Chicken Fry

Chicken Fry

Last recipe in this segment of Kerala non veg specials, chicken fry is yet another traditional preparation. A good snack to go with cocktail sessions and yes goes well as an accompaniment for your lunch and dinner too 🙂

Chicken pieces – 250 gms (washed, drained and cut into bigger cubes)
Turmeric powder – ½ tsp
Red chili powder – 1 tbsp
Cinnamon – 1 inch stick
Cloves – 3-4 nos
Shallots (small onions) – 10 nos (finely chopped)
Garlic – 2 cloves (finely chopped)
Ginger – ½ inch piece (finely chopped)
Curry leaves – 1 sprig (finely chopped)
Vinegar – 1 tbsp
Coconut oil or any cooking oil – 1 cup
Salt to taste

1. Mix all ingredients except chicken and oil
2. Rub it over the chicken pieces and marinate for about half an hour
3. Heat oil in the pan and tip in cooked chicken pieces till golden brown
4. Scrape out the remains from the vessel in which you cooked the chicken and fry this as well
5. Place the chicken on the serving plate and garnish with fried scrapings and lemon slices

Till next time…happy cooking!

Pork Curry

Pork Curry

Pork – 1 kg (washed, drained and cut into small pieces)
Onions – 3-4 big sized (finely chopped)
Tomatoes – 2 nos (finely chopped)
White vinegar – 1 tbsp
Oil – 2 tbsp
Salt to taste

For curry masala, grind to a fine paste the following

Garlic – 10 cloves
Ginger – 5 cm piece
Green chilies – 4 nos
Tamarind – a walnut sized ball (seeded)
Black pepper – 2 tsp
Turmeric powder – 2 tsp
Cloves – 5-6 nos
Cinnamon – 5 cm stick
Mustard seeds (sarson) – 1 tsp
Raisins (kishmish) = 2 tbsp
Water (as required to make this thick paste)

1. Pressure cook the pork with ¾ cup water for about 30 minutes
2. Strain and keep aside the pork and the stock
3. Heat oil in a pan and fry onions and tomoatoes till onions turn translucent
4. Add in the masala curry paste and fry further for 2 minutes
5. Add pork and fry well till it browns. Stir occasionally
6. Add stock, vinegar, salt and ¾ cups of water and mix
7. Cover the pan and cook over low heat for another 30-40 minutes, till the pork is cooked and gravy thickens
8. Serve with rice, chappati or Kerala porotta

Till next time…happy cooking!

Liver Curry

photo credit: avlxyz

Most of the people I know are crazy about Liver curry so I thought that it might be a good idea to share its recipe on Akshayapatram!

Lamb’s liver – 500 gms (membrane removed, washed,drained and cut into cubes)
Shallots (small onion) – 10 nos (finely chopped)
Ginger – 1 tbsp (finely chopped)
Cloves – 3-4 nos
Coconut oil or any cooking oil – 1 and ½ tbsp
Salt to taste

For curry masala, grind to a fine paste the following

Garlic – 3-4 cloves
Turmeric powder – 1 tsp
Chili powder – 4 tsp
Black pepper powder – 1 tsp
Cumin (jeera) – 1 tsp
White vinegar – 1 and ½ tbsp
Water (as required to make this thick paste)

1. Heat oil in a pan and fry shallots, ginger and cloves till shallots turn brown
2. Add liver, salt and the ground masala curry paste and mix well
3. Add just about a little water and stir. Cook over slow flame till liver is tender and gravy thickens
4. Garnish with onion rings and chopped fresh coriander leaves
5. Serve with rice, chappati, Kerala porotta or plain bread from you bakery!

Till next time…happy cooking!

Mutton Curry

Mutton Curry

After seafood and chicken its now time for some mutton 🙂

Mutton – 500 gms (washed, drained and cut into pieces)
Onions – 2 nos (sliced)
Ginger – 1 tbsp (chopped)
Coriander leaves – finely chopped
Curry leaves – 1 sprig
White vinegar – 2 tsp
Ghee (clarified butter) – 2 tbsp
Salt to taste

For curry masala, grind to a fine paste the following

Fresh grated coconut (½ portion)
Shallots – 4 nos
Garlic – 3 cloves
Cinnamon- 4 cm stick
Cloves – 3-4 nos
Fennel seeds (saunf) – 1 tsp
Turmeric powder – 1 tsp
Chili powder – 4 tsp
Coriander powder – 2 tsp
Black pepper powder – 1 tsp
Water (as required to make this thick paste)

1. Pressure cook the meat along with ginger, salt, vinegar and very little water for about 30 minutes
2. Heat ghee in a pan and fry onions and curry leaves till onions turn translucent
3. Add the ground curry masala paste and bring it to boil
4. Add the cooked meat along with its stock and cook over low heat till gravy thickens
5. Add chopped coariander leaves
6. Serve hot with rice, chapatti, aapam or Kerala porotta

Till next time…happy cooking!

