QUEEN FISH MAPPAS / NEIMEEN MAPPAS(" KUTTANADAN SPECIAL"

"queen fish and pearl spot is all time favorite fish varities for the keralites and the keralites always do different varities of experiments through fish fillets..not with these too fish but with any kind.

today i made such a variety of fish curry..i heard about the mappas variety but never tried because i doesn't get the recipe to be honestly..now i got the recipe from a tv show and i tried that one and was success by gods grace..i am sharing this recipe here..this recipe is a alltime favorite of kuttanad..so this is known as kuttanadan neimeen mappas".

Fish fillets(queen fish) - ½ kg
Pearl onion(small chopped) - ½ cup
Tomato(medium sliced) - 1 cup
Ginger (small chopped) - 1 tsp
Garlic(small chopped) - 1 tsp
Green chilly(half slit) - 2 no s
Red chilly powder - 1 tsp
Coriander powder - 1 tsp
Turmeric powder - ¼ tsp
Fenugreek powder(optional) - 1/4tsp
Thin coconut milk - 1 ½ cup
Thick coconut milk - ½ cup
Mustard seeds - 1 tsp
Curry leaves - 1 spring
Oil - 2 tabs
Salt - to taste
Pepper powder - ½ tsp



How to Prepare:



1. Clean and cut the fish into big pieces( I used queen fish/neimeen here ,pearl spot /karimeen can also use instead of queen fish or any fish can use to make mappas)
2. Heat 2 tabs of oil in a clay vessel /pan when it gets hot add mustard seeds ,when they splutters add curry leaves , chopped ginger garlic ,green chilly ,and sauté them well ,when they have flavor add red chilly powder ,coriander powder ,turmeric powder and fenugreek powder(optional) ,and mix well for 3 to 5 minutes.
3. Add thin coconut milk first and put the fish fillets into this and salt as required, then chopped tomato also, mix slowly and cover with a lid for 10 to 15 minutes to cook the fish fillets in a simmer mode only.
4. After 15 minutes when the fish is cooked and the gravy reduces to thick form add the thick coconut milk ,add a tabs of oil on top of gravy and swirl it around the clay vessel and just turn off the fire( do not give time to boil the thick coconut milk).
5. Remove from burner and garnish with few curry leaves or coriander leaves on the top of mappas.
6. Queen fish mappas is now ready to serve.

SPINACH SPROUT(CHEERA THORAN).

Spinach is my all time favorite vegetable, especially the red spinach...
It is very easy to make and healthier, I felt this sprout as a complete combo for hot rice, here is the recipe.






1. Spinach/cheera( finely chopped) - 4 cup
2. Pearl onion(finely chopped) - 2 cup
3. Garlic(long chopped) - 5 pod
4. Grated coconut - 1cup
5. Mustard seed - 1 tsp
6. Red chilly(broken) - 3 no
7. Curry Leaves -few
8. Salt -
9. Oil -

10. Red chilly powder - 1/2 tsp

11. Turmeric powder - 1/4spoon





How to Prepare:



1. Take a pan heat oil in it when it gets hot ,add 1 tsp of mustard seeds in it when it gets splutter add broken red chilly and curry leaves in it ,then add finely chopped garlic and sauté well ,then chopped pearl onions also sauté well till it becomes light brown in color.
2. Now add the finely chopped spinach mix well, add ½ tsp of red chilly powder and salt to taste in it and mix along in a simmer mode only for 3 to 5 minutes in between mix along the spinach in pan.
3. Finely add the grated coconut and ¼ spoon of turmeric powder mix well cooked spinach for 2 to 4 minutes.
4. Turn off the fire and now spinach sprout is ready for serving, serve hot with rice.

"CHICKEN BIRIYANI"( TRIVANDRUM STYLE).

"For the past few days i am thinking to make something special to my brother.my brother likes biriyani..so i thought to make this biriyani for him..this one is dedicated to him..biryani can make in different styles..i made chicken biriyani in tvm style...but with out egg..thtz it."

