Chilli Prawns

Prawns: 20 medium

To marinate:

Soya sauce: 1 tsp

Corn flour: 2 tbsp

Salt: a pinch

Pepper: 1 tsp

Oil: 1/2 cup for frying

Keep the cleaned prawns in a bowl.

Add all the ingredients under "to marinate" list except oil

Mix it thoroughly.

Fry it in oil and keep aside.

For the Sauce:

Onion: 1 cubed

Green Chilly: 2 chopped

Dried Red chilly: 2 chopped

Ginger: 1 tbsp chopped fine

Garlic: 5 cloves chopped fine

Spring onion: chop the leaf for garnish and chop the onion for the sauce.

Red Chilly sauce: 1 tbsp

Green Chilly sauce: 1 tbsp

Soya Sauce: 1 tsp

Sweet Chilli Sauce: 1 tbsp

Vinegar: 1 tsp

Salt: as needed

Sugar: 1 tsp

Pepper: 1 tsp

Corn flour: 1 tbsp

red food color: a pinch

Heat oil (You can use the left over oil from frying prawns-just take as much as needed)

Throw in the cubed onion, onion from the spring onion, ginger, garlic, green chillies and red chillies

saute for 2 minutes,  and then add all the sauces.

Immediately add the vinegar, salt, pepper and sugar.

Add the fried prawns to it.

Now add corn flour and red food color mixed in half cup cold water

Let it simmer for a minute.

Take off fire and garnish with chopped spring onion leaves.

Serve warm with Fried rice/Noodles

Prawns Vindaaloo

Prawns : 250 gram 

To saute and grind

Oil: 1 tsp

Pepper corns: 2 tsp

Cloves: 1 tsp

Dry red chillies: 8

Garlic: 5 cloves

Ginger: 1 inch

Cumin: 1/2 tsp

Heat oil, saute these ingredients for a minute and grind it to a paste by adding:

Vinegar: 1 tbsp

When these become a paste, add

Onion: 1 small chopped roughly

Keep this aside

Now, take

Oil: 1 tbsp

Onion: 1 large chopped

Tomato: 1 large chopped

Heat oil and saute the onion till it is wilted and slightly changes colour.

Add the tomato and saute till it is all mashed up.

Add:

Sugar: 2 tsp

Turmeric Powder: 1/4 tsp

Saute again for a few seconds and add the ground paste and the prawns.

Add little water and when it comes to a boil, add required salt.

Lower the flame, keep the lid and let the prawns get cooked.

When it is done, add:

Vinegar: 1 tsp

And wait for a minute more and take off fire.

Serve warm with rice or rotis.

Kerala Coastal Fish Fry

Yummy Yummy Crispy Fish fry !!!!!

King Fish: 1 slice
Or large prawns:6 nos
Kashmiri Chilly Powder: 1 heaped tsp
Turmeric Powder: 1/4 tsp
Salt: as Needed
Lime Juice: 1 tsp
Ginger Garlic Paste: 1/2 tsp
Rice Flour: 1 heaped tsp

Make a paste of all these and apply on the fish and keep aside for atleast half an hour
Shallow fry it in coconut oil.
Serve warm with sliced onions.

Kerala Prawns Fry

This is my Moms Prawns fry recipe. I guess this is the basic fish fry recipe for any malayalee. It tastes yum with prawns!!!!

Prawns: 1/2 kg

Ginger Garlic Paste: 2 tsp

Kasmiri Chilly Powder: 1 level tbsp

Pepper Powder: 2 tsp

Turmeric Powder: 1/4 tsp

Salt: as required

Lime Juice: of 1 small lime

Oil: 1 tsp

Marinate the prawns with all this for atleast 30 minutes....more the better.

Heat Coconut oil and shallow fry the prawns.

Make sure you dont cook it too long.

Serve warm with rice and onion slices

Spicy Tasty Crab Masala

Ive posted Crab masala recipes before. This is also a very tasty preparation. I got this recipe long back and since Ive already posted crab roast recipes before, I wasnt sure if I wanted to post again!!! But anyways, I clicked pictures. And when I tasted it, I was sure this was going in my blog. My husband gave me full marks... :) :) :) So here it is. Now this recipe is gonna be a regular in my kitchen.

