Fish Fry

On a boring rainy day, husband and kids want some thing to eat 'HOT' they said. I don't want to make deep fried varities as they consume more oil. Thought to make use of the kitchen gadgets, the microwave and the oven. It will take longer than the usual deep frying method. Still worthy. Had some frozen fish filllets. I have added the minimum spices with a hint of lemon juice. The out come is Hmmmm...my hubby said. Yummy for my tummy... my son said.

Microwaved and then oven baked fish fry

Ingredients:4-5 medium sized fish fillets

1/2 tsp ginger-garlic paste

1 tsp lemon juice

1 pinch of cumin pwd

1 pinch of coriander powder

1 pinch of turmeric pwd

1/2 tsps red chilli pwd

salt to taste

1 tsp of oil

I have chosen frozen variety, so I have washed and thawed the fish for a while.

Combine ginger garlic paste, lemon juice, salt, red chilli pwd, turmeric pwd, cumin pwd, coriander pwd and oil in a bowl. Apply this marinade lightly to the fish pieces on both the sides and keep aside for 20-30 mts.

Microwave the pieces for 2-3 minutes on each side.

Ready to bake

Pre-heat the oven and take the pieces into a lined baking tray and bake them for about 15-20 mts.
Once its nicely browned, flip over gently to the other side and bake the fish for another 10-12 mts till browned.
Serve hot with onion rings and lemon wedges.

 

Note: Just to avoid the dry ness, you can cover the baking tray with aluminium foil for the first few minutes.

Raagi Malt - Sweet variety

This raagi malt is a very nutritious drink for all age groups. I have added a pinch of cardamom powder to give the sweet flavour. This is a very nice substitute for coffee and tea. Those who are under homeopathy medication can drink this as a beverage and avoid coffee and tea completely.

Raagi maalt

Raagi is also known as finger millet. It constitutes a little over 25% of food grains grown in India. It is widely consumed in Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh and Tamilnadu States. Ragi malt is very nutritious for children and weak people.

Ragi is rich in cellulose or dietary fibre. Therefore its regular use is an excellent laxative for chronic constipation. It is rich in calcium and iron. In fact it is the richest source of these minerals among all cereals. Ragi malt or Ragi preparation foods are good to eat in case of iron deficiency anaemia.The major proteins of ragi are prolamins and glutelins and they appear to be adequate in all essential amino acids, It contains B vitamin but is poor in B2.

Ingredients:
Soya Milk – 1 cup (200 ml)
Honey – 1 ½ tsp
Raagi flour – 1 ½ tsp
Cardamom powder – ½ pinch (Optional)

Method:

Heat the milk in a sauce pan along with cardamom powder. Mix the raagi flour in 3-4 tbsp of water in a cup and keep it aside. When the milk is hot enough, add the raagi mixture and stir the milk constantly to avoid forming any lumps.

Adding the raagi flour mixture to the hot milk

Continue boiling until the malt becomes bit thick and the raw taste of raagi flour goes away by stirring continuously. It is good to take a bigger pan to avoid the overflow.

Note: You can also substitute Soya milk with normal milk or even with just water. Honey can be substituted with either jaggery or sugar.

A nice substitute for Coffee and Tea

Masala Pallilu. Spiced roasted peanuts

This is another oil free snack with rich nutrients. This is a famous street food in India, especially at the beaches and parks. I have roasted the peanuts in oven, to get the nice brown colour evenly. Best way to skin the peanuts is, allow them to cool completely. Place them in a flat plate or even spread them on a news paper. Now gently roll the rolling pin over them for couple of times and then rub them with hands. You can also rub them using any flat bottomed objects like a plastic cup or a steel tumbler. Slowly blow the skin away. I know this is the another hassle. Best way to do this is to place a news paper in the kithen sink and gently blow the skin. once the job is done, wrap it up and chuck it in the bin.

