NON – VEGETARIAN | Saute Fry N Bake

Cheesy curry leaf chicken strips

Preparation time : 20 minutes
Cooking time : 18 minutes
Serves : 8 members

Description

There are times when my mind get’s to a crazy level resulting in me doing random things unplanned. This recipe also was one such that I just came up with. Started with wanting a green based masala chicken for the day, then I realized that the menu was short of a crispy dry dish. Immediately gave it a flavorful crust from all parts of the world with a mixture of the English oats, Italian cheese and South Indian curry leaves. I did have my doubts but the final product was beyond awesome. I could not get over these… The texture, the colors, the crunch being a few reasons to salivate.
This new easy treat did remind me that changing the way you cook from the regular and eat isn’t difficult. You just have to want to do it . Thank you all, for letting me live out my dream every day of cooking, experimenting and sharing. The best part is when you all get to think of me when you do cook the dish, eat it or see it .

Cheesy curry leaf chicken crisps

Ingredients

Ingredients	Quantity
Bones less chicken pieces	1/4 kg ( bite size pieces )
Oil	to deep fry

Ingredients to grind

Ingredients	Quantity
Coriander leaves with stem	1/4 cup
Mint leaves	1/8 cup
Curry leaves	few
Green chillies	6
Ginger	1/4 inch piece
Garlic	2 flakes
Lime juice	1 tablespoon
Salt	to taste

Ingredients for the crust

Ingredients	Quantity
Oats	1 cup
Grated Parmesan cheese	1/2 cup
Curry leaves	one hand crushed
Salt	to taste
Crushed Pepper	to taste
Eggs	2 beaten

Method

Grind all ingredients together mentioned under the to grind ingredients to a smooth paste. Marinate cleaned chicken pieces with the ground masala for one one hour or more.
Mix all the crust ingredients together except for the eggs. Beat the eggs with salt to taste.
Dip a piece of the marinated chicken into the beaten eggs and toss over the crust oats – cheese mix. Make sure the chicken piece is coated well from all sides. Do the same to all the chicken pieces.
Heat oil to deep fry at medium heat. Drop the chicken pieces in batches of four to five pieces and fry to crisp and golden in colour on both sides. Remove and serve hot with dips of choice.

Iyra meen kozlambu

Preparation time : 30 minutes
Cooking time : 20 minutes
Serves : 6 members

Description

Authentic home curries that our grand mothers and mothers cook always bring in a spark of nostalgic joy to all of us . Like wise this fish curry is also one such that my mother – in – law learnt from her mother . I am not a big fan of the iyra fish but my mother and hubby dear go head over heels over this fish curry . This dish works wonders to melt both of them . My cliche way to get to their hearts through their stomachs . Food always has its surprising element of bringing along memories , family togetherness , emotional attachment … I can go on and on and that’s why I am deeply madly in love with food and cooking . Coming to the dish , it’s spicy and thick in consistency . Best served with white boiled rice or steaming hot soft idlis . I always make fun of hubby dear , saying you ate thousand’s of fish today .. The iyra fish is so tiny and a hand full might be around 40 to 50 fishes . See , yet again a hilarious naughty moment created by this dish that always brings a smile on my face . Clearly say’s that I am in a relationship with food ❤️❤️ .

Ingredients to be ground to a smooth paste

Ingredients	Quantity
Coriander powder	3 tablespoons full
Red chilli powder	2 1/2 tablespoons full
Turmeric powder	1/4 teaspoon
Cumin powder	1 teaspoon
Coconut	1/2 cup

Grind all the above mentioned ingredients together to get a smooth masala paste
Grind coconut separately to a smooth paste

Other ingredients

Ingredients	Quantity
Cleaned iyra fish / Spined loaches	1/2 kg
Small onions	1 1/4 hands + 6-7 to temper chopped into two
Tomatoes	2 medium sized chopped ( my mother- in - law just squeezes the whole tomatoes into the tamarin water )
Green chillies	2-4 slit
Tamarind	lemon size ball , soaked in 1 cups of water and pulp squeezed and strained
Salt	to taste
Sesame oil ( gingely oil /nalla ennai )	1/4 cup
Fenugreek seeds	1 teaspoon
Cumin seeds	1 teaspoon
Curry leaves	1 strand

