Mean kuzhambu @ Fish curry

Mean Kuzhambu suits for Rice, Idli, Dosa, Chapathi, Puri. Best pair with hot rice and hot idli. Actually speaking this kuzhambu has to be served in next meal once it is prepared. So that fish gets soaked well in the curry and increase it's taste. For rice no side dish will be required, just fish from kuzhambu or fried fish is enough. I am great fan of Idli and Fish kuzhambu, I think most of the people like this combo.

About Fish:

   Usually in US, we get Salomon fish, small fishes from Bangladesh, few varieties like Sankara and Vancharam. Salomon fish doesn't have scales, can give it for kids. Bangladesh fishes from Indian store will be frozen, good for fry. While I get it from market, immediately I will clean it and marinate it with following ingredients. So that it will be handy for fish fry and can use it for kuzhambu.

To Marinate:

1.  Fish - 1 kg.

2. Salt - 2 Tea spoon

3. Turmeric powder - 2 Tea spoon

4. Chilly powder (sambar) - 2 Table spoon

5. Kashmiri chilly powder - 1 Table spoon

6. Gingelly oil - 2 Table spoon

 

Let's move on to make kuzhambu. Try adding Ladies finger, piece of Mango with fish kuzhambu, it goes very well, learnt from Chef Dhamu from cookery show.

Ingredients:

Onion Shallots - 7 to 8 no's

Tomato (small) - 2 no's

Ladies finger - 5 to 6 no's

Raw Mango - 1 piece

Garlic pods - 10 no's

Green Chilly - 3 no's
Sea Salt - required

Turmeric Powder - 2 Tea spoon
Tamarind - An big Amla size

Chilly powder - 2 Table spoon (Sambar Powder)

Curry leaves - for flavour

To Grind:

Peppercorns  - 1 Table spoon

Cumin seeds - 2 Tea spoons

Chopped Onions and Tomatoes - small fist.

To Temper:

Gingelly/Sesame Oil - 5 Table spoons

Fennel seeds - 1 Tea spoon
Fenugreek seeds - 1 Tea spoon
Cumin seeds - 1 Tea Spoon

Curry leaves - few

Method:

1. Soak the tamarind and sea salt with less water till the tamarind got soaked. Tamarind extract should be thick. Chop the veggies required for this dish. Add Garlic bit more, as it gives nice flavor, Grind the items which is given in "To Grind" list. So that we have kept ready - Mea-some-plans.

Tip: Onions and Garlic as to be chopped as lengthier ones, so it will be crunchy while tasting it.
2. Place a pan and add oil, Gingelly oil tastes good for Mean Kuzhambu, once oil is hot, add the ingredients mentioned in "To Temper" list, one by one. Fennel and Fenugreek seeds if u dry roast, powder, try by adding it while temper, it gives nice aroma.

3. Then add garlic. Once garlic turns golden brown, add onion and Green chilly.

4. Once onion turns to translucent color, add tomatoes, close the lid to get cooked.

5. Once Tomatoes will be smashed, add Ladies finger and Mango.

6. Once veggies are cooked, add grounded paste just sauté it nicely, once the raw smell is gone, squeeze the tamarind, extract the juice add it with salt, turmeric, Chilly powder with required water, add it in pan, remember that we have added these spices while marinating as well, so add it half. Have a taste check for salt and spicy and close the lid.

6. Once the kuzhambu starts boiling add Fish pieces, let fish get cooked for 10 minutes, Kuzhambu gets its consistency, oil will get ooze out. Add half teaspoon of pepper powder while switching off from the fire will give nice aroma.

Tips:

1. Kara Kuzhambu should not be cooked in high flame after adding tamarind, keep it in medium fire, open the lid and Tamarind extract has to be thick, helps the kuzhambu to get thicker. Rather in our native they say "Kuzhambu Kaduthu Poidum"

2. Fish kuzhambu taste so well for the second meal that is fish get soaked in kuzhambu gives more taste later, goes very well with Idli, usually i cook for afternoon meal and carry forward for the dinner with Idli. 

Please share your comments while u try this recipe that motivates me a lot to post more recipes. Thanks.

Chicken kuzhambu

This is my first Non-Veg recipe in my blog as everyone started asking me that whether I am vegetarian?   I would say this Chicken kuzhambu is in modern style as we saute all the ingredients step by step. This Kuzhambu suits for Rice, Idli, Dosa, Chapathi, Puri. I usu ally prepare this kuzhambu in pressure cooker, so that Chicken will be cooked very nicely. Soon I will post authentic style kuzhambu.

Ingredients:

Chicken - 1/2 kg
Onion - 1 no. big in size

Tomato - 2 no's

Garlic pods - 5 no's
Green Chilly - 1 no.
Salt - required

Chilly Powder(curry) - 3 Table spoon
Chicken powder (Garam masala) - 1 Table spoon
Turmeric Powder - 2 Tea spoon
Tamarind - An Amla size
Coriander leaves - few

To Grind:

Onion Shallots  - 5 no's
Tomato - 1 no.
Garlic pods - 3 no's
Ginger - 3 pieces

Cumin seeds - 2 Table spoons
Pepper - 1 Table spoons
Grated Coconut - 3 Table spoons

To Temper:

Oil - 5 Table spoons

Fennel seeds - 1 Tea spoon
Fenugreek seeds - 1 Tea spoon
Cumin seeds - 1 Tea spoon
Bay leaf -  1 no.
Cinamon - Small piece

Curry leaves - few

Method:

1.Wash the chicken gently thrice with plain water, add Turmeric, mix it keep it aside. Turmeric acts as effective disinfectant, so its good to add with Chicken.