Ingredients:
Roasted skinned peanuts – ½ cup
Finely chopped onion – ¼ cup
Aamchur powder – ¼ tsp
Corriander powder – ¼ tsp
Chilli powder – ½ tsp
Lemon juice – 1 tsp
Fresh coriander chopped - 1 tsp
Salt
Mix all the ingredients and serve immediately .

Coconut Chutney

This is another best companion of South Indian breakfasts. Either you can prepare the plain chutney just by adding 1 or 2 green chilies or you can add mint / corriander / ginger of your taste. I like the plain one. 

As coconut have the sweet tendency, I have added aamchur / dry mango powder to suppress the sweetness and enhance the taste.

Coconut chutney

Ingredients:
Fresh Coconut - 1/2 Kernel
Green chili - 2
Aam chur / dry mango  powder - 1/4 tsp
Salt
For Seasoning
1 tbsp of oil, Red chili, mustard, cumin, curry leaves and urad daal

Fresh coconut

Method:

Either chop the coconut into thin pieces or grate it. Grind the coconut, green chili, salt and aamchur powder into fine paste. Do the seasoning by adding oil in a pan and add all the seasoning ingredients one after the other. Pour the seasoning over the chutney.

Coconut chutney

Coconut Laddos

My kids are great fans of these laddus due to its chewy nature. I have lifted the look and feel of the laddus further more by adding the warm orange colour and placed them in the paper moulds. Outside, you can store them not more than 3 days, but in the refrigerator you can store them for up to 7 days.

Ingredients:
Desiccated Coconut (Fine variety) – 2 cups
Condensed milk – 1 cup
Whole Milk – ½ cup
Food colour (Optional)

Method:

Heat a pan and boil the whole milk. When the milk reaches the boiling point add the desiccated coconut and condensed milk along with the food colour (if using) and keep stirring until the coconut absorbs all the moisture and the mixture becomes thick and consistent to make laddus.

Initially though it looks bit loose and wet, when it gets cold if will become tight. Allow the mixture to cool down. Take 2 tbsp of desiccated coconut in a plate and scoop some amount of laddu mixture in to your palm, roll them in the desiccated coconut and make round balls.

Chenigginjala podi / Spicy Peanut powder

This is a must have spicy powder in all houses at Rayalaseema that can be served along with upma, dosa, uthappam, idly. Even at some houses, they eat chapathi or rice with this powder by adding ghee.

Peanuts – 1 cup
Till / Sesame seeds – 2 tbsp
Jaggery – ½ tsp
Garlic – 3-4 pods
Salt
Red Chilli – 6-8 (adjust as per your taste)
Tamarind – a small piece

Red chili,Jaggery,garlic,peanuts and sesame seeds

Method:

Roast peanuts until the skin turns brown and allow them to cool. Remove the skin and keep them aside. In the same pan roast dry red chili until the black marks forms. Keep them aside. Roast sesame seeds as well. Allow all the roasted ingredients to cool down completely and grind them into powder by adding garlic, salt, jagerry and tamarind.

A nice substitute for pickles.

Egg plant fry with Black eye beans

This is another nice combination of vegetable with protein rich beans. Coriander and garlic will enhance the taste of the curry.

Ingredients:

Purple egg plants – 6
Large Onion – 1 chopped into small pieces

Chopped Garlic - 1 tsp
Coriander leaves chopped finely – 1 tbsp
Chilli powder - 1 tsp
Coriander powder – ½ tsp
Jeera / cumin powder – ½ tsp
Boiled black eye beans – 3/4th cup

Chopped Onion, Boiled blackeye bean and chopped brinjal

Method:

Chop the egg plant into small pieces (1/2 inch cubes). Place them in salt water and keep aside.

Heat a kadai / pan and add 1 tbsp of oil. In the mean time drain the egg plant. When the oil is hot, add chopped egg plant and fry until just cooked by adding salt. Remove it from the pan and keep it aside.

