Whole Fish Masala

Recipe No: 264
Making whole chicken is a usual thing in many households but what about whole Fish? This is one such recipe that can be made entirely on the stove top. I used a whole Tilapia, but you can use any fish that fits in your pan but select fishes that have minimum bones.

Ingredients                                    Serves 4

• Whole Fish……………………......1 (2 1/2 – 3 lb or around 1 kg; skin removed)

To grind and marinate the Fish

• Red Chilly Powder……………...1 ½ Teaspoon
• Coriander Powder……………….1 Teaspoon
• Pepper Powder…………………...1/3 Teaspoon
• Turmeric Powder………………..1/4 Teaspoon
• Fenugreek Powder……………...1/8 Teaspoon (Uluva Podi)
• Cumin Powder……………………1/4 Teaspoon (Jeera Podi)
• Shallots……………………………..4 (Kochulli)
• Garlic…………………………………5 Big cloves
• Ginger……………………………….1 inch piece
• Vinegar……………………………..1/2 Teaspoon
• Salt as needed

To saute

• Oil…………………………………..…3-4 Tablespoons (Use Coconut oil for better taste)
• Mustard seeds…………………….1/2 Teaspoon
• Shallots sliced………………..……1 cup
• Ginger sliced thin………………..1 inch piece
• Green Chilly cut into rounds…1
• Curry Leaves………………………1 sprig
• Tomato sauce……………………..3 Tablespoons (instead use 1 big Tomato pureed after removing the seeds)
• Tomato Ketchup……………..…..3 Tablespoons
• Water…………………………….…..1 1/2 Cups
• Salt as needed

Method of Preparation

1. Remove the skin of the Fish; wash; make a few slits and pat it dry.
2. Grind all the ingredients given in the ‘to grind and marinate’ section into a fine paste.
3. Marinate the Fish with half of the ground paste and keep it aside for at least 30 minutes. Keep the rest of the marinade for later use.
4. Heat 2 tablespoons of Oil in a non stick pan (will reduce sticking and the amount of Oil used) on medium high heat and shallow fry the fish for about a minute on each side. (Doesn’t have to cook the Fish entirely, we are looking for a light brown color here and there.)
5. Remove the Fish from the pan and add the rest of the Oil (if necessary) and splutter the Mustard seeds.
6. Add Shallots, Ginger, Curry Leaves and Green Chilly; saute till it is wilted.
7. Lower the heat to medium low and add the left over marinade; saute till the raw smell is gone for about a minute.
8. Add Tomato sauce and Ketchup followed by Water; put heat on medium high and let it boil thoroughly.
9. Slide the Fish back into the gravy; lower the heat to medium low; cover the pan and let it cook for about 30 minutes. (The amount of Water will be less than the height of the Fish so it is very important to turn the Fish over once while cooking and do pour the gravy over at times.)
10. Once the Fish is cooked, check the Salt and add more if needed. If the amount of Water is more than what you need, then keep the lid open and let it evaporate.  At this point do take some gravy from the sides and baste the Fish constantly.
11. Once the amount of Water is reduced to a desired level, switch off the heat and serve it hot with Rice or Flat Breads.

Notes:

• It is very easy to remove the skin without harming the flesh, if the Fish is semi frozen. Use a bit of Salt to get hold of the skin if you lose grip.
• Tomato sauce is different from Tomato paste and Ketchup and are available in most of the grocery stores.
• As per the amount of ingredients given here the dish will be a bit on the spicy side. So adjust the seasonings according to your taste.
• You can marinate the Fish and keep it overnight in the coolest portion of the refrigerator (not freezer). But in that case let it come to room temperature before cooking.
• There are chances for the Fish to stick to the bottom of the pan while cooking, but instead to moving the Fish with a spatula which can break the Fish, do move the pan to and fro to move the Fish.
• Instead of transfering the cooked Fish with a spatula, you can slide the Fish with the gravy into a serving plate to avoid breaking the flesh.

