Thai Basil Chicken Stir Fry

Thai Basil Chicken Stir fry is an easy and delicious recipe prepared using ground chicken / minced chicken, chillies and basil leaves. This stir fry serves great with rice and also, it is super easy to prepare. I have used fresh red chillies in this recipe because of the unavailability of bird's eye chilli. Bird's eye chilli is also known as Thai chilli which looks small in size and tastes hot compared to the regular ones. So adjust the quantity of chilli, if Thai chilli is used in the recipe.

If you are a Thai food lover like me, then try this recipe and do share your feedback :) Here comes the recipe of a spicy and tasty Thai basil chicken stir fry...

Ingredients :

2 Tbsp Oil
4 - 5 garlic pods, finely chopped
4 - 5 Fresh red chillies, sliced
1/2 Cup Minced Chicken
1 Tbsp Fish sauce
2 Tsp Soya sauce
Handful of fresh Thai basil leaves
Salt to taste

Method :

Heat oil in a pan and add finely chopped garlic pods.

Fry it for 3 - 4seconds and add sliced red chillies.

Add minced chicken and stir fry it for couple of minutes.

Add soy sauce followed by fish sauce, salt and half of the basil leaves.

Cook until the chicken gets cooked and add the remaining basil leaves.

Serve hot.

Serving Options :

Serve hot with Rice.

Monday Chit Chat With a HomeChef - Prem Kumar

There is a saying that the way to a man's heart is through his stomach, but when a man can cook delicious food I think the family must be really lucky :) I am really proud and happy to introduce my today's guest PREM KUMAR who is a big foodie and also who love to cook for his family & friends.  I am sure that by reading his chit chat everyone can understand the passion he has on food. Not only cooking, he also shares his other passion which also seem to be really interesting. I got to know this person through a foodie group and really amazed with his culinary skills. I always admire the way he encourage and motivate other foodies through his comments.

Thank you so much Prem for being my today's special guest and it is my pleasure to have your chit chat on my space.. Now over to Prem !

Priya : Love to hear few words about you and your passion. Who is your greatest support ?

Prem : I'm working as a business analyst in Coimbatore. My passion is cooking, photography, pet lover, bike racing and travelling. My sister is my greatest support.

Priya : Your favourite chef, favourite cookery show and favourite cookbook.

Prem : My favourite chef is my grandma. I never missed Chef Dhamu sir's cookery show. I had never reared any cookbooks but I am following two food blogs @priya's menu and @cooking at Mayflower.

Priya : Can you share us about your first cooking experience and the recipe which you tried first ?

Prem : Sure. My first cooking experience is the most funniest one. In my school days, I tried to cook rice for the first time but it turned out into pongal.

Priya : Please share some kitchen tips or secrets of yours..

Prem : Use Greek yogurt instead of fresh cream to get a soft and smoother texture. If you forgot to soak chickpeas earlier, soak it for just 1 hour in boiling water and it will be ready to cook.

Priya : When your house filled with sudden guests... What would be your quick menu ?

Prem : My quick menu will contain Kesari, Bajji, Variety dosa's and a tomato gravy.

Priya :  What is your family's most favourite recipe which you cook ?

Prem : I always love to cook non-vegetarian foods. Most favourite among them are Chettinad mutton gravy, Country chicken pepper fry and Capsicum omelette.

Priya : What do you like in my blog and please share your suggestions to improve mine.

Prem : I am impressed with your innovation in each and every dish. For example, your on going 100 types of chutney varieties. Rather than suggesting I request you to come up with more and more innovative recipes.

                                  Pepper Chicken 

Ingredients:

Chicken -1/2 kg

Onion -1

Oil-4 tablespoon 

Cinnamon -2

Clove -2

Cumin seeds-1 teaspoon 

Turmeric powder -1 teaspoon 

Chilli powder -1 tablespoon 

Garam masala -1/2 tablespoon 

Pepper -2 tablespoon 

Salt -as per your need 

⚪Clean the chicken. 

⚪Add little amount of salt and turmeric powder and mix well.

⚪Add sufficient amount of water to the marinated chicken and leave to boil till the chicken is half cooked.

⚪Heat a frying pan.add 4 tablespoons of oil.add 2 cinnamon and cloves,1 teaspoon cumin seeds,few curry leaves.

⚪Add 1 finely chopped onion and fry till it turns to golden brown.

⚪Add boiled chicken,1 tablespoon chilli powder, 1/2 tablespoon garam masala, 2 tablespoon pepper,salt as per your requirement and mix it well.

⚪Cook for few minutes and your pepper chicken is ready.

