Chemmeen Mapas (Kerala Prawn Curry with coconut milk)

The wedding season is here and all the partying and staying out late in the cold winter evenings does call for a sleepy and lazy Saturday/Sunday. The last thing you want to do that day is get up early and cook up a huge elaborate fare. Last Saturday was a similar one. We had just got over a very busy week involving loads of work at the office and hectic wedding celebrations in the evenings.
I decided to cook some prawn curry native to the christian community of Kerala. Since I have never tasted it in the past and was making do with an old newspaper cutting that had the instructions, I do not know whether I ended up making it as it should be, but it surely tasted heavenly with steamed rice on the side.

Chemmeen Mapas

Ingredients:
Prawns, washed, shelled & deveined - 250 gm
Oil - 2 Tblsp
Mustard seeds (Rai) - 2 Tsp
Fenugreek seeds - 1/2 Tsp
Onion, sliced - 1
Green Chillies, slit - 2
Ginger, chopped - 2 Tsp
Garlic cloves finely chopped - 12
Coriander Powder - 2 Tsp
Red Chili Powder - 1/2 Tsp
Tamarind, soaked in 2/3 up of water - 1 Lemon sized ball
Coconut milk - 2/3 Cup
Salt - To Taste

Method:
1. Heat oil in a pan. Add in the mustard seeds. When they start to crackle, add in the fenugreek seeds, Sliced onion, green chillies, ginger and garlic.
2. Fry till onion turns translucent.
3. Mix together the coriander powder and red chili powder with a tblsp of water to form a paste. Add the spice paste in and fry again for 2 minutes.
4. Extract the tamarind pulp and add that to the pan. Add in the salt and cook.
5. Bring the mixture to a boil. Add prawns and cook till prawns are half done.

6. Pour in the coconut milk and mix well. Bring to a boil and remove from heat.
7. Serve hot with steamed rice or appams.

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Cajun Crab Cakes with Grapefruit Salsa

Sometime late last month, this blog quietly celebrated it's 2nd year anniversary. I was tucked away in the hills at Mashobara for a company offsite and amongst all the serene beauty and peace that the place provided me, I silently raised a toast to this blog. At the least it deserves this much.

Coming to this post, crab cakes hold a challenge for me. Getting them right and not having them disintegrate is the challenge. They require a certain dedication while preparing and an eye for the right amount of ingredients to ensure they taste well and retain their shape. I have tried my hand at making them in the past and failed. I have tried experimenting with different ingredients to find the right balance and come up with something only I will like. Last month, however, I had the time to visualize them in advance, plan everything and have the time to do justice to them. Sadly, I did not have anyone else to share them with...not that I mind that. They were good and the grapefruit salsa complimented them perfectly.


Cajun Crab Cakes

Ingredients:

Crab Meat - 250 gm
Onions, Finely chopped - 1
Celery, Finely Chopped -1
Bell Peppers, finely chopped - 1
Parsley, finely chopped -1
Garlic, minced - 3 cloves
Capers, chopped - 1 Tsp
Worcestershire sauce - 2 Tsp
Tabasco Sauce - 2 Tsp
Mayonnaise - 2 Tsp
Cajun Seasoning - 2 Tsp
Breadcrumbs - 2 Tblsp
Black Pepper, freshly ground - 1 Tsp
Salt - To Taste
Olive Oil





Method:
1. Heat oil (2 Tblsp) in a wok. Add in the chopped onions and garlic. Saute till they turn translucent.
2. Add in the chopped celery and cook for 2 more minutes.
3. Add in the bell peppers. Cook for 2 minutes.
4. Add in the chopped capers and parsley. Mix well.
5. Add in the worcestershire & tabasco sauce. Cook for a minute.
6. Add in the cajun seasoning, freshly ground black pepper & salt. Mix well.
7. Add in the Crab meat, mix well and take off flame.
8. Stir in the mayonnaise and breadcrumbs.
9. Shape well into patties and chill for an hour.
10. Heat oil on a skillet. Place the chilled patties on the skillet and cook each side till golden brown (approx 3 minutes).
11. Remove excess oil and serve hot.




