Grandma’s Meen Pollichathu : Fish in Banana leaf wraps – A Central Kerala Delicacy

There is only one person whom I miss the most in my life, my grandma whom I call Amma. If the time machine were a reality, then I would rewind and go back to tell her how much she meant to me and how much I loved her! I knew she was a part of me but never realised the depth of the bonding we shared until she left us 4 years ago! I never had a closure, I could not bid farewell to her, I was not there at the time of her death nor at the funeral....and towards the end she had lost her memory too, so I don’t even know if she was aware of my occasional visits to her, whenever I came home during my holidays.....she comes in my dreams and thoughts quite often and at times I miss her a lot..I think about the days I spent with her...my summer holidays... my weekends during my childhood....her image is still crystal clear in my mind; standing in front of the gate anxiously waiting for me to get back from the school ..she used to send her maid to pick me up from the school and accompany me till I reached home safe..and I am sure she enjoyed those days, when both of us waited for the mobile bakery man to buy hot puffs and samosas and some sweets, because her kids, that’s my mother and her siblings never allowed her to eat any sweets coz of her high blood sugar. I learned the basics of bargaining from her; it was a pleasure and a great time pass to watch her bargain with the fish vendors...and at the end of all that intense bargaining, sometimes she offered them a cup of tea or some breakfast occasionally...my exposure to different varieties of fish started there. The root cause of my obsession with cleanliness and organizing traces back to her; she had a spotless kitchen and home and a perfectly pressed and arranged wardrobe. Even at the age of 70s, she wore neatly pressed clothes at home and such thoughts help me neglect my obsession for pressing each and every piece of cloth, including my apron and kitchen towels !! I have great respect for her..she was a strong woman who raised her three kids all alone after losing her partner at a very young age. She was very generous and affectionate too...I wish she had met CJJ before she left us, in which case, he would have been her favourite. My mother is a great cook, nevertheless, at times I tell her some of her preparations don’t even come close to that of Amma’s. She was a fabulous cook...she did not have an oven, but she used to bake cakes with a stove top vessel; she never used to frequent Chinese restaurants but she used to make the best fried rice and ofcourse the authentic kerala dishes and snacks....the days I spent with her are some of the sunken treasures of my life and when I dive into those memories, I get lost somewhere........!!

Grandma was from a quaint little town in Kerala, named Alappuzha or Alleppey which is labeled as the ‘Venice of the east’ because of its breathtaking view of the backwaters and house-boats; it’s a beautiful small town, famous for its network of canals and lagoons, crisscrossing the center of the town as well as boat races and coir products. Mean Pollichathu (Roasted Fish in a Banana leaf Wrap) is a ‘must try’ local delicacy which is generally prepared with a fresh catch of karimeen (Pearl Spots), marinated with various spices and a ground paste of pearl onion/small onions, green chilies, ginger, garlic, tomatoes and coconut milk and then cooked in banana leaf wraps. My grandma’s preparation is slightly different from this widely used recipe and this is my 4th attempt at reproducing her signature dish with certain changes adopted in the cooking method to suit my cooking conditions here in US; grandma used to do this at one shot where as my method consist of three stages. Recipe follows: -

Ingredients (Approx. for the size of fish shown in the picture)

Step 1: - Ingredients for Marinating and roasting the fish:

• 1 whole fish cleaned, preferably Karimeen (pearl Spots); Pomfret,Tilapia
  
• 3 tsp chilli powder
• ¼ tsp turmeric powder
• ½ tsp pepper powder
• ¼ tsp ginger paste
• ¼ tsp garlic paste
• 1 tbsp lemon juice (optional)
• Salt to taste
• ¼ cup coconut oil (or vegetable oil) for frying

Step 2: - Ingredients for the gravy:

• 1 cup finely chopped red pearl onions/small onions (around 20-22 nos)
• 1 ¼ tbsp finely chopped ginger
• 6-8 finely chopped green chillies
• 1 sprig of curry leaves
• A pinch of turmeric powder
• A pinch of chilli powder
• 2 tbsp coconut oil (or vegetable oil)
  
• ¼ cup thick coconut milk
• Salt to taste

Step 3: - Ingredients:

• Banana Leaf - big enough to wrap the fish from all the sides.

