Tamarind prawns

Today's recipe like most recipes on this blog, is a no hassle preparation. As you read it you might dish, wonder if it will turn out alright. And that's the beauty of this dish, no fuss to make it and yet turns out tasty. I guess that's also because if you have fresh good quality prawns you can never go wrong with it. Many of the recipes I have shared on this blog are from my mum in law, and this is one of her quick fix yet delicious gems.

Recipe credit - Rozita Coutinho (Alex's mum)

Ingredients:

1. Prawns - 1 cup, peeled
2. Tamarind pulp - 1 tbsp
3. Red chilly powder - 1 tsp
4. Turmeric powder - 1/2 tsp
5. Cumin powder - 1/2 tsp
6. Red Kashmiri chilly - 2 nos
7. Salt as required
8. Oil as required

Method:

1. Wash and place the prawns in a pan that is placed on the stove, use medium flame.
2. Add all the ingredients into the pan except oil.
3. Mix well and let it cook, the prawns will give out water. 
4. When the water evaporates, add oil to the pan and stir well to avoid the prawns from sticking to the pan. Cook till the prawns are done. 
5. Switch off the flame and serve hot with chappatis, or as a side dish with rice and dal or curry.

The recipes for dals and curries :

Dal Fry
Dal Palak (Spinach in lentil soup)
Plain coconut juice curry
Plain red coconut curry

Plain coconut juice curry

In the last few weeks I have shared a couple of coconut based curries. A couple of weeks ago I published the Plain red coconut curry. Today's curry recipe is similar to it, except that instead of ground coconut we use coconut milk in this recipe. You may think it tastes similar too, but a coconut milk based curry tastes much richer and has a creamier texture. You could also add prawns to this curry and make a prawn curry and it tastes wonderful. Since prawns are preferred fried or as a dry preparation in my house, I like to make the curry plain. Serve the curry with hot rice, a piece of fried fish and any vegetable foogath and you will have  finger licking meal.

Recipe credit : Rozita Coutinho (Alex's mum)

Ingredients:

1. 1 Coconut - milk extracted or
2. 400 ml - coconut milk
3. Oil - 1 tbsp
4. Onion - 1 large, finely chopped
5. Tomato - 1 medium, finely chopped
6. Green chilly - 1 or two, slit (optional)
7. Tamarind pulp - 1 tbsp
8. Stock cube - 1 no

For the masala:

1. Kashmiri chilly - 8 nos
2. Garlic - 6 cloves
3. Coriander seeds - 1 tbsp
4. Cumin seeds - 1 tsp
5. Turmeric powder - 1 tsp
6. Peppercorns - 1 tsp

Method:

1. Grind to a fine paste the ingredients, mentioned under for the masala. Keep aside. Reserve the water used to rinse the grinder jar.
2. In a pan, heat oil, add the chopped onion and fry till light brown.
3. Add the tomatoes, and the ground masala, stir well and cook for two minutes. Add the stock cube, reserved water, tamarind pulp and the coconut milk.
4. Let it simmer for about twenty minutes, check for consistency.
5. If adding chilly, add it two minutes before putting off the flame.

Pork roast - Goan style

This is one of my favorite pork recipes. It's a precious gem from my mum in laws kitchen. This recipe has very basic whole spices combined with ginger and garlic. The only thing that you may not find in your pantry is cashew fenny. My mum in law believes that it adds a unique flavor to the dish, and if you have access to it , you must use it in this recipe.

Recipe credit : Rozita Coutinho (Alex's mum)

Ingredients:

1. Pork - 1 kg chunk
2. Garlic - 8 big cloves
3. Ginger - 1 and half inch piece
4. Turmeric powder - 1 tsp
5. Peppercorns - 25 nos
6. Cardamoms - 6 nos
7. Cinnamon - 2 inch sticks. 
8. Cloves - 10 nos
9. Vinegar - 2 to 3 tbsp
10. Cashew fenny - 1 tsp 
11. Salt as required

Method:

1. Wash and cut the meat into four large chunks. Drain excess water.
2. Dry grind the spices into a coarse powder.
3. Make a paste of the ginger and garlic using vinegar. 
4. In a pan, marinate the pork with salt, spices, cashew fenny and the ginger garlic paste.
5. Marinate for 6 to 8 hours or over-night. Refrigerate the marinated pork.
6. Let the meat come to room temperature before cooking it on slow flame. Depending on how tender or tough the meat is, adjust the cooking time.
7. Put the same pan on the stove and cook till 3/4th done.
8. Remove the pieces onto a plate and cut 1/4 inch slices and put it back in the pan to cook completely. This ensures the slices don't curl while cooking.
9. Check for seasoning and serve with pulao or in sandwiches.
10. In case, you don't have cashew fenny, you may skip it. But I'm told the fenny enhances the flavor. 

