Banana Leaf Wrapped Fish in Tangy Bell Pepper Sauce

    To make this tangy and spicy fish: 1.*sear the fish 2. make the sauce with bell peppers and green mango 3. fold it in a banana /plantain leaf and steam it. Foil can be used instead of banana leaf.  Sometimes i'll leave out the steaming process and just pour the sauce over the browned fish and serve it. In this recipe i used indian mackerel / ayila meen.
*sear - brown the fish in a very hot tawa / pan. 
Bell pepper is also called sweet pepper or capsicum

fish with bell pepper sauce

indian mackerel / ayila 

Prepare fish:

3              medium sized fish / indian mackerel

1 tsp         chilli powder

1 tsp         channa flour / kadalai maavu or corn starch

1/2 tsp      cumin powder / jeera powder

1/2 tsp      coriander powder / dhania podi

1/8 tsp      turmeric powder

1 tsp         lemon juice

1 tbs         oil

salt to taste

marinate the fish 

 Clean the fish, combine all the other ingredients with the lemon juice and apply it to the fish and let it marinate in the refrigerator till the sauce is made.

To make sauce:

bell peppers, mango and onion

2            bell pepper ( red, yellow or orange)

1/2         small green ( unripe mango) 

4 - 5      shallots (small onions / chinna vengayam )

1/2 tsp   chilli powder 

2 tsp      oil      

salt to taste 

1. Slice the bell pepper, peel the cut the mango and the onions.

2. Heat oil in a pan, fry the bell pepper, onion and mango till it becomes tender, add the chilli powder and salt. Grind the vegetables coarsely and keep it aside.

Cook the fish

sear the fish...

1. Heat  a non stick pan on high for few mins (if we sprinkle a drop of water in the pan it should jump and evaporate immediately), 

2. Add oil to the pan and slide the marinated fish, cook till the pan side of the fish gets crusted and it comes off easily from the pan. 

3. Reduce the heat, flip the fish and cook it. Remove from the pan and cook all the remaining fish.

Yummy!
 Aluminium foil can be substituted for plantain leaves. If you think steaming the fish as a time consuming process, place the fried fish on a serving plate, spoon the sauce over it and serve.  

Steam the fish in banana leaf

Banana leaf wrap....

1 tsp          oil

3                banana leaves

1. Coat the banana leaf with oil, spoon 1 tsp of bell pepper sauce on the middle of the leaf, place a fish on the sauce, spoon two more spoons of sauce over the fish.

2. Wrap the leaf and tie it with a string. Continue with the remaining fish. Steam it in a covered pan/ ricecooker/ iddly cooker for 10 minutes.

3. Remove it from heat and serve it with white rice.

      

Thanks for taking the time to visit my blog. Feel free to comment, i love your feedback. Enjoy ur cooking! Have a blessed day :) 

Seared fish in a tangy sauce

                                      

  

Potatos in yogurt and methi sauce

          This potato dish is very creamy with a hint of methi flavor, good side dish for spicy pulaos or indian flat breads. It can also be used as a filling in sandwich wraps. Spinach can be substituted for methi leaves.

Ingredients:
6 - 8     small potatoes 
2tbs      methi leaves  
4tbs       fresh yogurt
1tsp       chilli powder
1tsp       cumin powder
1tsp       oil
1/2 tsp    mustard seeds
3            dried red chilli
few         curry leaves
Method:

 1. Wash and cut the potatoes in half lengthwise, skin on. Cook it in salted water, until the potatoes becomes tender.

2. Heat oil in a pan. Add mustard seeds after it splutters add the red chillies and curry leaves, fry till it becomes crispy. 

3. Add the methi leaves  and stir fry for few minutes, lower the heat, add the chilli powder, cumin powder and salt.

4. Add the potatoes to it and cook for few minutes, mix it well without breaking the potatoes. 

5. Add 3 tbs of yogurt to the mixture and stir it thoroughly, check for salt and remove it from heat.

6. Transfer it to a serving bowl, cover it  and let it stand for at least 2 hours before serving.

7. Add the remaining 1 tbs yogurt to it just before serving.
                                                 
Thanks for taking the time to visit my blog. Feel free to comment, i love your feedback. Enjoy ur cooking! Hav a blessed day :)


                                        

Vattayappam / coconut rice steamed cakes

Vattayappams are easy to make and it tastes really good. This is a kerala delight, it's a round appam so it's called vattiappam. The method is similar to sweet rava iddly. When making it with rice, soak it and grind it with coconut. Cook the rava or semolina and add it to the rice batter and sugar. Add yeast, ferment it overnight and steam it. In this recipe i used rice flour and it took 4-6 hours to ferment.  

Soft and fluffy vattayapams!

Ingredients:
2 cups    rice flour
1 cup      ground coconut
handful   toasted cashew bits and rasins 
1 cup      sugar
1 pinch   salt 
2    tbs    rava / semolina
1/4 cup   water
1/2 tsp    yeast 
1    tsp    sugar
2   tbs     warm water

Fluffy light rice appam

Method:

mix yeast and sugar...

 1. In a small bowl add the warm water and mix yeast and 1 tsp sugar,  keep it aside.

cake batter thickness...

2. Heat 1/4 the cup of water in a sauce pan, add the rava / semolina and cook till it becomes a fine paste, remove from the heat.

mix the rice with the other ingredients...

3. In a large bowl mix the rice flour with all the other ingredients including the cooked rava / semolina and the yeast mixture, add some water to it and mix it well. It should have a cake batter consistency.

fermented batter...

4. Cover the bowl and leave it to ferment for 4 - 6 hours. It should double. 

5. Mix the fermented batter well, grease a small pan with oil and pour the batter into it, add the cashews and raisins. 

pour batter into a small pan...

6. Meanwhile heat 2-3 cups of water in a  cooker ( or a pan with tight lid).  Keep the batter inside the pan / cooker, cover it and steam it till the batter becomes firm in the middle.

soft vattappam ready !

7. Remove the steamed appam from heat and transfer it to a serving plate.

soft...

8. Repeat the process with the remaining batter, add water to the cooker for every new batch.
              Thanks for taking the time to visit my blog. If you try this recipe, Feel free to comment, i love your feedback. Enjoy ur cooking! Hav a blessed day :)