cup of water. Bring it to a boil, lower the flame to medium and let the meat cook for ten to fifteen minutes. 
2. Set the meat aside for cooling. Reserve the water. Cool the water and refrigerate.
3. Once the meat has cooled, cut the meat into quarter or half inch cubes. Keep the meat and liver pieces separate.
4. Heat a pan, pour little oil, fry the chopped meat first. Fry till it changes colour. Use a little oil initially to get started, as later the pork will release its fat and you will not need oil. 
5. Fry the liver till it turns black. Note that the liver needs to be fried longer than the meat. Set aside the fried meat.
6. Heat oil in a sauce pan, fry the onions till they turn golden brown, then add the remaining chopped ingredients. Fry well. 
7. Add the ground red paste and fry it well. 
8. Add the meat and liver, and salt, mix well. Put off the flame. Note: No cooking.
9. Let the meat marinate for four to six hours. 
10. After six hours, put the pan with the meat on the stove, add the reserved water, and bring to a boil, and then cook on slow flame for thirty minutes. 
11. Sorpotel is ready but don't serve it yet. For the next three days, heat the meat twice a day on medium to slow flame, preferably once in the morning and once at night. 
12. It is ready to be served.
13. If you have made a large quantity you can refrigerate and use it for a week to ten days.
14. You can also freeze it and eat it for up to three months.

You can serve this with sannas, pau or pulao. 

French Toast

French toast or egg bread as David calls it, is a favorite breakfast dish in my house. This is one of the only two ways David eats eggs, the other being eggs fried sunny side up. He refuses to eat eggs made any other way and that is extremely frustrating. But reserach says children refuse any new food twenty times before they decide to try it. So I have a long journey ahead of me, I guess. Phew! But that's just a mum's rant.

Coming back to today's post, French toast is a easy breakfast recipe and can be tweaked to suit individual tastes and preferences. Typically, french toast is sweet but I remember eating this snack in my office cafeteria, where the chef added green chillies to suit our palates and there was no hint of sweetness whatsoever. It was more like eating a masala omelette bread. :-) But it was a popular dish and I loved it for my evening snack.

It is a simple and easy breakfast recipe and can be made in a matter of minutes. This is not traditional French toast and I make it the way we like it at our home. But you can add more sugar (than mentioned) to the egg mixture and sprinkle some cinnamon powder for a more authentic taste.

Ingredients:

1. Egg - 1 no
2. Milk - 1 tbsp
3. Sugar - 1 tsp (as per taste)
4. Salt & pepper
5. Bread slices - 2 nos
6. Oil - for shallow frying

Method:

1. In a bowl, break the egg, add the milk, sugar, salt and pepper. Beat it well.
2. Dip one slice of bread completely and let it soak in the egg mixture.
3. Immediately transfer to a hot pan that has been drizzled with oil, and shallow fry on each side for a minute or two, till it is browned on both sides.
4. Repeat the same process with second slice. 
5. Serve with tomato sauce and a hot cup of tea/coffee/milk.

Cabbage foogath

In South India, vegetables are cooked simply. They primarily start with tempering mustard seeds and curry leaves, include chilly - red or green, and most importantly end with fresh coconut. Depending on the vegetable, the dish may include onions, but it is mostly optional. Vegetables cooked this way retain the original colour, flavour and texture. It is a great and healthy accompaniment to spicy curries and you can pat yourself for having retained most of the vegetables nutritional value.

Foogath, Upkari, Thoran and Poriyal are different types of dry vegetable preparations, typically used in a South Indian kitchen to cook cabbage, French beans, cluster beans, string beans, all types of gourds, carrot, beetroot etc. All the preparations mentioned above employ the same basic ingredients and method of cooking. The names differ depending on which region you belong to, so in Goa, you will eat cabbage foogath, in Mangalore it will be called cabbage upkari, in Tamil Nadu it will be cabbage poriyal and in Kerala it will be cabbage thoran. These are some of the simplest recipes that can be made in the Indian cuisine.

Today I am sharing my mum's cabbage foogath recipe. It is one of the simplest things you can make in the kitchen apart from cooking rice. Nothing fancy, no frills, just a great accompaniment for your fish curry and rice.

Recipe credit: Mrs Cecilia Sequeira

Ingredients:

1. Cabbage - 1 medium sized
2. Onion - 1 large
3. Tomato - 1 large
4. Green chilly - 2 nos
5. Grated coconut - 1/4 - 1/2 cup
6. Salt and oil - as required

Method:

1. Finely slice the cabbage, wash and drain. Slice the onion and tomato. Slit the green chilly and de-seed if you cannot tolerate spice.
2. In a pan arrange the onion and tomato at the bottom, spread the sliced cabbage, and the green chilly. 
3. Cover the pan and put it the stove. Cook on high heat till you see the steam at the top. Add salt and drizzle oil ( a table spoon or two).
4. With a spoon mix the contents of the pan, lower the heat and cook till the vegetable is half done. Essentially the cabbage shouldn't be over cooked.
5. Add the grated coconut, mix well and take it off the stove after the cabbage has cooked.