Beef chilly fry with pan fried potatoes

This dish was a happy accident. I had set out to make something else but due to some reasons, ended up making this. It was an instant hit, you can have this with chappatis or bread, in a sandwich or wrap, or with dal and rice, irrespective of what you pair it with, it tastes heavenly.

The best thing about this recipe is you can tinker around with the spices and sauces. Add or delete as long as you have the basic ingredients in place. You can create this dish to suit your palate and preference.

Ingredients:

1. Beef - 1/2 kg 
2. Garlic - 4 cloves, finely chopped
3. Ginger - 1/2 inch piece, finely chopped
4. Green chilly - 2 nos, roughly chopped
5. Onion - 1 large, sliced
6. Tomato - 1 large, sliced
7. Worcester sauce - 1/2 tbsp
8. Soy sauce - 1 tsp
9. Red chilly sauce - 1 tsp (optional)
10. Salt as required
11. Oil as required
12. Coriander leaves - for garnish
13. Potatoes - 2 nos, cut lengthwise

Powdered spices

1. Turmeric - 1/2 tsp
2. Pepper - 1/2 tsp
3. Red chilly - 1/2 tsp
4. Garam masala - 1/2 tsp (optional)

Method:

1. Cut the beef into half inch tips, wash and set aside.
2. Add all the powdered spices to the beef tips and mix well. You could do this, before chopping the other ingredients for the dish. Set aside.
3. In a pan, heat oil, add the ginger, garlic, green chilly and onions. Fry till the onion is softened.
4. Add the tomatoes, salt and the beef. Mix well, bring it to a boil and then let it cook on low flame till the beef is cooked.
5. Add about one cup of water as required to ensure the contents don't stick to the pan and the beef is cooked. This could take about 30 minutes depending on how tough or tender the meat is. Please use your discretion.
6. This is a dry dish with with very thick sauce, so don't add too much water.
7. Lastly, add the sauces, check for taste and consistency, put off the flame.
8. Garnish with coriander leaves.

For the potatoes:

1. In a pan add 1 cup water and salt, bring it to a boil, add the potatoes and cook till 3/4th done. 
2. If the water has not evaporated while cooking , drain the water, drizzle little oil so the potatoes are coated and pan fry till done.

Plain red coconut curry - Bachelor curry

Goan and Mangalorean fish curries are famous and quite popular amongst foodies. Though I don't eat a lot of fish, I grew up in a house where fish curry and rice was a staple diet. My mum refused to cook separately for me, this was my mother's idea of tough love. :-) I learnt to eat the rice and curry without touching the fish. A strange but workable solution for all. Till date I enjoy fish curry and rice, minus the fish.

After I met Alex, I learnt to cook the plain red coconut curry from his dad. I was so happy to discover a curry that was so close to a fish curry, but minus the fish, unheard of in my mum's house.This curry uses all the same spices and instead of fish, you add a stock cube for the flavor. It is also known as the bachelor curry in Mangaloren cuisine. For picky fish eaters like me who love the coconut curry and prefer fried fish to curry fish, this is a super combo. Add a simple vegetable like cabbage or beans foogath,on the menu and you have a wholesome and delicious meal.

Recipe credit : Cyril Coutinho (Alex's dad)

Ingredients:

1. Onion (small) - 1 no
2. Tomato (small) - 1 no
3. Stock cube - 3 nos

For the masala:

1. Coconut - 200 grams
2. Kashmiri red chillies - 7 nos
3. Garlic - 7 cloves
4. Cumin seeds - 1 tsp
5. Coriander seeds - 1 tbsp
6. Turmeric powder - 1/2 tsp
7. Peppercorn - 1/2 tsp
8. Onion (small) - 1 nos
9. Tamarind - a marble sized ball 

Method:

1. Slice the onion and tomato. Add salt to the onion and mix and keep aside.
2. Grind to a fine paste all ingredients mentioned under, for the masala.
3. In a pan, place the salted onion, sliced tomato and the masala, bring this to a boil. Add about two cups of water, and cook on low flame for about 25 to 30 mins.
4. Add the stock cube five minutes before putting off the stove.
5. You may add drumsticks for additional flavor.

