Chilli fish (gravy)

Indo-chinese recipes are my all time favorite. Whenever I want to take time off from my regular dishes and do something special for dinner or lunch I opt for Indo-chinese food without blinking an eye. Usually it will be a Manchurian and fried rice. But this time I wanted to do a seafood special. Chilli fish is the first thing came to my mind. We usually go for chilli fish with fried rice/noodles when we do a take-away. Somehow I thought it takes a lot of time to prepare it and hence never attempted to give it a try. Yes, it took a bit of my time but it wasn't so complicated as I thought. I made it for a Saturday dinner and served with veggie stir fry noodles.

Things you'll need:
Fish fillets - 2 (tilapia or any firm fish)
Soy sauce - 2tbsp + 2tsp
Chilli sauce - 1tbsp+1tsp
Corn flour -  2 tbsp
Salt - as needed
Food color (orange or red) - a pinch (optional)
Garlic cloves - 3, finely chopped
Onion - 1, cubed or slit lengthwise
Bell pepper (green or mixed colors) - 1 cup, cubed or slit lengthwise
Tomato paste - 1 tsp
Green onions - 2, finely chopped





Oil - for deep frying the fish and sauteing the vegetables

Yield - 2 Servings

Method:

Step1:
Cut the fillets into small pieces. Mix the cornflour, 2 tsp of soy sauce, 1 tsp of chilli sauce, salt and food color (optional) in a bowl.

Step2:
Coat the fish pieces with the corn flour mixture and deep fry them in small batches. Let them sit on a paper towel.

Step3:
Heat a little oil in a pan, saute the onion, garlic and bell pepper, uncovered in medium low, until the vegetables are cooked but little crunchy. Add the tomato paste, 2 tbsp of soy sauce, 1 tbsp of chilli sauce and salt. Bring to a boil.

Step5:
Reduce the heat to low and cook the sauce for a couple of minutes. Add the fillets, mix it well, switch off the stove and garnish with green onions.

Serve it with fried rice or noodles

Tips:
Use dark sesame oil for more authentic effect. You could also use some toasted sesame seeds for garnishing.
If you prefer a thicker gravy, mix 2 tsp of cornflour in  1/4 cup of  water and stir into the boiling gravy. The gravy will thicken in couple of minutes. 

Sura puttu..(Spicy shark hash)

This recipe was one of my favorite seafood recipes since I remember. I still remember my dad getting the whole shark from the fish market, my mom cleaning and cutting the shark, and of course preparing the sura puttu. As a child I didn't really appreciate the effort that's behind this wonderful recipe. I only enjoyed the end product. Only after I started cooking, did I realize the dedication and effort behind each food we prepare and the satisfaction we get when the dish comes so well and gets praised by others. Luckily for me, after coming to US, cooking is not always done from scratch, because from meat to vegetables we get most of them them pre-cut or frozen. We sometime get shark fillets in our nearby grocery store. It doesn't taste as good as fresh shark but something is better than nothing. So we doesn't miss a chance when we see fresh (partially) shark fillets in the store. Sura puttu is always sura puttu, fresh or not.
Now to the recipe..

Things you'll need:
Shark - 1 lb
Onion - 2, medium, chopped
Garlic - 10-15 cloves, minced (or more if you like the garlic flavor)
Green chillies - 5, minced
Curry leaves - a handful
Coriander leaves - for garnishing
Salt - to taste
Turmeric powder - 1 tsp
Oil - 2 tbsp


Yield - 3-4 Servings

Method:

Step1:
Clean and cut the shark into medium size pieces. In a pan, bring two cups of water to boil. Add the shark pieces with the turmeric powder and cook covered for five mins or couple of mins more. That's enough for the shark to become soft. (If it stays rubbery even after 10 mins, there's no point in using them for sura puttu ). Let it cool.

Step2:
Remove the skin from the shark pieces, if any, and gently shred the shark pieces with your hands. If you find bones in the shark, don't throw them away. It will enhance the flavor of the sura puttu.

Step3:
In a deep frying pan, heat the oil, add the onions and fry until golden brown. Add the green chillies, garlic and  curry leaves. Add a small pinch of turmeric powder. Now add the shark pieces and salt.
Mix well and cook for few minutes until the sura puttu is dry.

