My Mom used to make this simple yet yummy ‘Tomato Curry’ as a side dish for rice.  Since we all like it so much, I make it very often.  It can be served as a ‘charu’ or ‘kulambu’ with other dry items for a satisfying meal!

Ingredients

Tomatoes – 5 sliced

Onion – 1 sliced

Water – 3 cups

Salt – to taste

Grated coconut – 1 cup

Green chillies – 4

Turmeric powder – 1 tsp

Chilly powder – 1/4 tsp

Jeera/ Cumin seeds – 1/4 tsp

Mustard seeds – 1 tsp

Dry red chillies – 3 broken, seeds removed

Curry leaves – 2 sprigs

Oil – 1 tbsp

Method

Cook sliced tomatoes and onions along with salt and water, till they are soft and tender.  Grind grated coconut, green chillies, turmeric powder, chilly powder and cumin seeds to a fine paste, adding enough water.  Add this paste to the cooked tomatoes and onions.  Mix well and allow it to simmer for 3 minutes.  Heat oil in a small pan and splutter mustard seeds.  Add red chillies and curry leaves.  Pour this over the curry and mix well.  Serve tasty ‘Tomato Curry’ with steamed rice.  Enjoy!!!

I am sending ‘Tomato Curry’ to PJ for the event “Healing Foods – Tomato” which was started by Siri.

Ingredients

Black Channa – 1 cup

Water – 2 cups

Onion – 1 medium sliced

Garlic- 4 small crushed

Ginger – 1 tsp chopped

Green chillies – 2 slit

Curry leaves – 2 sprigs

Red chilly flakes – 1 tsp

Turmeric powder – 1/2 tsp

Salt – to taste

Mustard seeds – 1/2 tsp

Oil – 1 tbsp

Method

Soak the Channa in water for 8 hrs or overnight.  Wash and put it into a pressure cooker.  Add water and cook for 12 minutes on low flame after the first whistle.  Allow it to cool.  Heat oil in a pan and splutter mustard seeds.  Add garlic and saute till aroma comes out.  Add onions, ginger, green chillies and curry leaves.  Saute till the onions turn light brown.  Add chilly flakes and turmeric powder.  Stir and add cooked Channa along with left over water.  Add salt and mix well.  Allow the excess water to evaporate.  Stir-fry for a minute and put off the flame.  ‘Stir-fried Black Channa/ Kadala Ularthiyathu’ is an excellent side dish for ‘kanji’ or rice porridge.  It can also be served with rice.

Ingredients

Ridge gourd/ Peechinga – 2 big

Onion – 1 medium chopped

Garlic – 2 small crushed

Green chillies – 2 slit

Curry leaves – 2 sprigs

Red chilly flakes – 1 tsp

Turmeric powder – 1 tsp

Thick coconut milk – 1/2 cup

Salt – to taste

Oil – 1 tbsp

Method

Remove the ridges of the gourd, scrape off the excess hard green skin.  Wash the gourd, slit them into four pieces lengthwise and then slice them.  Heat oil in a pan and add crushed garlic.  Fry till the aroma comes out.  Add onions, green chillies and curry leaves.  Fry till the onions turn light brown.  Add chilly flakes and turmeric powder.  Stir and add the sliced ridge gourd.  Add salt and mix well.  Cover and cook on a medium flame till done.  Do not add any water.  Water will ooze out from the gourd.  Evaporate excess water and add the thick coconut milk.  Mix well and switch off the flame immediately.  Delicious ‘Ridge Gourd Curry with Coconut Milk’ goes well with rice.  Cheers!!!

Ingredients

Chicken – 1 kg cut into pieces

Onions – 2 big chopped

Ginger garlic paste – 1 tbsp

Green chillies – 3 slit

Curry leaves – 3 sprigs

Tomato paste – 4 tbsp

Maggi coconut milk powder – 3/4 cup

Chicken masala – 2 tsp

Coriander powder – 2 tsp

Pepper powder – 1/2 tsp

Chilly powder – 2 tsp

Garam masala – 1 tsp

Turmeric powder – 1 tsp

Perumjeerakam/Aniseed powder – 1/4 tsp

Jeera/Cumin seed powder – 1/4 tsp

Water – 3 cups

Salt – to taste

Mustard seeds – 1 tsp

Oil – 2 tbsp

Method

In a small non-stick pan, mix together coconut milk powder and all the spice powders.  Dry roast it on a very low flame till the mixture is golden brown in color.  Stir continuously during the process.  Allow the mixture to cool.  Heat oil in a pan and splutter mustard seeds.  Add onions, green chillies and curry leaves.  Fry till the onions turn golden brown.  Add the ginger garlic paste and fry on a low flame till the aroma comes out.  Add the tomato paste and fry for a minute.  Now add the roasted coconut -spice powder mixture.  Add 1/4 cup of water and fry well.  Pour 3 cups of water and add the chicken pieces and salt.  Mix well and cook covered till done.  Stir in between.  Switch off the flame when the gravy is thick.  Lip-smacking ‘Varutharacha Kozhi Curry’ can be served with rice, appam, puttu, idiyappam, rotis, dosa or bread.  Enjoy with your loved ones!!!