You can follow the exact recipe for cooking French beans, string beans and bottle gourd.

Chicken 65

Chicken 65 is a popular South Indian Chicken preparation that involves marinating the chicken in yoghurt, ginger, garlic and a few spices, then adding corn flour and egg and deep frying the chicken cubes and finally tempering it with with mustard and curry leaves. It is served usually as an appetizer and goes very well with a glass of cold beer. Now comes the part where I tell you, that is not the way I make it. In case you have been following my blog and other recipes here you will know that I try and avoid deep frying and too much hard work when it comes to everyday cooking. So there is no deep frying here, and not much effort either, I make this with a thick sauce so you can serve it as a starter or as a main. Usually boneless chicken is used for this dish, but with my recipe you can use chicken on the bone too.

I learnt this recipe from my older sister many years ago. This is a family recipe that I share and it is very special to me. It reminds me of my novice days as a cook and how this dish has literally encouraged me in the kitchen. It used to be one our favourite Sunday meals, twenty years ago. It still is when we get together. Chicken 65 with pulao and cucumber salad was a meal that the entire family looked forward to! So many beautiful memories associated with this dish. :-)

There are two methods of cooking it, you can choose either. I usually follow the second method as it is easier and less work, but my sister follows the first one. However you choose to cook it, it tastes fantastic. So here goes.

Recipe Credit : Ms. Anita Arakal

Ingredients:

Chicken - 1 kg

Marinade:

1. Yoghurt - 1 cup
2. Garlic paste - 1 tbsp
3. Ginger paste - 1 tbsp
4. Kashmiri chilly powder - 1 tbsp
5. Coriander powder - 2 tbsp
6. Turmeric powder - 1/2 tsp
7. Tomato ketchup - 2 tbsp
8. Soy sauce - 1 tbsp
9. Salt - as required

Tempering:

1. Oil - as required
2. Mustard seeds - 1/2 tbsp
3. Curry leaves - 20 leaves

Method 1:

1. Mix all the ingredients mentioned under marinade in a bowl and marinate the chicken pieces for minimum one hour. Marinate longer for better results.  In case you are marinating for a longer period, please put the marinated chicken in the refrigerator.
2. Heat a pan, pour oil required for shallow frying and shallow fry the chicken till done and keep aside.
3. In the same pan, heat oil, add the mustard seeds and wait for it to splutter, then add the curry leaves and the marinade. Bring it to a boil, and let it cook on medium flame till the sauce thickens.
4. Add the fried chicken pieces and mix well. 

Method 2:

1. Mix all the ingredients mentioned under marinade in a bowl and marinate the chicken pieces for minimum one hour. Marinate longer for better results.  In case you are marinating for a longer period, please put the marinated chicken in the refrigerator.
2. In a pan, heat oil, add the mustard seeds and wait for it to splutter, then add the curry leaves. 
3. Now add the chicken pieces only and turn up the stove flame to high. When the chicken has browned on all sides, lower the flame.
4. Add the marinade and cook the chicken till it is done.

You can pair this with vegetable pulao or jeera rice and daal with a cucumber salad.

Green spice mix for curries

There are different types of spice mixes that are used in an Indian kitchen. Many people prefer to use home made spices mixes even though store bought ones are easily available. There are different spice powders for different dishes, however garam masala powder is commonly used in most Indian dishes. This can be home made as you can use fresh ingredients and make in quantities that you know will be used in a specific period. Different chefs have different recipes but typically whole spices like cinnamon, peppercorn, cloves, cumin etc are common to all of them, these spices are either sun dried or dry roasted and then ground to a fine powder.

The spice mix I share with you today can be used to make great tasting curries with chicken, beef and prawns. You can use it to fry fish as well and enhance flavours of vegetable side dishes. I have shared the smallest quantity of ingredients required to make this. If you wish to make a larger quantity increase the quantity of the ingredients proportionately and store in a air tight container till all is used. In case you run out of garam masala you can use this as a substitute, though I'd like to caution you that this spice mix is pepper hot.

Recipe credit: Ms Rozita Coutinho

Green spice powder:

1. Jeera - 1 tbsp
2. Peppercorns - 1 tbsp
3. Cinnamon - 4 inches
4. Cardamom - 6 nos
5. Cloves - 15 nos
6. Turmeric - 1/2 tbsp

Grind to a fine powder in a blender and store in an air-tight container. Use a dry spoon to use as needed.

You can increase the quantity of the ingredients to make a larger quantity.

This spice mix can be used as a substitute for garam masala powder in regular cooking and in the following recipes that you will find on this blog:

1. Green meat
2. Coconut juice chicken
3. Prawn curry
4. Pork Saulantulem : You can add a 1 tsp of this spice mix to enhance the taste.