Pork Solantulem

Pork is a personal favorite of mine. I usually cook pork bafad, special occasions call for sorpotel, and I prepare pork solantulem when I'm in a hurry and don't have the time and patience to cook an elaborate dish. This is one of the easiest, fuss free pork recipes I know. This is a Goan dish, however, surprisingly I never heard of it till I got married. I have lived in Goa for a few years and have visited it quite often after I moved back to Mumbai. I have never seen this dish on any menu in any restaurant, nor have I heard any locals mention it ever. I think the sorpotel, vindaloo and choris take all the limelight and this humble recipe never made it to the stage.

But my mum-in-law makes this preparation once in a while and I learnt it from her many years ago. This dish is not spicy and I guess that's one of the reasons why it's not a party favorite. But I like this dish, not only 'cos of how easy it is to pull it together but 'cos it has very simple flavors. And of course 'cos it is David's favorite.

The original recipe has a handful of ingredients, viz; solam (kokum), garlic, cumin, salt and turmeric. But I add a few more spices to suit my palate. The star of this recipe is of course solam or kokum, which is absolutely essential, along with garlic and cumin. The other spices can be added or given a miss depending on convenience.

Ingredients:

1. Pork - 1 kg
2. Cumin - 1 tsp
3. Garlic - 8 fat cloves
4. Solam (Kokum) - 12 pieces
5. Turmeric - 1/2 tsp
6. Broken red chilies - 4 nos
7. Salt - as required

Additional ingredients:

1. Onion - 1 large
2. Cinnamon - 2 inch sticks
3. Cloves - 8 nos
4. Peppercorns - 1 tsp
5. Bay leaves - 2 nos

Method:

1. Add all the ingredients in a deep pan and keep on the stove on high flame. When it comes to a boil, reduce the flame and simmer for about twenty minutes or till the pork is done.
2. Stir occasionally to ensure it does not stick to the bottom.
3. Check for taste.
4. Any pork preparation, according to me tastes better after it has rested for a little while. At least one hour of rest will help the meat absorb all the spices and salt.

Pork Sorpotel (Goan style)

Today's post is truly special. I am posting the recipe of my most favoritest pork dish. SORPOTEL. I have eaten pork sorpotel for every Christmas for the last eight years. And of course on other special occasions too, like a wedding in the family, Easter and a loved one visiting after a long time. The credit for this recipe completely goes to my dearest mum in law (MIL). She laboriously cooked it year after year on every special occasion and she has been kind enough to share the exact details not only of the ingredients but the method too. She in fact made a smaller quantity once, no special occasion, just so that I could watch and learn. How great is that! I learnt to cook this about two years ago when my MIL was visiting her daughter in Dubai for Christmas and we would be without sorpotel. I took this opportunity to put my notes to good use and voila....

Just to give you a background, Sorpotel has portugese influence, and is made by the Goan, Manglorean and East Indian Christian communities. This dish is made in large quantities since it is mostly served on special occasions like weddings, birthdays and parties. The best part about this dish is that it can be cooked well in advance. In fact it tastes better, more pickled with each passing day. Each community makes it differently, for instance the Manglorean community cook sorpotel with the pork offals, and parts of the pig that are otherwise usually discarded. They also add pig blood to the preparation. I have never eaten this dish, as it is not available commercially. So unless you get invited to someone's house for a meal, where this dish is prepared and served, there is a slim chance of you getting to taste this. The East Indian community, on the other hand, has two versions of the sorpotel, one red preparation, where they  use their famous bottle masala and the green sorpotel, where they use whole ingredients i.e.without being ground. And finally the Goan community cook this dish with pork meat and pig liver. The method is mostly the same, where the meat is par-boiled and then chopped into tiny pieces and fried in its own fat, and after which the masala or sauce is prepared and the meat is added and allowed to soak in the spices. This dish best tastes a couple of days after it's made.

So brace yourselves for some hard work, and no shame in asking for help, specially when it comes to chopping the meat. But you will love the dish and when you see your loved ones enjoy it, all the hard labor just seems worth it!

IMPORTANT NOTE :

• The ingredients in the recipe are for half kg meat only. Please adjust ingredients as per the quantity of meat you will cook.
• It is recommended that for every 1 kg of pork meat, add 1/2 kg pork liver. This combination tastes best. 
• Use pork belly for this dish, as the belly has the best distribution of meat, fat and skin.

The delicious fiery SORPOTEL!

