Crab Ghee Roast Masala

Ingredients :

1. Crab - 1 kg whole cleaned , washed and drained
2. Ghee - 2 tbsp
3. coconut oil - 5 tbsp

to marinate crab

• curd - 1/4 cup
• turmeric powder - 1/4 tsp
• chilly powder - 1 tsp
• salt - 1/2 tsp
• ginger garlic paste - 1 tsp
• corn flour - 1 tsp
• lime juice - 1tsp

 to grind

• Onion - 1 small
• corriander seeds - 1 tbsp
• dry red chilly - 10 
• garlic cloves - 8
• cumin seeds - 1/2 tsp
• tamarind paste - 1/4 tsp
• salt - to taste

Method:
Marinate the crab using the marinade masala mix and keep aside for 30 minutes
saute or microwave all the ingredients to grind until heated through and grind to a smooth paste adding just enough water and keep aside.
Heat the coconut oil on high in a nonstick flat pan and add the crab and flash fry for 2 minutes on each side .
remove the crab from pan and keep aside .
Into the same pan and oil add the left over marinade and the ground masala and cook on medium flame until the masala is cooked through and the oil separates .
The masala should be a dark brownish red color by then.
Place the fried crab back into the masala and add 1/4 cup water and mix until the crab is coated with the masala .
cook for 2 minutes , add the ghee and mix well .
Serve hot

Uduppi style thin Dal

Ingredients :

1. mung dal - 1/2 cup
2. Channa dal - 1/2 cup
3. Tomatoes - 3 ripe chopped
4. Onion - 1 large chopped
5. Garlic - 4 cloves crushed 
6. green chilly - 4 slit
7. curry leaves - 1 spring
8. turmeric powder - 1/2 tsp
9. salt - to taste
10. Ghee - 2 tbsp
11. shallots - 2 sliced thin
12. mustard seeds - 1/2 tsp
13. dry red chilly - 1 broken
14. cumin seeds - 1/4 tsp

Method:
wash the dals and add to pressure cooker .
Add enough water to cover the dals plus 2 cups
add the chopped onion,tomato,crushed garlic,green chillies,and turmeric powder and stir .
Close the pressure cooker and cook until it reaches full pressure (1 whistle) .
reduce the flame and cook for 5 more minutes.
turn flame off and allow to cool .
Open the cooker and add salt to taste ,mix well and keep aside.
heat Ghee in a frying pan  and splutter the mustard and cumin seeds.
Add in the shallots and dry red chillies and curry leaves.
fry until the shallots turn golden brown .
Open the cooked and add in the cooked dal mix into the tadka .
Bring to a simmer and turn flame off.
Garnish with corriander leaves and serve with rice /idli/chappati etc.

Chicken Green masala

 
Ingredients:

1. Chicken - 3/4 th kg with bone cut into medium/small pieces
2. Ghee - 3 tbsp
3. Onion - 3 large finely chopped
4. Tomatoes - 3 medium chopped
5. Green chillies - 5
6. garlic - 1 pod
7. ginger - 3  inch piece
8. corriander leaves - 1 bunch
9. lime - 1/2 of one
10. corriander powder - 4 tbsp
11. turmeric powder- 1/2 tsp
12. black pepper - 1 tbsp powdered coarsley
13. Green cardamom - 4 crushed
14. Fennel seeds - 1 tsp crushed
15. curry leaves - 2 springs
16. salt -to taste

Method:
make a paste of chillies ,ginger,garlic,corriander leaves and curry leaves and keep aside
Heat the Ghee in a pan and add the thinly sliced/chopped onions and saute until it starts to brown lightly.
Add the corriander powder,turmeric powder,pepper powder,crushed cardamom & fennel seeds ,salt  and stir well.
Add the ground masala paste and saute for 2 minutes.
Add the chopped tomatoes and chicken pieces and mix well.
cover and cook until the chicken is cooked through.
The chicken will give out enough water for the gravy - cook in its own juices ,if you see the mixture is drying up ,add 1/4th cup water and cook.
Once the chicken is cooked , squeeze juice of 1/2 lime and check for balance .
Season with more salt,lime,chilly if required.
Serve with rice/chappathi/pathiri etc.