Use coconut oil to bring in more flavor.

In the traditional method, grated coconut is dry roasted along with whole spices and ground to a paste.  I have made it into a simple recipe by using all the powders.

Similarly, use two chopped tomatoes, ginger and garlic instead of pastes to bring in the authentic taste.

‘Varutharacha Kozhi Curry’ is off to Priya for the event “Healing Foods – Onions” which was started by Siri.

Ingredients

Karimeen / Pearl Spot – 1 kg

Chilly powder – 4 tsp

Turmeric powder – 1 tsp

Pepper powder – 1/2 tsp

Vinegar – 2 tsp

Salt – to taste

Oil – for frying

Method

Clean the fish and wash it with salt and vinegar.  Make slits on the fish with a knife.  Make a paste with all the spice powders, salt and vinegar, adding  little water.  Apply the paste on the fish and keep aside for 30 minutes to 1 hour.  Deep fry the fish in hot oil. Serve ‘Karimeen Varuthathu’ garnished with lemon wedges and onion rings along with steamed rice.  Enjoy!

Use coconut oil to enhance the flavour of the fried fish.

Today I am celebrating the Third Blog Anniversary of ‘Salt and Spice’.  I thank all my blog friends and readers for your love and support all through these years!  My special thanks to all those young ladies who try my recipes, get back to me and thank me!  This is also my 125th post!

‘Christmas Pudding/ Plum Pudding’ is a traditional British steamed pudding served on Christmas Day.  This yummy pudding can also be served as a dessert on other occasions or as a refreshment on a hot Summer’s day!

Ingredients

Plum cake – 250 gm powdered

Milk – as required

Butter – 1 tsp

Pineapple – 1/2 cup chopped

Sugar – 2 tsp

Water – 1/4 cup

Orange – 1/4 cup skin and seeds removed

Glace cherries – 7

For the Custard

Vanilla custard powder – 2 tbsp

Milk – 250 ml

Sugar – 3 tbsp

Method

Cook the pineapple with sugar and water till soft.  Allow it to cool and add the orange pieces.  Refrigerate for about 2 hours.  Make a custard with milk, sugar and custard powder. Let it to cool.  Keep it in the fridge for  about 4 hours.  Sprinkle milk over the powdered cake and mix without giving force.  The mixture should be like bread crumbs.  Smear butter on a pudding bowl and transfer the cake mixture into it.  Press firmly with hands.  Cover with a lid or aluminum foil and steam cook for 10 minutes.  Remove the foil and allow it to cool a bit.  Place a serving plate on the pudding bowl and invert the pudding on to the plate.  Pour the cold custard, chilled fruits and fruit juice over the pudding.  Garnish it with glace cherries.  Enjoy with your loved ones!!!

Please follow my Christmas Fruit Cake recipe to make the Plum Cake.  Usually the leftover cake is used to make this pudding.

You can microwave the pudding for 4 minutes instead of steaming.

The pudding can also be served with chilled cream or vanilla ice cream.

‘Christmas Pudding/ Plum Pudding’ is off to Srivalli for the event “Thanda Mela”

I am also sending ‘Christmas Pudding’ to Indrani for the event “Spotlight: Summer Foods & Drinks”

Ingredients

Shark or Ray – 1 kg cut into pieces

Onion – 1 sliced

Ginger – 1 tbsp chopped

Green chillies – 3 slit

Curry leaves – 3 sprigs

Kudampuli/ Gambooge – 4 pieces

Water – 2 cups

Salt – to taste

Oil – 2 tbsp

For Grinding

Grated coconut – 3/4 cup

Garlic – 1 tbsp chopped

Coriander seeds – 2 tbsp

Dry red chillies – 5

Peppercorns – 1 tsp

Jeera/ Cumin seeds – 1/2 tsp

Uluva/ Fenugreek seeds – 1/4 tsp

Turmeric powder – 1 1/4 tsp

Oil – 2 tsp

Method

Soak the kudampuli in 1/2 cup of water.  Heat 2 tsp of oil in a non-stick pan and roast the grated coconut, garlic, coriander seeds, dry red chillies, peppercorns, cumin seeds, fenugreek seeds and turmeric powder till the grated coconut turns golden brown color.  Let it cool completely.  Grind it to a fine paste, adding water as required.  Keep aside.  Now heat  oil (use coconut oil to enhance the flavor of the curry) in a pan and add onions, ginger, green chillies and curry leaves.  Fry till the onions turn light brown.  Add the roasted coconut paste, kudampuli, water and salt.  Keep covered and allow it to boil.  Open the lid and add the fish pieces.  Cook covered till done.  Twist the pan once or twice in between.  Open the lid and allow it to simmer.  Switch off the flame when the oil starts to float on top of the fish curry.  Serve lip-smacking ‘Varutharacha Meen Curry’ with rice, chapathi or dosa.  Enjoy!