Directions : Step 1

1. Make 4-5 slits on the cleaned fish; mix chilli powder, turmeric powder, pepper powder, ginger and garlic paste, lemon juice and salt with 1-2 tsp of water to make a thick paste and marinate the fish evenly on both sides and keep it for atleast 2 hours. The slits made on the fish will help the marinade to penetrate into the fish during this time.
2. Heat oil in a flat non-stick pan and place the fish, when the oil is steaming hot. Shallow fry the fish at medium heat by flipping each side when it is almost done; do not make it too crispy and do not overcook ; it should be soft and moist as the same fish is cooked again at the final stage. When the fish is done, (at this stage the oil will stop spluttering) transfer it to the gravy on the banana leaf,instructions for which follow.

Directions : Step 2

1. Heat 2 tbsp oil in a pan and sauté the chopped small onions, ginger, green chilies and curry leaves, in low heat, until they are cooked and golden brown in colour and add a pinch of turmeric powder and chilli powder to get a roasted colour. At this stage, add the thick coconut milk (Users of canned coconut milk need to dilute it by adding some water- for eg: 3 tbsp of coconut milk & add 2tbsp water) and salt and mix well to make the gravy; just combine the gravy well and turn off the stove; do not boil/cook it at all.

Directions: Final Step - Cooking in Banana Leaf Wrap

1. Mildly wilt the fresh and washed banana leaf by keeping it on a low flame; Place it in a large flat non-stick pan; Make a thin bed with half of the gravy and keep the roasted fish and top it with the rest of the gravy. Cover and wrap the fish completely by folding the banana leaf, from all the sides and place a lid on top and let it cook for 10-15 minutes on low flame, until the gravy is thick.
2. Serve hot with rice. You may wilt one more banana leaf and wrap it again before serving, to make it look like 'banana leaf parcels'.
   

Verdict & Recommendations!

It is very different from the usual fish preparations like fish curry and fish fry. It is not very spicy but still I suggest reducing the number of green chilies for those who cannot eat hot n spicy type of food at all. And if you are lucky to prepare this with a fresh catch of Karimeen (Pearl Spots), then you will notice an oil coating on the sides of the fish along with the gravy, which is not there in my picture as I used a different fish. Oil coating mainly depends on a fatty fish and also on the freshly squeezed coconut milk. Instead of using one whole fish, the same preparation can be done with fish steak pieces, wrapped individually in banana leaf, to serve for a group. This is one of the most famous central Kerala delicacy that adorns the dining table at the time of guest visits as well as X’mas and Easter lunches.

This post is a tribute to my grandma and hence my contribution for FAHC Campaign and Group Cookbook Project. Hope it meets all the criteria.




Thanks for reading this loooooooong post :)
Shn

No part of the content ( articles, photographs, recipes) of this blog may be reproduced without my written permission.Copyright © 2007-2010 Kitchenmishmash.blogspot.com. All rights reserved.

Pineapple Wine & A Snow Grotto!

Spring is here and winter is bidding adieus! Poets’ two favourite seasons to metaphorically drive home the idea that adversities and prosperities of life are seasonal. How can one forget the lines of P.B Shelley, one of the English romantic poets who wrote “O, wind, if winter comes, can spring be far behind?” How true !! It is again reinstated when Hal Borland quotes, “No winter lasts forever; no spring skips its turn.” Isn’t it so synonymous with the dull days and happy days of life that come and go? Spring is the renewal of life and hopes and somewhere I read, "winter is door to spring...its a resurrection of hope " . I don’t think I can sum up this concept in any better way than these wise men did. Well, its time to talk about March winds, April showers and May flowers….spring cleaning and spring blossoms……the thought itself is quite refreshing ,isn’t it? :) But honestly, I do enjoy the winter days too, even though we all grumble about removing the pile of snow from the driveway and the slick roads and the icy winds and the dull days. It makes me all romantic, when the star shaped snow flakes tickle my face….waking up in the morning to see the nature covered under a soft, silky white blanket of snow…….the pine trees holding the snow flakes…goose walking across a frozen lake……the eerie look of the naked trees…..somewhere I see a pristine beauty during this season…..and one of those days I was lucky to capture a shot of this natural snow grotto that formed in a lake in our community. Thought it’s incredible and felt only a Virgin Mary is missing in there ;)

