Ani’s Kids Recipe,South Indian samayal & Tips!

Just to share with you……

My native is Madathukulam. Amaravathi Dam,Kutharayar Dam and Thirumoorthi Dam are some of the dams nearby. We used to get Fish from these dams. I never had Vanjaram fish  before my marriage.  I heard and saw this fish when I got married and we were in Chennai.  We were in WestMambalam that time.  Our house owner aunty’s first daughter got married and few days after marriage  aunty invited her daughter and her in-laws for virunthu(feast).  She bought Vanjaram/King fish  and marinated with puli water and other ingredients for fry and after that she told her relatives to cook lunch and she went to her daughters house to bring them to her place.  When her relatives tried frying it didn’t come well and all the slices got broken into pieces.  This is when I saw  king fish for the first time in my life. She came to our house and asked what to do. My mom was with me at that time we both went and no body knows how to fix that. The guests were on their way. Suddenly I told them to mash the fish and took  out all the bones. We fine chopped the onion,green chilles and fried these in pan and then we added the fish and did like the way we make egg poriyal or egg buji.It tasted so good with onion ,chillies and the  marination aunty. That time I don’t know about sura puttu. Now I can relate that proriyal to puttu with little pulippu taste. The guests had. The hit  item on that day was that fish poriyal.  When ever I see Vanjaram fish /King fish this incident will come to my mind immediately.  Today I made kulambu with Vanjaran which I am going to explain you below.

Fish Kulumbu

Ingredients

1.  Oil – 4 tsps

2.  Sombu  - 1/2 tsp

3. Venthaym/Fenugreek/Methi seeds  – 1/2 tsp

4. Poondu/Garlic – 5 cloves

5. Curry leaves

6. Onion – 1 mediaum size

7. Tomato -3 medium size

8. Thick tamarind extrct – 1/2 cup

9. Corriander powder – 3 tsp

10. Chilli powder – 2 tsp

11. Turmeric powder – 1/4 tsp

12. Any fish – 1/2 kg

13. Salt as needed

Preparation

1. Heat oil in wide mouth kadai. Splutter sombu,venthayam ,garlic and curry leaves by adding one by one.

2. Add finely chopped onion and fry well .

3. Add finely chopped tomoto and fry well. Add salt at this stage so that it gets fried well.

4. Add tuemeric powder,corriander powder and chilli powder and fry well.

5.  Cook this mixture very will until it comes to thokku consistency. Based on this stage only your gravey gets color and taste.

6. Now add Tamarind extract . Add water along with it to desired consistency and bring it to boil (atleast 10 mins) until the oil seperates out.

7. At this stage add fish and cook in slow flame for 5 mins. Garnish it with corriander leaves.

Just to share with you…..

Till I met my friend Kameeshwari I am not aware of Egg Puli kulambu.  I used to make egg kulambu in the same way as my  mutton curry without adding tamarind. In my place we won’t use Puli/tamarind  for Nonveg recipes (except fish).  Once we went to our friends palce for potluck (lunch) and we were there till dinner so she made egg curry that time. She told she will make egg kulumbu like kara kolumbu by adding tamarind extract and she prepared that recipe. It was really nice. You can try that too. You try it You will like it. She prepared with coconut milk . I have given another version also without not which is without coconut milk.

Method 1 (with coconut)

Ingredients

1. Egg-6
2. onion-1
3. Tomato-2
4. Ginger/garlicpaste – 1tsp  
5. Tamarind -lemonsize
6. Chilli powder-1tsp
7. Corriander powder- 2tsp
8. Turmeric powder – 1/4tsp
9. Sombu-1/2tsp
10. Curry leaves and corriander leaves
11. Coconut milk – 1/2 cup ( as needed)

Preparation

1. Heat  2tsp of oil in pan. Splutter Ani seeds (sombu) and curry leaves.
2. Add finely chopped onion and ginger/garlic paste and fry well.
3. Now add the chopped tomato and  fry well.
4. Add chilli powder,corriander powder and turmericpowder.
5. Add puli water and salt boil till raw smell goes away.
6. Add little coconut milk readily available in shops (if you don’t have grind 2 -3 tsp of grated coconut and add)
7. When the gravy is boiling break egg and pour when it comes up,break another and pour.close and cook in slow heatfor 5mins. Don’t put spoons inside before the poured egg gets cooked.