Crab: 1 1/2 kg cleaned

Onion: 4 thinly sliced.
Heat 3 tbsp oil and saute the onions till slightly brown.
Add a tbsp of ginger garlic paste and saute till it is a nice brown.

Now add 

Chilly Powder: 2 tsp heaped

Coriander powder: 2 level tsp

Cumin Powder" 1 level tsp

Garam Masala: 1 level tsp

Pepper Powder: 1 tsp

 Saute till oil oozes out onlow flame. keep sprinkling water so that it doesnt stick to the bottom.

Add 2 chopped tomatoes, keep the flame on high and saute till it is all mashed up

Now add the cleaned crab, 2 cups water, required salt and let it get cooked on medium flame.
When all the water dries up and masala is coated, take off fire and garnish with coriander leaves.
Enjoy!!!!!

Fish and Raw Mango curried in Coconut paste (step by step pictures)

Fish: 1/4 kg

Ingredients: 1
Raw Mango: 1 sliced thin
Ginger: 1 inch sliced
Green Chillies: 10 slit

Ingredients 2

Coconut grated: 1 cup

Pearl Onion: 6

Turmeric Powder: 1/4 tsp

Chilly Powder: 1 tsp

Coriander Powder: 1 tsp

Curry leaves:  2 sprigs

Salt and water: as needed

In a pan, place Ingredients 1, pour some water and cook covered till the mangoes are half done.

Now grind Ingredients 2 properly and add to the half cooked mango mix. Pour enough water and let it come to a boil.

Now add the cleaned fish to it, add required salt, more water and close the lid and let it cook

When done, serve with Kerala rice.

Prawns Pepper Fry

In 2010 May, my Dad, bro and I made a trip to Trivandrum. I had some work there and they both accompanied me. On our way back, we ate at a restaurant and one of the dishes we ordered was Prawns Pepper Fry. It tasted soooooooooooooooooooo good and this is how I recreated it after that trip. This recipe is a regular at my home now.

Prawns; 1/2 kg

Onion; 1 diced

Onion: 1 sliced thin

Garlic: 6 cloves minced

Green Chillies; 5 slit

Pepper Powder: 1.5 - 2 tsp

To marinate the Prawns:

Chilly Powder: 1/4 tsp

Turmeric Powder: 1/4 tsp

Salt: 1/2 tsp

Oil, curry leaves and Salt : as needed

Heat oil in a kadai and fry the green chillies for a minute and then add the garlic.

After a minute add the diced onion and saute till wilted

Add the marinated prawns and let it get cooked.

When it is almost done, add the sliced onions, green chillies and saute everything properly.

Do a taste test and add more salt if needed.

Add pepper, give everything a quick mix and take off fire.

Simple Karimeen Pollichathu (for the calorie conscious)

This is a simple Fish Pollichathu recipe, not your usual coconut milk gravy types. This is more for the calorie conscious gang, as this recipe doesn't use even a drop of oil but tastes good in spite of it.

Pearl Fish: 3

Chilly Powder: 1 tbsp

Pepper Powder: 3/4 tbsp

Ginger Garlic Paste: 1 tsp

Turmeric Powder: 1/2 tsp

Salt; as needed

 Make a paste of this with water and apply on the fish pieces

Take a banana leaf, clean properly and show it over a flame.
Place one fish piece on it

Wrap it properly and tie it with thread or the banana stem.
Sprinkle water on the tawa and place the wrapped fish on it.

Keep the lid and let it get cooked on medium flame.
Turn over once.

Serve warm with rice.

Hot Butter Tiger Prawns

King Prawns: 16

Garlic: 4 pods or 50 cloves chopped fine

Ginger; 1 inch julienne

Onion: 1 small diced

Pepper: 1.5 tbsp

Salt: as needed

Butter; 2.5 tbsp

Carrot: 4 tbsp thin long slices.

Clean the Prawns under tap water and shell it keeping the head and tail intact.

Make a slit to remove the black thread. (its very easy to remove on big prawns)

Heat butter and saute the garlic and ginger.

When it browns along the edges, add the onion and saute for a minute.

Now add the prawns, pepper, salt and stir everything.

Keep the lid and let it cook on low flame for sometime.

Open the lid and add the carrot and give everything a saute and let the water dry up.

Take off fire. Serve as an appetizer. 

