PEPPER PRAWNS

Prawns taste delicious, whatever way they are cooked.  Though rich in cholestrol  and fat  contents,  all relish eating the prawn delicacies.  

Prawns pepper is a self-invented recipe, tried out by me and liked by all at home.   This dish requires lesser  time to prepare  and can be included on a party menu. 

TO PREPARE PEPPER PRAWNS

INGREDIENTS:

• 25 Nos. Big sized Prawns, cleaned and washed.
• 1 big onion sliced
• 1” ginger minced
• 2 garlic flakes minced
• 1 tomato diced
• 1 tspn green chilly sauce
• ½ tspn soya sauce
• 1 tspn pepper
• Salt
• 1 tspn lime juice
• 1 tbspn oil

METHOD:

• Saute sliced onion in the oil until translucent
• Add tomatoes and sauté until cooked
• Put in minced ginger and cook
• Add the chilly sauce, soya sauce and lime juice.
• Now add pepper and salt and stir well.
• Finally add the prawns and cook in the juice which comes out of the prawns on a low fire.

Serve hot as a side dish.

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MUSSELS / CLAMS MEAT CUTLETS

Mussels or clams are shellfish found both in salt and sweet water.   The meat is soft and  delicious.  The mussels must be cleaned thoroughly and the whole shells are boiled until they open.  The meat is then separated from the shells.

The meat of the clams can be cooked in different ways.  I have used the meat to make cutlets using potatoes and other usual ingredients.   

TO PREPARE MUSSEL CUTLETS:

Ingredients:

• 1 cup of cooked meat from the clams, minced fine.
• 2 big potatoes boiled and mashed
• 2 big onions minced
• 3 green chillies
• 1 ½” ginger piece
• A bunch of coriander leaves
• 1 cup of bread crumbs
• 2 eggs
• 1 tspn salt to taste
• Oil for frying           

Method: 

• Mx the minced clams meat, onions, green chillies, ginger and salt, keep the mixture on fire to soften the mixture.
• Cool the mixture and add the eggs and mix well.
• Mix the potatoes and minced coriander leaves.
• Add required quantity of bread crumbs to form small balls of the mixture.
• Flatten the balls using bread crumbs and a knife.

Shallow fry with little oil until crunchy.

Ready to be served as a snack or side dish.

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SQUIDS SPECIAL

Squids belong to the family of Octopus and cuttlefish.

Squids are soft, boneless and without scales. Care should be taken when cleaning the squid. If the ink sack is burst, buckets of water is required to clean it. The meat is sweetish, however contains lot of calories and fat. But its rich in proteins and many other nutrients. Occasionally consuming this delicacy won't do any harm.

To prepare the Squids Special:

Ingredients:

2 cups Squid - cleaned, cut into 1” piece

1 cup chopped onion

2 green chillies chopped

1” piece ginger chopped

6 flakes garlic chopped

2 tbspn olive oil

1 sprig curry leaves

1 tbspn soya sauce

1 1/2 tspn tamarind paste

1 tbspn bafath powder

½ tsp turmeric

Salt to taste

Method:

• Heat the oil in a vessel.
• Drop the curry leaves and garlic saute for a while.

• Add chopped onion, chillies and ginger, fry until translucent.

• Blend in bafath powder and turmeric powder and salt.

• Add to it tamarind pulp and soya sauce and mix well.

• Finally add the squid pieces.

Keep on stirring. Cook well until soft.

Garnish with curry leaves.

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Tip: Do not add water, as water comes out of the squids when cooking.

ROUNSE FISH FRITTERS

Rounse fish is a fleshy fish with limited bones, available during the non-monsoon period in the fish market in the coastal area. The fish is cut into square pieces and can be used in curries as well as for making fish fritters.



TO PREPARE THE FRITTERS:

1/2 kg Rounse fish pieces


For the marinade:

• 4 tbspns bafath powder
• 1/2 tspn turmeric powder
• 1 tbspn ginger/garlic paste
• 2 tbspn lime juice
• 1 tspn salt or more if required

• Cooking Oil for frying
• Bread crumbs for coating the fish pieces

Method:

• Wash the pieces gently and leave it in a strainer to drain out the water.
• Prepare the marinade by mixing the above ingredients.
• Apply the marinade to quote evenly on all the pieces.
• Leave it in the refrigerator for one or two hours.

For Deep Frying:

• The fritters need to be deep fried.
• Roll the fish pieces in the bread crumbs.
• Heat the oil until it boils.
• Reduce the fire to medium flame.
• Drop the pieces in the oil using a spoon.
• Turn the fish after a couple of minutes.
• Fry until golden brown.
• Transfer to a plate covered with a tissue paper.

Serve hot garnished with onion rings and lettuce leaves.


For shallow frying:

• Heat a non-stick frying pan.
• Pour a tablespoon of oil.
• When the oil is hot place the pieces in the pan.
• Cook on medium flame, until fried.
• Transfer to a place covered with a tissue paper.

