SARDINE PICKLE

Ingredients:

1. Sardine Fish - 1/2 kg
2. Finely Chopped ginger - 1 1/2 tablespoons
3. Finely Chopped Garlic - 1 1/2 Tablespoons
4. Finely Chopped Green Chillies - 1 1/2 Tablespoons
5. Kashmiri Chilly Powder - 1 1/2 - 2 Tablespoons
6. Turmeric Powder - 1/2 teaspoon
7. Salt as required
8. Vinegar -1 cup
9. Water - 1 Cup
10. Sugar - 1 tsp
11. Curry leaves
12. Fenugreek Powder - 1 teaspoon
13. Sesame Oil - 1/2 cup
Method:

Mix 1/2 teaspoon Chilly Powder, turmeric powder and salt in some vinegar to make a paste. Apply this paste on cleaned cut sardine pieces. Set aside to marinate. If it is kept for sun-drying process for half to one hour it's best.
Boil water and vinegar together and keep aside.
Pour half of the gingelly oil in a well cleaned heavy bottomed vessel. Fry fish pieces in medium fire until all the moisture is vanished. Fish pieces shall not be hard fried. Remove fish pieces from oil. Strain that oil and pour in the vessel again. Add the remaining sesame oil. Add chopped ingredients and curry leaves and saute in medium fire. Fry until moisture went away completely. Shall not change the color. Add Chilly powder. When it's raw smell disappeared add fenugreek powder. Fry in medium flame until an aroma appears.
Add Water-Vinegar mixture into it. Add salt and sugar. Allow to boil well. Add fish pieces and allow to boil for one more minute. Switch off fire and allow the pickle to come into room temperature. Use after 3 days.

Tips:

1. Dont prepare pickles in Aluminum, non-stick or mud vessels. Indolium and Steel vessels are good.   
2. Prepare bottles for storing pickles by cleaning them well and keep under sun-rays to dry well. After that, pour some vinegar in them and rotate the bottle so that vinegar reach each and every parts of the bottle.
3. Take pickle in a small bottle from the main bottle for daily use. 
4. Dont keep any spoon in the bottle after using the pickle.
5. Pickle in the bottle shall not be touched by hand.

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MEAT BALL CURRY

Ingredients:

1. Minced meat [beef/mutton] - 1/2 kg
2. Chopped Onions - 1 cup
3. Chopped green chillies - 1 tablespoon
4. Chopped ginger - 1 teaspoon
5. Chopped garlic - 1 teaspoon
6. Red chilly powder - 1 teaspoon
7. Kashmiri Chilly Powder - 1 teaspoon
8. Coriander powder - 1 tablespoon
9. Cumin seeds - 1/2 teaspoon
10. Fennel seeds - 1/2 teaspoon
11. Cinnamon - 1 piece
12. Cloves - 5
13. Cardamom - 1
14. Nutmeg powder - 1/2 teaspoon
15. Onions -3
16. Green Chilly - 3
17. Curry leaves
18. Salt as required
19. Coconut Oil - 3 Tablespoons
20. Vinegar - 1 teaspoon
21. Thin coconut Milk - 2 cups
22. Thick coconut Milk - 1 cup
23. Turmeric Powder - 1 tsp
24. Peppercorns - 1 tsp


Method:

Place a kadai on fire and add 1 tablespoon coconut oil in it. Add chopped ingredients to the oil and saute in medium fire. When onion become transparent switch off the fire and allow the sauted ingredients to cool. Mix them in the minced meat with salt and 1/2 tsp turmeric powder. Knead well. Make small balls from it.
Grind Peppercorns, chilly powders, coriander powder, nutmeg powder, cinnamon, cloves, cardamom, cumin seeds, fennel seeds & nutmeg powder into fine paste.
Place the kadai again on fire and pour in remaining coconut oil. Fry 3 chopped onions until the colour turn golden. Add slit green chillies and Curry leaves. Add ground masala and fry in low fire. Add Thin coconut milk and salt. Allow to boil well. Add meat balls one-by-one. Dont stir with ladle. Cook the meat balls well in the gravy for 20-30 minutes. Take care to reduce fire after the gravy boiled for 10 minutes.
Add thick coconut milk and vinegar before putting off fire. Serve with rice, rotis etc.

Tip: Put the meat  balls in the gravy when the gravy is at the top boiling point only. Otherwise meat balls will break down into pieces.