Grapefruit Salsa




Ingredients:
Grapefruit - 1
Onion, finely chopped - 1
Jalapeno, minced - 1
Bell pepper, chopped - 1 Tblsp
Mint - 2 Tblsp
Extra Virgin Olive Oil - 1 Tblsp
Lime juice - 1 Tblsp
Black Pepper, crushed - 1 Tblsp
Salt



Method:
1. Slice off the top & bottom of the grapefruit with a knife.
2. Slice away the peel from top to bottom.
3. Remove the white parts as they are bitter.
4. Cut between the membranes and cut the grapefruit into small segments.
5. Roughly chop these segments. Collect the juice in a bowl.
6. Mix these roughly chopped segments alongwith the juice.
7. Add in finely chopped onions, jalapeno, mint & bell pepper.
8. Add in lime juice, black pepper, salt and olive oil. Mix well.
9. Refrigerate for an hour. Toss well before serving.

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Goan Escapades (Part 1) - Prawn Balchao

My trip to Goa last month was my first there. Many find it hard to believe, especially after knowing that I spent 3 years in Mumbai and 2 years in Pune. The fact remains that there are so many great destinations short of goa along the Konkan coast that you just cannot reach goa. They hijack you with their charm and virgin beaches.

Apart from one of the best training interventions in the last few years, the trip to goa was a great culinary adventure. The hotel we stayed in, Park Hyatt Resort & Spa, is a fantastic property. The hotel beach is amazing and their food is lip smacking. I would though give their Italian restaurant a pass.
One of the restaurants that I made a beeline to almost everytime was Casa Sarita. It is named after Chef Sarita who heads the restaurant and literally translated means "House of Sarita". Chef Sarita is an amazing cook and has designed all the dishes on the menu. She has been featured on various food shows on NDTV, IBN and has even had Karen Anand take recipes from her (You can hear that in the video). What is even more interesting is to note that she is self taught and has not been to a cookery course or college. What came as a pleasant surprise was the fact that Casa Sarita has been featured in the Conde Nast Hot List Tables 2008 in Indian category. This annual list names the best in the global dining scene and this is one of the four Indan restaurants featured. One bite of the food and you wonder why not ...the food is great, the staff fantastic and the chef great.
Chef Sarita was extremely obliging in letting me record her while she cooked and let me post those signature dishes on this blog. This recipe for Prawn Balchao is the first one in the series. Since it was not a planned event, the videos have been recorded on various digicams available to the group that was along with me. I am still sourcing out various other videos containing recipes and pardon the noise in the background (you can hear my irritating voice trying to make small talk with chef Sarita) and me trying to capture every little nuance of this cuisine.

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Shrimp & Calamari Masala

The last week has been really a grueling week for me. I was traveling across Europe on business and was running in and out of meetings and then on different flights. In all, we did about 3 countries in 6 days. Apart from the work bit which I enjoy even when I'm not traveling, the exposure to different foods is a big wow for me and I seldom lose any opportunity to try out new types of dishes on offer. This time, the first thing I did when I hit London, was to grab my tub of Ben & Jerry's Phish Food and eat the whole tub by myself (No wonder everyone is saying I have put on a few extra pounds). But apart from the junk food bit, I enjoyed trying out new meats and some of my accomplishments (yes! that's what I call it) was eating Reindeer meat (it was heavenly) in Helsinki and Snails ( they taste just as good ...though I'll prefer the reindeer meat any day...I haven't tasted meat more juicy) in Paris.

I had a free evening on one of the days and I decided to drop in a visit to my old friends Beena and Raj, and while at their house, I decided to cook up something. Beena had graciously offered to prepare the meal for all of us, but I guess I just wanted to show off my culinary skills. See, I wasn't exactly known in college for my culinary skills. It was an art I mastered later at Welcomgroup ....it came from spending 16 hour workdays in the Hotel Kitchen and having the added luxury of having the corporate training kitchen next to your residential flat. During College days it was more of wine & beverages and my skills behind the bar. Those were the days ...with dreams of moving to France and working as a Vigneron in a vineyard ( which by the way everyone, including my folks, thought was a BAD idea). This time in Paris, I said to myself, wish I had taken that step afterall. The culinary heritage of the country just blew me away. Dining at the restaurants was an experience in itself. My next few posts will have a review on them so you can catch up on it later.