Now coming to the substance…. Well, I had a grin on my face when I read that pineapple was the chosen fruit for this month’s AFAM because I had something ready in my pantry, waiting for its turn to go into the spotlight! I am talking about "bottled poetry" here, yes, Pineapple Wine :) This is something I tried along with my experiments with Beetroot wine, which is my personal favourite as I get to enjoy the beet wine from the 16th day after its fermentation, where as I have to wait for more than 3 months to pour some of the bottled pineapple wine into my wine glass. And this recipe is for those who have the patience to wait that long and let me assure you, it’s worth the wait :)

Ingredients:

• 1 kg fresh ripe Pineapple
• 1 kg (50 oz) Sugar
• 1 tsp Yeast
• ½ tsp sugar
• 1 small Lemon
• 2 litre Water
• ½ cup warm water

Directions:

1. Dissolve yeast in lukewarm water with ½ tsp sugar and let it rise.
2. Wash the pineapple well and dice them into small pieces. No need to remove the skin.
3. Boil 2 litres of water in a big pan and dilute 1 kg sugar. When the water boils well, add the pineapple chunks and let it cook for not more than 4-5 mins and turn of the stove.
4. When it cools down, transfer it preferably to a Bharani or any earthenware container or a glass jar and add the dissolved yeast and lemon juice and stir well with a wooden spatula and keep the container airtight and store it in a dark place, for fermentation for 21 days. On the 4th or 5th day, open the container and stir it with a wooden spatula and let it rest till the 21st day.
5. After the fermentation process, strain it, without squeezing or crushing the pineapple at all, using a cheesecloth or muslin cloth on the 21st day and make sure that there are no residues; bottle the wine and rack them at room temperature in a cupboard and let it rest for 3 MONTHS allowing it to settle all the impurities and smells FRESH & PLEASANT at the end.

Tips:

Once the wine is bottled, it should be left in a dark shelf, at room temperature, for 3 months for sure, as the smell that results from the activation of the yeast with the pineapple is very overpowering and it is not at all suggested for serving during this time. Also, for the yeast to convert sugar into alcohol, it is mandatory to keep the oxygen out and hence make sure that container is airtight, during the fermentation period. The alcoholic and the mild fizzy effect also depend on the quality of the yeast used. Please ensure that the fermentation jars and bottles are clean and not filled fully; leave some room. It is also suggested to open the bottles once in 2-3 weeks to let the gas out, formed inside the bottles. After 3 months, you will notice all its impurities settling down, creating a thick layer at the bottom, and the wine will be refined and clear and smells fresh and pleasant and tastes GREAT!

So, lets pour some wine and raise a toast to Maheswari for hosting this wonderful fruity event,AFAM and also to Sushma for hosting the interesting Monthly Cooking Tipology event!

Related Posts:

Cheers!
Shn

No part of the content ( articles, photographs, recipes) of this blog may be reproduced without my written permission.Copyright © 2007-2010 Kitchenmishmash.blogspot.com. All rights reserved.

Tomato Bruschetta

Italian flavour, whether it is in food or music, always entices me. Bruschetta is a classic Italian appetizer (pronounced [brus'ket.ta] in Italian); slice of fresh country bread toasted with a nice rub of fresh garlic and a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil. There are lots of variations to bruschetta. A traditional bruschetta topping is a blend of fresh tomatoes and herbs and garlic with a bit of olive oil. This is a simple & colourful, easy to prepare appetizer as well as an afternoon snack too.

Ingredients (Approx.)

• ½ loaf French bread
• 2 red tomatoes
• 1 garlic clove finely chopped + 1 whole clove
• ¼ cup fresh basil chiffonades
• 1 tbsp green spring onion chopped
• 1 1/2 tbsp + 3tbsp Olive Oil
• A pinch of freshly ground pepper
• Salt to taste

Directions:

1. Cut the tomatoes and squeeze out the juice and seeds from it and finely dice them. Mix the tomatoes, garlic, basil chiffonades and spring onion and toss with 1½ tbsp olive oil and ground pepper and salt and blend well and leave it in room temperature for 30 minutes to 1 hour to let all the flavours combine well.
2. Preheat oven to 400 F . Slice the bread diagonally with around ½ inch thickness and brush with olive oil and toast each side for around 2 mins or until the bread turns slightly golden.
3. Cut the garlic clove in half and lightly rub garlic onto the toasted bread and spoon the mixture on the slices and serve immediately. The bread will get soggy if it is kept too long, so heap the topping just before serving. Serve with a glass of red wine and sorriso* :)

This is my entry for JFI - Tomato and thanks RP for hosting this month's JFI.