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FISH MAPPAS

Ingredients:

1. Silver Pomfret or Seer fish or Pearl Spot - 1/2 kg
2. Garlic - 4 flakes
3. Peppercorns - 1 tsp
4. Chilly Powder - 2 tsp
5. Turmeric powder - 1 tsp
6. Coconut oil
7. Shallots - 1/4 kg
8. Garlic - 6 flakes
9. Ginger - 1 piece
10. Green Chillies - 4-5
11. Mustard - 1 tsp
12. Red Chillies - 3
13. Coriander Powder - 1 tablespoon
14. Fenugreek Powder - 1/2 tsp
15. Tomato - 3
16. Curry Leaves
17. Coconut milk - 1 cup thick + 1 cup thin
18. Salt as per personal choice

Method: 

Clean fish and cut into the size of your choice. Round pieces are best. Grind together 4 flakes of garlic, ginger, peppercorns, 1 tsp chilly powder and 1/2 tsp turmeric powder and apply well on fish pieces with salt. Keep aside at least 1/2 hour for marination. Shallow fry fish pieces in coconut oil. You can use the same oil for further cooking. Crush together shallots, 5-6 cloves garlic, 1 piece ginger and 4-5 green chillies. Splutter mustard and red chillies in oil. Add shallots mixture and saute in medium flame till onion becomes tender and changes color. Add 1 tsp red chilly powder, coriander powder,1/2 tsp turmeric powder and fenugreek powder and fry well. Add curry leaves and saute. Add finely chopped tomato. Turn flame to simmer and cook till tomato cooked well. Mash all the ingredients. Add both cups coconut milk and allow to boil. Add fried fish pieces and boil for 1 minute in low fire. Serve with rice, appam etc.

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CHICKEN & VEGETABLE STEW

Ingredients:

1. Chicken cooked and shredded - 1 cup
2. Carrot cubed - 1/2 cup

3. Potatoes cubed - 1 cup
4. Green Peas or chopped beans - 1/2 cup
5. Garlic - 10 cloves
6. Peppercorns - 1 tablespoon
7. Cloves - 3
8. Cinnamon - 1 stick
9. Cardamom - 1
10. Thick coconut milk - 1 cup
11. Curry leaves
12. salt - as required
13. Onion - 1 big
14. Coconut oil - 2 tablespoons
15. Garam masala powder - 1/2 teaspoon

Method:

Cook vegetables in 1/2 cup of water adding salt & keep aside. Please take care to do not over cook and turn their color. Heat Coconut Oil in a Kadai and add crushed pepper and crushed garlic into it. Saute for 1 minute and add coarsely crushed cloves, cinnamon and cardamom, continue stirring until nice aroma appears. Now add finely chopped onions to it. Saute until onions turn transparent. Add shredded chicken pieces and curry leaves and saute for 2 minutes. Now add cooked vegetables straining water and mix well with the other ingredients. Add salt and garam masala powder. Mix everything well and saute for 1 more minute. Now add coconut milk. Simmer down fire. Do not allow coconut milk to boil. Add strained water from cooked vegetables if want to loosen consistency of gravy. Remove from fire when cocnut milk is about to boil.

Apt with idiyappam, velleppam, palappam etc.

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VARUTHARACHA KOZHI CURRY [Chicken curry with fried coconut gravy]

Ingredients:

1. Chicken - 250 gm
2. Coconut - 1/2 cup
3. Red Chillies - 3
4. Kashmiri Chillies - 4
5. Coriander Seeds - 1 Tbsp
6. Sauf - 1 Tsp
7. Cloves - 2
8. Cinnamon - 2 sticks
9. Cardamom - 1
10. Garlic - 7-8 cloves
11. Turmeric Powder - 1/2 tsp
12. Coconut Oil - 3 Tablespoons 
13. Salt - as required
14. Onions - 2 big
15. Green Chillies - 4
16. Curry leaves - a handful
17. Thin coconut milk - 1 cup
18. thick coconut milk - 1 cup
19. Garam masala powder - 1 tsp

Method: 

Roast grated coconut, red chillies, kashmiri chillies, coriander seeds, sauf,  cloves, cinnamon sticks,  cardamom, cloves of garlic &  turmeric powder in coconut oil in low fire till all the ingredients roasted well and color of coconut turns brown. Make a nice paste of these ingredients. Marinate chicken cut into small pieces with this masala paste & salt for minimum 1/2 hour. Fry sliced onions in coconut oil. Add marinated chicken pieces with masala to this and fry for 5 minutes. Add slitted green chillies sand curry leaves. Now Add thin coconut milk and cook by closing the vessel with lid. When done add garam masala powder & let it boil for 1 more minute. Add thick coconut milk and remove from fire before boiling.

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