                 
Place a pan and add oil, good to have Gingelly oil for better taste, once oil is hot, add the ingredients mentioned in "To Temper" list, one by one. 

3. Then add garlic. Once garlic turns golden brown, add onion.

4. Once onion turns to translucent color, add tomatoes with required salt and turmeric powder, close the lid to get cooked.

5. Tomatoes will be smashed, add Chicken, once its cooked, turns soft, add Chilly powder, it can be curry powder and add grounded paste.

6. Close the lid, wait for 2 whistles....Once the pressure is released add extracted tamarind water to the kuzhambu, add Chicken curry powder or Garam masala for flavor.

7. Once Kuzhambu get boiled, Garnish with Coriander leaves.

Tips:

1. Chicken curry powder added at the end to keep the flavor.
2. Fennel seeds and Fenugreek seeds in the "To Temper" list can be added as powder once its finely roasted, gives a better flavor.
3. For rich flavor, you can add Kasa Kasa and Cashews in "To grind" list
4. Either Country Chicken or Broiler Chicken suits this recipe, Country Chicken always taste great and good for kids.

Kosamalli

Kosamalli is authentic side dish in Chettinadu, suits very well with Hot Idli, Dosai, Idiyappam. This dish is made with cooked Eggplants. For better taste choose Eggplants with seeds. With this dish, I bet you, people have excess numbers on main course.

Enjoy your breakfast and dinner with this awesome Side dish...:-)

Ingredients:

Eggplant - 5 to 6 no. big in size

Tomato - 1 no

Onion - 1 no
Potato - 1 no

Green chilly - 3 to 4 no

Salt - required
Tamarind - Small Amla size

Coriander leaves - few

To Temper:

Oil - 5 Table spoons

Mustard - 1 Tea spoons

Urad dal - 2 Tea spoons
Red chili - 1 broken

Curry leaves - few

Method:

1. Cut the Eggplants, Potatoes into half, soak it in water, so that color will not change to dark. Pressure cook for two whistles on Eggplants and Potatoes, drain the excess water, allow it to cool to room temperature, don't change the temperature drastically by dropping them in cold water, this will spoil the taste and lose the nutrients of veggies. Chop the veggies required for this dish. Don't chop it finely, you can have straight cuts of Onions and Tomatoes, Slit the Green Chili's. so that it tastes good, they usually say, "Sendhapula irrukkum"

2. Soak the Tamarind in water, quick tip, if want to get soaked immediate, you can soak it in hot water for better results.

3. Peel the cooked Eggplants and Potatoes. Just smash it by mixing Tamarind extract, do filter tamarind extract before adding it.

4. Heat the Pan, add Oil, add one by one in the "To Temper" list. Saute the Green Chilly, Onion, Tomato one by one by adding Salt.
5. Add the Tamarind/smashed Eggplants&Potatoes extract to it, add required Water & Salt, allow it to cook by closing the lid of the pan for 10 minutes.

6. Add a bit of  Idli/Dosa batter to give better consistency, but its totally optional, this step can be skipped if you are adding potatoes smashed that it helps to give consistency.
7. Once Kosamalli gets its proper consistency, switch off the flame, add chopped Coriander leaves and serve it to the dish.

Tips:

1. Add water depends on the main course, if its for Idiyappam, Dosa, consistency can be thicker than for Idli.
2. Use seeded Eggplants for better taste....Usually I buy bigger ones.

3. Don't change the temperature drastically by dropping cooked eggplants, potatoes in cold water, to peel them, this will spoil the taste and lose the nutrients of veggies.

Enjoy your breakfast and dinner with this awesome Side dish...:-)

Pasi parrupu Kotchu

This Kotchu suits for Idli, Dosa and Idiyappam.

Preparation time: 15 minutes
Cooking time:  25 minutes
No. of servings: 4

Ingredients:

Yellow split gram (Moong dhal) - 1/4 cup
Onion Shallots - 5 to 6 numbers while the size is medium

Tomato - 2 no's in medium size

Green Chilly - 4 no's
Salt - required

Turmeric Powder - 2 Tea spoon
Coriander leaves - few
Potatoes, Eggplant - Each 3 to 4 no's.

To Temper:

Oil - 5 Table spoons

Mustard - 1 Tea spoon
Urad dhal - 1 Tea spoon
Red chilly - 1 no.
Asafoetida - 2 Tea spoons

Curry leaves - few

Method:

1. Take a pressure cooker and dry roast the dhal for few minutes without burning it, you have to stir it continuously, you will get nice aroma, once the dhal slightly changes its color, add 3 cups of water with turmeric and a Tea spoon of Oil, close the lid and pressure cook for 3 to 4 whistles.

Chop the required veggies in the list and soak the chopped Egg plant and Potatoes as it color changes.

3. Add Onion, Tomato, Green chilly to the Cooker, once the pressure is completely released. Drain the water from Eggplant and Potato add the same to the Cooker. Add a cup of water, close the lid and pressure cook for 1 whistle.

4.  Open the lid, once pressure is released, add required water, allow it to boil for few minutes, Add required salt too.

9. Place a pan and add ingredients mentioned in "To Temper" list, one by one. Garnish with Coriander leaves finally.