Meen Peera| Kerala style fish in grated coconut

Dubai can sometimes be a lonely place. Things took a huge turn a few weeks ago when the Malayalees of the firm which Shibin works for announced an Onam - Eid get together. That was something to look forward for. I got all the more excited when I was asked to join for Thiruvathira. Old traits seldom die:) I love dancing and this opportunity was just so perfect for me. What started off as a mundane Thiruvathira for the ladies and oppana for the kids geared up all the ladies who had let go off all the inhibitions and decided that they wanted to do more. As luck would have it Jimki Kammal Dance Challenge was going places and we decided to do our part as well. It was a simple suggestion by one of the ladies and others were more than eager to join in. The practice that started off in a single song, finally ended in a fusion of three. Despite stage fear, chances of forgetting steps and also the melodrama of having to dance in a saree - we did it! It may not have been the most perfect dance but there is no denying that we perfectly enjoyed every moment of it. We carry no regrets and we are proud our practice paid off!  The Onam celebrations started off with a pookalam, maveli varavelppu and continued to the cultural programs, sadya, tug of war, singari melam to name a few. Every event had its charm but it was the enthusiasm of the people that undeniably made an otherwise normal weekend - a one to remember for months to come. Age was not a bar as everyone present joined the singari melam ensemble and danced away into the evening. As for the employees of the company, 'hi-bye-smile' relationships turned more meaningful and for me I made some wonderful friends!

It is a week now, we still longingly look at the photos and videos that are being circulated. Having said that, it is time to post our next recipe - Meen Peera which is traditional to Kerala. It is a dry fish preparation usually using small fish varieties and grated coconut that serves as a side dish to the meal.

Ingredients

1. Fish - 1 kg ( preferably the smaller fish like Natholi/Anchovy, Mathi/Sardines, Cheriya Aila/Small Mackerel)
2. Coconut grated - 1.5 cup loosely packed
3. Ginger - 1 tbsp grated heaped
4. Shallots/ cheriya ulli - 8 to 10  can be replaced with onions
5. Kudampulli - 2 -3 pieces
6. Tumeric powder - 1 tsp
7. Green chilli - 5-6
8. Curry Leaves - 2 sprigs
9. Salt to taste
10. Water

Method

• Clean the fish and drain off any excess water.
• Coarsely grind together coconut, ginger, shallots, green chilly and turmeric. This can be done on a grinding stone, mortar and pestle or in a mixer pulsing it just once or twice.
• Add this coarsely ground coconut masala to an earthen pot, add the fish along with curry leaves and kudampulli. Sprinkle salt and add half a cup of water.
• Cook this on low flame for 15-20 minutes until the fish is almost done and leave it open for 5 minutes for any excess water to drain off.
• Best when served along with rice.

You may also note- 

• Avoid stirring, this tends to break the fish. Using a kitchen towel, hold on to both the sides of the pot and gently toss if need be.
• Earthen pot has a very high smoking point, hence cooking on low flame ensures that the bottom does not burn.

Pineapple Rava Payasam

Festivities seem to gain more vigour and valour when you are away from your home country. Onam is one such festival and you can find onam celebrations happening till it is time for Christmas celebrations. Every weekend for the next two months in the UAE you are sure to find atleast one person in the traditional Kerala kasavu mundu/saree heading for Onam celebration somewhere. Pookalam ( floral designs), Thiruvathira (traditional dance form),vadam vali (tug of war), sadya (the grand meal) all form a part of this rich festival. This year is no less and I am counting on 3 sadyas this year.

Just like Cake is to Christmas, Payasam is to Onam!

Make a sadya or not -payasam is inevitable. This year I wanted to try some milk based payasam other than the semiya payasam. That is when my cousin suggested pineapple. I googled up a few recipes but wasn't quite convinced to try it out myself. Pineapple Rava Kesaribath is one of my favorite food - that is when it struck me to incorporate rava also into the payasam. This payasam just happens to be a modified milky version of the Kesaribath.