Biriyani rice - ½ kg
Chicken pieces - ½ kg
Ginger garlic paste - 1 tabs
Pearl onions(long chopped) - 3 cup
Coriander Powder - 1 tabs
Chilly powder - ½ tabs
Turmeric powder - 1 ½ tsp
Chicken Masala - 2 tsp
Aniseed powder - ½ tsp
Green chilly(half slit) -3 no s
Cashew nuts - 10 no s
Raisins - 10 no s
Lemon juice/yoghurt - 1 tsp
Salt -to taste
Water - as required
Cardamom - 4 no s
Cinnamon (broken) - 3 pieces
Tomato( medium chopped) - 2 no s
Cooking oil - 3 tabs
Ghee - 3 tabs
Coriander leaves(chopped) - 1 spring
Mint leaves - 10 no s
Curry Leaves - few
Cloves - 2 no s




How to Prepare:


1. Clean the rice and drain the water first ,take a pressure cooker, add 2tabs of ghee in it when it gets melts , put the 2 cardamom , 2 pieces of broken cinnamon and sauté it then add the biriyani rice and fry it for few minutes and put water as required to boil it ,then pour a little bit salt to taste and ½ tsp of turmeric powder also and close the lid for cooking the rice.(2 to 3 visil),turn off the burner.
2. Clean the chicken first and keep aside , in a small bowl , take ½ tsp of turmeric powder , ½ tsp of red chilly powder and a little bit of water and mix well all together to make a good paste and apply it evenly on chicken for marinating and keep it aside for 5 to 10 minutes.
3. Take a pan , add tabs of oil when it gets hot , add 1 tabs of ginger garlic paste and curry leaves ,add the long chopped pearl onions, sauté it well ,then add ½ tsp of turmeric powder ½ tsp of aniseed powder ,1 tabs of coriander powder , then add 2 pieces of cardamom ,2 pieces of cloves ,cinnamon stick and chopped tomato and add lemon juice also or yoghurt mix all together until it becomes light brown in color , add the marinated chicken pieces into it and mix well for 2 minutes then add 2 cups of water(or water as required) for boiling the chicken pieces close with a lid at simmer mode until the chicken cooks well.
4. Take another pan , add ghee in it gets melt , add cashew nuts for frying ,transfer it to a plate ,then add raisins for frying ,after frying transfer it to a plate , then long chopped pieces of pearl onions when it gets deep fry transfer into a plate and keep it aside.
5. Check out the chicken pieces , when it is cooked , turn off the fire.
6. For layering ,take a baking pan or any big vessel ,Put rice first ,then alternatively put chicken pieces then add chopped coriander leaves and garnish with nuts n raisins and deep fried pearl onions. On the top of chicken biriyani put the chopped mint leaves also or you can add cherries also for garnishing.
7. Serve it hot with salad and pickle.

MACKEREL FISH CURRY(AYALA MEEN CURRY)("MOTHER'S RECIPIE")

I am truely passionate about non veg varieties.especially fish and chicken dishes.in my region we always get good n fresh fish in the morning and evening..even my mom z specialised in both veg n non veg dishes...even my dad n bro loves fish curry in any style..so i made this for my family...this one is my mother's recipie..

Fish fillets(mackerel or any fish can use) - 1kg
Shallots - 5 to 8 no s
Green chilly(half slit)(optional) - 4 no s
Ginger (small sliced) - 1 Piece
Garlic(small sliced) - 5 pods
Red chilly powder - 3 tsp
Turmeric powder - 1 tsp
Grated coconut - 1 cup
Coriander powder - 3 tsp
Coconut oil - 3 tabs
Curry leaves - few
Coriander leaves - 1 sprig
Tamarind(small ball size) -
cumin seeds - ½ spoon
Water - as required
Aniseed powder -1/2 spoon





How to Prepare:



1. Clean the fish and drain the excess water and for marinating , in a bowl put 1 tsp of red chilly powder ,1/2 tsp of turmeric powder ,little bit of salt ½ spoon of aniseed powder and a bit of water and mix it well and apply this paste into fish fillets and keep aside for 10 to 15 minutes.
2. In a mixer ,put grated coconut ,1/2 spoon of turmeric powder ,1 spoon of red chilly powder ,tamarind piece ,shallots about 3 no s ,1/2 spoon of cumin seeds and a little bit of water and grind it well to get a thick paste.
3. Take a pan (I used clay vessel) heat 2 tabs of coconut oil ,then put slit red chilly ,curry leaves few ,ginger 1 piece and about 5 pods of garlic , then add 3 tsp of coriander powder and 1 spoon of red chilly powder and sauté well in simmer. Then put the grinded paste of coconut into the clay vessel and add ½ cup of water to get medium thick gravy and wait for 5 minutes to get boil.
4. After boiling ,put the marinated fish pieces into this gravy and stir mix slowly ,at this stage check out the salt and add if required , close with a lid and in simmer mode for 5 to 10 minutes for boiling and after boiling open the lid and add tomato pieces in this.
5. Add 1 tsp of coconut oil on the top of fish curry and turn of the fire.
6. For garnishing put chopped coriander leaves and curry leaves on the top of fish curry and serve it hot.