Grilled Masala Fish

Fishy Flavours

There's nothing easier than Grilled Fish.  All you need is one large fish enough to serve two or three persons.  Get your fishermonger to scale and gut it.  Then it's all yours.  Recently I won an electric grill, so decided to make one of our usual fish recipes.  The grill won a standing ovation and we now know what to do when surprise guests turn up.

The Recipe:

1 medium pomfret, scaled & gutted, keep whole with fins and tail.

For Marinade:  2 tbsp vinegar or lemon juice; salt to taste; 1/4 tsp turmeric powder; 1 tbsp chilli powder.  Mix to a liquidy paste.

Wash fish thoroughly with water, salt and turmeric.  Drain on kitchen towels.  Marinade ( in refrigerator) in the above mixture overnight.  Next day bring to room temperature.  Plug in the grill and adjust settings to 240 Centigrade.  Place a banana leaf on the grill with a little oil on it.  Place the fish on preheated grill (until desired temperature is reached) and grill 5 minutes each side.  Serve hot with lemon wedges.  The aroma wafting on the air is bound to bring the household into the kitchen, awaiting the moment to attack.

Mushroom Magic

Mushroom Masala

Going through my recipe book, I came across this long forgotten recipe that is a quick and delicious one to make.  Simple, and tasty, it could be polished off by one person in a sitting.

The Recipe:

1/2 kg button mushrooms; 2 spring onions, minced; 1 tbsp curry powder (I make my own); salt to taste; 1 tbsp oil.

Soak mushrooms in salted water for 15 minutes.  Drain.  Heat a nonstick pan and add the oil.  When hot, lower flame and add the curry powder and salt.  After 30 seconds add the mushrooms and spring onions.  Increase the heat and cook on high flame for 5 minutes till dry and the mushrooms are cooked.  Serve hot as a snack.  I like to eat this while watching a movie at home.

Mouthwatering Tamarind Chicken

Tamarind Chicken

Just looking at this photograph evokes mouthwatering memories and 

I enjoy gloating over my culinary accomplishments.  This is a simple , easy recipe  to be savoured from start to finish.  The main ingredient is tamarind which I used to love eating as a child.  Combine it with chicken and you have a very unusual, startling dish- looks good, smells good and tastes good.  Get ready to attack and satisfy your taste buds.

The Recipe:

1 small chicken, remove skin, joint, wash and drain.; 2 tbsp thick tamarind paste without seeds; 3 tbsp corriander powder; 1 tsp brown sugar; salt to taste; 1 tsp pepper corns, crush roughly; 3 spring onions, minced fine.

Mix all ingredients in a large bowl and marinade overnight.  Next day, transfer to pan and cover and cook for 15 minutes on a medium flame until the sauce is thick and  reduced.  Heat 2 dsp oil in a nonstick pan and fry the the chicken for a couple of minutes.  Garnish with spring onions and serve hot with rice.  Tastes wonderful.

Simply Delicious

Chicken Crumb Chop

This is a recipe that is easy, tasty and ready within minutes.  I usually make it when I am pressed for time.  It can be made with chicken or any other meat including fish.  So make it all and select your favourite.

The Recipe:

3 fillets(150 gms each) chicken breast, washed, drained and flattened with a meat mallet; 1 cup bread crumbs; salt & pepper to taste; 1 tbsp vinegar; 1 large egg; oil for shallow frying.

Beat the egg lightly with the vinegar and salt and pepper.  Dip the fillets in the egg, roll in breadcrumbs and shallow fry both sides until golden brown.  Serve hot with tomato sauce and a salad and garlic bread or with dhal and rice.