Serve with rice and your choice of curry or rasam.

   

Spicy fish curry

If you search for fish curry in the Internet, most of the results would be the one including coconut paste/milk. My style fish curry is always the no-coconut and ultra spicy version. If the  fish is fresh the curry would be at its best. If you love the spice and seafood combination, this one's definitely for you.

Things you'll need:
Fish slices - 1/2 lb
Onion- 1,big, chopped
Tomato - 2 chopped
Tamarind - golf ball size
Chilli powder - 1 tbsp
Coriander powder - 2 tbsp
Turmeric powder - 1/2 tsp
Salt - as required
Oil - 2 tbsp
Fenugreek seeds - 1 tsp
Black pepper (whole) - 1 tsp
Curry leaves - a handful
Green chilli (optional) - 1
Garlic - 4 or 5 cloves, crushed

Yield - 3-4 Servings

Method:

Step 1:
Clean the fish slices. Soak the tamarind in hot water and extract the pulp. Heat the oil in a pan, add the fenugreek seeds and pepper. When the fenugreek seeds turn slightly reddish and the pepper pops, add the onion (Don't let the fenugreek seeds to darken or the curry will have a bitter taste). Saute the onion till it is translucent, add the crushed garlic, saute for a minute and add the tomatoes and curry leaves.

Step 2:
When the tomatoes are cooked, add the chiili powder, turmeric powder and coriander powder. Mix well, leave it for sometime until the masalas are cooked and add 1/2 cup of water and the tamarind juice. Let it boil. When the curry is boiling add the fish without reducing the heat. Let it come to a boil again. Add salt, give it a stir, cover it and cook until the fish is cooked and oil separates at the top. The spicy fish curry is ready to be served with hot rice.

NOTE: One more method to simplify the cooking process is to mix all the spice powders and salt in the tamarind juice, add some water to it and add it to the pan after sauteing the vegetables. The rest of the process is same.

Baked Mahi Mahi

I think the most universally common way to cook fish is to marinate them with desired marinade and fry them. But there are some fishes that tastes good when the are grilled or baked. One such fish is Mahi Mahi. The first time we got  Mahi Mahi, I marinaded the fish as usual and fried. But it turned hard and did not taste very good. Recently we had grilled Mahi Mahi in a taco, and it tasted so yummy. That's when I knew like Salmon Mahi Mahi has to be grilled or baked and should not be cooked for a long time. Even after all these discoveries I managed to slightly overcook the fish and it turned rubbery. So its very important to be very careful not to leave the fish in the oven or grill for too long. Now for the recipe..

Things you'll need:
Mahi Mahi - 1 lb
Olive oil - for brushing the fish
Chilli powder - 1 tsp
Turmeric powder - 1 pinch
Salt - as required
Lemon juice (optional) - few drops

Yield - 6 - 10 pieces (Depends upon the size of each piece)

Method:

Step1:
Preheat the oven to 500 degrees. Clean and cut the fish into slices of desired size. Place them either directly on a baking sheet or on a rack placed above the baking sheet (If you prefer skin-on, place the fish flesh-side up ). Make sure to line the baking sheet with foil to collect any dripping from the fish.

Step2:
Mix the chilli powder, turmeric powder, salt and lemon juice. The mix should be dry. Brush each piece of the fish with olive oil, then rub them with the spice mixture.

Step3:
Turn the oven to broiler setting and bake the fish for 15 mins (turning the fish in between, if required) or until the fish flakes when picked with a fork.

Serve it with few drops of lemon juice.

prawn bitter gourd masala

Prawn and bitter gourd?? I can imagine the way your face changes. I was thinking the same way when my husband and suggested this recipe. He said my mother-in-law would make this dish and assured that it would taste really great if cooked in the right way. Honestly I didn't want to try it since I am not a very big fan of bitter gourd, and prawn's my favorite. I didn't want to marry them both and create a disaster family!!. But I couldn't escape for long. One day my husband returned from grocery shopping and I found some bitter gourds in the bag. He said that the bitter gourds were fresh and he was reminded of the frozen prawns we had in the freezer. Yes, Yes I finally tried it,  and to my surprise the recipe came out so well the very first time. I found out there are some tricks to cook bitter gourd to minimize its bitter taste . Here's the recipe..

