Goan Fish Fry

Goan Fish Fry

Fish fry is my all time favorite comfort food and we make them often for lunch and dinners. For all those lazy days, I usually stick to a simple and basic marinade for fish fry. But sometimes experimenting with different regional flavors is good to take simple fish fry, to the new level.This recipe is inspired from Mye's Kitchen and from a tv show. The marinade has an enticing flavor similar to the Vindaloo marinade.This is a tasty and tempting fish fr. Try this you will surely love it.

Ingredients
King Fish- 4 slices
Kashmiri chilly powder- 1 1/2 tsp
Ginger- 1 inch piece
Garlic- 5-6 pods
Turmeric powder- 1/4 tsp
Whole black pepper- 1/2 tsp
Fennel seeds- 1/4 tsp
Clove- 2
Cumin seeds- 1/2 tsp
Mustard seeds-1/ 2 tsp
Roasted fenugreek seeds- a few
Rice flour or semolina- 1tbs(optional)
salt to taste
Vinegar- 1 1/2 tbs
oil for frying

Clean fish and squeeze some lemon juice,rub on the fish and then give a final rinse.

Make a paste of ginger, garlic,black pepper,cumin seed,mustard seeds,fenugreek seeds,clove and fennel seeds. You can add vinegar instead of water and blend into a smooth paste. Once it is smooth add chilly powder, turmeric powder, salt into the mixer jar and pulse a few more times.

 Apply this on the fish let it  marinate for 2 hours in refrigerator or best it left to marinate over night in the fridge. Just before frying dust with rice flour or semolina.

Heat oil in a pan and when it is very hot,gently place the fish.Fry in medium flame.After three minute gently flip over and fry the other side till it is done. Serve warm with rice.

Try this
Hope you will all enjoy!

Guava and Lychee Cooler

Guava and Lychee Cooler

Guava and lychee cooler is delicate and refreshing summer drinks. Both guava and lychee are in peak season and so here is a yummy summer drink. You can also use this combo to make cocktail drink or add fruit punch take this juice to the next level. Try this,you will surely love it.

Ingredients
Guava- 4 small
Lychee-8-10
Sugar- 2 tbs
Ginger- 1 thin slice
Lemon juice- 1/2 lemon
Mint leaves- 2-3
Ice crushed- 1 cup
water or fruit punch-2 1/2 cup

Cut guava into small pieces. Peel lychee skin and remove seeds.
 Add the lychee flesh,chopped guava, sliced ginger, mint leaves and water. Blend in a mixture till it is pulpy.Strain the juice and remove the seeds of the guava.
Stir in sugar and lemon juice and crushed ice.
Serve with mint leaves or lemon wedges.

Try this
Hope you will all enjoy!

Neyyappam

Neyyappam

Neyyappam is a traditional sweet/snack of Kerala. It is deep fried fitters made with rice and jaggery and with the enticing flavor of ghee and cardamom.You can use karupatti/palm jaggery or regular jaggery. Batter is mixed into a smooth thick paste and fermented overnight. But you can add baking soda if you want to make it the same day itself.  The proportion of rice and jaggery/karupatti is 3:2 ratio,adjust according to the sweetness you prefer.This ever popular delicacy is soft in the inside and crispy in the out side.

Ingredients
Raw rice- 2  cup
Karupatti- 1 1/3 cup
(adjust according to taste)
Cardamon crushed- 5-6 pods
Chopped coconut slices- 3 tbs

Dry ginger/chukku - a pinch
Cumin powder- a pinch
Black sesame seeds- 1/2 tsp
Baking soda- a pinch
Salt- a pinch
Ghee- 2 tbs
Oil for frying

Wash and soak rice for 4-5 hour. Drain and spread the rice on kitchen towel and allow to air dry till it is almost dry. Make a fine powder of the rice and sieve. The rice flour need not be silky soft. The ratio of fine rice flour and coarsely grounded rice flour is 3:1. Set this flour aside.

Mix powdered karupatti with 1/2 cup of water and bring to boil. When it dissolves completely switch off ,strain the impurities and allow to cool.

Heat ghee in a pan and roast sliced coconut till it turns golden brown. Add black sesame seeds and roast for another minute.

In a bowl add rice flour, roasted coconut and sesame seeds,crushed cardamon, dry ginger powder  and  salt. Mix the karupatti syrup and whisk to make a smooth batter with consistency similar to idli batter. Allow it to ferment over night at room temperature.

Half an hour before frying add a pinch of baking soda, gently mix the batter. Leave it in the counter for another half an hour.Heat 2 cups of oil in a pan and pour ladle full of batter into the oil.Fry in medium low flame or the inside of the neyyappam also gets cooked.Fry on both side till it becomes evenly brown. Drain into paper towels. Serve with tea.

