Mackerel Fry (Mangalore Cuisine)

 Hello....

Been a while... Been cooking but could not find the time to record it... Just wanted to blog before the year ended... Hence here with a simple prep... Fish Fry from Mangalore.... Mackerels....

Jump To Recipe

It's a flavorful prep which tastes rich & seems divine with rice gruel.... (rice porridge) known as ganji in Mangalore, maadbaath in the North... Piping hot rice in its own water.... It's soul food.... yum 😋..... connected to our roots & ancestors... 

Let's get down to its prep....

Ingredients :

Mackerels - 4 (cleaned & washed in turmeric water & halved)

MARINATION - (in another bowl)

Salt - 1 tsp

Turmeric Powder - 1 1/2 tsp

Red Chilli Powder - 1 1/4 tsp

Kashmiri Chilli Powder - 1 tsp

Kitchen King Powder - 1 1/2 tsp

Cumin Powder - 1 tsp

Coriander Powder - 1 1/2 tsp

Pepper Powder - 1/4 tsp

Ginger Garlic Paste - 2 tsp

Tamarind Paste - 1 1/2 tsp

Coconut Oil - 2 tsp

Hot Water - 1 tbsp

MASALA - (Flavorful Add Ons)

Ginger - 1 1/2 " (fine chopped)

Green Chillis - 3 (fine chopped)

Onion - 1 large (fine chopped)

Curry Leaves - 2 sprigs full

Coconut Oil - 2 tbsps

Instructions :

1) Mix the ingredients under marination into a fine paste

2) Make tiny slits on the body of the fish to allow it to absorb the blend of spices

3 ) Now marinate the fish one by one gently  so that the spices adhere to them to soak in with time... minimum an hour

4) Leave the remaining spices (masala) as is

5) Now heat coconut oil in a pan... Place the fish pieces beside one another & shallow fry it on both the sides for a minimum of 3-4 minutes each side

(Do not over fry the fish cuz then they would turn hard... We want them to be cooked but retain its freshness & juices too)

6) Once done remove them & keep aside

7) Now to the remaining oil in the pan, add in green chilli + ginger fine chops & saute until fried lightly

8) Now add in the curry leaves + chopped onions & stir fry until onions are soft & blent well with the spices in the pan

9) Now add the remaining masala paste kept aside & stir fry them for a couple of minutes until the raw scent of the masala disappears

10) Once everything has seemingly blent, add in the fried fish & gently toss to mix... avoid breaking them into pieces... 

11) Garnish with chopped coriander leaves

NOTES :

Than regular dry rice, it tastes divine when savored with the piping hot watery rice... ( you can sieve it a lil & use the water to prepare a piping hot drink to complement this meal)

    Just add in pestled green chilli + salt crystals... mix it well & allow it to boil once with a lil more hot water in order to saturate the starch.... Once done sieve & serve!

Below is a recipe card for someone looking for a quickie....

Here is a visual in action as a guide...

A humble request 🙏 to anybody who checks this recipe out.... 

Savor all those simple food our ancestors lived on & encourage your offspring to do so too... cuz when you do, your kids follow.... DO NOT LET YOURSELVES DEVIATE FROM YOUR SANTANI BHARATIYA ROOTS for a desire of unhealthy foreign foods.... CUZ YOUR ROOTS ARE YOUR STRENGTH.... if you undo them running behind unknown unhealthy stuffs, you weaken your generations than strengthen them....

UNTIL NEXT, KEEP THE FAITH!!!

Fried Makhaana (Fried Lotus Seeds)

 Heya...

There was a lil something too... Thought would post it anyhow... It is just me journaling my preps for my own reference mainly cuz am forgetful of late... In the due course if it helps someone else too then what do I lose 💁

SO here it goes...

Ingredients :

Makhaana - 1 - 2 Cups

Ghee - 1 tbsp

Salt To Taste

Instructions :

Heat a wok well... lower the flame 

Now add the ghee... Allow it to settle for few seconds..

Now add the makhaana & stir fry... You would see the makhaana absorbing all the ghee...

Fry for a minute & sprinkle a dash of salt... Keep frying until they turn dark brown all around... Basically the makhaana must shrink in size turning crispy....

Once done, allow it to cool for 5 minutes & then store in an airtight container.... 

Very good midnight snack... 👌

Here's a quickie to the prep....