 




Make it, enjoy the deliciousness and 
serve it to your family with love…

Carrot and Date Cake

Recipe No: 263
This Cake was born as a complete surprise. A few months back my Mother in Law told me about a Carrot Cake, but memories of that was hidden in the back of my brain until a batch of Caramel that I made for Cashew Caramel tart went bitter. I realized that the batch went bad only after putting the Cashews in the Caramel… but what sort of a cook will I be if I throw that out? So the day after the completion of the blog, I whipped this cake up from that bitter Caramel (without paper and pen, as I decided to celebrate by cooking without them, which rarely happened after starting the blog!!!). But when that Cake turned out to be this good, I decided to make it once more but this time measuring and recording the ingredients….and thus this was born... So let me restart blogging with this Cake recipe…

Before coming to the actual recipe, let me explain a bit about this Cake… If you go through the ingredient list, you can see that the amount of Carrots, Dates and Nuts are far more than the amount of Flour (than most of the other Carrot Cake recipes) and hence this will be a bit difficult to cut (will crumble fast) while hot or at room temperature. So it is better to cool it in the refrigerator before cutting and serving. And also the slight hint of bitterness from the Caramel complements the Cake well when served chilled.

Ingredients

• All Purpose Flour/ Maida…..1 Cup
• Baking Soda……………………..3/4 Teaspoon
• Salt………………………………....a pinch
• Vegetable or Canola Oil……..3/4 Cup
• Sugar……………………………….3/4 Cup
• Eggs…………………………………2
• Vanilla Extract/ Essence…...1/2 Teaspoon
• Grated Carrots………………….1 Cup
• Chopped Dates………………...1 Cup
• Chopped Cashew Nuts…..….1/2 Cup

To Make the Carmel

• Sugar………………………….…..1/2
• Hot Water………………….……1/4 Cup

Method of Preparation

To make the Caramel

1. Heat Sugar in a dry pan on medium heat till nicely caramelized. (Don’t stir the Sugar while making the Caramel which makes it gritty, but do swirl the pan often to get the Sugar caramelized equally on all portions.) Make the Caramel really dark and on the bitter side. The bitterness of the Caramel complements this Cake really well.
2. Add hot Water to the Caramel and switch off the heat as soon as the Caramel is dissolved. Keep aside till it is cooled thoroughly.

To Make the Cake

1. Line a loaf pan (9 x 5 inch, alternately use a 9 inch round pan)with Parchment paper and spray with cooking Oil. (Alternately, apply a thin layer of Butter on the pan and sprinkle some Flour evenly on top and dust the extra off.)
2. Preheat the oven to 350˚F/ 180˚C.
3. Sift together Flour, Baking Soda and Salt together and keep aside.
4. Mix together Eggs and Sugar really well until most of the Sugar is melted through.
5. Add the Oil and beat really well until it is thickened and the mixture looks like Mayonnaise.
6. Add the prepared Caramel and Vanilla Essence; mix well.
7. Add the Flour mixture and mix slowly and gently until just combined. (Don’t mix the batter too much after adding the Flour as the Flour may develop the Gluten which can make the Cake tough.)
8. Add a tablespoon of Flour into the Carrots, Dates and Nuts and mix slightly (This will prevent them from sinking to the bottom of the pan (specially dates and nuts) and will aid to separate the Date pieces). Add this into the batter and mix till everything is distributed evenly.
9. Pour this mixture into the prepared pan, level the top and bake for 35 – 45 minutes or till a tooth pick inserted in the middle of the Cake comes back clean.
10. Once out of the oven, wait for some time for the Cake to cool and then keep it in the refrigerator.
11. Once chilled, run a knife along the sides and unmold the Cake. Cut and serve while cold. Keep the left over Cake in the refrigerator.

Notes

• Using hot Water will help the Caramel dissolve fast. On the other hand using cold water will solidify the Carmel and will take a long time for it to dissolve back. So it is better to use hot water while making Caramel.
• Caramel had an extremely high temperature, so take care and stand back while pouring the Water (hot or cold) into the Caramel as it bubbles up vigorously.
• Grate Carrots using the big holes of the box grater and chop dates with the knife. I prefer not to use the food processor as it will make them very fine and sticky which may affect the texture of the Cake.
• Do chop the Dates into small pieces or their weight will make them sink.
• Don’t open the oven while the cake is baking because sudden temperature changes may lead to the falling of the Cakes. (sinking in the middle)
• Do insert a toothpick only if the top of the cake feels cooked. If you do it before it  is almost cooked,  the Cake may fall in that area.
• It is very difficult to cut this Cake while hot. So do chill it before cutting.
• When chilled there are chances that the borders of the Cake become a bit chewy. So do remove it before serving. (If you have a family of at least two, it is almost certain that one among the two will love the chewy sides, unfortunately for me, all of us love the sides and it will be over before cutting the actual Cake!!!)
• Be sure to make the Caramel a bit bitter or this Cake will be over sweet. I like it when less sweet.
• This recipe can be doubled with the same quality if you want to serve more people.