Things you need:
Bitter gourd - 2
Prawns - 1/2 lb
Onion - 1
Tomato - 1
Chilli powder - 2 tsp
Turmeric powder - 1 tsp
Salt - as required
Tamarind - gooseberry size, soaked and extracted
Oil - 1 tbsp

For marinade:
Chilli powder - 1 tsp
Turmeric powder - 1 pinch
Salt - as required
Lemon juice -


Serves 2-3 people

Method:

Step 1:
Clean and devein the prawns. Marinade the prawns with chilli powder, turmeric, salt and lemon juice. Keep aside for some time. Meanwhile chop the onion and tomato, and thinly slice the bitter gourds. Remove the center pith and seeds from the bitter gourd slices.

Step 2:
Pour little oil in a pan and shallow fry the prawns. Add some more oil in the same pan  and fry the onions until soft. Then add the bitter gourd pieces and fry until the bitter gourd slices turn dark in color and gets firm.

Step 3:
Add the tomatoes, turmeric powder, chilli powder and salt one by one while stirring the mixture for even blending. Add the prawns and close the lid. Allow it to boil.

Step4:
Add the tamarind extract and cook with lid closed, until the masalas are well done and oil oozes out. You can garnish this with little coriander leaves (optional)

Note:
Frozen prawns does not absorb spice easily, hence i have marinaded and shallow fried them. If using fresh prawns you can skip this step and add cleaned prawns directly after adding tomatoes.

Salmon Wellington

I am so fond of these cooking channels..whether I cook all the recipes they show, that's a different thing. But I like to watch them and use some of their tips, and experiment with their recipes using my own ingredients...
I was watching one of such programs run by my favorite host. She was preparing a dish called beef wellington with some potatoes and a salad. The ingredients were very simple and the recipe was mouth watering but for one thing..beef!! I don't cook or eat beef, so i thought that this might be one of the 'jus watch n enjoy' recipes. But the host gave an idea towards the end of the show, that this recipe can also be cooked with salmon or chicken..wow!! those were like magic words for me..

I told about this recipe to my husband. I just knew what words would pop out from his mouth the next minute..let's do it!! and that's what he said..
We decided to start off with salmon. Whenever I tried to marinade and fry salmon it would change into a hard rock salmon once it is cooled..and I tried an alternate method (quoted by my husband after he watched a cooking show). I shallow fried the salmon for couple of minutes and then baked it for a few minutes..viola!! the salmon turned really soft..
So i knew this recipe would turn fine with salmon since it includes baking..
Over to the recipe..
Things you need:
Salmon fillets - 2 (each one the size of your palm)
Puff pastry sheet - 1 (I used pepperidge farm brand)
Onion - 1
Button mushrooms - 10 (can also use some greens like watercress or spinach)
chilli powder - 1/2 tsp
coriander powder - 1 tsp
turmeric powder - a pinch
ginger garlic paste - 1 tsp
coriander leaves - two sprigs
salt as needed
oil- for sauteing vegetables and shallow frying fish
egg wash - optional (one egg beaten with some water)

For marinade:
chilli powder - 1tbsp
turmeric powder - a pinch
ginger garlic paste - 1 tsp
salt as needed
lemon juice - 1tsp

Serves 2 people

Method:
Step 1:
Clean the fish fillets and wipe it dry with a paper towel. Marinade the fish with the marinade ingredients and rest it in the refrigerator for atleast an hour. Thaw the puff pastry sheet to room temperature.

Step 2:
Finely chop the onions and thinly slice the mushrooms. Pour some oil in a pan and saute the onions, ginger garlic paste and the mushrooms in order. When  mushrooms turn soft, add turmeric powder, chilli powder coriander powder and salt. Close the lid and cook the vegetables into a thick gravy.

Step 3:
Shallow fry the fish fillets for a couple of minutes on each side. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Divide the thawed puff pastry sheet into four sections. Cut each fish fillets into two. Place some mushroom onion gravy on each puff pastry section, then place the fish on top of the vegtables, cover the sheet from all the sides, and brush with some egg wash. When all the wellingtons are finished, place them on a greased baking dish covered side down. Brush the remaing egg wash on the top side of the wellingtons, and bake them for 20-30 mins or until they turn brown.

The next step is the step they take into your tastebuds!!! ENJOY