Note : Add pepper according to your taste 

Oh wow ! Thanks a lot Prem for your appreciation. I am overwhelmed. I will try for sure to post many more 100 series. I loved your chit chat and I hope the same from my readers too. Your pepper chicken sounds super delicious and tempting. Will try this soon. Thanks again for sharing your recipe with us. All the very best for your bright future and may all your dream comes true :)

Friends, Stay tuned till next Monday to meet another interesting Home chef who is also going to share a yummy dish with us. Have a great week ahead !

If you are interested to participate in my Chit Chat event, please do drop a mail at priyasmenu@gmail.com

                                         

Mutton Chukka Using FishandMeat Product

Happy Weekend Friends ! Finally weekend is here after a hectic weekdays and if you are planning for a delicious mutton recipe, then this post is for you :)

If you are following my non - veg posts, then you must be knowing from where I regularly buy non-veg products. Yeah ! It's FishandMeat!

FishandMeat is an e-commerce firm operating solely in Hyderabad and serving wide varieties of fresh Seafood and Meat products. It is a FSSAL and Halal Certified firm operating with strict food and safety standards. The product order is quite easy as they have an app and website to order online or their Whatsup service makes the task more easier. We just have to drop an order in Whatsup, and I am sure, you will be amazed by the immediate response from their team. It is like a lifesaver for me when I feel like eating non veg food and no time to go to the market. When we get a good quality of products at door step, what is the necessity of driving long way to buy meat products. Sensible right ? And coming to today's recipe, I have prepared a spicy and tasty mutton recipe using their product.

Click HERE to get more detailed information about their products.

Mutton Chukka is a very famous dish in Tamil Nadu in which Chukka means Dry. So the consistency of the curry will be dry and sometimes little gravy based on one's preference. Though it is a time consuming process, the taste of the dish will be truly delicious. Hot water is added time to time to cook the mutton pieces but alternatively, the mutton pieces can also be pressure cooked and then added to the masala. Pressure cooking method is generally used to save the time of cooking. This chukka pairs perfectly with plain Rice, Rasam rice, Biryani or any variety of rice.

Also check out my recipes which I had prepared earlier using FishandMeat product...

Spicy Mutton Fry 

Mussel and Basil Risotto 

Seer Fish Curry Leaves Kuzhambu 

SailFish Biryani 

Srilankan Spicy Sailfish Curry 

Here comes the recipe of delicious and flavourful Mutton Chukka..

Ingredients :

500 gms Mutton Pieces 

4 - 5 Tbsp Oil 

1/4 Tsp Fennel seeds / Saunf 

3 Big Onions, Finely chopped 

2 Tsp Ginger garlic paste 

2 Big Tomatoes, Finely chopped 

2 Tsp Chilli powder 

2 Tsp Coriander powder 

1/2 Tsp Turmeric powder 

Salt to taste 

Few Corinader leaves for garnishing 

Method :

Clean mutton pieces and keep aside. 

Heat oil in a thick bottomed pan and add fennel seeds. 

Once it starts spluttering, add finely chopped onions and saute till it turns brown. 

Add ginger garlic paste and saute until the raw smell goes off. 

Add chopped tomatoes and saute until it turns soft and mushy. 

Now add chilli powder followed by turmeric powder and coriander powder. 

Mix well and add 1/4 cup of water.  

Let it cook in a medium flame until oil separates from the masala. 

Now add the cleaned mutton pieces and required amount of salt to the masala. 

Mix well, cook it for a minute and add hot water from time to time till the mutton pieces get cooked. 

Once mutton is cooked well and all the moisture is evaporated, remove from the flame. 

Garnish with coriander leaves and serve hot.

Serving Options :

Serve with Plain rice, Rasam rice and Biryani. 

Monday Chit Chat With a HomeChef - Karuna Pooja

I am so excited to restart my "Friday Chit Chat With Bloggers" event after 4 years and this time with Homechefs. It was my first event which happened in 2013 and also, it was a great privilege for me to have a chit chat and guest post of many talented bloggers on my space. Click HERE to view all my old Chit Chat posts. Trust me, it will be really interesting!

Now coming to the Season 2 event, instead of Friday, all my chit chat and guest posts will be published on every Monday. This idea is basically to encourage the Home chefs and introduce them to the culinary world. This might even help them to start a blog soon.