Chicken Coconut Curry

photo credit: me vs gutenberg

I shared with you earlier recipe for chicken curry sans any coconut…this one is with coconut milk…check it out!

Chicken – 500 gms (washed, drained and cut into pieces)
Onions – 2 nos (sliced)
Potatoes – 2 nos (sliced)
Green chilies – 6 nos (slit length wise)
Curry leaves – 2 sprigs
Coriander leaves – 2 tbsp (finely chopped)
Coconut Milk – 2 cups
Ghee (clarified butter) – 7 tbsp
Salt to taste

For curry masala, grind to a fine paste the following

Shallots (small onion) – 8-10 nos
Garlic – 6-7 cloves
Dry red chilies – 6-8 nos
Cloves – 3 nos
Cinnamon – 1 inch stick
Poppy seeds (Khus Khus) – 2 tsp
Black peppercorn – 15 nos
Coriander powder – 1 tsp
Turmeric powder – 2 pinches
Water (as required to make this thick paste)

1. Pat dry the chicken pieces and rub nicely with the ground curry paste. Let it marinate for about 30 minutes
2. Heat 1 and ½ tbsp ghee in a skillet and add onions and potatoes and fry till the potatoes are cooked and onions are translucent
3. Take the vegetables off from the skillet retaining the ghee in the skillet
4. In a fresh pan put in chicken in coconut milk over low heat for about 10 minutes and cook till chicken is half done
5. Add green chilies, curry leaves and coriander leaves and continue cooking till gravy thickens
6. Remove from the heat and take out the chicken pieces from the gravy
7. In the retained ghee (from step 3) add remaining ghee, heat and fry the chicken over high heat till chicken turns brown
8. Add the vegetables and cooked gravy and mix well
9. Serve with rice, chappati, Kerala porotta, aapam or idiaapam

Till next time…happy cooking!

Kerala Chicken Curry

photo credit: TMAB2003

Well, necessarily not all Kerala recipes need to include coconut as one of the ingredients. This chicken curry is sans any coconut…a must try!

Chicken – 500 gms (washed, drained and cut into pieces)
Onions – 2 nos (big sized, finely chopped)
Ginger – 1 tbsp (julienned)
Tomatoes – 4 nos (finely chopped)
Curry leaves – 1 sprig
Cooking oil – 4 tbsp
Salt to taste

For curry masala, grind to a fine paste the following

Shallots (small onions) – 10 nos
Ginger – 3 cm piece
Garlic – 6-8 cloves
Dry Red chilies – 8-10 nos
Turmeric powder – a pinch
Cumin seeds (jeera) – 1 tsp
Fennel seeds (saunf) – 1 tsp
Black Peppercorns – 15 nos
Water (as required to make this thick paste)

1. In a pan heat oil and tip in the onions. Fry till translucent
2. Add the ground curry masala and mix well. Fry for 2 minutes.
3. Remove half of this mixture and keep aside
4. To the remaining half in the pan add chicken, ginger and salt and sauté till the chicken is cooked
5. Tip in chopped tomatoes, curry leaves and ¾ cup water and cook over low heat till oil separates
6. Add in the onion and masala paste you had set aside earlier (step 3) and turn off the heat
7. Mix well and garnish with chopped fresh coriander leaves and julienned ginger
8. Serve with rice, chappati, Kerala porotta, aapam or idiaapam

Till next time…happy cooking!

Fish Curry Recipe

photo credit: Ron Dollete

This is a typical country style or nadan (in Malayalam) Sardine fish curry recipe. Sardines are packed with nutrients. I read it somewhere that sardines provide more calcium and phosphorus than milk, more protein than steak, more potassium than bananas, and more iron than cooked spinach!!