This is the best way to prepare fish curry using fish like Shark and Ray.

Ingredients

Small variety Fish – 1/2 kg cut into pieces

Shallots – 12 sliced

Ginger – 1/2″ piece chopped

Curry leaves – 2 sprigs

Kudampuli/Gambooge – 2 pieces

Water – 1/4 cup

Salt – to taste

Mustard seeds – 1/2 tsp

Coconut oil – 1 1/2 tbsp

For Grinding

Grated coconut – 1 cup

Green chillies – 3

Garlic – 1 chopped

Cumin seeds – 1/2 tsp

Turmeric powder – 1 tsp

Chilly powder – 1/2 tsp

Method

Wash and soak  kudampuli in 1/4 cup of water.  Coarsely grind all the ingredients mentioned above.  Heat oil in a non-stick pan and splutter mustard seeds.  Add shallots, ginger and curry leaves.  Fry till shallots turn light brown.  Add coarsely ground coconut mixture.  Also add the kudampuli along with water.  Add the fish pieces and salt.  Mix gently and close with a lid.  Cook on medium flame till done.  Stir gently, in-between.  Open the lid and allow excess water to evaporate.  Serve tasty ‘Meen Peera’ with hot rice.  Cheers!

I used Sardines to prepare this dish.  Anchovies, small Mackerels and Prawns can be used to make yummy ‘Meen Peera’.

Remember the ‘Red-hot Kerala Fish Curry’ Arundhati Roy had described in her Booker Prize winning novel “The God of Small Things”…?  ‘Meen Vattichathu’ is something Kerala Christians, especially those from Central Kerala love to have everyday with hot rice!  This mouth-watering fish curry is usually prepared in an earthen pot or ‘manchatti’ which makes it more flavorful.  It tastes better and better as it sits and can be refrigerated for up to a week.

Ingredients

King (Seer) Fish – 1/2 kg cut into cubes

Shallots – 10 sliced

Ginger – 1 tbsp chopped

Garlic – 1 tbsp chopped

Green chillies – 3 slit

Curry leaves – 4 sprigs

Kudampuli/ Gambooge – 4 to 5 pieces

Mustard seeds – 1/2 tsp

Fenugreek seeds/ Uluva – 1/8 tsp

Coriander powder – 2 tsp

Kashmiri chilly powder – 4 tsp

Turmeric powder – 1/2 tsp

Water – 2 cups

Salt – to taste

Coconut oil – 2 tbsp

Method

Soak kudampuli in half a cup of water and keep aside.  Heat oil in a pan and splutter mustard seeds and fenugreek seeds.  Add shallots (I used one onion), ginger, garlic, green chillies and curry leaves and saute till they turn light brown.  Add a little water to the spice powders to form a paste.  Now add this paste to the pan and saute till the raw smell goes.  Add the soaked kudampuli along with the water.  Add more water and salt to taste.  Mix well and keep it covered till it boils.  Open the lid and add the fish pieces.  Keep covered and cook on a medium flame till the oil starts to float on top of the curry.  Yummy ‘Meen Vattichathu’ is ready to be served.  Enjoy!

Ingredients

Beef cubes – 1 kg

Onion – 1 sliced

Tomatoes – 3 chopped

Ginger garlic paste – 2 tbsp

Green chillies – 2 slit

Curry leaves – 2 sprigs

Cinnamon – 2″ piece

Cardamom – 2

Cloves – 4

Coriander powder – 4 tsp

Chilly powder – 2 tsp

Turmeric powder – 1/2 tsp

Pepper powder – 1/2 tsp

Fennel powder – 1/2 tsp

Water – 1/2 cup

Salt – to taste

Oil – 2 tbsp

Coriander leaves – 2 tbsp chopped

Method

Heat oil in a pressure cooker and add the whole spices and then the sliced onion.  Fry till it is light brown in color.  Then add ginger garlic paste and fry till the raw smell goes.  Add all the spice powders and fry for a minute.  Add chopped tomatoes, green chillies and curry leaves.  Fry till oil separates.  Now add the beef cubes, half a cup of water and salt.  Mix well, close the lid and cook till done.  Open the lid and simmer for another 5 minutes.  Garnish with chopped coriander leaves.  Serve delicious ‘Tomato Beef Curry’ with rice, chapatis, parathas or bread.