Have fun.... 😍

UNTIL NEXT, KEEP THE FAITH!!!

Vanghibath - 1 (One Way Of Preparing)

 Hello There....

Am back soon enough to share a preparation that had been idling in my gallery... Awaiting a finishing touch before it got posted... And it's way too less that am on a spree... This time around it seems I was & wanted to make the most of it....

So here I am sharing with you ONE way of preparing VANGHIBATH (Brinjal Rice/Eggplant Rice) Basically A Karnataka Cuisine very popular in Bangalore, in particular; One way to savor the much disliked veggie by most of them since childhood.... However I grew up watching my mom LOVE this vegetable prepared with drumsticks as a curry or as a part of sambar... but growing up I still dislike this vegetable in curry or sambar... as a kid I hated the spread of the seeds of brinjal in a curry & called them GOLD COINS.... I love it in rice or pallya or fried prep... I see a difference despite it being the same vegetable & I don't understand that discrimination I personally developed towards it.... 🙆

Jump To Recipe

Ingredients :

FOR MASALA POWDER :

Red Masala Powder : Dry Red Chilies - Byadgi + Kumte (10-12)

                                        Coriander Seeds - 1 tbsp

                                        Cumin Seeds - 1tsp

                                        Tamarind - 1/2 lemon sized

                                        Coconut - 1tbsp

Dry roast them separately... Cool it & dry grind it to coarse powder. Extra powder can be refrigerated for future use which can be used for any south Indian/Mangalore style pallya...

Vanghibath Powder : Sesame Seeds - 2tsp

                                        Urad dal - 2tsp

                                        Chana dal - 2tsp

                                        Cinnamon - 1 inch

                                        Cardamom - 1

                                        Cloves - 6

                                        Fennel Seeds - 2tsp

                                        Fenugreek Seeds - 1tsp

Dry roast & once cool, dry grind it into coarse powder & refrigerate the extra for future use...

Peanuts - 2 tbsp - dry roast & pestle it down to coarse chunk (use it all - no storage)

Brinjal - Any is okay (Purple is good with no seeds but green is also good) - Cut them to 1 inch                 pieces & soak them in water until usage to avoid oxidation

Rice - Any is okay (washed & pressure cooked with lil oil, well in advance so it isn't hot &                         sticky)

[1 Medium Sized Brinjal for 1 Cup Rice]

Cooking Oil - 2 tbsp

FOR SEASONING : Curry Leaves - 1 twig for 1 cup rice

                                      Mustard Seeds - 1 tsp

                                      Hing/Asafetida - 1 tsp

                                      Urad dal - 1 tsp

                                      Green Chilli - 2-2 (slit lengthwise)

                                      Broken Dry Red Chili - 1

                                      Ginger Garlic Paste - 1 1/2 tsp

Instructions :

1. Heat oil in a wok

2. Add seasoning one by one (mustard seeds + red chili + urad dal + hing + Green Chili + Curry leaves + ginger garlic paste)

3. Once done, add the brinjal pieces & stir fry on low to medium flame for sometime...

4. Then add pestled peanut crumbs. Stir fry for sometime

(Avoid brinjal chunks from turning mushy... No water as brinjal releases enough water required & stir carefully as to not break the pieces down... it gets cooked in the process of the prep, as much as required)

5. Now add salt + turmeric Powder & stir... 

6. Once done add the red masala powder + vanghibath powder (2 tsp each)

7. Stir fry for sometime & you would see all the oil & water gets absorbed

8. At this point add in the rice & mix them well, slowly...

9. Garnish with coriander leaves & a dash of sugar if not already added... it gives an edge to the prep

10. Serve hot with raita or fryems

Below is a step by step on visual...

For those who need just the recipe...

Do give it a try... And I will share another variant to this sooner....

UNTIL NEXT, KEEP THE FAITH!!!

Amma's Chicken Biryani

 Hello..... Been long since I have posted any recipe to journal my gems.... 

Few more days gone by & it would be another year... :( 

Phew 😥Better Late Than Never... 

Jump To Recipe

Never mind... As they the saying goes in Hindi... Jab Jhaago Tabhi Savera... meaning... It's Morning when you rise 💁

Well... It's 26th of August... 5 days after my birthday & the day when my parents got married... & this day they complete 50th year of their wedded bliss... Not everyone gets this opportunity & when they do it must be celebrated.... I could not complete even 25 years of marriage... but definitely completed 25 years of togetherness... unfortunately it was the time of covid & we were away from each other until his death did us apart forever.... 