(Believe me, the carrot sauteed tastes so good but for me I didn't add the whole lot coz I was apprehensive, that's why u can see it on the plate- only a little of it went in to the sauteing)

Srilankan Spicy Fish Curry

This is another recipe I learnt on my Srilankan trip. Remember I told u'll how I met a Tamil chef in a restaurant there? Siva was kind enough to give me the recipes of all the finger licking dishes I had there. This is Srilankan fish curry that we had at the restaurant. It was so spicy that my son started crying and my husband was sweating like anything!!! But I so loved it. Here Iam giving the Spicy version but you can reduce the green chillies according to your tolerance level.

King fish: 6 slices
Onion: 1 medim quartered
Tomato: 1 medium chopped
Green Chillies: 8-10 ( o yes, but please reduce if you serve it to kids)
Curry leaves: 2 sprigs
Chilly Powder: 1 tsp
Turmeric Powder: 1/4 tsp
Coriander Powder: 1 tsp
Salt: as needed
Thin Coconut milk: 1 cup
Thick coconut milk: 1/2 cup

To Temper:
Coconut oil: 1 tbsp
Mustard: 1 tsp
Curry leaves: 1 sprig

Mix all the ingredients (except the thick coconut milk and the ingredients under "to temper") and cook on medium flame until done.

Add the thick coconut milk and let it boil along the edges.
Take off fire.
Add coconut oil in a kadai and splutter mustard and curry leaves and pour over this curry.
Serve with rice.

Crab Curried in Coconut paste

This is one of my favourite crab curries. Goes well with rice. And did I come up with this recipe? o no, I found this when I was bloghopping one day and the full credit for this delicious curry goes to Maria of Flavours of Mumbai. http://www.flavorsofmumbai.com/


Crab: 1 kg

Fennel seeds/Perinjeerakam: 1 tbsp
Cumin seeds: 1/2 tbsp
Coconut Grated: 1 cup
Onion: 2 medium
Ginger Garlic Paste: 1 tbsp
Tomato: 1 large chopped

Turmeric Powder: 1/2 tsp
Chilly Powder: 1.5 tsp
Coriander Powder; 2 tsp
Garam Masala: 1 tsp
Salt and Oil: as required
Coriander leaves and curry leaves: 2 sprigs each


Heat oil and fry the fennel and cumin for a minute on low flame.
Add 1 onion diced, ginger garlic paste and the grated coconut for sometime.
Make sure the flame is low and the coconut just have to change color (dont make it too brown)
Let this cool and make a paste of it and keep aside.
In the same pan, heat oil, and fry the other onion diced, tomato chopped and the coriander leaves.
After a few minutes, add the crab and all the masalas (turmeric powder, chilly powder, coriander powder and garam masala)
Mix properly  on low flame.
Add the coconut paste and required water to it and let it boil.
Once it boil, lower the flame and let it get cooked.
When it is done, add the curry leaves and take off fire.
Goes well with white rice.

Squid Curry Leaf Fry

This is absolutely delicious!!!!

Squid: 200 gm

Kashmiri Chilly Powder: 2 tsp 

Turmeric: 1/4 tsp

Coriander Powder; 1/2 tsp

Salt: as needed

Curry Leaves: 10 sprigs

Lime Juice: of 1 lime

Oil: 2 tbsp

Oil: for roasting

Mix all the ingredients together except the last ingredient-Oil for roasting
Keep this aside for 15-20 minutes.
Cook this on medium flame first for 3 minutes and the simmer it till it gets almost done.
Then add the oil (for roasting) and saute till it gets done.
Serve warm.

Recipe Courtesy: GrahaLakshmi Oct 2012

Srilankan Hot Butter Cuttle Fish/Squid/Calamari

I took a long break from the blogging world. Well, there is no reason..just that I was too lazy to click pics!!! Okay over to todays recipe... We went on a Srilankan trip and oooo, the food in Srilanka is to die for. For seafood lovers, it is heaven and beyond!!!! and this is one of the dishes I used to have almost every single day.. tried from all the sea food joints i went to.. and the best was from Beach Wadiya and also from a restaurant in Mount Lavinia.

 So, I had to get the recipe somehow and finally the day before we left, I gathered the courage to ask a chef how to prepare this and he could speak tamil too. He gave me the detailed recipe and here it is. 