Serve hot garnished with onion rings and lettuce leaves

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PRAWNS GADBAD

Prawns and shrimps belong to the same family as crabs and lobsters and are similar in a number of ways. They are decapod crustaceans, which means that they have 10 legs and a hard shell covering their body, although the shell that covers prawns and shrimps is much thinner and not as hard as the shell of most other crustaceans.

As with crabs and lobsters, shrimps and prawns must shed their shells in order to grow bigger. One of the main differences between prawns and shrimps and their relatives, the crabs and lobsters, is that prawns and shrimps primarily swim about, as opposed to crabs and lobsters that crawl. Prawns and shrimps also start their 4 year existence as males and then change into females for their final year of life.

Prawns are an excellent source of protein, a good source of omega 3 fatty acids and a great way to get iron, zinc and vitamin E. They are also low in saturated fats.

When buying fresh prawns or shrimps look for the following signs before making your choice:
The shells should be firm and glossy and not broken or slippery.
There should be no discolouration of the heads or the shells, as this is an indication that the meat is starting to go bad.
They should smell fresh and salty. Avoid if there is any hint of a smell of ammonia. The eyes should be prominent and shiny and not shrunken inwards or missing. T
(Source: Internet)


Prawns are every one's, especially children's favorite, may be because they have no bones or thorns and very delicious in whatever way they are cooked. Prawns Gadbad or Chatpati is a spicy dish, mouth watering and added as a side dish with any spread of cuisine.



TO PREPARE PRAWNS GADBAD:

• 50 medium sized prawns still and firm.

• Ingredients:
• 
• 1 onion finely sliced
• 2 tspns oil Few curry leaves
• ½ cup water

• For the Masala
• 6 dry chillies (kashmiri preferred)
• 1 tspn pepper
• 1 tspn cumin seeds
• ½ tspn turmeric powder
• 1 marble sized tamarind paste

• METHOD:

• Chop off the heads and claws/legs of the prawns leaving the cover.
• Wash and clean thoroughly, removing the black vein of the prawn.
• Blend the masala ingredients using 1/3 cup of water.
  
• Pour the oil to a kadai/utensil, add the curry leaves.
• Saute onion in it on a medium flame, until it turns brown.
• Add to it the ground masala, sauté for 2/3 minutes
• Add 1/3 cup of water and bring it to boil
• Now add the prawns and keep over a low fire
• Leave on low fire until the prawns are cooked
• and the shell turns out crisp.
• When eating discard the shell cover.

Serve in a dish and garnish with onion rings.

This dish goes well with the cocktails as chakne.

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Scrumptious Sole Fish Curry in the Earthen Pot

Sole is a fish known for its mild, delicate flavour,with soft centre bone. It is an ocean fish of the flatfish family. Its available in plenty in the Indian southern coastal area throughout the year. The fish has a slimy skin which should be peeled out and the fins cut off. It can be curried or fried, both ways it tastes awesome.

TO PREPARE SOLE FISH CURRY

Ingredientss:

• 10 Nos. Sole fish, skin peeled and cleaned, cut into two pieces

For the Masala:

• 8 dried red chillies
• 1 1/2 tspn coriander
• ½ tspn cumin seeds
• ½ tspn pepper corns
• ½ tspn turmeric powder
• 3-4 solan (dried skins of a tropical fruit with a tangy taste)
• ½ marbled sized tamarind
• 1 medium sized onion
• 3 flakes garlic
• ½ cup scraped coconut
• Grind all these to a fine thick paste adding little water

For seasoning:

• Oil – 1 tbspn
• 1 thinly sliced onion

Method:

• Heat the earthen pot and pour oil.
• Saute the finely cut onion until translucent.
• Add the masala paste and keep covered, stirring occasionally for 5 minutes.
• Make the curry adding 1 cup of water, curry to be thick flowing consistency.
• Add salt to taste and mix well. Keep it covered until it starts to boil.
• Add the fish pieces and simmer on medium fire for 3 minutes.

Scrumptious Sole fish curry is ready to be eaten with boiled rice.

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GRILLED FISH

Grilling fish is easy and fast. You can get fish off the grill in a matter of minutes, thus making fish the perfect meal. Just put the marinated fish inside a grill to required temperature, set the timer and get busy with the other jobs. Grilled fish will be ready at meal time.

TO PREPARE:

• 1 Big sized fleshy fish (I used Khevazi fish

• Remove the scales and fins

• Make a small cut near the stomach and clean the inside/outside thoroughly.

• Make several slits/cuts on both the sides of the fish

For Marinade:

• 3 tspns bafath* powder
  

• ½ tspn turmeric powder

• 1 tspn ginger/garlic paste

• 1 ½ lime juice

• Salt to taste (1 ¼ tspn)

  

• Mix all the ingredients well and apply the masala, all over the fish, into the slits and the stomach area.

• Leave for 2 hours.

• Pre-heat the oven at 160 degrees marker.

• Place the fish in a baking trey, greased well with olive oil.

• Grill it for 20 to 25 minutes or until properly cooked.

• Transfer it to a serving trey.
  

• Garnish with ice berg lettuce or lettuce, cucumber slices and lemon wedges.

* Bafath Powder is prepared by pounding together dried chillies, jeerah,coriander seeds, turmeric, little bit of cinnamon and cloves.

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