Fish Fry

Growing up, my consumption of fish was limited to Mirghashira day and few other special occasions. Post my marriage to a bengali ,i consumed more fish in my first year marriage  than I did all the years before. The fish fry in my hyderabadi maternal home is full of spices and fish fry in bengali marital home only includes salt and turmeric bringing out the delicate flavor of fish.  Today , I am posting hyderbadi style. Typically we use Rohu but as it was unavailable, I used Tilapia.

 

Fish Fry

Ingredients :

10 Tilapia Fish Fillets cut in 4*3 inch pieces
2 Tbsp Red Chilli Powder
2 Tbsp Turmeric Powder
1 Tbsp Coriander Powder
11/2 Tbsp Cumin Powder
2 Tbsp Ginger Garlic Paste
Salt to taste

Oil for frying

 

Method

Mix Red Chilli powder,turmeric powder,coriander powder,cumin powder ,ginger garlic and salt with little water water and apply nicely to all the fish peices and keep it aside for an hour or two.

 

In a non-stick pan,add oil, after it is hot,reduce the flame. Put fish peices and fry till well done.

Mirchi Ka salan

Mirchi ka salan is a most famous of Hyderabadi curries. This is always present in wedding food and this is one of those dishes which tastes better the next day and all my memories of this curry are associated with eating this the day after weddings and marvelling at the taste. This is my home version. I had my sister's family over for dinner and we were making Biryani and what else could we serve with biryani other than mirchi ka salan.

 

Mirchi ka Salan

Ingredients :

10 Long Chillies
2 Medium Onions
3 Tbsp of Peanuts
2 Tbsp Poppy Seeds
5 Tbsp Sesame Seeds
3 Tbsp Coconut powder (Use dry coconut if you have,I dry roasted frozen fresh coconut shred available in indian stores)

1 Tbsp Whole Cumin

1 Tbsp whole Coriander seeds
1 Tsp Red Chilli powder

1/4 Tsp Turmeric Powder
6 Cloves
6-8 Pepper corns
1.5 Inch Ginger

5-6 cloves of Garlic

2 Bay leaf

1 Inch Dalchini/Cinnamon

1/2 Tsp Shah Jeera
Lemon sized Tamarind

3 Tbsp oil

2 Cups of water
Salt to taste

Masala Paste:

Dry Roast cloves,pepper corns,peanuts, poppy seeds ,sesame seeds ,whole coriander and whole cumin seeds and grind to a fine powder.

 

Dry roast fresh coconut powder and add to the above powder.

 

Cut and rry roast onions till brown and add to above powder.

 

Add red chilli powder, turmeric ,some water and make a fine paste.

 

Method

Soak Tamarind in 2 cup of water for half an hr and take the juice out.

Make a fine paste of Ginger and Garlic.

Make a slit into each green chillies and insert a small amount of above masala  paste into the green chilli and keep aside.

 

In a pan , put 3 tbsp oil. Add green chillies into the pan and roast the chillies for 5-6 minutes and take these out the pan.

 

 

Now in the remaining oil, Add Bayleaf , Dalchini , Shah Jeera and saute a little. Put in the Ginger Garlic paste and saute for 30 secs. Now add masala paste and saute till oil sperates, Once you see oil seprating from the paste, add tamarind water, 2 cups of water , salt and let the curry paste come to a boil. After 15 minutes, put in the Green Chillies  and cook till the green chillies are tender.

Serve hot with Biryani / Rice/Roti

Whole Chicken Fry

I was bored of cooking normal chicken curry so when I found a whole fryer, I decided to try mom's whole chiken fry. This used be our christmas special.My two younger sisters had Christian best friends ,so they used to get invited every christmas to their friends houses to feast on the christmas goodies. My mom,dad and me would be at home and celebrate christmas by making this chicken fry. You can bake it in Oven but I cooked in pressure cooker  like my mom used to do it.

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Whole Chicken fry

Ingredients :

5 Lbs Whole chicken
2 Medium Potatoes

3 Inch Ginger
12 Cloves Garlic
6 small Green Chillies
1/2 Bunch Cilantro(Dhaniya Patta)

1 1/2 Tbsp Cumin(Jeera)powder
1 1/2 Tbsp Coriander(Dhaniya)Powder
1 Small Lemon

1 Tsp whole Cumin(Jeera)
2 Bay leaves

5 Cloves
1 Medium onion
2 Tbsp oil
Salt to taste

Paste using a chopper:
Giner, Garlic, Green Chillies, Cinatro,Cumin powder,Dhaniya Powder , Lemon Juice. Chop all the ingredients into a fine paste. Add salt enough for entire chicken to the paste.
 