Spice Mix:

1. Kashmiri Cilly - 5 nos
2. Cumin seeds - 1/2 tsp
3. Black peppercorns - 20 nos
4. Cinnamon - 1 inch stick
5. Cloves - 5
6. Cardamom - 2
7. Turmeric powder - 1/4 tsp
8. ***Vinegar - as required

Dry grind the above ingredients to a fine powder. Add vinegar last to make a paste. Use as much vinegar as needed but be careful as too much will make the dish too sour.

1) Pork meat and liver boiled
2) Chopped liver

1) Fried meat
2) Fried chopped ingredients

Ingredients for chopping:

1. Onion - 1 medium (finely chopped)
2. Garlic - 5 medium flakes (finely chopped) 
3. Ginger - 1/2 inch piece (finely chopped)
4. Green chilly - 1 no (finely chopped)

Method:

1. Wash the meat well. Place the whole chunk of meat in a sauce pan and add 1 cup of water. Let the meat cook for ten to fifteen minutes. 
2. Set the meat aside for cooling. Reserve the water. Cool the water and refrigerate.
3. Once the meat has cooled, cut the meat into quarter or half inch cubes. Keep the meat and liver pieces separate.
4. Heat a pan, pour little oil, fry the chopped meat first. Fry till it changes color. Use oil initially, later the pork will release its fat and you will not need to use oil. Fry the liver till it turns black. Note that the liver needs to be fried longer than the meat. Set aside the fried meat.
5. Heat a sauce pan, fry the onions till they turn golden brown, then add the remaining chopped ingredients. Fry well. 
6. Add the ground red masala and meat. Fry the masala well. 
7. Add the meat and liver, and salt, mix well. Put off the flame. Note: No cooking.
8. Let the meat marinate for four to six hours. 
9. After six hours, cook the meat with the reserved water, on slow flame for thirty minutes. 
10. Since the meat is to be consumed after a few days, don't refrigerate on the same day.
11. Refrigerate after two or three days.
12. During those two to three days when the meat is not refrigerated, heat the meat twice a day on the flame, preferably once in the morning and once at night. 

Garlic prawns in reichad

When I was growing up, prawns were a luxury food. I came from a humble background, where my dad was the sole bread winner, and my mum was a home-maker, with three girls. We mostly bought fish that could be used in curries and had with rice. Frying fish was rare and mostly reserved for once a week or less. My mum bought fish from our regular fish monger, who by the way came to our door step every day,except Sunday, for over twenty-five years. When he stopped due to old age, his daughter continued the tradition of visiting us every morning. Though personally, I have never been fond of fish curry, I remember crowding with my sisters and neighbors to take a peek into the large basket. And of course looking forward to all the bargaining and haggling that everyone happily indulged in. Bargaining well with a fish monger and getting a good deal, was considered an envious quality and a very important life lesson. They are such fond memories, and they cheer me up and bring a smile to my face even today.

Coming back to today's post, I got a very good deal on shelled and de-veined prawns a few days ago. So I happily stocked a few extra packets in my freezer. And since we love our prawns I have been cooking them a little too often. My last post - Prawns in garlic and onions, can be found under the label - Prawns. You will also find a couple of more recipes on this great tasting sea-food. Today's recipe is a favorite at Alex's house. Learnt this recipe from my mum-in-law, and it's a hit every time it's on the menu. So here goes!

Ingredients:

1. Prawns - 1 cup (shelled and de-veined)
2. Garlic - 4 flakes
3. Onion (medium) - 2 no
4. Tomato (medium) - 1 no
5. Reichad masala - 1 tbsp
6. Salt - to taste
7. Oil - as required
8. Coriander leaves - for garnish (optional) 

Method:

1. Wash the prawns, add salt and keep aside. Roughly chop garlic, onions and tomatoes. 
2. Heat a non-stick pan, pour oil, and lightly fry the prawns for 30 seconds on both sides. Once fried, keep the prawns aside. * See notes
3. In the same hot pan, add the garlic and onions. Let it fry in the pan till it turns light brown, add the tomatoes. Mix well and let it cook till the tomatoes turn a little squishy.
4. Now add the prawns and the reichad masala. Mix well. Let it cook for about three to four minutes.
5. Lastly garnish with chopped coriander leaves.

Notes:

1. I always sear prawns and meat before adding them to any preparation. I do this as when the meat is seared on very high heat the juices are locked in and the meat gets a nice brownish coat. This is a personal choice. You may add the prawns directly, after the tomatoes have cooked, without frying them first. 
2. Reichad is a Goan wet masala used for frying fish.

