MAHARASHTRIAN (BOMBAY) FISH CURRY

Ingredients:

A sufficiency of fresh fish of any kind whole sliced or filleted such as

Pomfret, Rohu, Surma, or Rhawas

1 ounce of ghee or butter or oil
1 tablespoonful of chopped onion
A clove of garlic finely minced
2 dried red chillies, cut lengthwise with the inner seeds removed
1 level dessertspoonful of ground corianders
1 level teaspoonful of ground turmeric
1 level teaspoonful of ground mustard seeds
¼ teaspoonful of ground chillies
½ teaspoonful of chopped fresh or pickled green ginger
Coconut milk as desired
Lemon juice or a ball sized tamarind
Curry leaves for garnish

Directions:

Lightly cook in the fat (ghee, butter or oil ), for 2 or 3 minutes the chopped onions, garlic, chilled and ground spices. Add ½ pint of thin coconut milk in which a teaspoonful of rice flour or cornflour has been mixed. Add salt and lemon juice to taste.

Cook on a slow fire and when it thickens add the pieces of fish and when this is cooked add 2 tablespoonful of thick coconut milk.

After adding the curry the fish must not be stirred but the pan shaken every now and again to prevent sticking at the bottom of the pan. For garnish put some curry leaves.

Optional --- Instead of lemon juice , a small piece of tamarind can be used.

Tip - HOW TO EXTRACT COCONUT MILK

First Method

First Milk

Freshly scraped or grated coconut or very nicely cut desiccated coconut is moistened with sufficient water to cover it, placed on the fire, brought to a boil and then pressed through a strainer

Second Milk

The squeezed husk with more water is put back on the fire and the process repeated.


Second Method

First Milk

Pour boiling water just sufficient to moistened cover the grated kernel of a fresh coconut or an equal quantity of very finely desiccated coconut. Let it stand for 20 minutes and then squeeze the milk out of it.

Second Milk

Repeat the process as for the first milk

Note: If equal parts of cow’s milk and water are used it will enhance the mellowness and richness of the coconut milk. In extracting coconut milk use the ordinary potato presser, as it is so much more effective than the method of squeezing out with hand


Third Method

Coconut grated or scraped mixed with sufficient water just to cover can even be put in a grinder or blender and squeezed out through a sieve./ chalni. The first milk is the first time you squeeze and take out the coconut milk

For the second milk add a little more water again put in the grinder or blender and squeezed again a second time to obtain the second coconut milk

VEGETABLE DO PYAZA

Ingredients:

700 gms green peas
300 gms potatoes
200 gms french beans
200 gms tomatoes
1 chopped onion
1/2 cup fresh curd
4 green chillies
2 tsp cummin seeds
2 tsp coriander seeds
1 tsp turmeric powder
1 piece of ginger chopped
3 cloves chopped garlic
1/2 tsp garam masala
A big pinch of sugar
3 tbsps ghee
A handful of chopped coriander leaves. Salt to taste

Directions:

Cut the vegetables into small pieces. Take onion, green chillies, coriander, cummin seeds, turmeric powder, ginger, garlic and grind all into a fine paste. Now heat ghee and fry the paste till light brown. Add a pinch of sugar and the required quantity of salt. Add the vegetables fry and add well beaten curd and a half cup of water. Cook till tender and mix in garam masala. Garnish it with coriander leaves and serve hot.