Black Pomfret Ghee Roast

 
Ingredients:

1. Fish - 2 slices of Black pomfret
2. fish marinade - make a paste of ,pinch of turmeric powder,1/2 tsp of chilly powder and salt to taste
3. Onion - 1/2 of one  medium sized
4. Red ripe tomato - 1/2 of one medium sized
5. cumin seeds - a small pinch ( 1/5th of a tsp)
6. Fenugreek seeds - a tiny pinch (5 fenugreek seeds )
7. Black pepper - 1/4 tsp
8. Asafotieda - 1/2 tsp
9. Vinegar - 1/4 tsp
10. sugar - 1/4 tsp (optional)
11. Ginger paste - 1/2 tsp
12. Garlic paste - 1 tsp
13. turmeric powder - 1/4 tsp
14. Kashmiri chilly powder - 2 tsp
15. salt - to taste
16. Ghee - 2 tbsp
17. Oil - 2 tbsp

Method:

Wash and dry the fish slices , apply the fish marinade and keep aside for 30 minutes.
dry roast the cumin,fenugreek and black pepper with the Asafotieda for 1 minute.
add the roasted spices to the blender and powder it , in same blender along with the spice powder ,Make a paste of the onion,tomato,ginger,garlic,turmeric and chilly powder  and keep aside .
In a nonstick frying pan add  2 tbsp oil + 1 Tbsp Ghee and heat it.
Add the fish and fry for a total of 4 minutes (2 minutes on each side ) Do not over fry or cook until the fish gets crispy .
Remove the fish from pan and retain the oil,ghee mixture .
Add the ground paste to this frying pan and add 1/2 a cup of water and cook ,until the masala is cooked and oil starts separating .
Add vinegar and sugar and enough salt to taste and check for balance . Adjust accordingly.
Add 2 tbsp of water and stir well.now add the remaining 1 tbsp of Ghee and return the fried fish to the pan . Cook for 2 minutes until the masala has coated the fish .
Serve garnished with cilantro,onion slices and lime wedges.

Uduppi beach style Masala fried fish

Ingredients :

Fish - 1 whole (about 500 gms ) I have used Dover Sole , any fish like pomfret,mackeral,red snapper etc can be used .
For first marinade : 

1.  Turmeric powder - 1/4 tsp
2. Chilly powder -1 tsp
3. black pepper powder - 1/2 tsp
4. vinegar - 1/2 tsp
5. salt - to taste
6. Oil - 1/2 cup (or enough to shallow fry the fish - coconut oil is best)

For the second masala paste:

1. Tamarind paste - 1/2 tsp (to taste) 
2. Kashmiri chilly powder - 2 tsp
3. ginger garlic paste - 1 tbsp
4. curry leaves - 5 
5. chickpea flour/besan - 1 tsp
6. soy sauce - 1/2 tsp
7. salt - to taste

 Method :
clean , scale and wash the fish well. Make gashes on both the sides and drain well.
Make a paste of all ingredients in first marinade section except the oil and apply of the fish.
Keep aside for at least 30 minutes (you can refrigerate it for up to 6 hours )
Prepare the second masala paste by adding 2 tswp of water to form a loose paste and keep aside (consistency should be that of dosa/pancake  batter )
If you have refrigerated the fish - keep it outside at room temperature for 1/2 hour before you fry it.
Heat oil in a large shallow nonstick pan that can hold the whole fish ,with enough space to turn it around.
Once the oil is really  hot , place the marinated fish and cook on medium high heat for about 3 minutes on 1 side.
Turn the fish over (use 2 spatulas to turn) and fry for 2 minutes . You can tilt the pan around ,so the fish gets crispy in the oil .
Using a brush or a spoon apply the second masala paste on the fish (still in the pan ) and turn it over ,so that the new masala coated side it touching the pan . After turning the fish over , apply masala to the side which is on top now .After about 2 minutes turn the fish over and cook the newly masala coated side for 2 more minutes until the masala is cooked and coated on the fish .