 






Make it, enjoy the deliciousness and 
serve it to your family with love…

Awards....

Sojo of My Culinary Experiments and Tahemeem Shaik of Not So Gourmet has passed on this 'One Lovely Blog' award some days back... Let me take the time to thank them for remembering me...

I would like to pass this award to these amazing and talented fellow bloggers...

India Khana

Kurinji of Kurinji Kadambam

Nivya of Nora's Kitchen

Dr. Sameena Prathap of My Culinary Creations

Umm Mymoonah of Taste of Pearl City

Lijna of Kitchen Delights

Divya Vikram of Dil Se

Miriam Korula of In Vogue at Home

Kalpana Sareesh of Life with Spices

Sonali Pradhan of Only Fish Recipes

Sheena Babu

Dhanya of Taste of Sopanam

Jincy of Third Kitchen

Priya Mahadevan of Now Serving.

Now this is what you have to do

1. Accept the award and post it in your blog with the name of the person who has given you the award with his or her blog link.
2. Nominate 15 other bloggers for the award.
3. Let them know about the award by leaving a comment in their blog.

Thanks a lot once more for showering me with encouragement....

Awards and a Thank you note....

Along my journey with the Tasty Challenge, I received a bunch of Awards which I was not able to address before... So I am taking time to thank the wonderful bloggers who thought that I deserve it and passed it on to me.

Thanks to Sojo of My Culinary Experiments and Sonali Pradhan of Only Fish Recipes

7 Facts about me

It is only 4 years since I started cooking on my own.

I love to taste the regional foods while traveling.

If I like something that I eat, chances are there I’ll try to recreate it.

My dream vacation is staying in a hotel eating, watching TV and sleeping!!!

I am a person with serious starting trouble. If I start something I’ll do it with utmost dedication but to get me start is something daunting!!!

I am kind of a ‘Science person’ trying to figure out the scientific aspects behind things.

I love talking to everyone… (A lot actually) but make friends only very slowly…

I would love to share this award with these friends

Priya of Priya's Easy N Tasty Recipes

Tina of Kaipunyam.com

Jess of Pachakarani

Nisha of Look Who's Cooking Too

My Pleasure... My Treasure

Reshmi Mahesh of Easy Cook

Kitchen Boffin

Sushma Mallya of Authentic Food Delights

Aparna Kanakarajan of Ladies Special Adukkala

A Feast of the Mind....Manasinu Oru Sadya

Sneha Benny of Art of Cooking

Not so Gourmet

Vimitha Anand of My Culinary Trail Room

Jay of Tasty Appetite

Mehjabeen Arif of Jabeen's Corner

Now this is what you have to do...

1.  Accept the award and post it in your blog with the name of the person who has given you the award with his or her blog link.
2. Nominate 15 other bloggers for the award and let them know about the award by leaving a comment in their blog.
3. Mention 7 facts about you.

Thanks....

Oven Roasted Bone Marrow with sauteed Onion and a flavored Oil

I wanted to do something special as the Grand Finale recipe…something that will make my friends go ‘hmm… interesting’. Things are very different now when compared to what it was one year back… Almost all of us are in different places now and so making a feast for them is impossible… Most of them being foodies and quite adventurous with food, especially in the Non-Vegetarian area, I decided to go something around that. So after some long thoughts I came up with this… something that will trigger their imaginations and force them to guess how it will taste and will be with us at least in their thoughts…

So... for all those who forced me into doing this challenge and for all those who became friends on the way and inspired me...