Let me introduce my first guest of this season, Karuna Pooja. She used to post her recipes in our food group and that's where our journey of friendship started. Since I am a great non veg food lover, I love all her recipes and also love the way she serves her food in Banana leaf.  It looks so authentic. Sometimes, I used to wonder by seeing the varieties of recipes she posts on Sunday. Its a complete feast for our eyes. I am feeling great and proud to introduce such a talented foodie and Home chef to all my readers. She was so generous to share her couple of recipes along with an interesting chit chat.  Thanks pooja for accepting my request and wishing you a great success in future.


Priya :  Love to hear few words about you, your passion and who is your greatest support ?

Pooja : I am an orthodox family girl. Good at creativity. My passion is to be become a successful business women to help the poor and needy. God Jesus is my greatest support and strength.

Priya : Your favourite Chef, Favourite Cookery show and Favourite Cookbook ?

Pooja : Chef Damodaren is my favourite Chef. I love watching all shows of Village food factory in Youtube.

Priya : Can you share us your first cooking experience and the recipe which you tried first ?

Pooja : Prepared Omelette when I was in my 6th class. It came out well and my family appreciated me for that.

Priya : Please share some Kitchen tips or secrets of yours...

Pooja : Cook with concern and love. It will add more bonding and nutritions than you expect.

Priya : When your house is filled with sudden guests.. What would be your quick menu ?

Pooja : Spicy crispy corner bread omelet and Mint lemon Sarbath.

Priya : What is your family's favourite recipe which you cook ?

Pooja : Spicy Mutton Biryani, Mutton chukka and Coconut brinjal Gravy.

Priya : And finally, what do you like in my blog and please share your suggestions to improve mine.

Pooja : You prepare unique dishes and thats nice, your photography is spectacular and all your content are in English which can't reach many. So as a suggestion, I would like you to post videos and others in Tamil.

Guest Post Recipe 1 - Fish Fry

Ingredients :

1/2 Kg Fish
2 Spoon Red chilli powder
1 Spoon Cumin powder / Jeera powder
1 Spoon Pepper powder
Salt to taste
1/2 Spoon Turmeric powder
Lemon juice from 1 lemon
1 Spoon Ginger - garlic paste

Method :

Clean the fish and add lemon juice. Keep it aside for 5 minutes.

Now add the remaining ingredients and marinate it for half an hour.

Now deep fry the marinated fish and serve.