Plain coconut juice curry

In the last few weeks I have shared a few coconut based curries on the blog. I cook different types of curries and its a regular item on my everyday menu. A few weeks ago I published the Plain red coconut curry. Well, today's curry is quite similar to it, the key difference being the usage of coconut milk versus ground coconut in the previous recipe. You may think, "What's the difference, coconut milk, fresh coconut, how different could the taste be?", well it does belong to the same taste palate, but a coconut milk based curry tastes much richer and has a creamier texture as compared to a curry where the coconut has been ground to a paste and used. The good news is you could turn this curry into a prawn curry by simply adding prawns and it tastes heavenly. Serve the curry with steamed rice, fried fish and any vegetable foogath and you will have  finger licking Goan/Mangalorean meal.

Recipe credit : Rozita Coutinho

Ingredients:

1. 1 Coconut - milk extracted or
2. 400 ml - coconut milk
3. Oil - 1 tbsp
4. Onion - 1 medium, finely chopped
5. Tomato - 1 medium, finely chopped
6. Green chilly - 1 or two, slit (optional)
7. Tamarind pulp - 1 tbsp
8. Stock cube - 1 no

For the masala:

1. Kashmiri chilly - 8 nos
2. Garlic - 6 cloves
3. Coriander seeds - 1 tbsp
4. Cumin seeds - 1 tsp
5. Turmeric powder - 1 tsp
6. Peppercorns - 1 tsp

Method:

1. Grind to a fine paste the ingredients, mentioned under for the masala. Keep aside. Reserve the water used to rinse the grinder jar.
2. In a pan, heat oil, add the chopped onion and fry till light brown.
3. Add the tomatoes, and the ground masala, stir well and cook for two minutes. Add the stock cube, reserved water, tamarind pulp and the coconut milk.
4. Let it simmer for about twenty minutes, check for consistency.
5. If adding chilly, add it two minutes before putting off the flame.

Click on the recipe name for other curry recipes on this blog:
Plain red coconut curry
Coconut juice chicken curry
Tomato Saar (Recipe 1)
Tomato Saar (Recipe 2)
Prawn Caldeen Curry
Chicken/mutton Stew

Pork Solantulem

Pork is a personal favorite of mine. I cook Pork bafath quite regularly, special occasions call for sorpotel, and I prepare pork solantulem when I'm in a hurry and don't have the time and patience to cook an elaborate dish. This is one of the easiest, fuss free pork recipes I know. This is a Goan dish, however, surprisingly I never heard of it till I got married. I have lived in Goa for a few years and have visited it quite often after I moved back to Mumbai. I have never seen this dish on any menu in any restaurant, nor have I heard any locals mention it ever. I think the sorpotel, vindaloo and choris take all the limelight and this humble recipe never made it to the stage.

But my mum-in-law makes this preparation once in a while and I learned it from her many years ago. This dish is not spicy and I guess that's one of the reasons why it's not a party favorite. But I like this dish, not only 'cos of how easy it is to pull it together but 'cos it has very simple flavors. And of course 'cos it is David's favorite.

The original recipe has a handful of ingredients, viz; solam (kokum), garlic, cumin, salt and turmeric. But I add a few more spices to suit my palate. The star of this recipe is of course solam or kokum, which is absolutely essential, along with garlic and cumin. The other spices can be added or given a miss depending on convenience.

Recipe credit: Ms.Rosita Coutinho

Ingredients:

1. Pork - 1 kg
2. Cumin - 1 tbsp
3. Garlic - 8 fat cloves
4. Solam (Kokum) - 12 pieces
5. Turmeric - 1/2 tsp
6. Broken red chilies - 4 nos
7. Onion - 1 large
8. Cinnamon - 2 inch sticks
9. Cloves - 8 nos
10. Peppercorns - 1 tsp
11. Bay leaves - 2 nos
12. Salt - as required

Method:

1. Add all the ingredients in a deep pan and keep on the stove on high flame. When it comes to a boil, reduce the flame and simmer for about twenty minutes or till the pork is done.
2. Stir occasionally to ensure it does not stick to the bottom.
3. Check for taste.
4. Any pork preparation, according to me tastes better after it has rested for a little while. At least one hour of rest will help the meat absorb all the spices and salt.

Click on the recipe names for more delectable pork recipes on this blog.

1. Pork bafath/ bafad
2. Pork roast - Goan style
3. Pork adobo
4. Pork chops - Oriental style

Chilly chicken

This chilly chicken recipe is perfect for days when you are in a rush and want to whip up a yummy chicken dish in the shortest time possible with the least number of ingredients and effort. You can serve this with noodles or brown rice, or serve it as a starter or a side dish with dal and rice. However you choose to serve it, one thing is for certain that it will not disappoint. 