Serve hot with fresh onion slices and lime wedges.

TIPS: Whole fish ,skin on is best for this preparation . It helps retain the moisture .Use fresh fish that is not frozen if possible.

Mangalorean Anjal Masala Fry

The very first time that I happened to taste this preparation was from Mangalore at One of the tiny road side hotels in the car street area. I have been there several times but never saw a hotel name outside . Its just called "Fish Hotel" by the regulars.There is not a huge choice of items on the menu except seafood.They are so packed at lunch that you might have to wait a while before you get a seat ,which is a bench and a desk .They only have rice ,which is served with a pickle and one vegetable plus fish curry as a gravy .That is the standard lunch.Along with it they have a choice of fish , prawns and Squid . Rava fry , masala fry and a regular fry.Almost on all days they have a choice of fish ranging from Kingfish/Anjal/Aikoora/Nenmeen , Sole , Pomfret , Lady fish/Kane/Nongal and Mackeral All fried in different forms. My favourite is the White Pomfret Masala fry . Its something that every seafood lover has to taste at least once in their life time :)















How is it different from the regular fish fry - The masala or gravy , its  smooth , creamy and flavorful without being too spicy or dry, and the fish itself is just very lightly cooked not fried until it is as hard as a stick . Its more of a steaming effect which retains the moisture inside the fish which gets coated with this amazing gravy.I was so in love with this preparation that I have asked several of my Mangalorean friends for the recipe , they have explained but it never came out like I imagined until I found this method online.

Ingredients :

1. Anjal/Nenmeen/Aikoora/King fish  - 3 pieces the size of the palm of your hand , sliced about 1/2 inch thick with the bone
2. Tomato - 1 medium sized , get a ripe red one .
3. Kashmiri chilly powder - 2 tbsp
4. coriander powder - 1 tsp
5. turmeric powder - 1/4 tsp
6. methi seeds - 3 or 4 grains
7. vinegar - 1/2 tsp
8. salt - to taste
9. Coconut oil - 4 tbsp
10. curry leaves - 1 spring
11. Garlic - 3 cloves
12. Ginger - 1/2 tsp chopped

Method:
Add all the ingredients except the fish and curry leaves into a blender and grind to a smooth paste.
Taste the masala for salt , spice and sourness .
Adjust taste now , we rae not going to salt the fish ,so this masala should have enough salt for the fish pieces also .
Heat a nonstick pan and add the ground masala paste and fry on a medium flame until the masala is cooked and the oil starts separating.
Taste the masla again and adjust if needed.
Add in the curry leaves and arrange the fish slices on top of the gravy and pour about 1/4th cup of water into the pan and cover and allow to cook .
After about 5 minutes, turn the fish over without breaking it and cover and cook for another 3 minutes.
Remove the lid and let the gravy roast .
Turn the fish over and roast until the gravy is thick and coated on the fish piece.
Serve hot with rice.

Karabath

Ingredients:

1. rava/semolina/cream of wheat - 1 cup
2. water - 2 cups
3. onion - 3 tbsp chopped
4. green chilies - 1 chopped
5. ginger - 1 tsp chopped
6. cashews - 8 
7. salt - to taste
8. curry leaves - 1 spring
9. split urud dal - 1 tsp
10. Mustard seeds - 1/2 tsp
11. Oil/Ghee - 3 tbsp

Method:
Heat a frying pan and add in the rava and dry roast it until it is hot , dont let it change color but stirfry for few miniutes.
Keep this aside.
Heat the oil/Ghee in a frying pan and splutter the mustard seeds.
Add in the urud dal and fry until it is golden brown.
Add in cashews and fry for a minute.
Add curry leaves, chopped onion, green chillies and ginger and fry for 2 minutes.
Add 2 cups of water and salt to taste and bring to a boil.
Add in the roasted rava and stir without forming lumps.
Cover and cook for 2 minutes.
Serve hot  with coconut chutney.