Method

Rub the tiny iyra fish over a stone surface ( at home it’s done over the cloths washing stone ) with rock salt to remove the slipperiness it has. Rinse in water.
Repeat the same three times. Then add the iyra fish over a cup of milk and keep aside until needed to be used.
Mix tamarin pulp water, ground masala paste, salt to taste, chopped small onions 6-7, tomatoes and green chillies together. Add 2 cups of water and mix well. Taste and adjust.
Heat sesame oil in a heavy bottomed board vessel. Add fenugreek seeds, cumin seeds, chopped onions and curry leaves. Once the fenugreek seeds crackle And small onions are brown and crisp, Pour the tamarind masala water base.
Cover and Bring to boil. Once the raw smell has gone and the green chillies are boiled and changes its colour. Rinse the iyra fish in water and add to the curry. Cook on medium heat for one minutes by just rotating the vessel once in a while making sure the gravy coats and covers all the fish in the curry. ( do not use a spatula to toss or mix the fish into the curry as the fish pieces might break ).
Dilute the coconut paste with little water. Pour into the curry and mix well. Lower the flame and cook further for another one minutes until oil separates and floats on top. The curry must be of thick consistency. Remove from heat and serve hot with white boiled rice or iddli.

Fresh green pepper corns fish fry

Preparation time : 15 minutes
Cooking time : 10-12 minutes
Serves : 6 members

Description

Cooking with seasonal local produce always brings a lot of joy to me. Fresh green pepper corns are always soaked in salted, vinegar water and had as a pickle at home. Nothing else is done with the mighty spice other than that. This time when I got a few from my uncles estate, I tried making a fish fry using them. Believe me, the results were mind blowing with the heat and flavour dominating. I didn’t want to over complicate the dish so kept it easy and clean. A simple dish of home made style isn’t always a crime as what ever or how ever we dine finally we crave for ghar ka khaana ( home made food ). The brilliantly contrasting flavours with the redolent spices, fresh greens, crispy sensation was beautiful and bracing. This has become a house specialty that brings smiles at the table always. The best part being which hardly involves any effort. So to spread more smiles at your homes too,the easy way. I am sharing the recipe. Give a try and add more joy through food.

Ingredients

Ingredients	Quantity
Sardin fish	20
Green chilly	1
Turmeric power	1/4 teaspoon
Ginger	1 inch piece
Curry leaves	few
Garlic	6
Small Onion	2
Tamarind pulp	1/4 cup
Red chilli powder	1/4 teaspoon
Fresh Green pepper corns	2 tablespoons
Salt	To taste
Coconut oil	2 tablespoons

Method

Grind all ingredients together except for, fish, curry leaves and coconut oil to a smooth paste. Mix with cleaned fish, coconut oil and curry leaves.
Cook in low flame until cooked and dry.
Serve hot.

Golden sesame fried chicken

Preparation time : 15 minutes + one hour marination
Cooking time : 5 minutes for each batch
Serves : 2 members

Description

It’s always a joy to share something that your children have done to others. This recipe trial is one such done by my daughter. I just could not take my eyes out of the picture admiring how perfectly she has costed the chicken with sesame seeds and deep fried it to a light golden colour. The next thing I did was to ask for ” RECIPE PLEASE ” . She did share it immediately . The minute I read the recipe, I knew I had to share it with you all. The journey of a recipe from one kitchen to a million.. That’s what excites me the most.

Ingredients	Quantity
Chicken boneless	250 grams
Dry Red Chilli soaked in warm water for 20 minutes	4 to 5
Garlic	5 to 6 cloves
Vinegar	1 tablespoon
Soy Sauce	2 teaspoon
Salt	to taste
Pepper Powder	1 teaspoon
All Purpose Flour	2 tablespoons
Cornflour	3 tablespoons
Sesame Seeds	as needed
Oil	for deep frying

Method

Blend red chillies and garlic into fine paste.
Take boneless chicken pieces in a bowl, add in the chilli garlic paste, and other ingredients except sesame seeds and mix well. Marinate for one hour.
Heat oil for deep frying.
Take marinated chicken and coat with the sesame seeds and fry in hot oil until golden.
Remove and serve hot.