I am not a big fan of using too much oil in my cooking and deep frying, and you will be surprised to see how well this dish turns out even  if you don't deep fry the chicken. Almost all the recipes that I have come across for chilly chicken require the chicken to be deep fried and I guess thats what makes them so irresistible. I have completely skipped that part in this dish and tried to make it a little healthy.

Ingredients:

1. Boneless chicken thighs - 500 gms
2. Garlic - 8 cloves, finely minced
3. Onion - 1 no, cubed
4. Green chilly - 2 nos, roughly chopped
5. Green pepper - 1 no, cubed
6. Soya sauce - 1 and half tbsp
7. Chilly sauce - 1 tbsp
8. Vinegar - 1/2 tbsp

Method:

1. Cut chicken into cubes. Wash,drain and keep aside.
2. Heat oil in a pan, add the minced garlic. Let it fry for a minute.
3. Add the chicken to the pan and increase the flame to the highest. The chicken will release water and when three quarters of that water has evaporated, add the onion and green chilly. 
4. Add the sauces and vinegar and cook on medium flame for five minutes.
5. I don't add salt as the sauces are salty but at this time check for taste and adjust as needed.
6. Increase the flame to high, add the green peppers and stir fry for about two minutes.
7. I like our peppers crunchy and not completely cooked so you can put off the flame now and its ready to be served.
8. Add peppers with onion if you want them cooked well.

Chicken cafreal

Chicken cafreal is a classic Goan dish and like all things Goan, this dish is an absolute winner. Chicken is marinated in a host of herbs and spices and then shallow fried to juicy perfectness!!! Goa was a Portuguese colony and most of the Goan cuisine is influenced by them. Chicken cafreal is no exception! There is a restaurant in Saligao - Florentines, that has in a big way made this dish popular among tourists and locals. Chicken cafreal is their signature dish. 

I have learnt this recipe from my mum in law, and over the years have cooked it innumerable times to hearty appreciation and appetites. It has strong strong spicy flavours and is an absolute must try. This is a dryish preparation with little thick sauce, so please plan your menu accordingly.

Recipe credit: Ms.Rozita Coutinho

Ingredients:

1. Chicken - 1 kg (cut, washed and drained)
2. Onions - 2 medium sized
3. Vinegar - 2 tbsp
4. Oil - As required
5. Salt - as per taste

Spices & herbs to be ground using little water:

1. Green chillies - 6 nos
2. Coriander leaves - 1 cup
3. Mint leaves - 1 cup
4. Ginger paste - 1 tbsp
5. Garlic paste - 1 tbsp
6. Cinnamon - 1 inch
7. Cloves - 6 nos
8. Green cardamom - 8 nos
9. Cumin - 1 tsp
10. Peppercorns - 10 nos

Method:

1. Marinate chicken in the ground spice paste, add salt to the marinade and refrigerate for 3 - 4 hours at least.
2. Slice onions finely and set aside.
3. In a large pan, big enough so that all the chicken pieces are in contact with the pan, heat oil, and fry the sliced onions.
4. Place the chicken pieces in a way, that ensure all pieces are touching the pan. On high heat, dehydrate the chicken and let it brown on all sides. 
5. Once the chicken is browned on all sides, reduce the flame and add the vinegar.
6. Add hot water as required for the chicken to cook, this should take about 15 minutes.
7. Check for taste and seasoning. Adjust the consistency as required. 
8.  Put off the flame and it's ready to be served.

Beef chilly fry with pan fried potatoes

This dish was a happy accident. I had set out to make something else but due to some reasons, ended up making this. It was an instant hit, you can have this with chappatis or bread, in a sandwich or wrap, or with dal and rice, irrespective of what you pair it with, it tastes heavenly.

The best thing about this recipe is you can tinker around with the spices and sauces. Add or delete as long as you have the basic ingredients in place. You can create this dish to suit your palate and preference. But the recipe I share is spicy, tangy and very flavourful. So here goes!

Ingredients:

1. Beef - 1/2 kg 
2. Garlic - 4 cloves, finely chopped
3. Ginger - 1/2 inch piece, finely chopped
4. Green chilly - 2 nos, roughly chopped
5. Onion - 1 large, sliced
6. Tomato - 1 large, sliced
7. Worcester sauce - 1/2 tbsp
8. Soy sauce - 1 tsp
9. Red chilly sauce - 1 tsp (optional)
10. Salt as required
11. Oil as required
12. Coriander leaves - for garnish
13. Potatoes - 2 nos, cut lengthwise

Powdered spices:

1. Turmeric - 1/2 tsp
2. Pepper - 1/2 tsp
3. Red chilly - 1/2 tsp
4. Garam masala - 1/2 tsp (optional)

Method:

1. Cut the beef into half inch tips, wash, drain and set aside.
2. Add all the powdered spices to the beef tips and mix well. You could do this, before chopping the other ingredients for the dish.
3. In a pan, heat oil, add the ginger, garlic, green chilly and onions. Fry till the onion has softened.
4. Add the tomatoes, salt and the beef. Mix well, bring it to a boil and then let it cook on low flame till the beef is cooked.
5. Add about one cup of water as required to ensure the contents don't stick to the pan and the beef is cooked. This could take about 30 minutes or more depending on how tough or tender the meat is. Please use your discretion and check as needed.
6. Alternatively you could cook this in a pressure cooker and then reduce the water to desired consistency. 
7. This is a dry dish with with very thick sauce, so don't add too much water.
8. Lastly, add the sauces, check for taste and consistency, put off the flame.
9. Garnish with coriander leaves.

