Beera Pottu Fry / Ridge gourd peel fry

Sun rays emerging through the clouds during sunrise and sunset. I always want to catch them. What a beautiful sight. The perfect painting drawn by the nature. 

Sun always plays an important roll in our life and even in preserving food. Now a days, almost all the vegetables and fruits are available all over the year. But in olden days, it's not the case. So, people used to preserve food by drying them in sun and use them the rest of the year. Even now in many cultures, people will sun dry vegetables, fish, meat and use them in there cooking and making pickles.

Today's recipe, as the title mentioned, ridge gourd peel fry. I dried ridge gourd peel in sun and prepared the fry. We can also prepare the recipe without sun drying the peel. I am posting both methods.

When we make Ridge gourd curry or fry, we will peel the skin and throw it in the trash. Why to waste it when we can prepare tasty chutney and fry with it. It is rich in dietary fiber. My Mom used to make this fry. It's my favorite. It's taste good and smells good.

 

Ingredients

• Beerakaya peel/Ridge gourd peel - 1.5 cups

For Seasoning / Poppu

• Avvalu/Mustard seeds - 1/4 tsp
• Jeera/Cumin seeds - 1/4 tsp
• Mennapappu/Urad dal - 1/2 tsp
• Senagapappu/Chana dal - 1/2 tsp
• Garlic - 2
• Oil - 1 tbsp
• Red chili powder - 1 tsp or to taste
• Turmeric powder - 1/2 tsp
• Salt to taste

Preparation ahead

• Take salt water in a bowl and let ridge gourd peel sit in it for 10 minutes, so that dirt and chemicals will be removed.
• Clean the peel with water and squeeze water from the peel.
• Grind the peel coarsely in a mixer.

Method 1

• Dry the peel in sun until crisp.
• Heat oil in a pan, add mustard seeds and cumin seeds.
• When they splutter, add garlic, urad dal, chana dal and fry.
• When they turn golden brown, add peel, turmeric powder, red chili powder, salt and fry for 2 minutes.
• Serve with hot rice and ghee.

Method 2

• Heat oil in a pan, add mustard seeds and cumin seeds.
• When they splutter, add garlic, urad dal, chana dal and fry.
• When they turn golden brown, add peel, turmeric powder, red chili powder, salt and fry till the peel turn brown and crisp.
• Serve with hot rice and ghee.

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Fish Tikka

Fish Tikka and Egg Biryani

It's been 1 year since I started my beautiful blog journey. Thanks a lot to my family, friends and my blog friends who are supporting me. When I started my blog I don't have much knowledge about blogging, only I had was so much love for food. My hubby helped me a lot in developing the blog and my kiddo supported me a lot when I am busy cooking in kitchen.  Blogging means time, lot of time, cooking, experimenting, cleaning and patience in  making every thing perfect. In my 1 year blog journey I met some bloggers and went through hundreds of blogs and learn so much from them. There are busy moms, working women but always show there love to food. 

Whenever we want to celebrate some occasion, first we think of food. So I am celebrating my 1 year journey with fish tikka.  I grew up in coastal region watching my Mom preparing sea food mainly different types of fishes. More than eating I love watching fish cleaning. I had many memories, so I planned to make fish tikka to make this happy moment more memorable. 

Take all the ingredients in a bowl, mix and check salt.

Clean fish and make into pieces and wipe them with towel.

Chop veggies

Add fish pieces to the prepared masala and mix well.

Add veggies to the same bowl and mix well.

Thread them to skewer and bake in oven.

Serves - 2
Ingredients

• Fish Fillet - 1
• Thick Curd - 1/4 cup
• Ginger-garlic paste - 1.5 tsp
• Red chili powder - 1 tsp
• Kashmiri red chili powder - 1 tsp (For color)
• Coriander-Cumin powder - 1 tsp
• Tikka Masala - 2 tsp (We can use chicken or fish tikka masala. If don't have tikka masala                                         add garam masala to taste)
• Salt to taste
• Oil - 3 to 4 Tbsp

Veggies

• Onion - 1/2
• Small Capsicum - 1
• Tomato - 1

Preparation

• Remove the seeds from tomato and capsicum and cut all the veggies into medium size pieces.
• Clean fish fillet and make into medium size pieces.
• Mix all the above ingredients except fish and check salt.
• Now add fish pieces and coat them with the marination.
• Now add veggies and mix. Keep in fridge for 15 minutes or until you use them.
• If using wood skewers, soak them in water for an hour to prevent them for burning. Place silver foil in oven proof pan. (This make cleaning easy)
• Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
• Thread the fish pieces and veggies and arrange them in the pan and place the pan in the oven.
• Cook them for 20 to 25 minutes by rotating them in between.
• Serve them hot with some salad.