மீன் வறுவல்
~~~~~~~

தேவையான பொருட்கள்

மீன் 1/2கிலோ
மிளகாய்த்தூள் 2 ஸ்பூன்
சீரகப் பொடி 1 ஸ்பூன்
மிளகு பொடி 1 ஸ்பூன்
உப்பு தேவையான அளவு
மஞ்சள்தூள் 1/2 ஸ்பூன்
சிறிது ஒரு எழுமிச்சை சாறு
இஞ்சி பூண்டு விழுது 1 ஸ்பூன்
செய்முறை
*"*"""""""""""
சுத்தம் மீனில் செய்த எழுமிச்சை சாறு உப்பு சேர்த்து கலந்து
சிறிது நேரம் கழித்து மற்ற பொடிகளை சேர்த்து 1/2 மணி நேரம் வரை ஊறவிடவும்...
பின்னர் பொரித்து எடுக்கவும்...

Guest Post Recipe 2 - County Chicken Pepper Fry

Ingredients :

1/2 Kg Country Chicken pieces, cooked
100 gms Shallots
2 Spoon Gingelly oil
1 Spoon Cumin / Jeera powder
2 Spoon Pepper powder
1/2 Spoon Garam masala powder
Salt to taste
1/2 Spoon Red chilli powder
1/2 Spoon Turmeric powder
1 Green chilli
Few Curry leaves

Method :

Heat oil in a pan and add green chilli followed by curry leaves and shallots.

Saute well until the shallots turn golden brown colour.

Now add all the masala powders and saute it for a minute.

Add ginger garlic paste and add cooked chicken pieces.

Add the required quantity of salt to the chicken and add little water.

Cook it for few minutes and remove from the flame.


நாட்டு கோழி மிளகு வறுவல் தேவையான பொருட்கள் நாட்டு கோழி 1/2 கிலோ சின்ன வெங்காயம் 100 கிராம் நல்லெண்ணெய் 2 ஸ்பூன் சீரக தூள் 1 ஸ்பூன் மிளகு பொடி 2 ஸ்பூன் கரமசாலா 1/2 ஸ்பூன் உப்பு தேவையான அளவு மிளகாய்த்தூள்1/2 மஞ்சள்தூள் பச்சை மிளகாய் 1 கருவேப்பிலை சிறிது செய்முறை : நல்லெண்ணெய் விட்டு நறுக்கிய பச்சைமிளகாய், கருவேப்பிலை சேர்த்து நன்கு பொரிய விட்டு , சின்ன வெங்காயம் சேர்த்து நன்கு வதக்கவும் . வெங்காயம் பொன்னிறமாக வறுத்து பொடி வகைகள் சேர்த்து ஒருநிமிடம் வதக்கி பின்னர் இஞ்சி பூண்டு விழுது சேர்த்து வேகவைத்த கோழி சோர்த்து வதக்கவும். உப்பு தேவையான அளவு, தண்ணீர் சிறிது சேர்த்து நன்கு வறுத்து இறக்கவும்.....


Thank you Pooja for being my first guest and also, thanks a lot for sharing your feedback.

Friends, Hope you all enjoyed this lovely chit chat. Next week, same day.. Interesting chat and mouth-watering recipe is waiting from a wonderful Homechef. Stay Tuned!

Spicy Mutton Fry using FishandMeat Product

Spicy Mutton fry is a perfect side dish to serve with Rasam rice when you are down with cold during the winter season. Apart from Rasam rice, this fry goes well with plain rice and also, with sambhar rice. Frying chilies in an oil before adding the cooked mutton masala enhance the spiciness in the fry and in addition gives a delicious taste. The freshly ground pepper gives an extra punch to the dish. If you are a spicy food lover, then this mutton recipe is a must try dish.

After started getting fresh meat and seafood from FishandMeat, my frequency of traveling to market has reduced. Ordering the product is also quite easy either I have to order using their App or just through whatsapp. Recently received an IQF done mutton pieces from FishandMeat and the taste was similar to the fresh ones. IQF (Individual Quick Freezing ) is one of the freezing method followed in the food industry. Apart from meat, any smaller pieces of food items like berries, small fish, poultry, prawns and diced vegetables can be stored by this method. This method helps the product to retains its shape, color, taste, and smell.

The product has to be removed from the freezer only before starting the cooking process. Just drop the packet in a big bowl of water for about 20 minutes. This helps the meat to de-freeze and later, it can be used for cooking.

                The meat looked fresh and tender as shown in the pic below after 20 minutes. 

I have to thank FishandMeat for introducing such a technique which indeed helped me to learn more about this freezing method. I prepared a spicy fry out of this meat which turned out really yummy and here comes the recipe...

Click HERE to know more about FishandMeat Product!

Ingredients :

250 gms Mutton pieces 

2 Big Onions, finely chopped 

1 Big Tomato, finely chopped 

1 Tbsp Ginger garlic paste 

1/2 Tsp Turmeric powder 

1 Tsp Red chili powder 

1 1/2 Tsp Coriander powder

1 Tsp Jeera / Cumin powder 

Salt to taste 

4 - 5 Green chilies, slit

3 Tbsp Oil 

2 - 3 Tbsp Freshly ground Pepper powder 

2 Sprigs of Curry leaves 

Method :

Wash mutton pieces and add it in a pressure cooker along with finely chopped onions, tomato, ginger - garlic paste, turmeric powder, chili powder, coriander powder, cumin powder and a little salt. 

And 3/4 cup of water and pressure cook it for 1 whistle and simmer the flame for 15 - 20 minutes. 

Once done, switch off the flame and wait until the pressure gets released from the cooker. 

Heat oil in a pan and add green chilies. 

Fry it for half a minute and remove from the pan. Keep aside. 

Add curry leaves followed by cooked mutton masala along with the water and cook until the water reduces. ( adjust salt, if necessary ). 

Add freshly ground pepper powder and the fried chilies back to the fry. 

Cook it for another couple of minutes. 

