Soya Mince Curry

It is a tough task to zero in on a quickie curry for breakfast and therefore I tried the soya mince curry with inspirations from a mince meat curry preparation I saw in a cookery show. Most of the ingredients are the same as in a spicy curry and the new ingredient is boiled onion paste that gives a rich texture to the gravy and balances the pungency of all the spices.

About soya mince (dunno whether it is readily available in shops), I placed a few soya chunks in the blender for about 3 – 5 seconds. It comes out in a coarse powder form which when soaked in water bloats a little.

Hope you will like my experimentation!!

the recipe

Soya mince – ½ cup (blend about 20 soya chunks – the mince can be prepared in advance and stored)

Ginger juliennes – 1 tbsp

Garlic, chopped – 1 tbsp

Tomato – 1 large

Oil – 1 tbsp

Salt – to taste

Spice powders

Pepper powder – ½ tsp

Chilly powder – ½ tsp

Coriander powder – ½ tsp

Turmeric powder – ½ tsp

Garam masala – ¼ tsp

Boiled onion paste - boil 1 large chopped onion in ½ cup water and cook till all the water is absorbed. Grind it to a fine paste

the method

Soak the soya mince in hot water for ten minutes. Drain the water and wash again. Use a sieve to drain the soya mince.

Heat oil in a pan and add the garlic. When lightly brown add the ginger. Saute for a minute and stir in the chopped tomatoes till soft. Stir in the spice powders and sauté. Pour the boiled onion paste and ½ cup water. Add salt. Let it boil for a minute. Stir in the soaked soya mince and let it simmer for 5 minutes or till oil separates and is visible above the curry. Check salt. A dash of lemon juice enhances the taste. Serve as you please. We had it with pidis (rice dumplings). 


the recipe goes to Dish it out by Vardhini

Kashmiri Parantha / Kashmiri Paratha

I came across the name Kashmiri Parantha while dining out in a North Indian restaurant in Kochi. Since the name was new to me, I was euphoric to read the menu that gave a small description about what went into the filling: paneer and dry fruits.

The parantha however had many more flavours which I had to guess ’coz a google search to find the exact recipe seemed to offer only bits of information. The search also revealed that there are veg and non-veg versions.

I prepared a veg Kashmiri parantha with the information from the menu, the web and all the taste I could recollect, and the result was ……..try it and you’ll know it!!

the recipe

ingredients for the dough

Wheat flour – 1 cup

Water – ½ cup or a little less

Salt to taste

ingredients for the filling

Paneer, grated – ½ cup

Raisins, chopped into tiny pieces – 5

Cashew nuts, chopped into tiny pieces – 3

Cherry, chopped – 5

Cumin – 1 pinch

Kasuri methi  – ½ tsp (soak for 2-3 minutes and wash it twice)

Oil / Ghee / Butter – as required

the method

Mix together the ingredient for the filling. Keep it aside.

Prepare dough with the wheat flour, water and salt. Divide the dough into 8 equal parts and roll it into paranthas.

placing the filling

Take a parantha and place 1 – 11/2 tbsp of the paneer filling. Close it with another parantha and seal the edges. Cook it on a griddle and apply ghee/ butter / oil.

Kashmiri paranthas tastes good with pickles and raita. A recommended accompaniment is Kashmiri Paneer.

the recipe goes to Stuffed Paratha event by Vardhini

Fish in Coconut milk gravy

Fish curry is an inevitable part of the Malayali meal .... am talking about the non-vegetarians. This should be the reason why there are so many recipes for a fish curry with more and more improvisation made by various influences. Fish in coconut milk gravy is like a staple curry that is prepared on a day-to-day basis or rather on a daily basis in most homes. 

The color in the curry looks fiery as the photograph suggests but the taste was mellowy. Coconut milk balances the taste of the cocum and the chilly and does not even reveal the presence of ginger which contributes a significant flavor to the taste of any fish preparation. 