Recipe No: 262

Ingredients                                                  Serves 3-4

• Beef Leg bones………………..5 pieces; cut 4-5 inches in length
• Bread slices…………………….9-10 (I used French; any crusty Bread preferred)

To make the Sauteed Onion

• Thinly sliced Onion………….2 Cups
• Oil…………………………….……2 Tablespoons
• Salt…………………………………1/4 Teaspoon
• Sugar a pinch

For the Flavored Oil

• Oil………………………………….....2 Teaspoons (Vegetable/ Olive)
• Garam Masala Powder………1/4 Teaspoon
• Black Pepper Powder………....1/4 Teaspoon
• Coriander Leaves/ Cilantro…1 Teaspoon (Chopped as fine as possible)
• Salt…………………………………...1/8 Teaspoon

Method of Preparation

1. Preheat the oven to 430˚F/ 220˚C.
2. Scrape all the extra meat and fat from the bones as possible. Wash and dry them with a paper towel.
3. Arrange them on a baking tray lined  with Aluminum foil (will help in cleaning) with their broad end touching the tray in an upright position.
4.  Bake it towards the bottom of the oven. (Not on the lowest rack but one or two racks above.) These bones have hard regions on the broad flat end and so to cook that portion, you have to keep it towards the bottom of the oven.
5. Bake for 20-30 minutes or till the internal temperature (in the middle of the Marrow) is  160˚F. (I like it well cooked and so this temp; don’t overcook as it becomes liquid fat.) When cooked, fat will be bubbling on top of the Marrow and if you insert a toothpick, the fluids running will be clear.
6. While the Marrow is roasting, saute the Onion in a shallow pan on medium low flame with Oil, Salt and Sugar until it is wilted and attains a light brown color. We are not  looking for crispy fried onion, but a very soft and moist sauteed Onion.
7. Mix all the ingredients to make the flavored Oil and keep aside till ready to be used.
8. Arrange the Bread slices on a baking tray and bake it in the oven towards the last 8-10 minutes of roasting the Bone Marrow. This will make the Bread crispy.
9. Once the Marrow is cooked, serve it with the Bread, Sauteed Onion and the Spice Mix.
10. Scoop the marrow on to the crispy Bread, arrange some Onion on top and give a very light drizzle of the flavored Oil. (Only a few drops as it is very salty; it has to be salty as we are not using much of Salt anywhere else and eating Bone Marrow without Salt will not be very pleasant.)

Notes:

• Beef Leg bones are generally used for makings roasted Bone Marrow. Ask your butcher if they have some. I am not so sure about the regular grocery stores, but it will be available in most of the Butcher shops. (It is also called soup bones, which are not very expensive.)
• Before cooking, the Marrow part will be very hard but as it cooks it will become very soft and attains a gelatinous texture.
• Don’t overcook the Marrow because if you do all the fat will melt and will become liquid fat.
• Eat the Marrow while hot because as it gets cold the fat will solidify, giving an unpleasant texture.
• It is easy to scoop out the Marrow from the bone with a butter knife.
• If you want discard the liquid fat out while scooping the Marrow.
• Marrow is basically fat with a small amount of protein. So even if it is not good for regular use, you can have it once in a while… like your wedding anniversary or if you ladies out there want your foodie husband to buy you a Diamond ring or a bracelet!!!
• I have to say if you are a foodie; loves non Vegetarian very much and are willing to eat new stuff, this one is a must try… at least once. It is rich and decadent with a very unique flavor and feel.

Make it, enjoy the deliciousness and
serve it to your family with love...

                                                                               
                            
                                                                                   The End

Chocolate striped Cylinder Cookies

Recipe No: 261

Ingredients                                     Makes 12-15

• Semisweet Chocolate Chips….1/4 Cup
• Butter………………………………..1/2 Teaspoon
• Egg Whites………………………...2
• Powdered/ Icing Sugar………..1/4 Cup
• All Purpose Flour/ Maida…….1/4 Cup
• Butter………………………………..1/4 Cup / ½ Stick; Melted
• Vanilla Essence…………………..1/4 Teaspoon

Method of Preparation

1. In a bowl melt Semisweet Chocolate Chips and ½ Teaspoon Butter in the microwave until smooth. Pour this into a small Zip Lock bag; make a small hole at the tip and keep it aside till ready to be used.
2. Preheat the oven to 375˚F/ 190˚C. Keep a tray lined with a parchment paper ready.
3. Whip the Egg Whites and Vanilla Essence until it forms stiff peaks.
4. Add the Powdered Sugar slowly while whipping.
5. Mix in the Flour followed by the Melted Butter (1/4 cup) really well.