Seviyan Kheer (Payasam)

Ingredients:

100 gms vermicelli
6 cups milk
300 gms sugar
50 gms cashewnuts ( sliced )
2 tbsps ghee
1 tbsps cardamom, ground coarsely
2 tbsps raisins soaked in water

Directions:

Heat ghee and fry vermicelli to a golden brown color. Add milk cover over medium fire till vermicelli turns soft and the mixture thick. Now add sugar, stir well and cook till sugar is dissolved. Add cashewnuts and raisins. Garnish with coarsely ground cardamoms and serve hot

Egg Vindaloo

Ingredients:

6 hard boiled eggs, shelled and cut into halves lengthwise
4 medium- sized potatoes, boiled, diced and lightly fried
6 red chillies
1/2 tsp each of cumin seeds and turmeric powder
2 green chillies
2 medium sized onions
1/2 “ long piece of ginger
4 flakes garlic
1 tsp each of sugar and vinegar
4 big tomatoes blanched and sliced
1 bunch of coriander leaves and salt to taste

Directions:

Take all the spices like onion, ginger and garlic and grind to a paste by adding vinegar. Now heat 2 tbsps of ghee or butter and fry the ground masala nicely. Put in sugar,salt and tomatoes and continue to cook till the tomatoes turn tender.Add 1.1/2 cups of water into it and bring to a boil.

Then gradually reducing the heat, put eggs one by one into it and continue simmering till the gravy turns thick. Serve it garnished with coriander leaves.You can also add green peas and other colorless vegetables to enhance the taste of the dish. Eat it with bread, naan or chappati (roti).

Biriyani Nizami

Ingredients:

500 gms good quality rice ( Jasmine, Kohinoor or Royal Basmati )
I kg boneless mutton, the flesh part of leg or shoulder
1 cup curd
2 big onions minced
1” piece of ginger grated
4 green and red chillies
6 cloves
1” long piece cinnamon stick
1 small pinch of nutmeg and mace
2 tbsps saffron strands
6 tbsps hot milk
50 gms blanched and fried sliced almonds
50 gms each of cashewnuts, pistachios, and raisins cut into small bits
1 small bunch of seedless grapes variegated
3 canned pineapple slices cut into small pieces
silver foil
A few drops of food colouringliquid as per requirement
4 tbsps garam masala, salt to taste
A few cardamom seeds

Directions:

Soak saffron in milk for a few minutes then crush the saffron bits and make a paste of them. Then wash and wipe mutton with cold water and cut it into small pieces. Now wash and soak the rice into sufficient quantity of water for about an hour. Grind ginger and chillies to a smooth paste.

Now heat a cup full of ghee, and fry onion till tender. Apply garam masala liberally on the mutton and fry it with the ginger- chilli
paste till it is golden brown from all sides. Now put in curd and cover it with a light weight till mutton is tender and dry. Now remove it from fire and set aside.

Heat 3 tbsps of ghee and fry the remaining of the spices. Add to it the rice and fill it up with the water the rice was soaked in. Adding salt bring it to a boil. Then lower the heat to simmering and continue cooking till the rice is soft and tender. A few drops of lime will keep rice grains separated from each other.

Now remove the rice from fire and mix it liberally with the saffron solution.Now divide the whole quantity of rice into as many portions as you wish to color it by. Place the whole variegated slabs of rice in a fireproof bowl, cover and cook it again on a very low fire. Take precaution of placing a layer of uncooked rice beneath and above the colored lot. When the rice turns soft, remove it from fire, garnish with nuts and decorate colorfully with silver foil. Place the pieces of fruit over it in the pattern as you wish. Garnish with mint leaves and lemon pieces. Serve it hot with vegetable salad or vegetable raita.

Masala Vada

Ingredients:

200 gms urad dal
1 tsp of cummin seeds
3 green chillies minced
1 inch long piece of ginger,finely minced
A few curry leaves
1 small onion minced
About 100 gms of boiled vegetables like cauliflower, carrots, shelled peas, french beans, and tomatoes if desired
A pinch of asafetida
Salt and chilli powder to taste

Directions:

Wash and soak dal in a lukewarm water for 2 hours. Then drain and grind the dal to a smooth paste. Slice all the boiled vegetables and mix in the paste along with other ingredients. Form vadas out of the paste mixture on a wet cloth and deep fry to a golden brown color. Serve hot with green chutney or coconut chutney.