*Sorriso is Italian for smile :)

Luv
Shn

No part of the content ( articles, photographs, recipes) of this blog may be reproduced without my written permission.Copyright © 2007-2010 Kitchenmishmash.blogspot.com. All rights reserved.

Some Of My Glass (Plexiglas) Paintings..

Thought of sharing some of my glass(plexiglas) paintings with you. These are not perfect; you will notice paint smudges and paint brush marks here and there but still they are dear to me :)








Luv
Shn

No part of the content ( articles, photographs, recipes) of this blog may be reproduced without my written permission.Copyright © 2007-2010 Kitchenmishmash.blogspot.com. All rights reserved.

Egg Rolls with Sweet & Sour Sauce

"I can resist everything but temptation"
Oscar Wilde.

And I say, I can resist everything but 'food temptation' !! An overwhelming desire to eat a plate of tantalizing dish Vs a strong determination to complete one month lent. Howzzat ??

Hmmm...now I see many of you nodding your heads :) Yes, it is hard and I was caught on one such battle last October when CJJ came home, on the 16th day of my lent, with a packet of golden brown, crispy, not greasy, neatly wrapped beautiful egg rolls, gifted by his Vietnamese colleague!! I cursed the moment I turned down CJJ’s offer to join me in my lent! I thought the best way to escape temptation was to yield to it but suddenly my conscience began to prick me; How can I yield to a silly food temptation over my determination to continue lent, to thank God for one of His blessings?? I tried hard, resisted and resisted …… finally I DID it. I took my share of the food and locked it in freezer for the next 14 days!!!! And, I relished those little beauties the day I broke my lent successfully after a month :)

These are delicious finger foods loaded with ground meat, vegetables and basic seasonings. Though a bit time consuming, one can always prepare them in advance and cook them just before your party begins. Our friend was kind enough to share the recipe with me and I tried it today and it came out quite well. Here’s the recipe :-

Ingredients for Egg Rolls:-

• 2 cups cooked and ground chicken
• 2 cups cooked and ground shrimp (optional)
• 2 cups finely chopped cabbage
• 1 cup finely chopped carrot
• 1 cup finely chopped yellow onion
• 1 oz bean threads
• 2 eggs
• One packet Egg roll skins or Spring roll pastry
• 1 tsp Sugar
• 1 tsp Pepper
• Salt to taste
• 1 cup oil for deep frying
  

Directions:-

1. Pressure cook boneless chicken with some salt, ½ tsp pepper powder and 2 green chilies; once chicken is cooked and cooled, ground the meat in a mixer or food processor.
2. Steam and cook the cabbage and carrot separately, adding a tinge of salt, until they re soft; drain them well and dry them on a paper napkin or a piece of cloth.
3. Break the bean threads into small pieces and cook them as per the package instructions.
4. Mix well the ground meat and shrimp, if any, finely chopped raw onions, cooked and dried cabbage and carrots, cooked bean threads and add sugar, pepper and salt and do a taste test. (One might require more sugar and pepper according to personal tastes). To this mixture, add a lightly beaten egg and combine well.
5. To wrap, lay the square egg roll skins/spring roll pastry sheets in a diamond shape; place approximately 2 tsp of filling in the middle of the wrapper. Take the bottom point of your wrap and fold it over top of the filling. Fold the sides in towards the middle and tightly roll the filling towards the top point of the wrapper. Brush some beaten egg onto the top point as "glue" and seal it completely.
6. Heat oil in a medium flame and slide egg rolls one at a time; deep fry in oil until they are golden brown and crispy, do not overcook the egg rolls; place the fried ones on a paper napkin to absorb the oil and serve them hot with Sweet & Sour dipping sauce. You get around 15-20 rolls.
   