For the potatoes: This is optional.

1. In a pan add 1 cup water and salt, bring it to a boil, add the potatoes and cook till 3/4th done. 
2. If the water has not evaporated while cooking , drain the water, drizzle little oil so the potatoes are coated and pan fry till done.

Tinned Tuna Cutlets

I am not a fish eater. Many are surprised considering that I hail from the coastal Mangalore, famous for its delicious fish preparations. My family like true Mangis (Mangloreans) loves fish, specially in curries. In fact growing up, I had a tough time during meals since fish curry rice was a staple diet on week days. My mother refused to cook separately for me and I had to make do with rice and curry minus the fish or curd and rice.

Lucky for me the Goan I married isn't too fond of fish either. :-)

A big part of what I am in the kitchen today is thanks to my mother-in-law. She has taught me many things, not only inside the kitchen but also outside it. She taught me that fish need not necessarily be eaten in curries. One could make yummy cutlets too. Over the years I have tried different permutations and combinations of ingredients, and finally perfected the cutlets. And that's what I share with you today. I am told one can replace tin fish with fresh tuna (kupa), or king fish (rawas). But I have never tried that.

Recipe credit : Ms.Rozita Coutinho

Ingredients:

1. Tin fish in oil (tuna) - 180 grams
2. Onion (small) - 1 no (chopped)
3. Tomato (small) - 1 no (chopped)
4. Green chilly - 1 no (chopped)
5. Ginger - 1/2 tsp (grated)
6. Turmeric - 1/4 tsp
7. Bread slices - 1 or 2
8. Oil - as required * (see notes)
9. Bread crumbs - as required

Method:

1. Heat oil in a pan, add the chopped onions, fry till they turn pink. Add the chopped tomato, ginger and chilly and continue sauteing till the mixture looks mushy.
2. Add the tuna chunks, give it a good stir and break the chunks into smaller bits. Mix it well and take it off the stove. Put the mixture aside to cool.
3. In the mean time, soak the bread slices in water and squeeze the water out. It will look like a ball of dough.
4. Add the bread to the tuna mixture and mix the whole thing with your hand. Taste for salt.
5. Make five to six balls and pat them to a flat patty, roll in breadcrumbs and shallow fry on each side till it changes colour and looks brown and done. 
6. This takes about 5 - 7 minutes on a medium flame.

Notes:

• I used oil from the tuna tin to fry the initial onion mixture. If I use two tins of fish I use the oil from the second tin to shallow fry the cutlets.
• If your health conscious you can use tuna in brine or water. Or one tin in oil and one in water.
• You may add chopped coriander leaves once the mixture has cooled down. This adds an excellent flavour to the cutlets. 

Tomato Coconut Chutney

South Indians can make chutneys with anything. Seriously ! The sheer creativity in this particular area of food amazes me. The plan is to share all those different chutney recipes right here. Chutneys typically are served as an accompaniment to different dishes.They enhance the taste of the meal and are mostly bursting with a lot of flavor and aroma. I borrowed this recipe from my sister who in turn borrowed it from a work colleague. In the family circle we call this recipe "Malti's chutney" as that was how it was written in my sister's recipe book. A chance discussion at a family get together got this innocent chutney name some serious embarrassing comments. But not as embarrassing as Lancy's lollipops ;-)

Anyway, the recipe I share with you today is something that I love putting on the table with "Dosas". Dosas are popular for being healthy, nutritious and hassle free preparation. They are common across South India and there are different types of dosa, for example, neer dosa, paper dosa, set dosa etc. I don't make idlis, but you can pair this chutney with idlis too. Give it a go, and you'll know how special this chutney is! :-)

Recipe credit : Teacher Malti from Lokmanya Tilak School

Ingredients:

1. Onion - 1 large
2. Tomato - 2 medium
3. Garlic - 5 flakes (medium sized)
4. Coriander seeds - 1 tbsp
5. Kashmiri chillies - 4 nos
6. Grated coconut - 3/4 cup
7. Oil & Salt as required

Method:

1. In a pan, pour 1 tsp of oil and fry individually ingredients 1 to 5.
2. After the last ingredient is removed from the pan, switch off the flame and while the pan is still hot, place the grated coconut for a couple of minutes.
3.  Let the ingredients cool and grind  with some water and don't forget to add salt to suit your taste.
4. Serve with hot dosas and see the magic work.