Switch off the flame and serve hot. 

Serving Options :

Serve with plain rice, sambhar rice or rasam rice. 

Creamy Butter Chicken Using Macadamia Nuts

Macadamia nuts are delicious buttery flavoured nuts which is generally used in baking, Ice creams and Chocolates. These nuts have lots of health benefits and also available as in the form of Oil, which can used in salads and regular cooking. Apart from cooking, macadamia oil is also useful for healthy skin and hair care. In this recipe, I had used these tasty nuts in the replacement of cashews to give an exotic touch to our regular butter chicken. This gravy goes well with rice, pulao, roti or naan.

Ingredients :

For Marination :

250 gms Boneless Chicken, cut into strips

1 Tsp Ginger garlic paste 

1/4 Tsp Turmeric powder 

1/4 Tsp Garam Masala 

1/2 Tsp Chilli powder 

1/4 Cup Fresh cream 

Salt to taste 

For Gravy :

2 Onion, chopped 

3 Tomatoes, chopped

5 - 6 Macadamia nuts ( It has strong flavour so add accordingly ) 

1 Tsp Ginger garlic paste 

1/4 Tsp Turmeric powder 

1 Tsp Chilli powder 

1 Elachi 

1/2 inch Cinnamon stick 

8 Tbsp Butter 

Salt to taste 

1/4 Cup Fresh cream 

1/2 Tsp Dried fenugreek leaves 

Few Coriander leaves

Method :

Marinate the chicken strips using the given ingredients for 30 minutes. 

Heat 3 Tbsp butter and fry the marinated chicken pieces. 

Once done, remove and keep aside. 

Add the remaining butter to the same pan and add elachi followed by cinnamon stick, onion, ginger garlic paste, tomatoes, macadamia nuts, turmeric powder, chilli powder and salt. 

Saute it for 5 - 10 minutes and grind into fine paste by adding water. 

Now add the ground masala to the pan and add the chicken pieces along with fresh cream and fenugreek leaves.

Add the remaining butter and cook it for 3 - 4 minutes. 

Garnish with coriander leaves and remove from the flame.

Serve hot. 

Serving Options :

Serve with Rice, Pulao, Roti or Naan. 

Sausage Pakoda Kurma

Pakoda Kurma is a popular dish in Tamil Nadu which is usually served with Rice, Idly and Dosa. Everyone has their unique way of preparing pakodas for kurma either using chana dal or besan flour. In my today's recipe, I have used chana dal and also for a twist, I have included grated sausage which gives a delicious flavour to the kurma. The shape of pakodas will be usually uneven but in my recipe, I have made it into a small equal sized balls. I have used pressure cooker method in this recipe to prepare kurma which can also be replaced with a regular pan. The consistency of the kurma should be little watery before adding pakodas as it absorbs the gravy. The soaked pakodas will be really tasty and personally I love it with Curd rice.

Ingredients :

For Pakoda :

4 Sausages, grated ( Small size ) 
1/2 Cup Chanda dal ( Kadalai parupu ) 
1 Onion, Finely chopped 
2 Tbsp Coriander leaves, chopped 
1/2 Tsp Red chilli powder 
Salt to taste

Coconut Paste :

1/4 Cup Coconut grated 
1/2 Tsp Khus Khus ( Soak in warm water for few minutes ) 

For Kurma :

1 Bay leaves 
2 Elachi 
1/2 Tsp Saunf 
1/2 inch Cinnamon stick 
3 Green chillies, slitted 
Few Mint leaves 
1 Cup Onion paste
1/2 Cp Tomatoes, Finely chopped 
2 Tsp Ginger garlic paste 
1/4 Tsp Turmeric powder 
3/4 Tsp Red chilli powder 
1/4 Tsp Garam Masala powder 
Salt to taste 

Method :

Wash and soak chana dal for an hour.

Drain the water completely and grind it coarsely.

Transfer it to a bowl and add grated sausages followed by onion, coriander leaves, red chilli powder and salt.

Mix well and make small balls out of it.

Deep fry them in batches and keep aside.

Grind coconut and Khus Khus into a fine paste and keep aside.

Heat oil in a cooker and add bay leaves followed by elachi, saunf cinnamon stick and green chillies.

Fry and add mint leaves followed by onion paste and ginger garlic paste.

Saute till the raw smell goes off.

Add the chopped tomatoes followed by turmeric powder, chilli powder, garam masala powder, salt and coconut paste.

Add one cup of water and pressure cook it for 2 whistles.

Once the pressure gets released, boil it again for a minute and add the fried pakodas. ( Add water and boil if the kurma is very thick ).

Garnish with coriander leaves and remove from the flame.

Serve hot.

Serving Options :

Serve with plain Rice, Idly, Dosa or Roti.

Chicken & Walnut in Spinach Gravy

Preparing menu for kids is a challenging task for all mothers as the dish should include all sorts of nutrients to make them healthy and strong. Among all nuts, including Walnut into my kiddo's meal is a big task for me as he does not like to eat as such because of the mild bitter and nutty taste. But considering all health benefits of Walnuts, I love to include it in my cooking in a way my son loves it and also in addition, it gives a richness to the dish. Today's recipe is so special and close to my heart as it got published in a popular Tamil magazine Aval Kitchen ( 2nd Anniversary Special ) in July 2016. Along with this recipe, 5 more interesting and innovative recipes also got published which I will be posting on my page soon .... Stay tuned !

