Kerala Fish Molee - Christmas Special( Salmon in coconut-cashew curry)

With Christmas closing in so fast , I am excited and overjoyed like y'all , that I may go mad with delight.A drive through my neighborhood makes me feel like I am living in the magical town of "Whoville" , with houses and stores gaily decorated and decked up to celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ.
There is happiness where ever you look,whoever you see,forgetting all the troubles they may have.There is hope within the sparkle of their eyes , and radiance on their face ; World indeed looks like a good place to live. 

Merry , Merry , Merry ; that's what you feel even in the frosty December air..

Though I am old and wise enough to know Christmas is not all about the gifts , I like having one for myself and for N , and for people I love ! Don't you ?

 

The two pics above are Christmas-y lights from my home and NYC . The second one is the Christmas tree from Rockefeller center .Doesn't it look like ruby and emerald sparkle of a diamond like star up above the sky? So magical !

 

For us , the Christmas party has started last week with lovely people , fun times  and good food & wine. We have a long list of small Christmas dinners , in the coming weekends and I am so looking forward to each one of those ..mm..2011 Christmas so far looks like the best ever..

On the flip side , I definitely miss my parents and brother and the Christmas back home with cousins , but I am happy we are so blessed with so many loving people here , hence I am indulging in the "merry" around !

 

I have posted my mom's fish molee recipe in the beginning days of vazhayila , but this is more of a "decked up yet easy " sequel to the original one.

A no fried version , where Salmon is cooked in whole spices and ginger-garlic infused coconut milk and finished with a rich coconut - cashew sauce.

After all , Its Christmas people ! Eat , Drink and be Merry ! The Christ is born!

Recipe for Meen Moilee/Molee - Kerala style fish stew with Salmon ( no-fried -version)

Serves - 4

Total cooking time  - 30 minutes

Ingredients:-
Cashew nuts - 15

Fish - 450 gm ( I prefer Salmon fillet)
Oil / Butter - 2 tablespoon

Cloves - 5

Cardamom - lightly crushed - 4-5

Bay leaves - 1 or cinnamon - 1

Onion finely chopped - 1

Curry leaves - 7-8

Garlic thinly sliced - 5

Ginger chopped - 1/2 of a thumb sized

Green chili slit - 7-8 (or as per your heat level.)

Turmeric - 1/4 to 1/2 tea spoon

Tomato diced- 1 big plump or 2 medium

Canned Coconut milk - 1/2 to 3/4 cup + 1/2 to 1 cup warm water - mix well

Salt to taste

Garam masala - 1/4 to 1/2 tea spoon ( Homemade)

Black peppercorns - 1/2 tea spoon to 1 tea spoon 

Canned coconut milk - 1 cup 

Optional Tempering

Coconut oil / ghee/butter -1- 2 tablespoon

cashew nuts

raisins

Method :-

Soak cashew nut in water for 15 minutes .

Clean Salmon fillet and cut into big chunky pieces

Heat oil in a wide mouthed pan and add cloves , cardamom and bay leaf and fry for a minute.

Add curry leaves and onion and saute for 5-6 minutes. Sprinkle some water if needed in between.

Add chopped garlic , and ginger and green chili and saute till the raw smell disappears.

Add turmeric , coconut milk + water mix , salt to taste and combine well.

Arrange fish and tomato pieces in a single layer  an inch apart , cover and cook for 10 minutes.

Uncover the pan , add garam masala and freshly crushed black pepper , mix in gently or shake the pan for the masala to get mixed in and cook covered for another 10 minutes or so.

Grind the soaked cashew nut with a lil coconut milk to a fine paste. Mix it with remaining coconut milk

Uncover the pan , add the coconut milk- cashew mix to the pan , let heat through for a minute and remove.

Prepare the tempering and pour over the stew. Let it stand covered for at least 15 minutes before serving

Notes :-

This is a very mildly flavored curry - If you want it to be more spicy add more spices

The gravy depends a lot on the kind of cooking pan you use( wide or deep ), so adjust the coconut milk- water qty accordingly

I prefer not to keep it for the next day , since its so full of coconut milk.

Other Christmas Specials

Kerala Chicken stew
Kerala Chicken Molee
Meen pollichathu
Canned Tuna cutlet
Kottayam style Beef dry fry

Merry Christmas Everyone !!!!