Method 2 (with out coconut)

Ingredients

1. Egg-6
2. small shallot onion -10  (or)  big onion  -1
3. Tomato-3
4. Tamarind -lemonsize

For grinding

1. peppercorns- 1tsp 
2. chillipowder-1tsp
3. garlic-10  
4. sombu-1/2tsp
5. jeera-1tsp

Preparation

1. Heat oil in pan. Fry well the finely chopped onion and tomato.
2. Grind the ingredients given under grinding and add the grinded masala and turmeric powder
3. Add puli water and salt boil till raw smell goes away.
4. When the gravy is boiling break egg and pour when it comes up,break another and pour.
5. close and cook in slow heatfor 5mins
6. Garish with corriander leaves

Just to Share with you……..

I don’t know to cook also how to  eat crab till I am 25years. After my marriage we  were in Bangalore and one of my brother was staying closeby. They used  to cook  crab and gave us. Initially I found it very very difficult to eat the crab.  Then slowly I have learnt it. Now my 3 and 1/2 year old kid yoksha  is fond of eating (simply bitibg)crabs small legs. When  ever she sees crabs she will tell momy letz buy crab today.Crab has some sweet taste init.

My First Experience while cleaning the crab.

After coming to US I thought of cooking crab. We  were in Merrifield  Apartments-Vienna,Virginia  that time. H-Mart (korean shop) is close by and you can find live sea crabs there. They clean the Fishes and give
and not the crabs. I bought live crabs one day and kept it freezer and we went out for Roaming for time pass. After 4-5 hrs we came back and I thought of cooking crab for dinner. I took out the cover from the freezer and I kept a medium size vessel filled with cold water for cleaning inside sink and I put the crabs inside. since the crabs didn’t show any reaction tillthat time I thought crabs are dead. I put my hand inside and started rinsing/mising the crabs with hands. All of the sudden all the crabs started moving and some was trying to jump out. I screamed . My husband came but he is also not ready to clean the crabs. Suddenly I remembered that crabs will be dead if put in hot water for sometime.  I took a big pressurecooker and I somehow poured the water with crabs into the cooker and I covered with lid . After that my  husband was not allowing  to buy live crabs for almost a  year. We used to buy froxen king crabs.

Slowly after a very long time I started buying live crabs again. Now I can say I am expert in cleaning. Simply I used turn the hot water in tap  and keep the crabs in  a container under the running hot water forsometime. All the crabs will be dead after sometime.

 Crab curry

 Ingredients

1. Sea crabs – ½ kg
2. Tomato  – 1, finely chopped (or tamarind extract 1or 2tsp)
3. Onion – 1, finely chopped
4. Salt – as needed
5. Oil – 2 teaspoons (preferably coconut oil)

For Grinding

1. Coriander seeds – 1 tablespoon
2. Cummin seeds – 1 teaspoon
3. Black peppercorns – 1 teaspoon
4. Garlic – 8 flakes
5. Ginger – 1-inch piece
6. Green chillies – 6, medium size
7. Coconut – 1 cup, grated (half portion of a medium-sized coconut)
8. Turmeric powder – ½ teaspoon

Preparation

1. Fry lightly the coriander seeds, cummin seeds, and black peppercorns taking care not to brown them. Grind it along with ginger, garlic, green chillies, coconut, and turmeric powder to a smooth paste.
2. Heat a flat-bottomed vessel and pour in the oil. When it becomes smoking hot, add the onions and saute till the onion edges turn brown here and there.
3. Add the ground masala paste and salt. Fry for a minute.
4. Add the tamarind extract or tomatoes at this stage and saute till the tomatoes are soft.
5. Add the crabs and mix it well with the masala.
6. Pour 2 cups water over the crabs  to just cover it. Cover and cook over moderate heat till the crabs are cooked well and the gravy is thickish to your required consistency.
7. Garnish with chopped coriander leaves and serve hot with plain rice. Enjoy!

