Pan seared Prawns

This has been lying in my drafts for quite a while and I decided to complete it today and post it. It is an easy appetizer and another one of B's specality. Whenever I challenge him that he cannot handle the kitchen even for a day ,he would do this to break my nose. It's so simple and so flavorful and usually the dish is done in 10 to 15 mins minus the prawns cleaning time. So, here goes the recipe.

Ingredients:

Prawns- 20 (peeled and deveined on both sides)

onion- 1 big

garlic- 5 pods

sambar powder- 1 tsp

chilli powder- 1/2 tsp

turmeric- 1/4 tsp

pepper- 1/4 tsp

lemon juice- 1 tbsp

salt as required

cilantro- 3 tbsp

bell pepper- 1 or 1/2 (cut lengthwise)

Procedure:

Clean Prawns and set aside.Drain on a paper towel. Add all the seasonings like sambar powder, chilli powder, turmeric, pepperand salt. Mix well. Heat a big non-stick pan. When hot add a 2 tsp oil and coat the pan evenly. Slowly put the prawns inside. Taking care that each and every prawn is seated well on the pan. Keep the flame in medium high. After 2 mins, flip over the shrimps and cook on the other side (another 2 mins) until it gets a nice roasted texture on the outside. Add very little water (less than 1/4 cup) and close the pan. Cook for 5 mins. After that, take off the lid and allow all the water to dry out. Keep tossing every now and then taking care that it dosen't stick to the pan. When the Prawns are almost done, add the onions and bell pepper. Just stir-fry it so that the vegetables are still crisp. Finally add lemon juice and cilantro. Mix well and serve on a bed of cabbage or lettuce.

Note: Do not over-cook the prawns. It tends to become rubbery. Seafoods generally gets cooked fast unlike mutton or chicken. Do not over-cook the vegetables also in this dish. A stir-fry for 2 mins will do. You can do the same dish with cut chicken breasts too. It would be like a non-fried version of chilli chicken or a great stuffing for fajitas.

This dish is a great appetizer and crowd-pleaser. Whenever we do this for the party, it disappears in a flash. My hubby says that it goes very well with wine, but for me it is a perfect pair for coke.

Meen Kuzhambu

Meen Kuzhambu or Fish Kuzhambu is a very popular dish in the south. Fish consumption is more in coastal areas. In my parents house they do not make fish often. But my in-law's place is Pondicherry. So, fish is a definite food atleast 2 to 3 times aweek. I learnt all the fish recipes from them. Especially my sister-in-law makes good shrimp and fish fry. will surely post her pictures when I make a trip to India. I usually get my sambar powder from my in-law's place. Anyway, here is my MIL recipe...

Ingredients:
tilapia - 6 pieces
methi seeds- 1/2 tsp
Onion- 1 (medium,finely chopped)
garlic- 5 pods(minced)
curry leaves- few
turmeric powder- 1/4 tsp
tomatoes-1(big,finely chopped)
tamarind paste- 2 tsps
sambar powder- 3 tsps
vadagam- 1 1/2 tsp
coconut milk-1 tbsp (opt)

Procedure:
Wash fish with turmeric and set aside. Heat oil in kadai and fry methi seeds, onions,garlic and curry leaves. When it turns golden brown, saute tomato,turmeric powder and sambar powder. When the raw smell goes add tamarind paste,salt,coconut milk and required water. Bring to a nice boil. Check for seasonings. Add fish when the gravy is boiling. Close and cook for 10 mins. Then open the pan and reduce the gravy to desired consistency. Careful. Do not over-cook and break the fish. Finally fry vadagam seperately and add to gravy.

Note: This recipe was posted earlier. But I'm reposting this with a better picture and an alternative to use sambar powder. You can use 1tbsp corriander powder + 2 1/2 tsp chilli powder. I ran out of sambar powder and I tried this way. It worked out really well. Want some??? Here is a plate with plain rice mixed with meen kuzhambu and fish fry.

Prawns Thokku

Ingredients:
Prawns- 30 (shelled,deveined)
onion- 1 (big,chopped)
ginger garlic paste- 2 tsp
tomato- 3/4 (big,chopped)
turmeric powder- 1/2 tsp
sambar powder- 2 tsp
salt
curry leaves

Procedure:
Heat oil in kadai and fry onions until golden brown. Then add ginger garlic paste and turmeric. Now add tomatoes, sambar powder and salt. When soft, add prawns and 1/2 cup water. Cook until half done. Add curry leaves. Remove lid and allow to dry until you reach the desired consistency.

Sura Puttu (Fish Puttu)

Ingredients:
sura - 2 pieces
pattai- 1
cloves-2
onion- 1 (small,chopped)
garlic- 10(finely chopped)
curry leaves
turmeric- 1/2 tsp
green chillies- 3
pepper- 1/4 tsp

Procedure:
Boil Sura in a closed vessel with some turmeric and salt. Cook for 20 mins and then switch off gas. Remove sura from water and peel of skin. Crumble the fish and set aside.
Heat oil in pan and fry pattai and cloves. Then fry onion, garlic , green chillies and turmeric. Then add sura and salt. Keep frying until color changes. Finally add pepper and curry leaves.

Vangiram Fish Fry

Ingredients:
Vangiram Fish- 2
Turmeric-1/2 tsp
Chilli Powder-1 tsp
Salt-as required
Sambar Powder-1 tsp.
oil-4 tbsp

Procedure:
Make a thick paste of turmeric, chilli powder, salt and sambar powder. Add water little by little and smear the masala on fish. Heat oil in Dosa pan and fry fish on medium heat. sprinkle lemon juice on fish when done.

Note: Vangiram Fish is very meaty. It requires little patience to cook it on Dosa pan with less oil and medium heat.

Simple Fish Fry

Ingredients:
Tilapia fillet: 3
chilli powder-1tsp
sambar powder-1/2 tsp
Turmeric powder-1/2 tsp
salt-as required

Procedure:
Wash the fillet with some turmeric. Drain. Mix all the masala powders, salt and some water. Thoroughly coat the fillets and set aside 10 mins. Heat some oil on a flat tawa and fry fish on both sides until golden brown. Drain on paper towels. Sprinkle some fresh lemon juice and corriander before serving.

Nandu Masala

This is my Mother-in-laws's recipe. She is a great cook ,but she never gives her recipes easily. Here is one, I successfully managed to get . This is a fail proof recipe. The measure of the ingredients needn't be exact. It always turns out fine.

(I'm updating this post with a recent picture. In this I didn't allow the curry to dry it very much. I liked this one better than my previous one. The taste dosen't differ. But when mixed with rice it was very very good)

Ingredients:
Crab - 5 nos
Onion- 1 1/2

To grind:
garlic- 6 pods
ginger- 2" piece
sombu-1tsp
jeera-1/2 tsp
pepper-1/2 tsp
sambar powder-2 1/2tsps
turmeric powder-1/2 tsp
coconut - 1/2 cup (scrapped)
tomato- 2

Procedure:

Prepare a fine masala paste by grinding all from garlic to tomato. finally add onions and just grind it just a bit. Heat oil in a kadai. Add ground masala and salt. Saute until raw smell goes and color changes to light brown . Now add crab, 1/2 cup water and close the kadai.Boil for 15 mins on medium-high heat. Remove lid and cook till desired consistency.