Poached egg curry

Preparation time : 15 minutes
Cooking time : 15 minutes
Serves : 4 members

Description

The pain we home chefs go through to plan a menu at home on every day basis with a million things to be noted while doing so. I tell you it’s not an easy go thing to do . Here at home, I often feel the curries are repeated very often and my to go curry when pressed for time with not much ingredients in my pantry is the mighty poached egg curry. I remember, getting this recipe out of an English magazine shared by a chef under the konkani recipes. He had served this curry with neer dosa. From my first try of this recipe to till date, this curry has taken twists and turns and finally settled down to the recipe I am sharing with you all. Simple with mouth watering flavors. Easy to make aromatic curry that can be served with anything and everything. Hubby dear usually avoids eating egg yolks. So when this curry is made for him alone it’s made with the egg whites. All the yolks are scrambled and my cook at home gets to feed on it. One day she is like ” amma eppadi mutta manjal karu sapittu sapittu enakku heart attack vandhu nam sikiram suthuruvan. ” meaning ” amma , if I eat egg yolks like this , I will get a heart attack soon and die “. I just burst out laughing. Every time I make this curry .. My cook pops up in my mind ..

Ingredients	Quantity
Eggs	2
Cinnamon	1/4 inch piece one
Cloves + cardamom	1 each
Onion	1 sliced
Tomato	1 big chopped
Grated Coconut	1/2 cup
Coriander powder	2 tablespoons
Red chilly powder	1 and a 1/2 teaspoon
Cumin seeds	1 teaspoon
Fennel seeds	1 teaspoon
Onion	1 big chopped
Curry leaves	few
Ginger and garlic paste	1/2 teaspoon each
Green chillies	2 slit
Coriander leaves	few chopped
Oil	3 tablespoons

Method

Roast cinnamon, clove, cardamom, onion, tomato, red chilly powder, coriander powder, cumin seeds, fennel seeds and grated coconut in one teaspoon of oil until golden in colour. Cool completely and grind to a paste.
Heat oil, add curry leaves and chopped onions. Sauté to brown, top with ginger garlic paste. Fry to crisp.
Add the ground masala with green chillies and water. Boil until raw smell vanishes.
Drop raw eggs into the curry and cook undisterbed for 10 minutes. Simmer for two minutes until oil floats on top.
Garnish with chopped coriander leaves and serve hot with anything and everything.

Palli palayam chicken

Preparation time : 15 minutes
Cooking time : 20 minutes
Serves : 4 members

Description

When you have both your children coming home to you after a long while, the excitement level is way too much and gets you confused in setting a good menu to be cooked. My elder one Anisha being a vegetarian and my second one Afzar a hard core non – vegetarian. The challenge of a balanced spread on the table will sure be judged by them. So keeping that in mind, I had planned a menu accordingly. Now a chicken dish for my carnivores boy. He loves any thing that is done in south indian style. I wanted to surprise him with a new dish and the one dish that came to my mind was Palli palayam chicken . A typical Tamil style chicken that sure will be approved by him. Got the recipe from one of my cousin sisters and started. As cooking, my mind went back to days of packing food in lunch boxes for my loved ones to school. I made sure they had turns every alternative day to select what they wanted. The long face both of them used to have when it was not their day of selected food packed. Good old days … Well today all I wanted was a beaming smiles on the faces of my beloved kids and this chicken recipe sure did it as my fussy vegetarian girl also enjoyed the gravy part of the chicken dish. My mission accomplished. Now typing all this, my heart bleeds with missing both my kids. I know this sounds so cliche but only mothers know the vacuum felt with in when her children are not around.

