Green prawns fry

Green Prawn Fry - Prawns mixed in a green sauce and shallow fried.

Prawns are my favorite kind of seafood - No bones and easy cleaning. I learnt to clean prawn myself only after I really had to. Back in Chennai it is usually cleaned in the fish market. It was the same picking up the pre packed cleaned ones in supermarkets. In London, however, I sort of felt it was a bit off-taste in the prepacked ones. I sort of felt it lacked flavor. In Leeds market, the prawns come as cleaned or with shell and I think both taste yumm. 

Here is a slight tweak to the usual prawn recipes. 

Do try and let me know!

Ingredients:

Prawn - Cleaned, shell removed - 200 gms

Green Chillies - 3

Pudina - half a bunch

coriander leaves - half a bunch

corn flour - 1 tbsp

Sombu - 1 tsp

Curry leaves to taste

oil - 1 tbsp

Salt to taste

Method:

1. Make a paste of Mint leaves (pudina), green chillies, coriander leaves, few curry leaves
2. Add cleaned prawn, one tablespoon corn flour and mix well
3. Let it marinate for 10 minutes
4. In a kadai heat oil and sombu and curry leaves
5. Add marinated prawns and let them curl
6. Serve hot!

My notes:

You could also grill this prawn recipe. Sometimes, I add onions, capsicum as well along, marinate, and grill them in skewers.

Peas Pulav

Peas Pulav - Basmathi rice cooked in coconut milk and flavored with spices and cashewnuts

Peas Pulav is one of the easiest and quickest rice dish that anyone would love! It tastes great with Chicken or any spicy vegetable curry. My mom used to make it regularly for my lunch when i was in college and school.. It is always fun to eat a tasty lunch box!!!

Instead of Peas, we can add vegetables of our choice and make it too.. Do try and enjoy!!!


Ingredients: 

For 2 people 

Basmathi rice - 1 cup (presoak for about half n hour in water before cooking)
Onion - 1 (sliced into lengthwise pieces) 
Green chillies - 6 (slit lengthwise, I usually add 2 or 3 more, add less if you prefer it less spicy) 
Peas - 1 cup full (if using vegetables add carrots, beans, cauliflower, brocolli, capsicum, babycorn etc diced into small chunks, 1 cup full)
Cashewnuts - 1 handful (add more for nut lovers!!!)
Cooking oil - 3 tablespoons
Ghee or butter - 5 tablespoons
Jeera - 1tsp
Pattai - 1 small piece (cinnamon stick)
Brinji leaf - 1
Green cardamom - 2 pods
Cloves - 1 or 2 
Mint leaves - 1 tablesppon (finely chopped)
Ginger garlic paste - 1 tablespoon
Coconut milk - half a cup (thick milk) (u can substitute with full fresh cream or even milk, but the flavor would be different for each)
Salt - per taste
Lemon - to taste

How to Proceed:

• Add cooking oil in a pressure cooker pan and add Pattai, Brinji leaf, Green cardamom, cloves and Jeera
• Add sliced onions and green chillies and fry till the onions turn glassy (do not let the colour change)
• Add ginger garlic paste and chopped mint leaves and saute well.
• Add the peas and let it mix well, do not let the peas cook! (if your adding vegetables, add them and do not let them cook either!)
• Add the Basmathi rice draining all the water. Mix well
• Add half a cup coconut milk (or fresh cream or plain milk) and add salt and squeeze half a lemon
• Add 1 and half cups water and check for salt (it should be a little salty as rice cooks, it will be perfect)
• Add a tablespoon of Ghee or butter before closing the lid (will make sure the rice doesn't stick)
• Let it cook for only one whistle
• Add ghee or butter in a pan and roast the cashewnuts, add to rice once pressure is released (if your lazy, saute the cashews while you add spices itself, but the cashews will be cooked lightly in the pulav! Its tasty either way)
• voila! your Peas pulav is ready

Notes:

I usually add 2 cups of water for 1 cup of Basmathi rice, so make sure the water to rice ratio is correct, that is count coconut milk also as water (so for 1 cup rice its 1 n half cup water : Half cup coconut milk) 

When your cooking for 2 cups rice, add one cup coconut milk and 3 cups water.
Serve hot with a spicy gravy and plain raitha!

Potato and peas masala

Peas and potato masala is one of my family's favorite recipe. It goes well with almost any dish. Be it calorie conscious chapathis or flavor rich pulav. Even with plain sambhar or curd rice this dish tastes divine! 

Now being season for fresh green peas it can easily make your day..

Do try out!

Ingredients:

Potato or baby potato - 250gms 

Onion - 1 big chopped

Tomatoes - 1 big chopped

Green chilli - 2 or 3 slit 

Chilli powder - 1tsp

Turmeric - 1tsp

Coriander powder - 1tsp

Salt to taste

Oil - 1tbsp

Mustard -1tsp

Jeera- 1tsp

Curry leaves few

Coriander leaves to garnish

How to proceed:

Boil potatoes and peel them. We can add baby potatoes as whole and big ones can be mashed up lightly to make small pieces.

In a wide pan or kadai add cooking oil and temper mustard and jeera and add few curry leaves

Saute onion and green chillies until glassy onion is glassy

 Add tomato and green peas and cook until tomatoes get soft

Now add all powders, viz chilli powder, turmeric powder, coriander powder and salt

when raw smell of chilli powder changes add boiled and peeled potatoes

Mix well and let it cook for few min

Garnish with coriander leaves

Notes:

A little amchur or chat powder can be added for extra zing

When fresh peas are not available soaked up dry peas can be used.

Happy cooking and eating!