Chicken and Walnut in Spinach gravy is a creamy and delicious curry which goes well with any Indian breads, Rice and pulao. Walnuts are roasted and made into paste which in turns gives a creamy texture to the gravy. Along with Walnuts, I have also included Spinach in this recipe to make it even more healthy.

Ingredients :

350 gms Boneless Chicken, Cut into pieces
1 Tbsp Oil + 2 Tsp Oil + 1 Tbsp Oil 
2 Green chillies, slitted 
1 Big Onion, Finely chopped 
2 Tsp Ginger garlic paste 
1 Cup Spinach Puree
1/2 Cup Walnuts
1/4 Tsp Garam Masala
1/4 Tsp Turmeric powder 
1 Tsp Red chilli powder
Salt to taste 

Method :

Heat 2 Tsp Oil in a pan and add walnuts.

Fry it in a medium flame for 3 - 4 minutes ( do not burn the walnuts ).

Once done, remove from the flame, cool and grind into fine paste by adding 1 tbsp oil.

Add little water and grind it further to make a smooth paste. Keep aside.

Heat 1 tbsp oil in a pan and add green chillies followed by chopped onion and ginger garlic paste.

Saute till it turns translucent and the raw smell of ginger garlic smell goes off.

Add the chicken pieces and saute for a minute.

Now add turmeric powder followed by red chilli powder, garam masala and the required amount of salt.

Mix well and add the spinach leaves puree.

Allow it to cook for couple of minutes and add the walnut paste along with 1/2 cup of water.

Cook till the chicken gets cooked and the oil separates from the gravy.

Once done, remove from the flame and serve hot.

Serving Options :

Serve hot with Plain rice or Indian breads like Roti, Naan, Phulka etc..

Seer Fish Curry Leaves Kuzhambu Using FishANDMeat Product

After series of Fish recipes, here comes a flavourful and aromatic kuzhambu prepared using Seer Fish. Seer fish is also called as King Fish which is popularly known as Vanjaram in Tamil, Ney Meen in Malayalam and Vanjiram in Telugu. Apart from kuzhambu, these slices are perfect for fish masala fry or tawa fry. In this recipe, I have used freshly ground masala using fresh curry leaves and pepper corns which enhances the flavour and gives a lovely aroma. Adding coconut milk gives an excellent taste to the kuzhambu and also it is optional. This kuzhambu goes perfect with hot plain rice or Idly or Dosa. Especially, one day prior kuzhambu gives a lovely flavour and pairs up excellent with hot and fluffy idlis. Nothing can beat the taste of this combo and its so heavenly.

                                             Fresh and clean slices from FishANDMeat !

                                     Click HERE to know more about FishandMeat products!

Ingredients :

500 gms Seer Fish / Vanjaram Fish
3 Tbsp Oil
1 Tsp Mustard Seeds
1/2 Tsp Methi / Fenugreek Seeds
1 Tsp Cumin / Jeera Seeds
2 Green chillies, Slitted
1 Sprig of Curry leaves
6 Garlic pods, Sliced
1 Big Onion, Finely chopped
1 Tbsp Ginger garlic paste
2 Tomatoes, Finely chopped
1/2 Tsp Turmeric powder
1 Tsp Red chilli powder
2 Tsp Coriander powder
Salt to taste
Lemon sized Tamarind, Soaked in half cup of water
1/4 Cup Coconut Milk

To grind :

1 Tbsp Oil
2 Big Onions, Chopped
1 Tbsp Pepper corns / Milagu
6 - 7 Sprigs of Curry leaves

Method :

Heat 1 tbsp oil in a pan and add chopped onion.

Saute till it turns translucent and add pepper corns followed by curry leaves.

Saute it for couple of minutes and remove from the flame.

Cool the sauteed ingredients and grind into fine paste by adding little water. Keep aside.

Heat 3 tbsp of oil in the same pan and mustard seeds.

Once it starts spluttering, add cumin seeds followed by methi seeds.

Add green chillies followed by garlic pods and fry it.

Add finely chopped onion and saute till it turns translucent.

Add ginger garlic paste and fry till the raw smell goes off.

Add finely chopped tomatoes and saute till it turns soft and mushy.

Now add the ground curry leaves - onion paste and saute well.

Cook it for a minute and add turmeric powder followed by red chilli powder and coriander powder.

Mix well and add 1/2 cup of water.

Close the pan and cook in a medium flame till the oil separates from the masala.

Meanwhile, extract juice from the soaked tamarind and keep aside.

Add the extracted juice to kuzhambu along with 1 1/2 cups water and the required amount of salt.

Cook in a medium flame till the raw smell of tamarind goes off.

Add coconut milk and let it boil till the oil separates from the kuzhambu.

Now add the washed fish pieces, simmer the flame and close the pan with a lid.

Cook till the fish gets cooked and remove from the flame.

Serve hot.

Serving Options :

Serve with hot plain Rice and Fish fry. 