Ingredients	Quantity
Chicken	1/2 kg cut into medium sized pieces with bones
Ginger	1 inch piece chopped
Garlic	6 flakes chopped
Small onion	2 hands full chopped
Dry red chillies	15 , each torn into three or to taste
Curry leaves	few
Mustard seeds	1/4 teaspoon
Cumin seeds	1/4 teaspoon
Sesame seed oil	2 tablespoons
Turmeric powder	1/4 teaspoon
Salt	to taste
Grated Coconut	2 teaspoons ( optional - I didn't use it here )

Method

Heat oil in a wide vessel. Add mustard seeds and cumin seeds. Once it crackle’s, top with torn dry red chillies and curry leaves.
Sauté until the dry red chillies turn crisp.
Add ginger, garlic and small onions. Sauté to translucent.
Top with the cleaned chicken, turmeric powder and salt to taste. Sauté in medium heat until the colour of the chicken changes.
Add little water and cook until chicken is done.
Garnish with chopped coriander leaves and grated coconut. serve hot.

Murg methi tikka masala

Preparation time : 25 minutes + 4 hours marination
Cooking time : 15-20 minutes
Serves : 6 members

Description

Social media. Now what about it ? The main reason for me to get in touch with my long lost relatives, friends and Unkown new social media friends too. The last “new social media friends” list is getting bigger day by day and Ayesha Nazreen is one such friend of mine. My sister-in-law wahitha was surprised on her trip to the USA when Ayesha enquired about me there. From then we have come a long way chatting, exchanging messages, recipes though not met in person yet. This recipe was one such that she passed over when I had fresh fenugreek grown in the back yard at home. The gravy was velvety oozing with North Indian flavors and the tang of curd used sure did justice to balance the dish well. I am waiting for my next try as here it’s very rare to get fresh fenugreek leaves. So I guess I have to grow them and give a try the old school way which makes it even the more glamorous. This recipe is for sure keeps as it adds oomph to your table. I realized how this dish makes me think of Nazreen when ever this dish pops up in mind. Then I was like.. Hey so this must be the very same thing, all those who cook or read your recipes must be going through too. Happy me as we all loved to be remembered and thought of for sure no matter what for good deeds.

Ingredients for the marinate

Ingredients	Quantity
Boneless chicken	1 kg
Red chilli powder	3 teaspoons
Ginger and garlic paste	1 teaspoon
Coriander powder	2 teaspoons
Cumin powder	1 teaspoon
Garam masala powder	1/2 teaspoon
Mint leaves	2 teaspoons
Salt	to taste

Ingredients to sauté and grind

Ingredients	Quantity
Onion	2 big chopped
Tomatoes	3 big chopped
Ginger and garlic paste	1 teaspoon
Fresh fenugreek leaves	1 cup full ( 1/2 bunch )
Coriander leaves	1/4 cup
Red chilli powder	1 teaspoon
Coriander powder	2 teaspoon
Pepper powder	1/4 teaspoon
Salt	to taste
Curd	1/4 cup
Oil	2 tablespoons
Orange red Food colour	a pinch ( optional)

Other ingredients

Ingredients	Quantity
Oil	1 tablespoon
Heavy cream	1/4 cup

Method

Grind all the ingredients together mentioned under to marinate except for boneless chicken.
Marinate the boneless chicken in the ground paste for 3 to 4 hours .
In a kadai heat oil, add roughy chopped onions and sauté until translucent. Top with ginger and garlic paste,sauté for 5-7 mins to crisp. Add roughy chopped tomato.
When the tomato becomes mushy add 1/2 bunch of fenugreek leaves, coriander leaves , red chili powder, pepper powder, coriander powder, salt to taste, curd and red food colour.
Sauté well until oil floats on top. Remove from heat and cool completely. Blend to a smooth paste.
Preheat an oven to 180 degrees Celsius. Grill the marinated chicken for 10 minutes over a greased baking tray.
Turn each chicken piece and grill further for another 5-8 minutes. Remove from grill and keep aside.
Heat 1 tablespoon oil, top with the ground masala paste. Mix well adding little water.
When it starts to boil add the grilled chicken and cook in low flame for 10 minutes until oil floats on top . Add heavy cream. Mix well.
Taste and adjust seasoning. Serve hot with any type of roti, chapathis or poori.