Tamarind prawns

Today's recipe like most recipes on this blog, is a no hassle preparation. As you read it you might dish, wonder if it will turn out alright. And that's the beauty of this dish, no fuss to make it and yet turns out tasty. I guess that's also because if you have fresh good quality prawns you can never go wrong with it. Many of the recipes I have shared on this blog are from my mum in law, and this is one of her quick fix yet delicious gems.

Recipe credit - Ms Rozita Coutinho

Ingredients:

1. Prawns - 1 cup, peeled
2. Tamarind pulp - 1 tbsp
3. Red chilly powder - 1 tsp
4. Turmeric powder - 1/2 tsp
5. Cumin powder - 1/2 tsp
6. Red Kashmiri chilly - 2 nos
7. Salt as required
8. Oil as required

Method:

1. Place the pan on the stove, add the washed and drained prawns into the pan. Use the medium flame to begin with.
2. Add all the ingredients into the pan except oil.
3. Mix all the ingredients in the pan and let the prawns cook. At this stage the the prawns will give out water. Let the water dry out, you can increase the flame to do this.
4. When the water evaporates, add oil to the pan and stir well to avoid the prawns from sticking to the pan. Cook till the prawns are done. 
5. Switch off the flame and serve hot with chappatis, or as a side dish with rice and dal or curry.

Pork chops - Oriental style

Pork is one of my favorite foods, and they come in so many different forms, who can say no to a lovely slice of ham in a sandwich, or bacon with some mashed potato and scrambled egg, or the super awesome Goa sausage with pulao. Well clearly I can't. But when it came to pork recipes, I stuck to the tried and tested traditional recipes like Pork bafath/ bafad, Pork sorpotel, Pork saulantulem, Pork vindaloo etc.

But in the past few years, I have ventured into pork roast, pork curries, and stir frys. More on that later. The recipe  I share with you today is one of the many I've learnt from my mum-in-law. You must give it a go, and I promise you, you will love it.

Recipe credit: Mrs. Rozita Coutinho 

Ingredients:

1. Pork chops - 1 kg, washed and drained
2. Garlic - 2 tbsp, finely chopped
3. Celery - 2 big stalks
4. Green chilly - 1 no, sliced
5. Tomato ketchup - 2 tbsp
6. Honey - 1 tbsp (optional)

Marinade:

1. Salt - as required
2. Ginger garlic paste - 2 tbsp 
3. Vinegar - 3 tbsp 
4. Soy sauce - 3 tbsp
5. Red chilly sauce - 3 tbsp

Method:

1. Marinate the pork chops with the ingredients mentioned under marinade for minimum two hours. For better results marinate longer and refrigerate.
2. Cook the chops till done and set aside.
3. In a pan, heat oil, add the chopped garlic, celery and green chilly. Fry well, but do not brown.
4. Arrange the pork chops on the pan, in such a way that each piece touches the surface of the pan. Fry till each chop has a brownish coat on either side.
5. Add the remaining marinade, and ketchup. Bring to a boil.
6. Lastly drizzle the honey. Check for seasoning and consistency.

Aloo Matar Dry (Potato and Green Peas Saute)

Today's recipe of aloo matar or potato and peas is a quick meal recipe. This recipe does not require any chopping of onions, tomatoes, or herbs. If you'd like you can leave the potato skin on, just ensure they are washed and scrubbed well. In fact it is more nutritious that way. You can also make this with only potatoes or only peas, and it will turn out well. This recipe should be bookmarked for days that you're in a hurry or too lazy or short on ingredients. Whatever your reason may be, try it and I'm sure it will be your go to recipe in emergencies.

Ingredients:

1. Potato - 3 medium, cubed
2. Green peas - 1 cup (240 ml)
3. Cumin/Jeera seeds - 1 tsp
4. Coriander powder - 1 tbsp.
5. Red chilly powder - 1/2 tbsp*
6. Turmeric powder - 1/4 tsp
7. *Dry mango powder/ Aamchoor - 1/2 tsp (if not available, use 1/2 tbsp lemon juice)
8. Salt - as required
9. Oil - as required

Method:

1. Heat a pan, pour oil and add the cumin. Once the cumin has changed color, add the cubed potatoes.
2. Add the turmeric and salt and let the potato fry for two minutes on high flame. Use a spoon to stir the potato and lower the flame, cover with a lid and cook till the potato is half cooked.
3. If you prefer to use less oil in your cooking, you will need to add water, about half a cup for the potatoes to cook. Add more if required.
4. Then add the peas, and all the remaining powders, mix well and continue cooking till the potatoes and peas are done. Since this is a dry dish, let the water dry out before you put out the flame.
5. Serve hot with chappatis or eat it with rice, dal and papad.

