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Sunday, 10 May 2009

The Great Indian River Fish.

fish rui My husband, a fish fanatic, had been in mourning ever since he set foot in Sydney. Well, he does gorge on sea fish, but his bong heart lingers about the Indian river fish – ‘Rohu’. ‘Katla’ ,‘Ilish’, ‘Tilapia’. Thanks to Scribbler’s sister, Sanjukta, who told my depressed husband, that we do get frozen Rohu-Katla-Ilish-Tilapia, in Paraamatta. And  what’s better was her mother endorsing the fish saying- ei khaankaar rou-katla, India theke onek bhalo- export quality to, tai bhishon bhalo! (Since they are export quality fish, they are seldom bad fish- in fact they are tastier than the ones we have in India).

So off we went, despite our flu to Paramatta over the weekend, accompanied by another bong shell, Ananya. Needless to say, I wasn’t all that excited- to me it was – oh! more fish, more cooking. And what was worse was- picking bones for my little Meeshu, who so easily had Bhasa fillet curry with rice. But I had to give in, for his sake. I cannot describe in words his ecstasy on seeing the fish. He got into this mindless banter with the shopkeeper about asking if the fish was indeed as tasty as described by Sanjukta’s mother. All the shopkeeper said was – mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm (a real long drawn one), and nothing more, much to my husband’s chagrin.

Anyway, to be on the safer side we got home a 2 kg fish, of which Ananya took back a few pieces for her dinner. Ananya left for the day after spending the weekend over a lot of adda and food, only to call back late in the evening saying- Maach ta durdanto khete – (the fish is exceptional) , Maakhon er moton (its like butter- it simply melts in your mouth).

So now a decision has been made- to buy 4 kgs of fish, just so we don’t run out of it, through the week.

Anyway, this was a post celebrating the great Indian River Fish- Rohu Or Rui Maach.

Tuesday, 21 April 2009

When sammy came home

DSC03084I was on GM diet- that’s when I cooked all this and didn't taste any of it. Dosa & rice with prawn curry, spicy chicken curry and Paneer.

It was apparently yummy :(. I fished this picture out and am drooling ….guess will make it again tonight? Now that’s a happy thought :)

Creamy Prawn Curry

Ananya made this one night for dinner, and I still haven’t forgotten the taste. Each time I make it, i want more of it. you can create wonders by just replacing one ingredient from a curry. This is similar to Malai Curry, but you replace coconut milk with fresh pouring cream and I use tomatoes in this.

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You’ll need:

500 gms fresh prawns/shrimps – cleaned, deveined

1 teaspoon garlic

1 teaspoon Ginger

1 chopped onion (large)

1 teaspoon tomato paste or 1 diced tomato

1/2 to 1 spoon of red chilly powder

1/2 spoon turmeric

1 tablespoon dhania powder

1/4 spoon cumin powder (optional)

1/2 cup pouring cream

3 table spoons of ghee or oil (i recommend ghee)

2 teaspoons lemon juice

salt to taste

1/4 teaspoon Garam masala

Bunch of coriander

Preparation:

Mix lemon juice and turmeric to the prawns and set aside for about 10 minutes. In a non stick pan sauté the prawns till pink. Set aside. Sauté onions till brown in ghee. Add ginger, garlic and sauté come more. After about a minute add the tomatoes, chilly powder, dhania powder, cumin, salt, turmeric and mix well to form a paste. Now stir in the fresh cream and mix well. Add the prawns and mix for about a minute. Pour water as per your gravy requirement. Cover and simmer for 5 minutes. After 5-7 minutes, sprinkle garam masala and top with lots of coriander.

Serve with hot steamed rice!

Chicken Skewers

DSC03628I always go overboard with starters for any party at home. That’s because I believe my guests will appreciate the food most, when they are still sober, and not intoxicated with scotch and wine- and that happens only in the starter stage. By the time they move on to main course, half of them are thinking of a good night’s sleep and the other half can’t tell the difference between chicken and  lamb. So then, if you are entertaining guests over drinks, work on your starters and keep the main course simple. :-)

I make chicken skewers very often, mostly because it is simple, and tastes out of this world.

You’ll need:

500 gms diced chicken

Teriyaki/barbeque/honey chilly/sweet chilly sauce/ ANY sauce :-)

1 –2 teaspoon lemon juice

1 teaspoon minced garlic

salt to taste

Preparation:

Mix the chicken pieces with garlic, salt, lemon juice and the sauce of your choice. You can make 3 different portions and make different kinds of sticks for the sake of variety! Dump in the fridge for 3-4 hours. Remember- the more you marinade, the better it is!

Soak wooden skewers in water for about one hour.

Half an hour before the guests arrive, arrange the chicken pieces n skewers and grill it in the oven, ocassionally turning it. I grill it at at about 200 degrees for around 15 minutes.

 

You are now, all set to entertain!

Sunday, 5 April 2009

Vietnamese Spring Roll

Made Vietnamese Rice paper spring rolls the other day. It was a welcome change after the deep fried Indian version. Loved it.  They look so peaceful too- white and serene. Perfect mood food for those soul searching moments.

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The best part of the entire spring-roll experience is how light and happy you feel despite having 10 rolls! 

Go on, roll one!

Thursday, 19 March 2009

Sasuri’s Doi Maach / Fish in Spicy Yoghurt Sauce

This one is Via Ma-in-law. A little twisted to my liking of course! One of the many reasons I feared marrying a Bengali was the idea of eating fish everyday. I couldn't stand the smell of fish back then. That’s when Ma would make Doi Maach for me, which surprisingly would smell of spices and tasted liked heaven. Ma's version of Doi Maach has green chillies, was sweeter and had no onions. I tried this the other day for Ananya, and she can vouch for this recipe! Well, between us we finished two full fish fillets!!

For the marinade: 500 gms of firm white river fish / fish fillets. Add 1 big cup of yoghurt, 1 –2 bay leaves, 2-3 cardamom pods, 1 inch stick of cinnamon, 2 –3 cloves, 2 pinches of turmeric. Mix all together and put it in the refrigerator for 2 hours at least.

After 2-3 hours, take out the marinated fish.

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Step 1: In a small non-stick pan, sauté 1 small grated Onion/paste in 2 table spoons of mustard oil. Add green chillies, 1/2 teaspoon of ginger grated (optional), 1-2 teaspoons of red chilly powder. Sauté till oil separates.

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Step 2: Add the marinated fish with spices to the sautéed onion paste in the pan. Coat the fish with the masala. Turn the flame to the low. This is important as Doi Maach is made over very low flame. Add 1/2 teaspoon of sugar and salt to taste.

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Cover it and let it simmer over low flame for about 10-12 minutes.

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After 10-12 minutes, you’ll see the yoghurt has diluted, oil separated and there is enough gravy. If you think you need more gravy just add a little warm water to it. The fish will be cooked by now. Check with a fork if you are unsure. Just before you transfer the fish into a serving bowl, add about 1/2 teaspoon of mustard oil for the flavour.

Serve with piping hot rice!

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Bon Appetite!

Top tips: Some make this without red chilly powder, onions and ginger, like Ma. That tastes equally good. Try either, they both have knock out taste!

Wednesday, 18 March 2009

Vanilla Cup Cakes – happiness in a paper cup :)

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