Prawns and Bimbli with coconut

When I moved into my new home late last year, one of the things that I was most excited about was the small patch of garden that came with the house. I've never had a garden, potted plants at my my mum's house yes... but an actual garden no. Well the excitement didn't last very long as I realized, I had no clue what to do. Thankfully the garden had the bimbli plant and it was in full bloom. They were so many fruits on the plant and many of them were just falling off and getting wasted. So I was trying to think of recipes where bimblis were used so I could  put mine to good use.

I had eaten raw bimblis dipped in salt and chilly powder as a kid, but I couldn't get myself to eat it like that again. Alex's mum makes lovely bimbli pickle, but we don't eat a lot of pickle, so slaving to make a pickle was out of question. I could use a few to make daal, or in the red curry. These are sour fruits and are used as souring agents mostly. And then Alex thought of the prawns and bimbli sukhem his mum makes. Now it may seem like a strange combination, but all i can say is it works well. A few what's app messages later, this dish was ready and devoured in no time. Since I have access to bimblis so easily, this dish is regularly on our menu. I made this dish dryish with no water and it went very well with chappatis. So here's the recipe for you.

Recipe credit: Rozita Coutinho (Alex's mum)

Ingredients:

1. Prawns - 1/2 cup
2. Bimbli - 1 cup
3. Onions - 1/2 cup
4. Coconut - 1/2 cup
5. Cumin powder - 1/2 tsp
6. Turmeric powder - 1/2 tsp
7. Pepper powder - 1/2 tsp
8. Salt as required
9. Oil as required

Method:

1. Cut the bimblis in proportion to the size of the prawns. Add a little salt, mix and keep aside.
2. In a pan, heat little oil, add the prawns and dehydrate them completely on high heat. Keep aside.
3. In the same pan, heat oil, add finely chopped onions and fry till they are soft and pink.
4. Add all the powdered spices and mix well.
5. Add the salted bimblis, mix well and let it cook for about two minutes.
6. Add the coconut, mix well, and cook for a further two to three minutes.
7. Lastly add prawns, mix well and cook till the prawns are done.
8. Check for salt and add if required.

Tuna cutlets with potato

Tuna cutlets are eaten with relish in my home. A simple meal of dal rice with tuna cutlets can be very comforting and lift spirits even on the dullest days. I have two tuna cutlet recipes and I alternate them so we get to eat both. This recipe was shared by my younger sister Doreen, who is quite a cook and baker. She is always cooking new recipes but surprisingly I have never borrowed many recipes from her in the past. These days, however, it's a different story. Usually over our daily chats we talk about what we have cooked and if the day's menu seems appealing, we end up sharing recipes. Thanks to technology like What's app, communication has become much easier specially if you live far and can't make expensive phone calls.

Anyhow, this recipe is a little different from the one I used to make regularly. The addition of potatoes and spices to the cutlets in this recipe, adds a lot of flavor and also gives it a lovely texture. You can find the recipe for the previous tuna cutlets here.

Recipe Credit : Doreen D'sa (my sister :-)

Ingredients:

1. Tuna flakes(360-400 gms) - 2 tins 
2. Boiled potatoes - 3 medium
3. Onion - 1 large, chopped finely
4. Garlic -1 tsp finely chopped
5. Ginger - 1 tsp finely chopped
6. Green chilies - 2 finely chopped
7. Coriander leaves - 3 tbsp finely chopped 
8. Chili powder - 1 tsp 
9. Turmeric powder - ½ tsp 
10. Freshly ground pepper - 1 tsp 
11. Garam masala powder - 1 tsp 
12. Oil, as required for shallow frying
13. Salt, as per taste
14. Eggs - 2 nos
15. Breadcrumbs - 1 cup  

Method:

1. In a pan fry the chopped onions, ginger, garlic and green chili till the whole mixture turns brown.
2. Add all powders except the garam masala powder and stir well.
3. Add the tuna and mix well, keep stirring and let it cook for about two minutes.
4. Add the garam masala powder and coriander leaves and mix well. Put off the flame.
5. Let the tuna mixture cool, post which add the mashed boiled potatoes. Mix the whole thing well and make round balls and flatten it out like patties.
6. Refrigerate for half hour.
7. Break the two eggs in a bowl and lightly beat it. Season with salt and pepper.
8. Spread the breadcrumbs in a plate.
9. Heat a pan, add oil for shallow frying. When the pan is hot, dip the patty in egg and coat it in the breadcrumbs, and put it in the hot pan.
10. Shallow fry on both sides for five minutes each or till they turn brown and look done.

Curd and Pepper fried Chicken

I was back home in Mumbai for a few weeks in March. The trip wasn't planned so it didn't pan out as I would've liked it too. But being home is wonderful and now that I look back it seemed to have gone by so fast. I had a lovely time meeting my family and friends and taking turns to stay with them. Our stay got extended due to some unavoidable reasons but we weren't complaining.

Alex and I had completed one important task before leaving for Mumbai, made a list of restaurants that we wanted to eat at and a list of dishes we'd like to eat at home. From the time we got there each meal was planned. Mostly. ;-)

After getting back in April, I was trying to get back into the mood of blogging but the vacation hangover just wouldn't subside. And after much mental workout and persuasion, here I am posting one of my all time favorites. In fact its one of the family favorites.

Today's post is a dish I prepared many years ago trying to imitate a fried chicken prep from a local restaurant. I have the fondest memories associated with this dish as it was an instant hit with everyone, every time. I don't know of anyone who has eaten it and not loved it instantly. And the best part is like most of my recipes, this one is so easy to put together, it might actually surprise you.

                                              

Ingredients:

1. Chicken on the bone - 500 gms
2. Curd - 1/2 cup
3. Ginger garlic paste - 1 tbsp
4. Pepper - 1/4 to 1/2 tsp
5. Salt - as required
6. Oil - as required

Method:

1. Mix all the ingredients in a bowl, except oil. Let the chicken marinate for minimum two hours.
2. Pour oil in a pan and shallow fry the chicken pieces till its done.
3. After all the pieces are fried, pour the remaining marinade into the pan. When the marinade turns brownish in color, take it off the flame and pour over the chicken pieces.

Notes:

I personally prefer to use chicken legs and thighs for this preparation. I would suggest, avoid using boneless chicken for this dish.

Use pepper as per your spice tolerance.