Ingredients

1. Pineapple - 1 cup
2. Rava/Semolina - 1/4 cup
3. Milk - 2 cups
4. Water - 1 cup
5. Sugar - 1/4 cup
6. Cardamom powder - 1/4 tsp
7. Raisins 
8. Cashewnuts
9. Ghee - 3-4 tbsp

Method

• Heat ghee in a deep bottom pan and fry the cashew nuts and raisins till it turns golden brown and fluffs up respectively.
• In the same pan, add the chopped pineapples and fry till the color begins to slightly change color. 
• Remove the pineapples from the ghee and add semolina/rava. Fry till the color begins to change. Ensure not to burn it.
• Add 1 cup of water along with sugar and let this cook on low flame for 2 to 3 minutes.
• Pour in the milk and keep stirring for 5 to 10 minutes until the payasam reduces and thickens.
• Add the cardamom powder along with the pineapples.Cook for another 2 minutes before finally adding the raisins and cashew nuts and switching off the flame.

You may also note

• Keep stirring the payasam inorder to prevent it from burning at the bottom.
• Pineapples can be added at two stages. Either along with water at the beginning or at the end. Some bloggers have mentioned curdling of milk if the pineapples are added at the beginning. However mine did not curdle although I added it along with water right at the beginning. If you are skeptical, you could always add it at the end like mentioned in the recipe above.

Padavalanga Parippu Charu/Curry

Onam is here again and it is inevitable that my blog gets adorned with atleast one recipe for the season. I am , as my ex-boss called me NRK - Non Resident Malayalee!! I have spent most of my life in Karnataka and wee bit in Dubai now. I used to look forward to Onam falling on weekends. Only then would I be able to catch all the new movies on Asianet and Surya TV. Vegetarian food was not something I was fond of so sadya was not something that I looked forward to. Occasionally, my sister and I, plucked flowers from my mom's garden and made a small pookalam in our porch. Things changed when I moved to college. With more malayalees, Kerala Kasavu Saree on Onam became a mandate, pookalam a necessity and sadya the inevitable.

I slowly began appreciating the vegetarian delicacies on the leaf and eventually falling in love with them. It took a couple of more years to familiarize with the sadya dishes and the last three onam sadyas have been eventful! Looking forward to another one this year as I post this recipe.

This recipe was shared by my cousin Vinitha - we made it twice so far and the plate was wiped clean!

Here is the recipe for Padavalenga Parippu Charu - 

Ingredients

1. Padavalenga/Snake gourd - 700 gms cubed
2. Toor Dal - 1/2 cup
3. Onions - 1 thinly sliced
4. Green Chilly - 2 slit
5. Ginger - 1/2 tsp grated
6. Garlic - 1/2 tsp grated
7. Coconut - 1/2 cup grated tightly packed
8. Turmeric powder - 1/2 tsp
9. Cumin seeds - 1/2 tsp
10. Curry Leaves - 2 sprigs
11. Coconut Oil - 1 tbsp
12. Salt to taste
13. Water

For Tempering:

1. Curry Leaves - 2 sprigs
2. Mustard seeds - 1 tsp
3. Red chilly- 2
4. Coconut - 2 tsp grated
5. Coconut oil - 1 tbsp

Method

• Wash toor dal in water, drain and set aside.
• Add oil into a pressure cooker. Saute chopped onions, ginger, garlic, green chilly and curry leaves for 2 to 3 minutes.
• To this, add salt and turmeric powder. Saute for another minute before adding the toor dal and snake gourd. Add enough water to just cover the ingredients.
• Cover and pressure cook on high flame for 2 whistles. Let the pressure release before opening the cooker.
• Coarsely grind together coconut, turmeric powder and cumin seeds. Add this to the pressure cooker. Let it boil for another 5 minutes and turn off the flame.
• For tempering, heat oil in a pan, add mustard seeds. Once it splutters add grated coconut , red chilly and curry leaves. Fry this till the coconut begins to brown.
• Add the tempering to the curry.