Marinating:

Clean chicken and trim all the fat. Insert small cuts all ove rthe chicken. Cut potatos into quarters.

Take the marinate paste , Apply it inside the chicken belly and massage it well. Apply the paste on outside of chicken and massage it well into cuts. Take the potato quarters, mix it wiht some paste and put these chicken belly and tie the chicken legs together.

Method:

Take a heavy bottom vessel , I used a wide mouth pressure cooker.

Put two spoons oil, onion, cloves, bay leaves, whole cumin. Fry for a minute.

Place the chicken carefully in the vessel, add any left over paste and potatoes into the vessel and cook it on high flame. The chicken will release the water and high flame will reduce it and allow the chicken to get fried to a nice brown colour. Close the lid without whistle, cook for 15 minutes on medium flame.

Carefully turn the chicken and let it cook for more 10-15 minutes till it turns nice brown color. Try to cook all sides in the similar fashion.Once the chicken is cooked.

Serve hot with Roti or you can have it as a starter.

Mutton Biryani

Trying to get back to blog after a long break due to lack of time. Anyway wanted to start with a family favorite Mutton Biryani.We used less spice for my son's sake, you can increase spice if you like it spicier.

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 Mutton Biryani

Ingredients :

1 Kg Mutton
2 Medium Potatoes

2 medium onions
5 Tbsp Curd
2 medium tomatoes

2 Tbsp Ginger Garlic Paste

2 Tbsp Jeera (Cumin)powder
1 Tsp Red Chilli powder

2 Tsp Dhaniya (Coriander)Powder

1/4 Tsp Turmeric Powder

1 Tsp Shahi Jeera

2 Bay leaves
5 Cloves
2 Big Elaichi

4 - 1 Inch Dalchini(Cinnamon stick )
6-7 Pepper corns

2 Tbsp Kasoori Methi
3 Tbsp oil

Salt to taste
5 Cups Basmati Rice

Curd Chutney:
1 Cup Curd
1 Medium onion
1 Medium Tomato
2 Green Chilli
Salt to taste
1/2 cup water
Cut onion,tomato,greenchilles and add to curd, add salt and water. Mix well and serve.

Marinate :

Add mutton,curd,ginger garlic paste,.tomatoes,cumin powder,coriander powder,red chili powder,tumeric powder,shahi jeera,bay leaves, cloves,elaichi,cinnamon,pepper corns in  a pressure cooker and marinate for 30 min.

Cur onions into long pieces and fry in oil till light brown.

Add fried onion and kasoori methi, salt , 3 tbsp of hot oil into the mutton marinate and then marinate for another 1.5 hr. You can marinate for more hours if you like.

Lightly fry potatoes in oil and keep it aside.

Method :

After 1.5 hrs, cook mutton in pressure cooker on high flame for first 5 minutes. Then reduce the flame and cook mutton on slow flame for 45 minutes till about 5 whistles and mutton is tender.

In the meanwhile , cook 5 cups of basmati rice in a container full of water till half done . Once half done, drain water from rice.

 Open the pressure cooker and layer the rice and potatoes on top of mutton ,  add 2 tbsp of Ghee (Clarified butter) on top ,cover it tightly with a lid and cook on small flame till 45 mins.

Once done, take out the biryani into a container and mix it.

Serve hot with Curd Chutney.

Bhagara Baingan

Bhagara Baingan is a quintessntial Shaadi curry of Hyderabad. No Hyderabadi shaadi is complete withotu serving this dish.I love this curry and over the years I have made the process quite simplified and quick. It actually tastes better the next day

Bhagara Baingan

Ingredients :

8 -10 small round Brinjal/Baingan
2 Medium Onions
3 Tbsp of Peanuts
2 Tbsp Poppy Seeds

1.5 Inch Ginger

5-6 cloves of Garlic

1 Tsp Whole Jeera
1 Tbsp whole Dhaniya
1 Tsp Red Chilli powder

1 Tsp Garam Masala Powder

1/2 Tsp Turmeric Powder

2 Bay leaf

4 Cloves

1 Inch Dalchini/Cinnamon

1/2 Inch small round of Tamarind

3 Tbsp oil

2 Cups of water
6 Curry Leaves

Salt to taste

Method 

Make a + cut on the Brinjals leaving the end intact so the whole brinjal stays together.