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Prawn Curry With Coconut Milk

Konaseema is one of the most beautiful place in East Godavari of Andhra State. Paddy fields, Mango groves, Clumps of Coconut tress, greenery everywhere and not but not least tasty food. In East Godavari, we have lots of coconut trees and use coconut a lot in making curries, fries and sweets. We make paste out of coconut, cashews, poppy seeds and use this paste in making Non-vegetarian curries and in vegetarian masala curries to give rich taste and sprinkle coconut in fry recipes. We use fresh or dry coconut directly than using coconut milk. According to my knowledge, along with fresh coconut, coconut milk is also used mostly in Malayali cuisine and coconut milk in some Asian countries in making curries and soups. But due to food globalization, we all started adopting food habits of other regions and countries and giving local food a new twist. Coconut milk got fame and everyone started using it in many ways in their food to give a mark to their recipes with rich taste. 

Prawn Curry with Coconut Milk and Coconut Rice

Ingredients

• Prawn - 1 lb
• Onion - 2
• Ginger-garlic paste - 1 tbsp
• Red chili powder - 1.5 tsp or to taste
• Coriander powder - 1 tsp
• Cumin powder - 1/2 tsp
• Garam Masala - 1/2 tsp or to taste
• Turmeric powder - 1/2 tsp
• Curry leaves - 1 spring
• Oil - 3 tbsp
• Thick Coconut Milk - 1/2 cup

To make into paste

• Cashews - 8 to 10
• Poppy seeds - 1 tbsp

Preparation:

• Peel the skin and clean the prawns.
• Cook them in a pan by  adding little ginger-garlic paste, salt and chili powder until all the water evaporate that oozes out from the prawns. No need to add oil.
• Soak cashews and poppy seeds for 15 minutes in little water and make into paste.
• Chop onions.

Let's Prepare Curry

• Heat oil in a pan, add chopped onion, curry leaves, turmeric powder, little salt and cook till transparent.
• Add ginger-garlic paste and cook till onions turn brown.
• Add cumin powder, coriander powder, red chili powder, cashew-poppy seed paste. Mix and cook for 2 to 3 minutes.
• Add coconut milk, prawns, garam masala (If require add little water) and cook till oil oozes out.
• Serve with rice, roti or pulao.

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Pepper Mutton Chops

Mutton is one popular food in India. We prefer cooking mutton recipes in parties and functions mostly mutton biryani. The beauty of the mutton is enhanced only when it is cooked to perfection. Meat from aged goat(Muddhuru Mamsam) is hard to cook. It will take lots of time, that's what I came to know from my grandmother and mom's talk's. It is difficult to get good mutton and lamb is not available at my place. Mutton is commonly known as goat meat in India.

On a get together of friends, I made mutton biryani and everyone liked it and told  the mutton was perfectly cooked and then this silly cat fight started that, some told only goat is available in India and some told only sheep meat is available.  According to my knowledge goat is mostly available. Oh boy, I don't want to start again :-)

Today's recipe is pepper Mutton Chops. We can also use lamb chops. This recipe is simple to prepare and compliment both rice or any Indian bread very well. Mutton chops can be cooked in a pan or pressure cooker. I used pressure cooker. If you want to use pan, do the same process in a pan and we have to check for water in between and if need add water to cook mutton.

Adopted : Vahrehvah 
*Adjust Spices to your taste

Ingredients

• Mutton chops - 6
• Onion - 1, medium
• Green chili - 2
• Ginger-garlic paste - 2  tsp
• Red Chili powder - 1/2 tsp  
• Freshly ground Pepper - 1.5 tsp
• Coriander powder - 1 tsp
• Turmeric powder - 1/2 tsp
• Garlic clove - 1
• Curry leaves - 1 spring
• Coriander leaves for garnishing
• Garam Masala - pinch
• Oil - 1  tbsp
• Butter - 1 tbsp
• Lemon or lime - 1

Preparation

• Clean mutton chops and keep aside.
• Cut onions and chilies lengthwise and crush garlic clove.
• Let's Prepare Chops
• Heat oil in a pressure cooker (We can also use a pan, but it will take more time to cook chops), add onions, garam masala and brown them. Add little slat to make the cooking fast.
• Add ginger-garlic paste, coriander powder, red chili powder, turmeric powder. Mix and cook for 1 minute.
• Add mutton chops, close the lid and cook up to 4 whistles or the chops are cooked completely.
• Switch off the stove and let the pressure go off. 
• Heat butter in a non-stick pan, add curry leaves, crushed garlic, green chili, ground pepper and saute for a minute and pour the mutton chops mixture into the pan and cook till all the water evaporates and the gravy come together and sticks to the mutton chops. 
• Garnish with coriander and lemon.
• Squeeze lemon or lime juice and serve with rice or any Indian bread.

  

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