Kallushap Style Podimeen fry ( Kozhuva fry) / Fried Anchovies

Kozhuva Fry / Netholi fry /Chooda fry /Podi meen fry / Anchovy fry

Hope you all had an awesome and yummy Holidays !!! We had a wonderful ,delicious and joyful Thanks giving dinner at N's aunt's house, feasting on Turkey and the endless side dishes. My Brother's friend was visiting from India , and we spent the  rest of the days in NYC and took a very long road trip to a highly rural Pennsylvania town. The to and fro 8 hour trip was so full of fun, with banters and marvels of the years gone by. Oh these  4 days went by in a flash. How I wish I could freeze the time !

We Catholics have a tradition of taking a 25 day lent or abstinence from meat , fish or anything you really love during Christmas. The lent starts tomorrow; so its my pancake day today , finishing all the left over meat and fish and cram it all in before the lent begins. The best thing i love about these days is how we make lil dresses for the infant jesus. My great grandmother taught us this blissful technique by which you sew the dress by words called "Sukruthajapam"( i donno what you call that in English) . 

Kozhuva Fry / Netholi fry /Chooda fry /Podi meen fry / Anchovy fry

Kallushap or toddy shop is the most popular thing in kerala , for the kind of coconut wine and the food you get there. I love the food there which is extremely hot and spicy, so full of flavors and oily!! So you all know about my Kuttanadan background eh? So this particular kallushap's are  an integral part of the life in Kuttanad too. 

There is this family who stays close to my maternal ancestral home , and they are traditionally chefs in this kin of  joints in the Alappuzha-Changanacherry road. They cook for us all the time when we have some small family functions( most of the time liquor party). This is my Favorite among the extremely delicious food they prepare. 

Last time when i was on my vacation the New Gen chef from that family made this for me n N and we couldn't stop eating. Last month  during my daily phone call to India, my dad said this guy is there cooking the same thing for him. I couldn't resist my cravings , jot down the recipe and made it as soon as I got hold of this frozen anchovies. N loves it a lot with beer and this became a regular game day snack.

As he says "A sip of chilled beer and a bite of fried anchovies,with a green chili.... its terrific"!!!!!!

 Check out Chooda peera pattichthu here

Recipe for Toddy shop style Podi meen / chooda / Kozhuva fry

Kozhuva Fry / Netholi fry /Chooda fry /Podi meen fry / Anchovy fry

Ingredients:-

Anchovies /Podimeen - 250 gms 

Bowl 1 ( Spice paste)

Red chili powder - 1.5 table spoon

Turmeric powder - 1/4 tea spoon

Fenugreek powder - 1/4 tea spoon

Ginger garlic paste - 2 tea spoon

Lemon juice - 1/2 tea spoon

Crushed pepper corns - 1 tea spoon

salt to taste

Bowl 2

Onion thinly sliced - 2 medium

Green chili slit lengthwise - 8-10

Curry leaves

Method:-

Wash and clean the anchovies and pat dry

Make a thin paste with all the ingredients in Bowl 1 , by adding water .

Mix the spice paste with the anchovies and combine it well , so that its well coated with the spice mix.

Add the ingredients in Bowl 2 and mix well.

Heat oil in a heavy frying pan and deep fry the anchovy mix in several batches. Always remember to keep the flame in medium so that everything gets cooked evenly. Drain on paper towels. Serve warm

Notes:-

• This is a very spicy preparation , so use the spice level according to ur levels.
• If the the onions are getting fried fast . add it only after frying the anchovies half way. But if you keep it in the medium heat everything would be fried evenly.
• Frozen kozhuva is available in most of the mallu/indian grocery stores in US

Kozhuva Fry / Netholi fry /Chooda fry /Podi meen fry / Anchovy fry

Cheers

Sarah