Notes:

*Use chilly powder as per spice tolerance.
*If aamchoor or dry mango powder is unavailable use lemon juice. Add the lemon juice after the vegetables are cooked and just before the flame is put off.
I always use frozen peas in my cooking due to non-availability of fresh peas. Fresh peas take longer to cook, so if you are using fresh peas, add the potatoes and peas together. And add the spices once they are half cooked.

Pork Adobo in coconut milk

I have been living in the Philippines for over three years now. This is a beautiful paradise with picturesque beaches, clear blue waters and magazine perfect scenery. I love the Filipino cuisine, and today's recipe that I share with you - Adobo, is considered by many to be the national dish of this country. Pork and chicken are combined to make the adobo and it is a very common dish, however you can make them separately too. It is cooked differently across various regions, but the basic ingredients remain the same, i.e. soy sauce, vinegar, garlic, peppercorn and bay leaves. There are different versions that add either red chillies, brown sugar, potatoes, coconut milk etc, but that varies based on personal tastes, preferences and regions.

I have adapted the recipe to suit our tastes, but I learnt the recipe originally from Aate Rhea, who was my cook at one point. It tastes best with hot rice and steamed vegetables.

Recipe credit : Aate Rhea

Ingredients:

1. Pork - 1/2 kg (2 inch cubes)
2. Garlic - 6 flakes
3. Crushed peppercorn - 1/2 tsp
4. Bay leaves - 2 nos
5. Dry red chilly - 2 , roughly torn
6. Soy sauce - 1/4 cup
7. Vinegar - 2 tbsp
8. Coconut milk - 200 ml
9. Oil - 2 tsp

Method:

1. Heat oil in a pan, add the chopped garlic and fry for a minute. Add the pork cubes, and fry till they are browned.
2. Add all ingredients except coconut milk and cook till the pork is almost done.
3. Add the coconut milk and cook till the pork is done.
4. Go easy on salt as the soy sauce is salty. I usually don't add any salt as it turns out just fine.

Note:

1. Aate Rhea's recipe does not call for coconut milk, red chilly or oil. So you can follow the same recipe and skip those ingredients. Just combine everything in a pan, and cook till done.
2. You may also use 1/2 tbsp. chilly flakes if you do not have dried red chilly.

Prawns and Bimbli with coconut

In my old house I had a lovely patch of garden. I had a drumstick tree, two calamansi plants, a lovely bimbli plant and a few flowering plants.  The bimbli plant was in full bloom, when I first moved in. They were so many fruits on the plant and many of them were just falling off and getting wasted. So I was trying to think of recipes where bimblis were used so I could  put mine to good use.

I had eaten raw bimblis dipped in salt and chilly powder as a kid, but I couldn't get myself to eat it like that again. I could use a few to in daal, or in the red curry. These are sour fruits and are used as souring agents mostly. And then Alex thought of the prawns and bimbli sukhem his mum makes. Now it may seem like a strange combination, but all I can say is it works well. A few what's app messages later, this dish was ready and devoured in no time. Since I had access to bimblis so easily, this dish was regularly on our menu. I made this dish dryish with no water and it went very well with chappatis. So here's the recipe for you.

Recipe credit: Mrs Rozita Coutinho

Ingredients:

1. Prawns - 1/2 cup
2. Bimbli - 1 cup
3. Onions - 1/2 cup
4. Coconut - 1/2 cup
5. Cumin powder - 1/2 tsp
6. Turmeric powder - 1/2 tsp
7. Pepper powder - 1/2 tsp
8. Salt as required
9. Oil as required

Method:

1. Cut the bimblis in proportion to the size of the prawns. Add a little salt, mix and keep aside.
2. In a pan, heat little oil, add the prawns and dehydrate them completely on high heat. Keep aside.
3. In the same pan, heat oil, add finely chopped onions and fry till they are soft and pink.
4. Add all the powdered spices and mix well.
5. Add the salted bimblis, mix well and let it cook for about two minutes.
6. Add the coconut, mix well, and cook for a further two to three minutes.
7. Lastly add prawns, mix well and cook till the prawns are done.
8. Check for salt and add if required.

Plain red coconut curry - Bachelor curry

Goan and Mangalorean fish curries are famous and very popular amongst foodies. Though I don't eat a lot of fish, I grew up in a house where fish curry and rice was a staple diet. My mum refused to cook separately for me, this was my mother's idea of tough love. :-) I learnt to eat the rice and curry without touching the fish. A strange but workable solution for all. Till date I enjoy fish curry and rice, minus the fish.

After I met Alex, I learnt to cook the plain red coconut curry from his dad. I was so happy to discover a curry that was so close to a fish curry, but minus the fish, unheard of in my mum's house. This curry uses all the same spices and instead of fish, you add a stock cube for the flavor. It is also known as the bachelor curry in Mangaloren cuisine. For picky fish eaters like me who love the coconut curry and prefer fried fish to curry fish, this is a super combo. Add a simple vegetable like cabbage or beans foogath, on the menu and you have a wholesome and delicious meal.