Prawns and Okra in coconut curry (Caldeen/ Caldine curry)

Prawns are a favorite at home. My husband, son and I are crazy about prawns. The bigger the better!

I have always found it difficult to buy fish in Mumbai. Either my MIL or my mother would buy fish for me. We are not particularly fond of fish but prawns are a different story altogether. The whole idea of going to the fish market is not a happy prospect. I'll spare the details of why that might be, as I might ruin the dish or your appetite. I have never considered buying fish at the super-market as my mum always believed that fish from a super mart is not as fresh as one would get in a fish market where the fish mongers get fresh produce from the Sassoon docks. "Who knows how long they have been lying there on the bed of ice!" she'd say. So the thought of buying fish or meat from a super market never really crept into my head.

But it's quite different here. I have no idea where to buy fresh fish and meats from. So super market it is. Today's recipe is the easiest thing to cook after steamed rice.The flavors are simple yet delightful.There are no complicated spices and no fancy frills. A simple dish cooked simply. If you are a novice at cooking this recipe is an absolute must try. And if you are a seasoned cook you must try this recipe on a day you don't want to cook a long drawn and complicated meal. And if your somewhere in between, well what can I say except "try it to see how good it is."

Ingredients

1. Prawns - 10 nos
2. Okra (long) - 5 nos
3. Onion (medium) - 1 no
4. Green chilly - 1 no
5. Vinegar - 1/2 tbsp
6. Coconut milk - 150 ml
7. Water - 150 ml
8. Oil - as required
9. Salt - to taste

Spice mix

1. Cumin powder - 1/2 tsp
2. Pepper powder - 1/2 tsp
3. Turmeric powder - 1/2 tsp

Method

1. Clean and wash the prawns. Add 1/2 tsp salt and set aside. Wash and pat dry okra, cut into two inch pieces. Finely chop onions.
2. In a pan, pour oil and shallow fry prawns for one minutes on each side. 
3. Add the onions, mix well and let it fry in the pan for a minute, add the diced okra, after which add all the spice mix. Add the vinegar.
4. Mix well and let the whole mix fry for a minute or two. Add half the water and lower the flame. Add the slit green chilly.
5. Okra will take about 7-8 minutes to cook. Check to see if you need to add water so the food is not burnt.
6. Lastly add the coconut milk. Once it comes to a boil, check for salt, pepper and consistency. Put of the gas flame and serve hot.

This dish goes very well with steamed rice. Enjoy!

Chicken Cafreal

Goa is the smallest state in India. But it has so much to offer. It is a culturally rich state with a lot of Portugese influence in its food, music and architecture. Goa was a Potugese colony up until 1961. 

I'm yet to meet a person who is not charmed by Goa.... the magic of the sun, sand, wine and  food....everything about Goa is quintessentially enthralling.  Chicken cafreal is a classic Goan dish. Since my extended family is from Goa and my mum is a pro in Goan cuisine, I borrowed the below receipe from her and have tried it... I promise you, you won't be disappointed.... do let me know how it turns out.


Ingredients:

Chicken - 1 kg

Spices & herbs to be ground using water:

1. Green chillies - 6 nos
2. Coriander leaves - 1 cup
3. Mint leaves - 1 cup
4. Ginger paste - 1 tbsp
5. Garlic paste - 1 tbsp
6. Cinnamon - 1 inch
7. Cloves - 6 nos
8. Green cardamom - 8 nos
9. Cumin - 1 tsp
10. Peppercorns - 10 nos

Salt - as per taste
Vinegar - 2 tbsp
Oil - As required
Onions - 2 medium sized


Method:

1. Make a paste of ingredients from 1 to 10.
2. Slice onions finely.
3. Cut the chicken into 8 pieces.
4. Marinate the chicken in the paste, add salt to the marinade and refrigerate for 3 - 4 hours.
5. In a large pan, heat oil, fry the sliced onions.
6. Place the chicken pieces, increase the flame and dehydrate the chicken. Dehydrating the chicken rids the chicken of the rawness.
7. Once the chicken is browned on all sides, reduce the flame.Add the vinegar.
8. Add 2 cups of water and cover with a lid.
9. Cook for 20 minutes on slow flame. Check for taste and seasoning. The chicken will be cooked by now. Adjust the consistency of gravy as required. The gravy ideally should be not much and is mostly served as a dry dish.
   
10.  Put off the flame and it's ready to be served.

Tastes best when served with pao or pulao.