Try this,
Hope you will all enjoy!

Door County Weekend

My husband, Kevin and I spent the 4th of July weekend in Door County.  We've gone several times over the years and each time we see and do something new.  This time, we went on a kayak tour, stayed in a new B&B, watched the fireworks on friends sailboat and ate at a few new restaurants.  So if you ever find yourself in Door County here's a few of our favorites. 

Our first stop was lunch at Wild Tomato in Fish Creek.  They now have a new location in Sister Bay.  This is a must stop every time we're in Door County.  They have gourmet pizza combinations, burgers, appetizers, really fresh salads and a great beer selection.

We were going to start with the Cherry Walnut Salad but our waiter was telling us how good the cheese curds are so we ordered and.....they were really that GOOD!

Our stay for the weekend was at the Double S Lodge in Sister Bay.  This B&B is amazing!  The second we drove up we knew we were in for a treat.  What a beautiful property!  The owners are Steve and Sandy.  They are wonderful hosts and thought of every detail to make our stay fabulous! 

The lodge is gorgeous!  

Our Room #4 was perfect.  The bed and pillows were so comfy!!  We even had a small balcony that we enjoyed.

This basket was waiting outside our bedroom door every morning at 7:30am with hot mugs of coffee and pastries.  This was one of our favorite details.  We'd sit in bed (or on our balcony) with our coffee and treat reading before it was time to go down to breakfast at 9:00, so relaxing.

Breakfast each morning was made by Sandy and was delicious!  

Another cool detail is that they source a lot of local ingredients.  They even had their own blend of coffee from Luna Coffee Roasters.

Another perk is Steve and Sandy have bikes for their guests to use.   

At 5:00pm there's a fun little happy hour with wine, beer, and yummy cheese platter.  Wine and cheese, one of my favorite combinations.  How did they know?!

We played the croquet course they had set up in the woods.  Just for the record, I WON!  

Those chairs are set up around a campfire and the best part is.....

at dusk, Steve brings out the whiskey and s'mores.   It was nice sitting around the fire getting to know the other couples.  What a nice way to end the evening. 

A must-see is the grass roof with grazing goats on top of the Al Johnsons Swedish Restaurant.  It's a sight to see!  We haven't eaten there but went to the outside beer garden.  

It was such a beautiful day.  We enjoyed a few drinks and played a giant Jenga game.  It was a really close game but Kevin won.  He even played with a drink in his hand!

This is where it all came tumbling down!!

One afternoon we went on a kayak tour. 

We kayaked under towering bluffs, paddled past Eagle Bluff Lighthouse, and rode along the shores of Peninsula State Park.  It was a lot of fun being on the water and seeing beautiful Door County from a different view. 

Two nights we ate at the Wickman House.  Why twice?  Well, the food is absolutely delicious and their selection of craft cocktails makes you want to come back just to try a different one.  You need a reservation as they are always packed.  We didn't have a reservation the second night but got lucky and got a seat at the bar.  Sitting at the bar was so entraining.  The drinks are one of a kind and the bartenders are great! I wouldn't come to Door County and not come here, it's a favorite. 

A high point of the weekend was spending time with some new friends on Mark and Laura's sailboat.  We had a few cocktails, Mark grilled us all a wonderful dinner and then we had the best seat in the house for the fireworks.  

We had The Fun Guy pizza, with five types of sautéed mushrooms, spinach and caramelized onions on garlic cream cheese. Super tasty!  I'll admit, it was a lot of cheese for one meal but a little over-indulgence on vacation is okay, right!?

Door County, we will miss you but will be back next year.  Thanks, Mark and Laura for the wonderful night.  Also thanks to Steve and Sandy, you spoiled us and we can't wait to stay at the  Double S Lodge again next year!

Chocolate Waffles

Chocolate Waffles

Chocolate waffles is chocolaty goodness and is perfect dessert for breakfast recipe. It is for special occasions or for those days, when you want to make your loved ones feel extra special.These easy to fix waffles can be served with whip cream, ice cream or fudge sauce. This recipe is inspired from Alton Browns chocolate waffles. The original recipe also had chocolate chips,but since I was planning to serve with ice cream, I made it rather simple. Try this,you will surely love it.