This particular recipe is nothing out of the blue and is more South Indianish in its taste and make-up.

Shrimp & Calamari Masala

Ingredients:

Shrimps - 200 gm

Calamari - 200 gm

Onions, finely sliced - 1

Garlic, minced - 5 cloves

Garlic, minced - 1 Tblsp

Tomato, roughly chopped - 2

Curry Powder - 1 Tsp

Red Chili Powder - 1 Tsp

Bay Leaves - 1

Peppercorns - 1 Tsp

Black Cardamom - 1

Cloves - 3-4

Asafoetida (Hing) - A Pinch

Turmeric powder - 1/2 Tsp

Cumin powder - 1 Tsp

Curry Leaves - 6-7

Coconut, grated - 3 Tblsp

Green Chillies, finely chopped - 1

Tamarind concentrate - 1 Tsp

Salt - To Taste

Oil - 2 Tblsp

Method:

1. Heat oil in a thick bottomed pan.

2. Add in the bay leaves, black cardamom, cloves and peppercorns. When they start crackling, add in the sliced onions.

3. As the onions turn translucent add in the ginger and garlic. Fry for 3 minutes.

4. Add in the red chili powder, turmeric powder, curry powder, cumin powder, Asafoetida. Fry for 2 more minutes.

5. Add in the chopped green chillies and grated coconut. Mix well and cook for 2 minutes.

6. Add the tamarind concentrate and half a cup of water. Mix well. Add in the curry leaves.

7. Cook till gravy turns to thicken. Add in the shrimp. Cook for a minute and add in the calamari. Cook for 3-4 minutes or till they are done.

8. Adjust the seasonings and serve hot garnished with chopped cilantro.

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Shorshe Eel - Flavors of Bengal

The other day at our local cash & carry mall, I came across some freshly dressed eel. To be honest I had never tried out eel ever before and was really itching to take it home and prepare it. The real problem started once it got home. I really did not know what to prepare and then it struck me to prepare it the Bengali way. I have always loved the way Bengalis prepare their seafood. So uncomplicated yet so tasty. Since I dig mustard and have a bottle of Kasundi always at hand, I decided to make the Shorshe Maachh only that this time the maachh was the eel. Shorshe is the bengali word for Mustard or Rai.
I made it a little more thicker than usual and boy! It flew off the plate literally. I got a Kg of fish and it did not make it past dinner time. I took it to office in the evening and Smitha our HR partner in crime literally cleaned the bowl dry. I did not disclose it to her at the beginning that it was eel, and when I told her after she had finished, she didn't seem to mind much.

Shorshe Eel

Ingredients:
Eel - 1 Kg
Kasundi (Bengali Mustard Sauce) - 12 Tblsp
Yogurt - 12 Tblsp
Ginger-garlic paste - 5 Tblsp
Tomato, cut into 4 pieces - 2
Green Chillies, slit - 3
Kalonji (Onion Seeds) - 1 Tblsp
Black Pepper - 2 Tsp
Salt - To Taste
Lemon Juice - 8 Tblsp
Mustard Oil - 8 Tblsp

Method:
1. Wash and keep the eel aside. Rub it with salt and pepper and soak in lemon juice.
2. Make a smooth paste of Kasundi, yogurt and ginger-garlic paste by whisking in a bowl.
3. Heat oil in a wok. Add in the kalonji.
4. As the kalonji crackles, add the yogurt-mustard mixture and stir to mix. Bring it to a boil.
5. Add in salt, tomato pieces and green chillies.
6. Add the eel to the gravy and cook till the eel is soft. (10-15 minutes)

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Jhinga Samarkand

Crude oil prices continued to rise, inflation finally touched the double digit number, N-Deal still hangs midway, Portugal got booted out of Euro'08 ( I never supported them anyways) ...So, what's good in the week that's gone by...well, I had some nice tandoori prawns for Dinner :) ...sums up the little joys in life that matter so much even in the face of some big issues faced by all. Food, good food makes one forget how hard the day was, and all the problems one's facing, atleast for the time being.