You can find more curry recipes under the label - Curry.

Recipe credit : Mr. Cyril Coutinho

Ingredients:

1. Onion (small) - 1 no
2. Tomato (small) - 1 no
3. Stock cube - 3 nos (Half inch cube)

For the masala (ground paste of spices):

1. Coconut - 200 grams
2. Kashmiri red chillies - 7 nos
3. Garlic - 7 cloves
4. Cumin seeds - 1 tsp
5. Coriander seeds - 1 tbsp
6. Turmeric powder - 1/2 tsp
7. Peppercorn - 1/2 tsp
8. Onion (small) - 1 nos
9. Tamarind - a marble sized ball 

Method:

1. Slice the onion and tomato. Add salt to the onion and mix and keep aside.
2. Grind to a fine paste all ingredients mentioned under, for the masala. Add water as needed while grinding.
3. In a pan, place the salted onion, sliced tomato and the masala, bring this to a boil. Add about two cups of water, and cook on low flame for about 25 to 30 mins.
4. Add the stock cube five minutes before putting off the stove.
5. You may add drumsticks, or okra for additional flavor.

Tomato saar (Recipe 2)

I shared a tomato saar recipe on the blog a few weeks ago. That recipe is a cross between tomato saar and rasam. Well today's recipe is from my mum's kitchen and an authentic Manglorean saar.

This saar automatically makes me nostalgic and transports me to my childhood. Those were the days, when you sat to eat and were served the simplest food that brought such great pleasure. No amount of fine dining and gourmet food can replace my mum's saar that brings back such fond memories of my childhood. Sigh. Coming back to the post today if you'd like to view the previous recipe you will find it here.

Recipe credit: Mrs Cecilia Sequeira

Ingredients:

1. Tomatoes - 3 medium
2. Kashmiri Chillies - 3 nos
   (Make 4 slits at the bottom of the tomato and along with the kashmiri chillies place in boiling water for five minutes. Keep aside.)
3. Garlic - 4 cloves
4. Cumin/ Jeera - 1/2 tsp
5. Mustard seeds/ rai - 1/2 tsp
6. Onion - 1 medium

Grind the above ingredients  into a smooth paste. Use very little water while grinding.

Tempering:

1. Oil - 2 tbsp.
2. Onion - 1 small (finely chopped)
3. Curry leaves - a few
4. Long green chillies - 2 finely chopped (optional)

Method:

1. Heat a pan, pour oil, add the curry leaves, onions and chillies.
2. Then add the ground paste, salt and fry well. Add a glass of water. Let it simmer for  7 - 8 minutes. Adjust seasoning and consistency according to your taste.
3. Garnish with finely chopped coriander leaves.

Notes:

• Typically tomato saar is a watery soup poured over rice generously and eaten with a fried fish or vegetable on the side. 

Pork roast - Goan style

This is one of my favorite pork recipes. It's a precious gem from my mum in laws kitchen. This recipe has very basic whole spices combined with ginger and garlic. The only thing that you may not find in your pantry is cashew fenny. My mum in law believes that it adds a unique flavor to the dish, and if you have access to it , you must use it in this recipe. I have never made pork roast without fenny, so I don't know how much the flavor will differ if you do not add it. However, if you look at the list of ingredients, the spice mix is quite strong and I personally think that using cashew fenny can be optional.

You may find other pork recipes below. Click on the recipe name to see the detailed instructions.
PorkBafath

Recipe credit : Ms. Rozita Coutinho

Ingredients:

1. Pork - 1 kg chunk
2. Garlic - 8 big cloves
3. Ginger - 1 and half inch piece
4. Turmeric powder - 1 tsp
5. Peppercorns - 25 nos
6. Cardamoms - 6 nos
7. Cinnamon - 2 inch sticks. 
8. Cloves - 10 nos
9. Vinegar - 2 to 3 tbsp
10. Cashew fenny - 1 tsp 
11. Salt as required

Method:

1. Wash and cut the meat into four large chunks. Drain excess water.
2. Dry grind the spices into a coarse powder.
3. Make a paste of the ginger and garlic using vinegar. 
4. In a pan, marinate the pork with salt, spices, cashew fenny and the ginger garlic paste.
5. Marinate for 6 to 8 hours or over-night. Refrigerate the marinated pork.
6. Let the meat come to room temperature before cooking it on slow flame.
7. Put the same pan on the stove and cook till 3/4th done. Depending on how tender or tough the meat is, adjust the cooking time.
8. Remove the pieces onto a plate and cut 1/4 inch slices and put it back in the pan to cook completely. Use a fork to hold the meat and use a sharp knife to cut.This ensures the slices don't curl while cooking.
9. Cook till the meat is completely done and check for seasoning.
10. Pork roast sandwiches are absolutely delicious and you may also serve this as a side dish.