In the same pan add 1 tbsp of oil and when it is hot, add chopped onion, garlic and fry until they are just done.

Now add the boiled beans and fried egg plant. Stir every thing and sprinkle chilli, coriander and jeera powders and fry for another minute.

Finally sprinkle the chopped coriander leaves and remove from the fire.

Atukula upma / Poha

Another variety of upma that can be eaten as a breakfast item or as a snack.

Ingredients:

Atukulu (Medium thick rice flakes) – 1 cup
Green chilli – 6-8
Onion Medium sized – 1
Potato medium – 1
Mustard seeds – 1 tsp
Curry leaves
Oil – 2 tbsp
Salt
Turmeric – 2 pinches
Lemon juice – 1 tsp (Optional)
Chopped coriander – 1 tbsp
Peanuts – 2 tbsp (Optional)
Grean pea - 2 tbsp
Sweet corn - 2 tbsp

Method:

1. Pour the rice flakes into a colander and put it under the running water and make sure that all the rice flakes becomes wet and keep it aside.

Flaked rice soaked under running water

2. In the mean time Peel the potato and cut into cubes and put it in a microwave approx for 5 min. Timing might vary depending on the power levels. (You can even half boil it in a normal vessel and make sure that the potato cubes are not too mushy)

Potato cubes, Sweet corn, Green pea and Green chili

3. Cut the green chilli and onion length wise.

4. Heat a pan with oil. Once the oil is hot, add peanuts and roast until light brown. Add green chillies, onion, Mustards, salt, curry leaves sequentially one after the other and fry until the onion becomes translucent.

5. Add boiled potato, sweet corn and green pea and turmeric and fry for a minute and cover with lid until the peas and corn becomes soft. Remove the lid and add the rice flakes (Make sure to drain the excess water if any). Stir for a minute and finally sprinkle the lemon juice and chopped coriander and serve immediately. It tastes good when it is warm. The rice flakes will become stiff when cold.

Atukula upma

Gongura Matikkayala pullakoora (Sorel with cluster beans)

This is a Rayalaseema recipe. We call cluster beans as matikkayalu. Few people call them as goru chikkudu. My mom is good in making these pullakoora varities. I will always end up in eating bit more than usual due to the mouth watering tangy taste.

Found fresh ground nuts in the store and got fresh sorel grown at home. Thought this is the right time to make this recipe.

Gongura matikkayala pullakoora

Ingredients:
Sorel – 2 cups
Cluster beans - about 150 – 200 gms remove the head and tail parts and break into 2 pieces only
Tamarind - lemon size
Turmeric – ¼ tsp
Salt
Onion – 1 large cut into medium chunks
Fresh ground nuts (boiled) – hand full
For seasoning:
Oil
Mustard+Cumin - 1 tsp
Chana daal - 1 tsp
Red Chili - 1
Garlic - 2-3 cloves
Curry leaves

Home grown sorrel, cluster beans, green chili, boiled peanuts, tamarind

Method:

Heat a deep pan / sauce pan with few drops of oil. Add chopped onion chunks, green chili, sorrel, custer beans, ground nuts one after the other and stir for a minute or 2 and cover with lid for 5 minutes. Remove the lid and sprinkle some water (about 30 – 50 ml) stir again and cover it again and cook slowly under medium to low flame. In this way the veggies don’t get burned and also tastes good. Once every thing is cooked well, remove from the fire and give a good whisk using wooden pestle.

Add the seasoning and serve with hot rice.

For seasoning: Heat oil in a small pan and when it is hot add Red chilli, chana daal, garlic, mustard, cumin, curry leaves one after the other.

Rice with chappidi pappu and Gongura matikkayala pullakoora

Note: If you don’t have fresh ground nuts, soak the dried ground nuts for 1 hour and then boil them separately until they are just done using pinch of salt. Add the boiled pea nuts along with the other ingredients.