 TIPS

If you don’t know how to clean and you like  learn how to clean the crabs
visit http://www.aayisrecipes.com/2006/06/04/how-to-clean-crabs/

Just to share with you……..

This is entirely different  way of making egg fried rice. It will be like normal fried rice since no Soy sauce, Oyster sauce etc  added into it. This rice you can say as SPICY EGG RICE. This  recipe I got from one of friends hubby Sid.It can be made in 5 mins and tastesvery good if you eat hot.

Ingredients

1. Cooked Basmathi Rice    -   1 cups
2. Oil – 3 tsp
3. Cinnamon,cardamom,cloves,Bayleaves – 1each
4. Chopped onion – 1cup
5. chopped greenchilli  -1
6. Red chilli powder – 1/4  or 1/2 tsp
7. Corriander powder -1 tsp
8. Turmeric powder -1/4 tsp
9. Eggs -2
10. ginger-garlic paste -1/2tsp
11. salt- asneeded
12. Chopped corriander leaves- for garnishing

Preparation

1. Take a big tawa. Pour the oil and heat it. Add cinnamon, cloves, cardamom ,Bay leaves.
2. Add Chopped onion, greenchilli and fry. Add ginger-garlic paste and fry well.
3. Add chillipowder, corriander powder, and turmeric powder and fry well.
4. Add the eggs, salt and stir well. (add anytype of precooked meat pieces,shrimp etc.if you want)
5. Add the rice and mix well and keep in stove for 5mins. keep mixing in regular intervals.
6. Garnish the rice with corriander leaves.

TIPS

1. Any cooked rice can be used but the preferable  one is cooked Basmathi rice.
2. You can add fried chicken(chicken cut into small pieces marignated with little salt and chilly powder and fried in oil) to make this as a chicken fried rice.
3. While making EGG FRIED RICE or CHICKEN FRIED RICE add the chicken gravy little bit if you have to add the taste.
4. If you add only Shrimp(Prawn) then it is SHRIMP FRIED RICE.
5. you can buy cooked shrimp , cook some muttonpieces etc (any non-veg into simple pieces and should bepre cooked) can be added to  make a combination fried rice.You can say as COCKTAIL RICE too.

Just to share with you…..

This  coconut-mutton varuval is a hybrid my other two Mutton Recipes(Kara kari varuval and kari varuval). This  recipe is made cooking coconut pieces and mutton together so when you eat that mutton piece you feel a diferent taste. This is my daughter’s favourite recipe. This is so simple and yummy .  Special about this varuval is hotness  from Green chilli and sweetness from coconut are blended well in mutton pieces since wepressure cook  all these together.

  Coconut Mutton Varuval Main ingredients

Coconut goat Varuval

Ingredients

1. Mutton (goatmeat)        - 1/2kg
2. Fresh  coconut pieces – one handfull (make1/4 of one side of coconut into pieces)
3. Chilli powder                   – 1/4 tsp
4. Corriander powder       – 2tsp
5. Turmeric Powder         -  1/4  tsp
6. salt                                      - as needed
7. Medium size onion       -  1 (chopped)
8. smallsize Tomato          -  2 (chopped)
9. Green chilli                      -  5 ( deponding on how much spicy u want)

For Tempering

1. Pattai (cinnamon) -1
2. Kirambu(cloves)   - 3
3. oil
4. Curry and corriander leaves

Preparation

1. Clean the mutton pieces. Put the cleaned goat (mutton/ Kari) pieces in pressure cooker. Add coconut pieces, chopped green chilli, turmericpowder a pinch,  1/2 glass water   and  pressure cook for 6 or more whistles.
2. Heat the pan.  Add 2tsp ofoil. Heat it and then add pattai and cloves. Add curry leaves.
3. Now add the onion and tomato and fry well.
4. Add chillipowder,coriander powder,turmericpowder and fry well until everything is mixed and blended well.
5. Now add content from pressure cooker and let it cook until all the water is evaporated and the curry  becomes thick.
6. Garnish with corriander leaves.

TIPS

Don’t add too much of water while  cooking mutton because while frying in  tava it will take too much time.