Sesame crumbed chicken

Preparation time : 20 minutes + 2 hours for marination
Cooking time : 2-3 minutes for each bath deep fried
Serves : 4 members

Description

Summer holiday days at my grand parents place in palakkad where there were country chicken with its chicks roaming all around the house. They were almost every where we kids went. All my nostalgic summer vacation memories has the rooster crowing on the back drop. It was amazing to see how much care the chicken would take by keeping her little ones always beside her. Gods way of creating things and amazing us .
Now why am I writing about this.. I seriously have no idea ( dumb me ). Sorry peeps. This chicken dish was made by my mom to impress her son – in – law on one of our visits. Took note of the recipe and like the chicken Saving its chicks my mom did save me with sharing this recipe that made things easy for me to try, test and share. Crispy flat succulent spicy chicken with traces of sesame seeds over was ultimate killer combo. A must try and I assure you this will be added to your regular’s at home. Happy chickening ..

Ingredients	Quantity
Boneless chicken	1/4 kg cut into 1/4 inch thick square pieces
Tomato sauce	1 teaspoon
Red chilly sauce	1 teaspoon
Light soya sauce	1 teaspoon
Vinegar	1/4 teaspoon
Lemon juice	just a squeeze
Ginger and garlic paste	1/4 teaspoon
Salt	to taste
Red chilly powder	1/2 teaspoon
Red food color	a pinch ( optional )
Ajinomoto	a pinch ( optional)
Cornflour	1 teaspoon
Egg	1 whole
White Sesame seeds	1 tablespoon
Bread crumbs	1 cup heaped
Oil	to deep fry

Method

Marinate chicken squares with tomato sauce, red chilly sauce, soya sauce, salt, red chilly powder, Ginger garlic paste, vinegar, lemon juice, red food color, ajinomoto, cornflour and egg for two hours or more.
Squeeze the chicken pieces out of the marination. Hammer each chicken piece with a meat hammer to flatten a bit making sure not to tear the chicken piece.
Sprinkle white sesame seeds over. Coat the chicken pieces over bread crumbs making sure it is coated very all around. Do the same to all the chicken pieces.
Heat oil to deep fry in a heavy bottomed deep wok. Drop six to eight pieces of chicken into medium hot oil. Deep fry to golden and crisp.
Drain and serve hot with dips of choice.

Prawn Crackers

Preparation time : 30 minutes + marination time 2 hours
Cooking time : 2 minutes for each batch deep fried
Serves : 3 members

Description

Age no bar for being pampered with food cooked by your mother. I may be busy with food day in and day out but when you get a chance to relish on home made food made your mother, it’s the ultimate. Like wise this prawn fry was served to me on one visit to my parents place. My mom seldom cooks and is not much into cooking, but when she does.. She sure cracks it up. I had to forcefully move the platter of these prawns away from me as it lined my stomach non stop. My dad is a man with simple needs and every thing to him that we need seems to be a waste for sure. When mom brought these prawns from the market , dad was like why so much. I am sure there will be left overs. My mom was signalling all of us in the table to finish it off, when dad took note of it. He started off immediately with his nagging and we all burst out aloud laughing. This is a regular thing that happens at home. I just love the way my dad helps mom to pack all the left overs and makes sure to place it in the refrigerator too. Touch wood, they are true love birds. Coming to the prawns, they had a crisp exterior and a soft, moist inside. Dad was wrong as there were just two pieces of prawns in the plate which I could have easily finished off but just put it away to lessen the calorie in take damage that has already been done. A sure try as even kids will love these prawns. I made sure to take note of the recipe from mom immediately as she is a person who cooks with a little of this and that… The second time you ask her for the same its made in a different way. So let’s all crack up with these prawns as my mom did in her first try .