Ingredients
All purpose flour- 2 cup
Baking powder- 1 tsp
Baking soda- 1/4 tsp
salt-1/4 tsp
Sugar- 3 tbs
Cocoa powder-2 tbs
Vanilla essence- 1 tsp
Egg- 3
Butter- 3 tsp
Butter milk- 1/2 cup
Milk- 1 cup
oil

In a bowl mix the flour, sugar, salt and baking powder and set aside.
In another bowl whisk eggs till light and fluffy. Add milk,melted butter, butter milk and vanilla essence and mix lightly.
Pour this into the flour and gently fold in into a smooth batter.It should have the consistency like pancake batter.
Grease waffle iron with cooking oil spray. When it gets hot pour 1/3 cup of the batter and cook as per waffle iron instruction. When it is crispy remove from the iron and cook the next batch. Serve with ice cream or fudge sauce. If you want it to be crispy you can keep it in pre heated oven at 250 degree F, for 5 to 6 minutes.

Try this,
Hope you will all enjoy!

Mathi Puliyum Mulakum/Sardine Fish Curry

Mathi Puliyum Mulakum/Sardine Fish Curry

Mathi puliyum mulakum/sardine fish curry is a regional specialty. Kerala is a paradise for seafood lovers with so many drool-worthy fish and seafood recipes. Now let's be honest, the real joy of Kerala is its food. If you are feeling adventurous, try what the locals eat. This is one such curry, simple and straight forward with distinctive regional flavors. Mathi mulakum puli means sardine cooked in chilly tamarind paste. It is a spicy seafood delicacy with a bold and assertive taste. If you like to indulge in spicy food this is a perfect dish.

Sardine is a small oily fish found plenty in Kerala coast. Curried or fried sardine fish taste delicious. It is healthy and rich in protein, calcium and omega fatty acids. It boosts the immune system and helps maintain healthy skin. Spicy sardine curry is an absolute comfort homey food and goes well with kappa puzhukku/boiled mashed tapioca or with rice. Don't forget fried curry leaves and coconut oil for an authentic Kerala flavor. Try this, you will surely love it.

Cooking time- 25 minutes
Recipe type- Curry- side dish
Cuisine- Kerala / Indian

Ingredients
Mathi/sardine- 8
Kashmiri chilly-10
(add according to spice tolerance)
Tamarind- 1 small lemon sized ball
Pearl onions- 6-8
Fenugreek powder- 1/8 tsp(optional)
Turmeric powder- 1/3 tsp
Curry leaves- 2 springs
Coconut oil- 1 tbs
salt to taste

To make Mathi Puliyum Mulakum

In a bowl add tamarind and  dry kashmiri chilly. You can remove the seeds of the chilly. Pour one cup of hot water and let is soak for half an hour.
Using a mixer, make a fine paste of chilly and tamarind. When it a smooth paste add the the pearl onions and two curry leaves and pulse a few times.
Pour this paste into a pan/ chatti. Add salt, turmeric powder and fenugreek powder and mix. Add two cups of water and bring it to a boil.
Add fish pieces and cook in high for two minutes. Cover and simmer in low flame for about 10-12 minutes. Remove the lid and continue simmering in low flame.When the gravy thickens and oil separates the curry is done. At this stage add two springs of curry leaves and drizzle fresh coconut oil on top.
 Remove from stove.Keep it covered till it is ready to be served. This will help to infuse the flavors of curry leaves and coconut oil.

You might also like
Kerala Fish Fry/Chala Fry
Mathi/Sardine Pollichathu
Spicy Chilly Sardine/Mathi Adukkiyathu
Unakka Meen Manga Curry
Karimeen Paalu Curry
Meen Podimas

Try this,
Hope you will all enjoy!

Roti Jala/ Net Pancake

Roti Jala/ Net Pancake

Roti Jala/Roti kirai is a traditional Malayan snack .Roti Jala literally means net bread and it has a pretty net/ lacy pattern. It is served as a tea time snack with chicken or beef curry. It is considered as a traditional dish of the coastal community and the crepes are inspired from the fishermen net and hence made like a net.To make the roti jala there is a special cup with holes,but if you do not have it you can use a squeeze bottle instead. Try this ,you will surely love it.

Ingredients
All purpose flour- 1 cup
Eggs-3
Coconut milk- 1 cup
Water- 1 cup
Turmeric powder- 1/3tsp
Salt- 1/2 tsp
Sugar- 1tsp
oil

In a large bowl add flour, turmeric powder and salt and mix well.
Whisk egg and sugar till light and frothy. Add this into the flour along with coconut milk and water and whisk to make a smooth runny batter (like crepe batter). Strain the batter to make sure there is no lumps.
Pour this batter into a squeeze bottle. You can also take a regular plastic bottle. Make two or three holes on the cap and use it to make the roti jala.
Heat a pan/tawa and grease with little oil. Squeeze the batter over the hot pan in circular motion to create the lace pattern. Allow this to cook in medium heat.When it is cooked gently shake the pan and slide it onto a plate or gently lift with a spatula.Fold the the roti jala into a triangle or roll. Serve with chicken or any spicy curry.

Try this,
Hope you will all enjoy!