For a step-by-step pictorial representation of folding the wrappers, click here.

Ingredients for Sweet & Sour Dipping Sauce:-
Recipe Source: Rhonda Parkinson, http://chinesefood.about.com

• 1/3 cup white or rice vinegar
• 4 tbsp brown sugar
• 1 tbsp ketchup
• 1 tsp soy sauce
• 2 teaspoons cornstarch/all-purpose flour/maida mixed with 4 teaspoons water

Directions:-

Mix the vinegar, brown sugar, ketchup, and soy sauce together and bring to a boil in a small pot. Mix together the cornstarch/all-purpose flour/maida and water, add to the other ingredients and stir to thicken. When the sauce is thick, strain it to the dipping bowl to get rid of the clots and lumps.

Note:-

The egg rolls should be tightly folded to avoid the risk of a leaky filling while frying them. Also the cooked cabbage and carrot should not have any water content to prevent soggy egg rolls. Never stack the egg rolls on top of each other, before or after deep-frying. For freezing egg rolls before frying, wrap them in aluminum foil and seal in a plastic bag in the freezer - this will keep them moist. You may freeze the deep fried egg rolls too.

Luv
Shn

No part of the content ( articles, photographs, recipes) of this blog may be reproduced without my written permission.Copyright © 2007-2010 Kitchenmishmash.blogspot.com. All rights reserved.

Groom Berries with Bride Berries & A Dedication !!

Valentine’s Day is at the doorstep and my memory is flooded with all those pleasant recollections as well as some embarrassing moments associated with it; well, lets not get into the details of the latter ;-) The one that hovering on top is the V-Day I celebrated with some of my very close friends in college. It was the first semester of our masters program and the V-Day fever was high as usual. Some of us, I should say, a bunch of singles, were left alone with no exciting plans and hence, decided to have a girls’ day out. If my memory is not clouded, I think we decided to pair it with two of our friends’ b’day celebrations as well. We all got-together and had a bash; we went to the pizzeria in town for lunch, had softies for dessert, took a long walk in the breezy marine drive, peeped into Archies Gallery to have a look at those mushy-mushy cards and soft teddies which did evoke some sort of hope that “hmm…one day….someone….” but at the same time, we were all green–eyed monsters too :) The snapshots from that day bring back lots of smiles whenever I flip through the pages of my college album!! Happy to note that we were a lucky bunch as all of us are now happily married and settled with our Valentines :)

This was my first attempt at dressing up the strawberries in tuxedos and gowns and regardless of the imperfection it has, I would like to dedicate this post to all my friends, fellow bloggers for all their words of appreciation and encouragement and DT, LJ, MC, NG, TM and US in particular for those wonderful days we shared !! Here comes a Groom Berry and Bride Berry from miles away to knock on your doors and wish you all a Happy Valentine’s Day !! :)

For dressing up Groom Berries & Bride Berries You Need: -

• 1 ½ cups (Approx.) dark chocolate pieces/morsels
• 2 cups (Approx.)white chocolate pieces/morsels
• 1 dozen strawberries
• Wax Paper
• Toothpicks or skewers.

Melting Chocolate and Dipping strawberries

Wash and pat dry the strawberries with its green cap intact. Melt white chocolate, in small quantities, in microwave (or by the double boiler method) for 30 seconds. Take the bowl out and stir and again melt them for 15 to 30 seconds intervals, until the chocolate is completely melted. Stir well to make it creamy. Insert a toothpick or skewer on the center of the strawberry and dip them each in chocolate upto its stems .At this stage, giving the berries a little shake will help you get an even surface and leave them on the wax paper for 20-30min in room temperature until chocolate is dry and hardened. The toothpick/skewer will help you hold the strawberries correctly without breaking the stems or squeezing the fruit while trying to lift them from the melted chocolate.

Tuxedo Strawberries or Groom Berries

Once the white-chocolate-dipped-strawberries are completely hardened, start melting the dark chocolate morsels in the same way mentioned earlier. And dip white-chocolate-dipped-strawberries into the dark creamy chocolate from both the sides, in such a way that it forms a V shape jacket in the center. Place them again on the wax paper leaving it to cool. Meanwhile using a toothpick or skewer, draw small buttons and a bow-tie.