Sardines – 10 nos (cleaned and with heads removed)
Green chili – 2-3 (slit)
Camodge (Kokum or kodumpuli) – 1 (soaked in water)
Salt to taste
Coconut or cooking Oil – 1 and ½ tbsp oil
Curry leaves – 1 sprig

Grind to a fine paste

Dry red chilies – 5 nos (tear it into pieces)
Coriander seeds – ½ tsp
Shallots (small onions) – 4-5 nos
Curry leaves – 1 sprig
Water (as required)

1. Combine sardines, green chilies, cambodge with its soaking liquid, salt, ½ tbsp oil and the ground spice paste in a pan.
2. Mix well and cook over low heat till fish is tender and the gravy somewhat thickens
3. Stir in remaining oil and curry leaves and remove from heat
4. Serve with rice

Till next time…happy cooking!

Fried Beef Recipe

Malayalees love beef and you will find it in menu cards in almost all non vegetarian joints. Watch out for Erachi / beef  Ulathiyathu…This dry preparation of meat goes well as lunch or dinner accompaniment or as cocktail snacks.

Beef * – 500 gms (cut into ½ inch cubes)
Shallots (small onions) – 10 nos (sliced)
Ginger – ½ inch (sliced)
Turmeric powder – ½ tsp
Chili powder – 2 tsp
Coriander powder – 2 tsp
Black pepper powder – 1 tsp
Powdered cinnamon – 1/2 tsp
Cloves – ½ tsp
Curry leaves – 3 sprigs
Coconut flakes – ½ cup
Dry Coconut – 2 tbsp (sliced and small pieces – fried)
Coconut Oil – ½ cup
Salt to taste

1. Combine all ingredients except oil and coconut and smear the meat with it. Mix well and keep aside
2. Dry fry coconut flakes with a pinch or turmeric powder and salt to golden yellow
3. Add the marinated meat, mix and cook covered on low flame
4. Stir occasionally and sprinkle boiling water if required (if the mix is sticking to the bottom of the pan)
5. Garnish with sliced and fried dry coconut
6. Serve

*If you are not a beef eater replace it with meat of your choice
* You can also pressure cook the meat first and cook it dry over open fire
* This dish tastes better when refried!

Till next time… happy cooking!

Easy Shrimp Recipe

Just got to know that guests are dropping in and you have had had time to spend in the kitchen??…Try this fool proof quick and easy shrimp recipe. A perfect snack ready in no time!

Shrimps / prawns – 500 gms (with heads removed, de-veined and washed)
Shallots (small onions) – 1 cup
Green Chili – 4-5 nos
Curry Leaves – 1 sprig
Ginger – ½ inch
Coconut Oil – 2 tbsp
Chili Powder – 1 tsp
Meat masala – 1 tsp
Salt to taste

1. Cook the shrimps with bit of salt in little water on low heat
2. Roughly crush green chili, ginger and onion and keep aside
3. In a pan heat oil and add the above crushed ingredients and fry
4. Add all masalas and fry further for few minutes
5. Add curry leaves and fry
6. Add the cooked shrimps and fry on low heat till they get a crispy texture
7. Serve as appetizer or snacks

Till next time…happy cooking!

Fish molee / moily

photo credit: avlxyz

Fish molee or meen molee is a preparation where fish is stewed in mildly flavored yellow coconut gravy and tastes very good with rice

Fish – 500 gms (pomfret / pearl spot)
Onion – 2 nos (chopped)
Tomato – 2 nos (chopped)
Garlic – 10 cloves (chopped)
Ginger – ½ inch (julienned)
Green chili – 5 nos (slit and seeded)
Curry leaves – 2 sprigs
Turmeric powder – 1 tsp
Salt to taste
Lime juice – 2 tbsp
Coconut milk – 1 and ½ cups
Oil – 2 tbsp
Mustard seeds – 1 tsp

1. Clean and cut fish into big chunky pieces
2. Arrange onions, tomatoes, garlic, ginger, green chilies and curry leaves in this order in layers in a pan.
3. Arrange the fish on top and sprinkle turmeric, salt and lime juice and pour about ¾ cup water
4. Cover pan and cook on medium heat bringing it to boil
5. Simmer the heat and let it cook for further 10 minutes
6. Add coconut milk and simmer for 2-3 minutes and remove from heat
7. Heat 2 tbsp oil in a small pan and add mustard seeds.
8. Post it sputters, add the contents to fish molee and mix gently. Be careful not to break the cooked fish
9. Serve

*you can use prawns in place of fish
* you can serve it with aapam, idiappam and pathriri too

Till next time…happy cooking!