Squid - 1 kg

Oil: for deep frying

Milk: 1 cup

To Marinate:

Salt and Pepper: as needed

Egg: 1 beaten

Corn flour: half cup

Semolina: 2 tbsp

Maida: 2 tbsp

Clean the squid properly.

Soak in milk for an hour (so that it doesnt turn rubbery when u cook)

drain the milk completely and pat dry. 

Dip in egg whisked with salt and pepper.

Coat it with the cornflour-maida-semolina mix

Deep fry till golden brown.

To saute:

Butter: 4 tbsp

Garlic: 10 cloves minced

Green Chillies: 10 chopped

Cashewnut fried: 8

Chilli Paste: 3 tbsp (I used readymade Srilankan Chilli paste, but if you dont get it, u can try this recipe )

Sugar: 1 tsp

Salt: if needed

Heat butter in a wok and add the green chillies and minced garlic.

After a few secs, add the sugar, chilli paste, cashewnuts and the fried squid and toss everything.

Take off fire and serve warm.

Roe Omelette/ Parinjil Appam

Yet another speciality dish of Kerala- Roe Omelette or fish egg omelette. We get fish eggs only in the month of June and July in Kerala and I remember mom used to buy loads of it and it will be two months of celebration- she will make all possible recipes with the fish roe. Here, the Roe is of a big fish (I dont know which one, coz I didnt buy the fish. The fishmonger was selling just the fish eggs...o yes, it was like striking a lottery!!!!!)

Fish Roe: 1/2 kg

Onion: 1 medium diced

Green Chillies: 3 chopped

Ginger: 1 inch chopped fine

Curry leaves: a sprig

Salt and Pepper: as required.

Oil: 1 tbsp

Mash the Roe and mix it with all the other ingredients except oil. Water will ooze out from the Roe.
Heat a pan and smear oil.
Pour a ladle of the roe mix onto the pan like how we make omelette.

Let it cook and then turn it once.
When cooked, serve warm.

Roe Fry/Parinjil Varathathu

Fish Roe/ Egg is a delicacy in Kerala Cuisine and it is something I can never say No to... Diet or No Diet!!! Usually the eggs of large fish are considered tasty and with it, we make curries, omelette, ada and also deep fry it.
The eggs of fish like Mackarel is not very tasty and some people do not eat it but I dont think any sea food lover can ever say No to Sardine Roe. Wow, its simply outta the world and this is how we make it edible...

Sardine Roe: 1/4 kg
Pepper: 1 tbsp
Chilly Powder: 1/2 tsp
Turmeric Powder: a pinch
Salt: as required

Oil: for Shallow frying

Make a paste of the masala with a tablespoon water and marinate the Roe in it.
Heat oil (3 tbsp) and shallow fry the roe (preferably keep a lid while it is getting cooked)

When done, serve warm with rice or as an appetizer.

Karimeen/Pearl Spot Mappas

Karimeen/Pearl Spot: 4
Kashmiri Chilly Powder: 1 tbsp
Pepper Powder: 1 tsp
Turmeric powder: a pinch
Salt; as needed
Lime juice: of a small lime

Make a paste of the masala, apply on the fish and shallow fry it. Keep aside.
This is an optional step, you can make it without frying as well, but its easier for my kids to take off the flesh from the karimeen bone when it is fried first. if you are not frying, increase the number of green chillies in the curry step.

Oil: 2 tbsp
Mustard: 1 tsp
Dry red chilies: 2
Curry leaves: 2 sprigs
Onion: 2 small sliced
Ginger: 1 tsp chopped
Garlic: 1 tsp chopped
Green Chillies: 2 sliced round (increase it to 5-6 if u r not frying the fish)
Tomato: 1 sliced round
Cconut milk: 1 cup thick
Coriander powder: 2 tbsp
Chilly Powder: 1 tsp
Pepper Powder: 1 tsp
Turmeric powder; 1/4 tsp
Salt: as needed.


Heat oil and splutter mustard, curry leaves and dried red chillies.
Throw in the onions, ginger, garlic and green chillies.
when the onions brown along the edges, add the masala powders.
sprinkle water so that the masalas dont burn.
when the raw smell is gone, add a cup of water, 1/4 cup of thick coconut milk and let it boil.
now layer the fish and the sliced tomatoes and let it get cooked.
Now add the remaining thick coconut milk, adjust the salt and when it boils along the edges, take off fire.
Serve with chapati.