Bride Berries

To make your cute Bride Berries, dip strawberries only in the white chocolate from both the sides to form a U or V shaped gown necks and decorate with a toothpick/skewer to make a simple chain or a pearl chain with dots. When it is completely hardened, remove the toothpicks/skewers and serve them cold.

Tips for Berry Stylists!

Please make sure that there is not even a drop of water in the bowl while melting chocolate as water content can cause chocolate “seize” and make it a grainy mess. Also if the chocolate gets hardened while melting, adding a bit of shortening or vegetable oil (NO WATER, pls!) will help it to soften. The chocolate dipped strawberries are best if eaten within 24 hours - refrigerate for longer storage, but serve at room temperature for greatest flavor. For a step by step pictorial representation of dressing up strawberries, Click here

So what do you think, aren’t they all dressed up to go for the Berry Bash at Maheswari’s AFAM & Pooja’s Valentine’s Day party ? :)

HAPPY VALENTINE’S DAY :)

Luv
Shn

No part of the content ( articles, photographs, recipes) of this blog may be reproduced without my written permission.Copyright © 2007-2010 Kitchenmishmash.blogspot.com. All rights reserved.

Shortbread Hearts

It’s that time of the year again when we all search for those pretty cards, candied hearts, chocolate dipped strawberries, cute teddy bears and radiant red roses to celebrate love and friendship with our dear ones. Yes, Valentine’s Day is just two weeks away and I see lots of pink, red and white wherever I turn. This year, why don’t we Say It with Shortbread Hearts? Shortbreads, a Scottish favorite are “the ultimate expression of the four building blocks of baking: butter, sugar, flour and salt.” But modern cooks have come up with lots of variations by adding nuts, chocolates or any other dried fruits as well as cutting them differently. If it is yet to strike you, this is an EGGLESS recipe!! I found this recipe on Martha Stewart’s LIVING beautifully cut using heart shaped cookie cutters. So dear friends, let’s hit the baking corner and serve our Valentine’s with some extra love :)

Ingredients:

• 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature
• 3/4 cup sifted confectioners' sugar
• 2 cups sifted all-purpose flour/maida
• 1 tsp pure vanilla extract
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/2 cup finely chopped dried cranberries or cherries

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 325° with the rack in center. With a hand mixer, combine butter, confectioners’ sugar, vanilla, flour, and salt,(all at the same time) in a bowl, until it’s just incorporated; not too creamy. Stir in dried cranberries/cherries or fruit of your choice.
2. Grease an 8 or 9 inch-square baking pan with butter and flour and pat dough firmly into the pan and bake until just beginning to turn golden. Though the original recipe calls for only 20 min, it took 50 min for me. Cool on a wire rack and unmold the Shortbread and transfer to a work surface. Do not cut if it's still warm and wait till it’s completely cool. Use a heart cookie cutter to cut out cookies and keep them at room temperature in an airtight container.

Tricks I learnt!

This was the first time I tried a Shortbread recipe and hence I did some reading before hitting the baking corner. Here are some tips: After transferring the dough into the baking pan, cover it with a plastic wrap, so it doesn’t stick to hands while pressing into a uniform thickness and before sliding the dough into the oven, prick all over with a wooden skewer. Experts do not suggest the use of forks, as its tines will pull at the dough. The holes keep the surface level and promote even baking. It’s also suggested not to substitute confectioner’s sugar with granulated sugar, to avoid grainy cookies. Please note that the original recipe calls for only 20 min baking time but it took 50 min for me. So it's better to keep in mind the variations of the oven settings. Bake until golden colour and firm in center.

You can either use cookie cutters or simply cut them into rounds or squares when it’s completely cool. I noticed that the flavour improves after a few days.

I think it's time for me to go for Monthly Mingle at Meeta's. :)

* This recipe is taken from Martha Stewart’s Living and for more information and recipes on Shortbreads, refer Martha Stewart LIVING, February 2007,Pg: 82.

Luv
Shn

No part of the content ( articles, photographs, recipes) of this blog may be reproduced without my written permission.Copyright © 2007-2010 Kitchenmishmash.blogspot.com. All rights reserved.