Nevertheless, this recipe of my mom, I had been trying for long & this day I finally was satisfied with its outcome... Cuz I never got an opportunity to learn or even ever made an attempt to watch being focused... However, with lil help from my memories & the taste on my taste buds, I just kept trying & trying... & it was on 26th August 2025, that I was finally happy with the preparation.... I may be wrong in measurements ingredients & methods as compared to my mom's prep... but it definitely stands close...

So let me go ahead & share the same with you... For the wise say that knowledge must be shared & expertise in something must definitely be shared cuz if you do not, it just goes away with you & it isn't good... There must be someone who knows to carry it forward even after you are gone... Since I do not have my kid to pass over this legacy, I share it with the world, so someone would still keep it going in the real world despite my absence & that of my mom too.... Goodness must be channelized & allowed to flow so it touches lives & lives on.... 💞 

So here is the how...

Ingredients :

Chicken - 1 Kg

{ Marinate chicken with anything of your choice... My marination -> Mustard Oil + All Masala powders + Curd + Ginger Garlic Paste + Salt}

Rice - 3 Cups (any of your choice- wash & keep aside)

Cashew Nuts - Halved & a Handful

Onion - 3-4 big fine sliced

Tomato - 3-4 big fine sliced

Green Chili - 8-9 Slit Lengthwise

Coriander Leaves - 1 bunch fine chopped

Mint Leaves - 1 bunch fine chopped

Curd - 3-4 tbsp.

Whole Spices - A mix of ALL {bay leaf+fennel seeds+cardamom+cinnamon+black pepper+shahi jeera+star anise+black cardamom+cloves}

Ginger Garlic Paste - 3 tsp

Crushed Garlic - 8-10 cloves

All Spice Powders - 3 tsps.

Kashmiri Lal Chili Powder - 5 tsps. (for color)

Salt to taste 

Oil + Ghee - 1 cup each

Instructions :

1. Heat oil + ghee in a wok (I have used coconut oil)

2. Add in the whole spices & allow them to splutter

3. Now add halved cashews & stir fry until light brown

4. Then add in crushed garlic... Keep stirring on low flame

5. Now add green chilies & fry for a couple of minutes

6. Add ginger garlic paste & sauté until it loses its raw fragrance 

7. Now add chopped/sliced onions & fry till translucent

8. Once done add chopped tomatoes & sprinkle a generous amount of salt which speeds the cooking process... Cover & cook

9. Uncover & give it a good mix & add in chopped coriander leaves... after a couple of stirring add in the chopped mint leaves

10. Cover & cook for 4-5 minutes

11. At this point add all the masala powders & salt & kashmiri lar mirch powder

12. Mix well, cover cook... Then uncover give it a good mix & now add the beaten curd into the mixture & stir fry well...Cover & cook

13. Once you uncover you would see the oil leaves the mixture with a very pleasant color & odor

14. Now add the marinated chicken pieces & mix lightly....

15. Cover & Cook & Uncover & Mix Well... Repeat this process for at the least 1/2 an hour.... OR even 20 minutes of this exercise should be good.... OR the chicken seems half cooked {My husband always said... The more you stir fry the chicken along with its spices, The better is the preparation}

16. Once done add in the washed rice & give it a mix lightly so as to not break the rice grains that are already a lil tender...

17. Now add in enough water to cook the rice ... The ratio is 1:1.25 where 1 & a 1/4 cup of water for 1 cup of rice.... Here you may add in that quantity or until the water covers all the rice in the utensil

18. Cook covered on medium flame. Check to see if the rice grains are cooked...

19. If you find uncooked rice grains then sprinkle few splashes of water with your palm & cook covered further for 5 minutes more on low flame...

20. Turn off the flame, squeeze in 1/2 lemon juice & garnish with chopped coriander leaves

21. Allow it to rest for 10-15 minutes covered & then give a good mix & serve hot with a simple chutney or raita

Here's the recipe in action for guidance....

Just The recipe for those interested in just that.... :P

Give it a try for your normal Sunday Dinner with your regular rice OR for a special lunch/dinner with your favorite Basmati... 

If you have loved what you have savored, just extend a thought of thanks to my mom... 💝

UNTIL NEXT, KEEP THE FAITH!!!