SailFish Biryani / Olameen Biryani using Pressure Cooker Method / Product Review on "FishandMeat" - 2

Here comes an another interesting recipe using Sail Fish / Olameen....

In my previous post, I had mentioned that the Sail fish / Olameen which I bought from "FishandMeat" looked like a boneless meat, so reserved few pieces after preparing Srilankan Spicy Fish Curry. The taste and texture of fish in a Srilankan curry made me to use the second batch of Sail fish in preparing a delicious and flavourful Biryani using Pressure cooker method. And I was not wrong, the biryani tasted so delicious and my family members loved the fish too.

As I had already mentioned about the service and quality of the "FishandMeat" product in my previous post, I would love to share few things about their webpage which I had missed earlier.

FishandMeat has wide varieties of fresh Seafood and Meat which are handpicked by them. It is then processed and stored in the most hygiene conditions.  Live chat section is also provided on their webpage to guide and assist their customers.

Apart from webpage, FishandMeat Application is also available for a comfortable order which can be downloaded from Playstore or Appstore. 

In addition, they also deliver Ready to cook products like Telangana Chicken Fry, Lemon Garlic Fish, Grandmas Fish Fry etc. 

My today's recipe using Sail fish is a flavourful spicy biryani using pressure cooker method. This one pot meal pairs excellent with onion raita or any varieties of raita. The freshly ground masala enhances the taste and flavour of the biryani. The fish pieces are marinated with a regular masala and seared in a cooker to avoid breaking into pieces while cooking. The fish pieces can also be seared in a different pan but the flavour gets enhanced when done in a same pressure cooker in which Biryani is prepared. This biryani tastes little spicy as it contains red chilli powder in the marination and pepper corns along with green chillies and red chilli in the biryani. So, adjust the quantity of the pepper corns and red chilli according to taste bud.

                                               The marinated fish looks amazing right ;) 

Ingredients :

250 gms Sail Fish / Olameen pieces 

1 Big Onion, Sliced 

2 Green chillies, sliced 

Few Mint leaves 

Mint Coriander leaves 

2 Tomato ( Medium Size, grind into fine paste ) 

1/4 Tsp Turmeric powder 

1 Tsp Coriander powder 

1 Cup Basmati Rice 

4 Tbsp Oil 

2 Bay leaves 

2 Elachi 

2 Cloves 

2 inch Cinnamon stick 

1 Star anise 

Salt to taste 

1 1/4 Cups Water 

To Marinate Fish :

1/4 Tsp Turmeric powder 

1/2 Tsp Red chilli powder 

1/2 Tsp Cumin powder 

1/2 Tsp Coriander powder 

Salt to taste 

To Grind :

1 Onion, chopped 

1 Tbsp Ginger garlic paste 

1 Dry red chilli 

1 Tsp Pepper corns 

Few Coriander leaves

Method :

Wash the fish pieces and marinate it using the given ingredients in "To Marinate Fish" for 30 minutes.

Wash and soak the basmati rice for 30 minutes. 

Grind the given ingredients in "To grind" into fine paste and keep aside. 

Heat pressure cooker and 2 tbsp oil.

Sear the marinated fish for couple of minutes both the sides and remove from the flame. 

Now add the remaining oil followed by bay leaves, star anise, elachi and cloves. 

Add few mint leaves followed by sliced onions and green chillies. 

Saute till the onion turns light brown colour and add the ground onion paste. 

Saute till the raw smell of ginger - garlic paste goes off and the onion gravy becomes light brown colour. 

Now add tomato paste followed by turmeric powder and coriander powder. 

Add 2 tbsp water and cook till the oil separates from the masala. 

Place the seared fish in the masala and cook for another couple of minutes in a low flame. 

Meanwhile, drain the water from rice and keep aside. 

Now add measured water along with the soaked rice and required amount of salt. 

Close it with a lid and cook for 2 whistles in a high flame. 

Simmer the flame to medium and cook it for 1 whistle. 

Once done, switch off the flame and wait till the pressure releases completely. 

Carefully remove the fish pieces and add few coriander - mint leaves. 

Gently mix it without breaking the rice and serve with fish.

Serve hot. 

Serving Options :

Serve with Onion Raita. 

Note :

Adjust red chillies and pepper corns according to the taste bud. 

Srilankan Spicy Sailfish Curry / Thalapath Mirisata / Spicy Olameen Curry & Food Product Review on "FishandMeat"

After 2 months of fasting for our Temple function, the past couple of weeks was filled with Non - veg delicacies. Seafood holds a special place in my kitchen, especially Fish is my family's most favourite food. Our Sundays will be mostly like, getting up early to travel almost 6 kms to get some fresh catch. Though we have a market nearby, the bitter experience on the taste and freshness of seafood made us to skip it. Being a foodie family, only a tasty food gives happiness, satisfaction and makes our weekend the BEST :)