I mentioned about the improvisation that comes with each homes / cooks: I have improvised this fish curry with a dash of cumin, mustard and fenugreek seeks and I have sauted the ginger and have also ground ginger along with the coconut. This adds to the zing of the curry and leaves a nice taste in the taste buds even after you finish the meal. .........try it yoursel!!

the recipe

Fish – 1 kg

Small onion, chopped – 3

Green chilly – 2

Curry leaf – 2 sprigs

Oil – 3 tbsp

ingredients for the crushed mixture

(to be crushed in the mixer for about 3 seconds – this is similar to pounding)

Small onion – 5

Ginger – 1 ½

Cumin – 1 generous pinch

Mustard – ¼ tsp

Fenugreek – 1 pinch

Tomato – 2 medium sized

Cocum – 6  medium sized pieces

Turmeric powder – 1 tsp

Chilly powder – 4 tsp or more

Salt – to taste

Coconut milk ( extracted by grinding together ½ part coconut and ½  inch piece ginger)

First extract – ¾ cup

Second extract – ½ cup

the method

Heat oil in a pan and add the three chopped small onions. When brown, add the crushed mixture, green chilly, curry leaves and salt. Saute till light brown. Add turmeric and chilly powder. Stir well for a minute or so. If it starts burning add a little water. Stir in the chopped tomato and cocum. Pour the second extract of the coconut and boil for ten minutes. 

Add the fish pieces and cook for about five - ten minutes in medium heat (Adjust this time based on the type of fish). Swirl the pot instead of using a spoon to mix the fish pieces. Check salt.

(Coconut milk tends to split if poured into a hot sauce, therefore, cook in medium to low heat before and after pouring the coconut milk.)

Add the first extract of the coconut and swirl the pot again. Simmer for 1-2 minutes and then turn off heat.  Serve after one hour.


The recipe goes to Food Palette Red Event

Elephant Foot Yam cutlets

I am making a disclaimer that this is not my recipe but this is one I watched on television a loooooooong time ago.....probably when i was in college or school....and this is the first time that i ever tried......it tasted good

Yam tastes best during July and August.....it is also a time when most tubers taste the best. The veggie cooks faster during these months and I particularly don't taste that itching sensation that usually comes with it. 

Yam  can be cooked in various forms and this is one recipe which even the kids couldn't resist. 

Yam being the common name, the specific name for reference is Elephant foot yam. Stored with immense medicinal value a good read about the benefits of the vegetable is found here.

the recipe

Yam, grated – 400 – 500 gms

Oil – 1 tbsp

Cumin – ¾ tsp

Chillie powder – 1 tsp

Rice flour – 1 ½ - 2 tbsp

Salt to taste

Oil to fry

the method

Sprinkle 1 tbsp oil in the yam and mix well. Steam the grated yam so that the water content in the yam evaporates off. Blend together the steamed yam, cumin, rice flour, chilly powder and salt. Shape it and deep fry in oil. While frying make holes in the middle of the cutlets gently to ensure that proper frying takes place in the middle of the cutlets also. Can be snacked or served with rice.


the recipe goes to the event - - dish name starts with E

Meen Vattichathu (Hot & Tangy Fish Curry)

Meen Vattichathu is a fish dish specific to Kerala. As the English name suggests, it is hot with lots of chillies and tangy with lots of cocum. The curry is usually served with rice as a side dish or as an accompaniment with tapioca or even with vattayappam or you can savor it with whatever you feel is appropriate. 

I have given a slight twist to this fish curry; tomatoes are not part of the basic recipe, but i have added them to give a thicker consistency to the gravy and to reduce the heat of the chillies. A tablespoon or two of coconut milk is another option to reduce the heat (the taste doesn't change with both these options but enhances the taste as per our tastebuds).

In Kerala, fish curries are usually prepared using an earthen pot......and i have followed the protocol :-)

the recipe

fish, marinated with 1/2 tsp each salt, turmeric and chiily powder - 500 gms

small onion - 8 + 3 

ginger - 2 inch piece

green chilly - 2 (kanthari mulaku gives a very good taste but beware of the side effects)

mustard seeds - 1/2 tsp

fenugreek seeds - 1/4 tsp

curry leaf- 2 sprigs

cocum - 4 - 5 medium sized

chilly powder - 3 tsp 

turmeric powder - 3/4 tsp

tomato - 1 

salt to taste

Oil, preferably coconut oil - 3 tbsp

the method

Pound the 8 small onions, ginger, mustard, fenugreek and chillies (alternatively these ingredients may be crushed in the mixer for 1 second). Keep it aside.

Heat oil in a pan and add the 3 chopped small onion. When light brown add the pound onion mixture. Saute till it turns light brown. Reduce the heat. Add curry leaves, turmeric powder and chilly powder. In low flame continue stirring the chilly powder till the sizzling almost stops. Add the chopped tomato and stir till it is soft. Add 1/2 cup water and cocum. Let it boil for ten minutes in medium flame. Add the fish pieces and salt. Hold the pot on either side and give a lightly swirl to mix the gravy with the fish or lightly stir. Continue boiling in medium flame until the fish is cooked. The time required to cook varies according the texture of the fish. Serve after 2-3 hours.