Sarah

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Sambar Rice - Quick dinner for cold winter nights

Apart from the darkness that creeps in the late afternoon with the early sunset , I love everything about december ; even the same darkness in the mornings that allows me to wallow in my bed for an extra hour or two. Its such a special time for people around the world right ; with festive colors , lights and music , everywhere you go! There's something magical about this holiday season , that lifts my spirits sky high ...
I still believe in Santa Claus , do you ? I believed him, and was singing like Marilyn Monroe - "Santa baby"- a hundred times with my own lines , and he came down the chimney a lil early for me this year ! 

Hows holiday preparations coming along ? Baking goodies , packing and wrapping for friends and family ? I am yet to start my "small baking ritual ", since I m busy with lots n lots of good things that Santa brought me last couple of weeks ......................

Todays recipe is something I fell in love with recently! All thanks to my neighbor "U", for cooking the authentic Kannada Sambar rice for me a number of times , or I should say whenever I craved for it and made me fall in love !

What I have here today is a not-so-authentic , more of a cheat's ( oh yeah mine ) , version for a lazy cold winter night.....A perfect medley of rice , lentils and vegetables to keep you warm n cozy !

Recipe for Sambar Rice( Bisi Bele Bath) - Cheat's Version( A not-so-authentic one)

Serves - 4

Total cooking time - 45 minutes - 1 hr

Ingredients:-
Rice - 1 cup ( I used Sona masoori )
Red Lentils - 1 cup ( You can use any lentils u love)
Turmeric powder - a pinch
Salt to taste
Tamarind pulp - 1 table spoon
Onion chopped - 1
Garlic crushed - 2-3 cloves(optional)
Ginger crushed - a small piece (optional)
Tomato chopped - 1
( 2 cups of vegetablesof your choice ,I used -)
Carrot chopped - 2
Green Beans - a handful
Potato - 1
Green Peas cooked - 1/4 cup
Oil - 1 tablespoon
Spice mix
Sambar Powder - 1 to 2 tablespoons ( use as per ur spice level , I prefer Shakti brand)
Grated coconut - 3 - 4 tablespoons
Curry leaves - 5-6
Cinnamon - a small stick
Cloves - 3-4
Cardamom - 3-4
Mace - 1
Dried red chili - 2
Fenugreek seeds - a pinch
Oil - 1 tea spoon
For tempering
Butter / Ghee- 2-3 tablespoons
Mustard seeds - 1/4 tea spoon( optional)
Grated coconut - 1 tablespoon
Curry leaves
Peanuts / cashew or anything you love - a handful
Hing - a pinch ( optional)
Cilantro - for garnishing

Method :-
Wash and soak the rice for 15 minutes. Drain and cook well( almost mushy).Set aside.
( I used a rice cooker ; for 1 cup of rice 3- 3.5 cup of warm water)
Wash and rinse red lentils , soak for 15-20 minutes, drain and cook with turmeric , salt and enough water.Soak tamarind pulp in a cup of warm water.

Spice mix:- Heat a tea spoon of oil in a pan and fry grated coconut and curry leaves , when it starts turning the color add dried red chili and other whole spices and fry . Switch off the flame , add sambar powder and fry in that heat .Grind to a smooth powder in a coffee grinder.

Heat oil in a pressure cooker or a heavy bottomed pan and add onion and saute , followed by crushed ginger , and garlic. Add tomato , chopped vegetables except green peas, saute for a couple of minutes .
Add salt to taste, spice powder , soaked tamarind with water , cooked lentils and pressure cook for a single whistle or cook till the vegetables are tender. Uncover and add green peas and hing.

Slowly fold in cooked rice and combine well and let simmer for 2-3 minutes.( or take another pan mix rice and sambar as per your consistency and let heat through).
Make the tempering and pour over the rice. Serve warm with chopped cilantro and fried pappadums!

Happy Cooking !


Sarah

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In the comfort of simple food .1

At times , I am humbled by the simple yet satisfyingly rich flavors of natural things !
Hard Boiled Egg  + .. I don't mind if it is a tad low on salt , but really appreciate a generous pinch of freshly crushed black pepper

Research comes and goes , but eggs are always good for you , so I've been told !

Happy Cooking !

Sarah 

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