 

Anchal Masala Fry

Ingredients :

1. King Fish/Seer Fish / Nenmeen /Aykoora/Anchal - approx 1/2 kg
2. Shallots - 2 ground to a paste
3. ginger garlic paste - 1 tbsp
4. Chilly powder - 2.5 tbsp
5. Turmeric powder - 1/2 tsp
6. pepper powder - 1/2 tsp
7. Vinegar - 1.5 tbsp
8. Curry leaves - 1 spring
9. Coconut Oil - 2 tbsp ( plus enough to shallow fry - approx 1/2 cup)
10. salt - to taste.

Method:
Wash and pat dry the fish steaks.
Make a marinade adding all the ingredients above except the oil to deepfry.
To the marinade add 2 tbsp of coconut oil and vinegar and if needed few tbsp of water .
taste the marinade for salt and spices , adjust if necessary .
Apply the marinade to the Fish and leave aside for 30 minutes to 1 hour.
Since we add vinegar - do not leave it more than an hour .Acid tends to cook the protein and your fish tends to get tough if you leave it longer marinating in vinegar.
If you have to leave it longer add vinegar at the end .
In a flat pan add a few tbsp of coconut oil and when it is hot add the fish pieces.
Fry for 2-3 minutes per side on medium heat.

note : When buying kingfish ,always get the big ones they taste better.The bigger the better.
When you fry fish or anything for that matter try and turn it  only 1 time for best results.

Neer Dosa

Ingredients:

1. Sona Masoori Rice - 1 glass
2. Salt - to taste
3. Oil - to smear the pan

Method:

Saok the rice in water for 4-5 hours.
Grind to a smooth paste with water.
Add enough water to the batter so that it is a thin ,almost water like consistency mixture.
Add salt to taste and keep aside for an hour or 2.
Heat a nonstick pan that has sides (preferably), the pan has to be hot.
Smear the pan with a drop of oil.
mix the bater and pour 1 ladleful and swirl the pan so that the batter spreads into a thin round shape.
cook for a minute and fold into triangles.
transfer to a plate and keep covered while you make the next one.
Serve with chutney or any veg,egg,meat or fish curry of your choice.

NOTE: Neer dosa is traditionally made on dosa stone, I tried but couldnt get the dosa to come off the stone .It stuck like it would never come off.So I used nonstick pan and found that having sides help, because then the batter doesnt flow off the pan.This dosa come out very light and soft.I got around 25 dosas with 1 big glass of rice.

Mangalore Uppumanga chammanthi

Ingredients:

1. Uppumanga/ mango in brine - 3 or 4 pieces depending on how sour it is
2. Green chillies - 8 (I also added the birds eye chills that came in the brine, that gave it a real spicy kick)
3. Grated coconut - 1 cup
4. Coconut milk - 4 tbsp (I have seen this being added only in Mangalore region)
5. shallots - 2 small
6. curry leaves - 1 spring
7. salt - to taste (you might not need to add salt as the salted mangoes have enough salt in them)

Method:
Grind all the ingredients together to a semi smooth paste in a food processor or blender without adding any water.
Serve with rice.

Masala Fish

This was a trial recipe inspired by a dish I once had at a Mangalore restaurant ... it turned out real good .
Fish - Pomfret (I used a fish called golden pompano from the korean store - it resembled the indian pomfret) Clean and make slits on it and marinate in a mixture of chilly,turmeric,pepper powder , salt and vinegar.I ran out of vinegar so used some Worcestershire Sauce instead.


Shallow fry the fish .


For the masala - shallots,ginger,garlic,tomato,puli and green onion for garnish.



Method:
Heat oil and add the shallots,ginger,garlic and saute well then add in chilly powder,coriander powder,turmeric powder and saute until raw smell is gone.
Add tomatoes and saute until oil separates.
Add tamarind to adjust sourness, if the tomato is sour you might not even need the puli.
Add the fried fish into this masala and add 1/2 cup water and let it simmer until the water is absorbed and the fish is coated with masala.
Garnish with spring onion and squeeze some lime juice on it.

My kids who are my greatest critics gave me a five star for this one ....