I came across this recipe in a cookbook some months back and had jotted it down separately to try out. Made a few changes and tried out. Makes for a good starter.

Jhinga Samarkand

Ingredients -

Jumbo Prawns - 10

Ginger-Garlic Paste - 2 Tblsp
Vinegar - 2 Tblsp
Water - 2 Cups

Marinade -
Gramflour (Besan) - 50 gm
Cornflour - 15 gm
Onion Paste - 2 Tblsp
Red Chili Powder - 1 Tblsp
Garam Masala - 2 Tsp
Carum Seeds (Ajwain) - 1 Tsp
Kasoori Methi - 1 Tsp
Yogurt - 1 Cup
Egg -1 No.
Lemon Juice - 2 Tblsp
Oil - 2 Tbslp
Salt - To Taste

Method- Pre-Preparation -
1. De-shell, devein & wash prawns under running water.
2. Mix Vinegar, water & ginger-garlic paste. Soak Prawns in the paste for 10 minutes. Drain.
3. Mix all ingredients for the marinade.
4. Marinate the drained and dried prawns in the marinade for 30 mins.

Preparation -
1. Heat the tandoor, oven, grill or microwave.
2. Skewer the prawns. Baste them with oil.
3. Roast on slow heat.
4. Serve Hot sprinkled with chaat masala and alongwith Mint Chutney.

Note: Keep turning prawns to ensure they cook evenly on all sides.
Baste with oil when half done.

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Anything for some Prawn Curry

This weekend had a great golfing weather. Summers typically present a challenge to play after the 9:00 AM and some showers the night before Saturday ensured we did not have the sun beating on us. Plus it was only 2 of us, so we teed off early and wrapped up by 9:00 AM and I was ready to take the long drive back home and spend the weekend glued to the TV. It was then Harry, my colleague and golfing buddy gave me a call. He hadn't joined us for the round of golf and was lazing on Saturday morning. His fish supplier had just paid him a visit with 6 Kgs of some huge sized prawns and Harry insisted that I pick up some of them. At first I refused, since I was planning on having chicken. After some time, he called again and insisted. His words, "I'm generally not too pushy, but these are good large prawns."

I turned the car and headed straight for his house and after I saw the prawns I didn't regret it. The prawns were huge, as in huge. We had them shelled, deveined and cleaned. In the meantime we chatted and I had some good ol' Roohafza and finally started to proceed home planning on having a good prawn lunch.

Prawn Curry

Ingredients:
Jumbo Prawns(shelled, deveined and cleaned) - 9
Kokum Syrup - 1/2 Cup ( You can substitute with Tamarind)
Garlic Paste - 2 Tblsp
Ginger Paste - 1 Tblsp
Red Chilli Powder - 2 Tsp
Turmeric Powder - 1 Tsp
Garlic Cloves, chopped - 4
Onion Paste - 1 Cup
Green Chillies, chopped - 2
Cilantro, chopped - 2 Tblsp
Coconut Milk - 1/2 Cup
Water - 1 1/2 Cup
Salt To Taste
Oil - 2 Tblsp

Method:
1. Marinade the prawns in Kokum, ginger garlic, red chilli powder,salt and turmeric powder.
2. Heat Oil in a wok. Add Garlic and let it brown slightly.
3. Add in the onions and fry for 3 minutes or till they turn translucent.
4. Add in the prawns and fry for a minute.
5. Add in green chillies, cilantro and coconut milk, followed by water.
6. Bring to a boil.
7. Serve hot with rice.

Footnote: Now everyone pairs food with wine/beverages. Here's my take on it. I'm gonna sample food with music. Have this dish listening to sleepwalker (wallflowers) followed by Otherside(Red Hot Chili Peppers) ...tht's wht I did .....the feeling of satisfaction was heavenly!

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