The worst part is when we can't travel to our favourite market or when we get craving over seafood on weekdays. We being in a place where no super markets are nearby, my most of the grocery list is being purchased through online including non veg at times. Nowadays, buying online meat and fish products is a common thing but it spoils the mood of cooking when the product is received in a improper way. Once it happened for me so as to make me return the meat for its bad quality.

But my recent food product (fish) from "FishandMeat" was Completely satisfactory. FishandMeat is an e-commerce firm operating solely in Hyderabad and serving fresh seafood and meat. It is a FSSAI and Halal certified firm operating with strict food and safety standards. The service was amazing and transparent. They provided me with the proper information on delivery time and as promised, the product got delivered too with neatly packed. Since, I had tried few online gourmet products, the package of this product really amazed me. It was neat and hygienic. The fish was sealed in a cover and then kept in a box, surprisingly so, the quality of the box was also strong. From a customer point of view, these things really add value and also gives 100% satisfaction. Personally, I felt the pricing is also reasonable.

If you are in Hyderabad, do visit their page and order your food product to get fresh and clean fish n meat at your door step. Delivery slots are available based on customer preference along with pre-order options. Click HERE to go to their website. I found their Facebook page very interesting with their facts and tips on Fish and Meat. Click HERE to view their Facebook page.

Absolutely no pain in washing the pieces. The sailfish pieces as such was so fresh and clean - all that it required was a quick wash.

Being a Fish lover, I was so tempted to prepare a curry immediately after receiving the product ( Sail Fish ). This is the first time, I heard about this variety of fish and after doing some research, found that this fish is very much popular in Srilanka. So, prepared a spicy Srilankan style fish curry using Sailfish which I learnt from youtube, but made few changes according to my family's taste. This curry is called as Thalapath Mirisita in Sinhala. Sailfish which is popularly known as Thalapath in Sinhala, Olameen in Malayalam and Koppara & Mayil Meen in Tamil has lots of nutritional values. Sailfish is a nutrient dense food which helps to control blood pressure, cholesterol etc. In addition, it is also rich in proteins and Vitamins. The pieces almost look like meat which no bones and personally, I loved it :) Apart from the curry, this variety of fish can be fried or baked.

The freshly ground masala is cooked along with the fish to give a delicious spicy and tangy flavoured curry which goes perfect with Rice. I have included ginger garlic paste in this recipe which can also be substituted with the fresh ones. The addition of onion paste is my enhancement to make the curry - my style with our preferred consistency. The addition of pepper corns, green chillies and red chilli powder gives a fabulous spicy taste to the curry. If you are a spicy food lover, then this is a must try recipe. 

The taste and flavour of this curry reminded me of Kerala fish curry because of the addition of Kudampuli. The preparation is also similar to the Kerala cuisine. Apart from Rice, this curry goes perfect with Idly, Dosa or Appam. 

Ingredients :

250 gms Sail Fish / Thalapath / Olameen pieces 

1 Onion, thinly sliced 

2 inch Cinnamon stick

2 - 3 Green chillies, sliced 

1 Tbsp Red chilli powder 

Salt to taste 

3 Tbsp Oil 

3 Sprigs of Curry leaves

To grind :

2 Goraka / Kudampuli / Kokum ( soaked in water for 30 minutes ) 

1 Onion 

1 Elachi 

2 Lavang

1 Tsp Pepper corns 

1 Tbsp Ginger garlic paste 

Method :

Dry roast red chilli powder and keep aside.

Grind the ingredients given in "To grind" into fine paste by adding little water and keep aside.

Heat oil in a pan and add sliced onions followed by curry leaves.

Saute till it turns translucent and add green chillies.

Saute for half a minute and add the ground paste followed by cinnamon stick and red chilli powder.

Mix well and add the fish pieces along with 1 - 1/2 cups of water.

Add the required amount of salt and cook it for 15 minutes in a medium flame or till the fish gets cooked.

Once done, remove from the flame and serve hot.

Serving Options :

Serve with plain Rice, Idly, Dosa or Appam. 

                          Stay tuned for an another interesting recipe using Sailfish / Olameen.

Disclaimer : This is an honest review based on my experience Only !