Meen puttu / Fish puttu / Shredded salmon stir fry

 

I would easily say that this is one of the easiest and the most delicious fish recipes i have tried. This is a recipe from my friend's mom. There are very few recipes that I follow exactly as explained when given by someone. This is one such recipe. I followed every minute detail as explained by her and it turned out to be delicious. Thanks aunt for this wonderful recipe.

Cuisine : Indian                              Serves: 1

Prep Time : 5 mins                         Cooking time : 10 mins

What you will need:

• Salmon fish - a thick palm sized fillet
• Garlic- 3 big cloves
• Sambar onion- 5 
• Curry leaves- a sprig
• Fennel powder- 1/4 tsp
• Green chilli- 1
• Pepper powder- 1/4 tsp
• Turmeric powder- a pinch
• Salt- as needed

How to:

1. Rub the fish with salt  and turmeric powder  and wash it well under running water. Take an idli steamer and steam the fish for just 5 mins. I have used a wet cloth to place the fish to prevent the fish from getting stuck to the plate when cooked.                                                                                       
   
                                 
2. Take care to remove the fish from the cloth. I ran a knife between the cloth and fish to remove it. Remove the skin and the tiny bones and discard.  Shred the fish and collect it in a plate.                           
   
   
                                    
3. Heat oil in a kadai. Add fennel powder. Immediately add finely chopped garlic, fry for 30 seconds, add finely chopped shallots, green chilli, curry leaves, fry for a minute.                       
   
   
                                
4. Add turmeric powder and salt. Mix well. Add shredded fish and pepper powder. Once you add fish dont use any laddle or spoon to mix it. Just toss the kadai to mix it well. Switch off after 2 mins.                                                                                                                                               
   
   
                                  

Yummiest meen puttu can be served as a side for rice.

Note:

• Dont steam the fish for too long. Alternatively you can bake the fish.
• Chop the garlic and sambar onion finely.
• You can replace sambar onion with onion.
• You can use any fish with less bones for the this recipe.

Senaikizhangu varuval/ Yam fry

A simple stir fry recipe that goes well with any rice item. Yam pieces are finely chopped and fried
well with simple spices.

 Recipe type : Indian                             Prep time : 10 mins
Cooking time: 20 mins                         Serves: 2

What you will need:  

• Finely chopped yam - 1 cup tightly packed
• Turmeric powder- 1/ 4 tsp
• Red chilli powder- 1 tsp
• Salt - as needed
• Oil - 1 tbsp
• Mustar seeds - 1/2 tsp
• Curry leaves- 1 sprig

How to:

1. Peel yam and wash it under running water to remove the sand particles.  Finely chop the yam pieces.                                                                          
   
                                                                                        
2. Immerse them in a bowl of water.                                                                                                                               
3. Heat oil in a kadai. Add mustard seeds. Let them splutter.  Add curry leaves.  Drain water from the yam pieces and add it to the kadai immediately.                           
   
       
                           
4. . Add salt, turmeric and chilli powder. Mix well and cook it covered in low flame. Make sure to stir the contents every 2 minutes to prevent it from getting burnt. Switch off when the yam pieces are cooked and turned soft. It will take around 20 mins.                                                                                             
   
   
                             
    Yam fry is ready.

           

    

Note:

• Finely chopping the yam pieces is must. Otherwise it will take longer time to cook.
• The longer you fry it, the better will be the taste.

Gongura Thokku

I recently tried this thokku with gongura/ sorrel leaves which has become a house favourite. My grandma who doesnt have pickle or thokku liked it so much and asked me to make it again. That means this recipe is a winner. 

We at home have had this one with pongal, rice, chapathi , upma, idli , dosa and also bread.  You name a dish and this thokku goes well with it. Since we decided to reduce rice in our diet, we often make Thinai pongal, Oats kichdi , Multigrain chapathi and Varagu Kanji.

 So Gongura thokku is a constant at our home now. Every batch of this thokku I make gets over soon as we have it for every meal. That's how much we love this tangy and spicy thokku. Do try this recipe and it will become a constant at your home too.

What you will need:

• Gongura leaves- 2 medium sized bunches
• Shallots- 15
• Garlic- 12 cloves
• Red chilli- 3
• Green chilli- 2
• Corinader powder- 1/2 tbsp
• Fenugreek powder- 1/4 tsp
• Oil- 2tbsp
• Salt - as needed
• Mustard seeds- 1/2 tsp

How to: 

1. Finely chop 5 shallots and 5 garlic cloves. Wash the leaves in water. Pat it dry in a kitchen towel. Add 1/2 tbsp of oil in a kadai. Add the leaves and saute it for 5-7 mins in medium flame. Let it cool down.

 

2. Add 1/2 tbsp of oil. Add 7 garlic cloves. SAute for 2 mins. Add 10 shallots, 3 red chillies, 2 green chillies. Saute for 2-3 mins. Cool down. Transfer to a mixie jar and coarsely grind it and add sauted gongura leaves. Grind into a fine paste. Add very little water if needed.

 

3. Add 1 tbsp of oil in a kadai. Add mustard seeds. Let it splutter. Add finely chopped garlic and shallots. Saute for 2 - 3 mins. Add ground paste. Mix well.

 

4. Add coriander powder, fenugreek powder and salt. Mix well and let it cook covered with lid for   5- 7 mins or till it reaches thokku consistency.

 

The ultimately delicious gongura thokku is ready . Store it an airtight container and you can refrigearate for 3- 5 days. Always use a clean dry spoon.

P.S: 

• Pat dry the leaves well before cooking as it increases the shelf life.
• You can use more oil  when you want to use it for longer.

Mutton Chukka

Mutton Chukka is my dad's favourite mutton dish. He never fails to order this whenever we dine out. Boiled mutton pieces are roasted in oil along with whole spices till it gets dried. This is one of the  easiest recipes that you can make with mutton. 

What you will need:

• Mutton- 1/2 kg
• Ginger garlic paste- 1 tbsp
• Coriander powder- 1 tbsp
• Red chilli powder- 1 tbsp
• Turmeric powder- 1/4 tsp
• Shallots- 15
• Garlic- 7 to 10
• Red chillies- 2
• Curry leaves- a sprig
• Ginger- half inch piece chopped finely
• Pepper powder- 1 tsp
• Roasted gram dal powder/ pottukadalai podi- 1 tbsp
• Water- 1 cup
• Oil- 2 tbsp
• Salt - as needed

To temper:

• Fennel seeds- 1 tsp
• Cinnamon- two 1 inch pieces
• Cloves- 3

How To:

1. Clean the mutton pieces. Wash them well under running water. Take them in a pressure cooker. Add red chilli powder, coriander powder , ginger-garlic paste, turmeric powder and a cup of water. Pressure cook it for 10 whistles or untill soft.

 

2. Heat oil in a kadai. Add fennel seeds, when they splutter, add cinnamon and cloves. Add shallots, garlic, red chillies, ginger and curry leaves one by one. Let it fry for two mins.

 

3. Add the cooked mutton to the kadai along with water in which it is cooked. Add salt. Let it cook untill water gets absorbed by the mutton pieces to a certain extent and add pepper powder.

 

4. When the water is absorbed well, add pottukadalai podi in a sprinkled manner. Let it simmer till sukka becomes dry and add coriander leaves and switch off.

 

Mutton chukka is a great dish to have it as such or with biriyanis, rasam rice and curd rice.

P.S:

• Adding pottukadalai powder is optional but I recommend it as it brings out  good taste.
• This is a dry dish and serves well as a starter.