6. Drop a tablespoon full of batter onto the parchment paper lined tray and spread it as thin as possible.
7. Squeeze the melted Chocolate onto the batter to make thin stripes at equal distance.
8. Keep it in the middle of the oven for 3-4 minutes or until it is slightly browned here and there.
9. Take it out of the oven; loosen the cookie from the sheet; turn it upside down and with the help of a small round rod roll it into a cylinder. (You can roll it without the rod too, but it wont be that perfect.)
10. Keep it on a cooling rack to cool. Once cooled, keep it in an airtight container.
11. Serve at room temperature with Ice cream.

Notes:

• This batter has a tendency to become thick as it sits. But when it is spread onto a hot tray (from the previous batch) it will spread easily and will form very thin sheets. 
• Take care to spread the batter as even as possible on to the Cookie sheets to ensure even cooking.
• Depending on the size of the tray and the size of the cookie, make 1 or 2 at a time. Don’t make more than that at once, otherwise, the other cookies will harden up while you roll one of them. In case if the cookie hardens up before rolling, keep it back in the oven for a few seconds to make it soft again.
• I used a Silpat (Silicon Mat) for making these cookies so that it wont stick onto the pan. At least Parchment Paper is a must for this and if the Cookie sticks, loosen it with a metal spatula and keep it back in the oven for a few minutes (to make it soft again) before rolling.
• This cookie is very sensitive to moisture so keep it in an airtight container as soon as it cools.

 














Make it, enjoy the deliciousness and 
serve it to your family with love…

Banana Foster

Recipe No: 260
I have no idea how many times I made this for my friends in California. I did make this with  Rum and Brandy; both have different tastes but very yummy. Another factor is that this will have the maximum taste only if you flambé (setting alcohol on fire) it. That gives the alcohol flavor and a great texture to this dessert that is usually served with Vanilla Ice-cream.

 

Ingredients                                         Serves 2

• Banana………………..3 Small/ 1 ½ big ones (I used big Robusta type Banana)
• Butter…………….......2 Tablespoons
• Brown Sugar……....2 Tablespoons
• Brandy/ Rum….…..1 ½ Tablespoons
• Ice Cream…………...2-3 Scoops

Method of Preparation

1. Slice the Banana into 2 (if small) or into 4 (if big; cut into two and split each part into two). Keep aside till ready to be used.
2. Melt Butter and Brown Sugar in a pan on medium heat.
3. Once melted, arrange the Banana slices in a layer and cook for a minute on both sides.
4. Add the Brandy/ Rum and with a lighter set the Alcohol on fire (It will go off once the Alcohol is burned out, which takes like 20-30 seconds.), a process called Flambé.
5. Once the flame is over, switch off the stove and serve it warm with cold Vanilla Ice-cream.

Notes:

• I used Robosta type Banana, which is larger in size, but you can use any soft variety Banana(Pazham). But dont use Plantain (Ethakka).
• It is very important that the Banana slices have to be arranged in a single layer to ensure proper and even cooking.
• Use ripe but firm Bananas for this preparation. If too ripe, please reduce the cooking time.
• If Brown Sugar is not available for you, please do use regular Sugar but wait till it caramelize a bit giving the dish a light brown color.
• Don’t pour Alcohol directly from the bottle into a hot pan to avoid the Alcohol in the bottle from catching fire.
• As the Alcohol burns inside the pan, it is better to use a stainless steel one for making this.
• You can set the Alcohol on fire with the help of a lighter or by slightly tipping the pan to let the Alcohol catch fire from the flame of the stove (I prefer the first method). Eventhough the Alcohol is burned out, the flavor remains.
• When the Alcohol burns the heat will really melt all the ingredients in the pan making the juices very smooth and tasty. There is a huge difference if you flambé or not. Please do it; it is not dangerous as it sounds!!!

 






Make it, enjoy the deliciousness and
serve it to your family with love…