Soak Tamarind in 1 cup of water for half an hr and take the juice out.

Dry Roast peanuts, poppy seeds ,Dhania and Jeera seeds separately.  Dry roast onions till brown.

Grind Poppy seeds in a dry grinder into fine powder. Add roasted Dhania, Jeera and grind into fine powder. Add peanuts, Onion, Red chilli powder, garama masala powder, Turmeric, Ginger, Garlic ,and little water , make into a fine paste.

Take a pan , put int 3 tbsp oil, little turmeric powder and add brinjals and roast them a little till they change color. Take them out of the pan.

Now in the remaining oil, Add Bayleaf , Cloves, Dalchini , Curry Leaves and saute a little. Put in the paste and saute till the paste leaves oil. Once you see oil coming out of the paste, add tamarind water, 2 cups of water , salt and let the curry paste come to a boil. After 5 minutes, put in the brinjal and cook till the brinjals are tender.

Serve hot with Rice or Roti.

Other Indian Recipes - Chicken with Coriander

I wanted to try chicken a little bit differently and thought of cooking it with Mint,Coriander leaves and onion paste which we call in Telugu as Pachchi Masala.

I did not have mint , so just did with coriander but anyway turned out good. I love potatoes in a non veg curry , the gravy makes it so tasty that I leave chicken aside and just eat potatoes.

Chicken with coriander curry

Ingredients :

1 Kg Chicken
2 Medium Potatoes

2 Handfuls of Coriander leaves

2 medium onions

3 Green Chillies

2 Tsp Ginger Garlic Paste

1 Tsp Jeera (Cumin)powder

1/2 Tsp Red Chilli powder

11/2 Tsp Dhaniya (Coriander)Powder

1/2 Tsp Turmeric Powder

1 Tsp Whole Jeera (Cumin)

2 Bay leaves

5 Cloves

1 Inch Dalchini(Cinnamon stick )
 6-7 pepper corns

2 Tomatoes

3 Tbsp oil for gravy

1 Cups of water

Salt to taste

Masala Paste :

Make a fine paste of onions, coriander leaves, green chilli. Cut potatoes into halves.

Method :

Take a pan, add 1 tbsp oil, Add whole Jeera,Bay eaf, Cinnamon,cloves,pepper corns. Add chicken pieces ,turmeric and roast them till all the water dies up. Add the paste , Red chilli powder, Jeera powder, Dhaniya powder ,potatoes and roast it till the oil separates. Add tomatoes , 1 cup water, salt and let it cook till the gravy thickens and chicken is cooked well.

Serve with rice or roti.

My experiments with Slow cooker series - Blackeyed Peas Curry (Bobbarlu)

I like balckeyed peas very much. It tastes so good even with only a good  tadka. It can be served as a snack or a curry with Rotis.

It is very hot in NC and since my son likes water very much, so we frequent Carowinds. As I knew we would be back by dinner time,  I wanted the curry to be ready by the time we reach home. So I tried Blackeyed peas.It did not require any soaking ,was cooked perfect, Not mushy , held it's shape even after 6 hrs cooking.

Blackeyed Peas

Ingredients :

1.5 Cup Black Eyed Peas  ( Does not require soaking)
1/2 Medium Onion

6 Small Green Chillies

1 Tsp Chopped Ginger

1/4 Tsp Turmeric

1 Small Tomato

2 Tsp Oil

1/2 Tsp Jeera

1/2 Tsp Mustard Seeds

Salt to taste

4 cups water

Method :

In a microwaveable bowl, put Oil, Jeera,Onion,Tomato and Microwave for 3 minutes on high.

To the slow cooker ceramic pot add Black eyed peas,Chopped Ginger,Whole Green Chillies,Turmeric, above microwaved masala, Salt, Water. Cook for 6 hrs on high.

Note : If you are adding ginger paste instead of Chopped ginger, Cook it in Microwave along with other ingredients.

Serve hot with rotis