Ingredients	Quantity
Cleaned Prawns with tail	1/2 kg ( you have to buy 1 kg prawn so when cleaned it gets to 1/2 kg )
Flour / maida	1 teaspoon
White pepper powder	1 teaspoon
Black pepper powder	1 /2 teaspoon
Ginger and garlic paste	1/4 teaspoon
Salt	to taste
Red chilly powder	1/4 teaspoon
Vinegar	1/8 teaspoon
Lemon juice	a squeeze
Ajinomoto	a pinch ( optional)
Egg	1
Bread crumbs	1 cup heaped
Oil	to deep fry

Method

Marinate cleaned prawns with flour, white + black pepper powder’s, ginger and garlic paste, red chilly powder, vinega, lemon juice, salt, egg and ajinomoto for two hours or more.
Coat the marinated prawns over bread crumbs making sure it’s coated well all around. Do the same to all the prawns.
Heat oil to deep fry in a heavy bottomed wok . Drop prawns in batches of four to six at a time and deep fry in medium heat for two minutes to crisp and golden.
Drain and serve hot with dips of your choice .

Kerala Christian Fish Curry

Preparation time : 30 minutes
Cooking time : 25 minutes
Serves : five members

Description

Every Friday night , was fish day at our boarding school. The entire mess would stink of fish and we kids would grumble and have dinner. One week it would be fish curry and the following week fish fry. Fish curry weeks were the worst. I remember on one such Friday, we entered the dining hall and I could see deep dark red colour curry over the lump of rice on all our plates. Or else it’s always a pale yellow – brown fish curry. That second, all our faces lit up with smiles before the prayer as the dining hall also didn’t have the fishy smell. As we started our dinner, it was fish curry but made in a different way and yum for sure. The entire dining hall was in a festive mood, rejoicing and enjoying the good fish curry. Out of a sudden we had our head mistress Mrs elsamma Thomas making rounds during dinner. As she neared our table, she asked us how the fish curry was? We all in a chorus shouted out saying its yum. She smiled and told us she had made the fish curry her self as she bought fish from Kerala after a two day holiday there. I was not smart enough to know what went into the curry she had made then but that one Friday’s fish curry till date does spark in my mind every now and then letting me crave for it always. This recipe was shared by a fellow foodie friend shuja Thomas on her blog. I just took note of it and gave a try. My, my, it was the same Friday night fish curry that our head mistress had made for us. My lost craving was put to an end with shuja’s recipe being bang on perfect. My first mouth full of rice and this fish curry sure took me to those cold night Friday dinners of our’s in school.

Ingredients	Quantity
Fish	1/2 kg
Red chilly powder	3 teaspoons
Coriander powder	1 teaspoon
Turmeric powder	1/2 teaspoon
Coconut oil	4 tablespoons
Mustard seeds	1/2 teaspoon
Garlic	2 cloves chopped
Ginger	1/2 inch piece chopped
Small onions	one hand chopped
Ginger and garlic paste	1/2 teaspoon
Fenugreek powder	1/4 teaspoon
Curry leaves	few
Gambooge / kudam puli	4 soak in one cup water with little salt
Salt	to taste

Method

Heat a clay pot with coconut oil .Add Mustard seeds , once they crackle.
Top with chopped Ginger, garlic, small onions and curry leaves. Sauté to translucent.
Add the Ginger and garlic paste. Sauté to crisp.
Mix red chilly powder, coriander powder and turmeric powder with little water to get a paste consistency.
Add this over the crisp Ginger, garlic paste. Cook until oil floats on top.
Add soaked kudam puli, salt and two cups of water, bring to boil.
Drop cleaned fish pieces and sprinkle fenugreek powder.
Cover and cook in low flame for ten to fifteen minutes depending on the variety of fish used for the curry .
Swirl the clay pot in intervals of five minutes each when cooking after the fish is added.
Add a few more curry leaves and drizzle coconut oil all around the edges of the clay pot. Swirl and Simmer further for three to five minutes.
Remove from heat and serve after a few hours ( or best the next day ) as the curry tends to thicken when kept in a clay pot.
Adjust water consistency accordingly and serve with hot boiled rice.

Notes

Avoid small onions and coriander powder and make the same curry in case you want to keep the fish curry for a couple of days at room temperature.