[kablu]

Originally Posted by Aroy

Actually fish with fat cook beautifully in the microwave. The fish cooks in its own fat
=====================
For Hilsa I use mustard oil and salt marinade, with a few slit green chillies added. Makes heavenly curry accompaniment to rice.

@Aroy,
Could you please provide us the detailed recipe for Hilsa?

[Aroy]

Originally Posted by kablu

@Aroy,
Could you please provide us the detailed recipe for Hilsa?

OK

1. Get a Hilsa some 800g The shape of the stomach of a good breed approaches half moon, that is the more curved the stomach the better.
2. Get the scales and stomach cleaned. I use a whole fish.
3. Coat the Hilsa with a mixture of mustard oil and salt. If you want you can cut a few slits on the body, but it is not really necessary.
4. Put the fish in a glass casserole with a lid.
5. For extra taste put a few green chillies in the pot, and pour a bit of extra mustard oil on the fish.
6. Close the lid and use half the power setting in a microwave. Initially cook it for 7 minutes. Then check the firmness and keep cooking for 1 minute at a time. The flesh of a properly cooked fish would have just changed from the raw pink to a firm white, and a tooth pick should just slide into the thickest part of the fish. Another thing is that fresh fish would expel a lot of water. This water, mustard oil and green chillies result in a heavenly curry.

In case you do not want to cook the fish whole, bring the whole fish from the market, wash it thoroughly, and then using an extra sharp knife slice it parallel to the head. Keep the pieces together so that after slicing the fish still looks whole. Now carefully transfer the fish to the pot and then coat it with salt and oil. If you wash the fish after slicing it, a lot of fat (the taste maker) washes off.

NOTE
A perfectly cooked fish should be firm in texture but not hard or rubbery. Ideally in a fish you should be able to flake each layer of muscle so that bones which are in between the layers of muscles come out easily.

[LonelyPlanet]

Simple Thai Green Curry

Ingredients

7 to 8 tbsp Green Curry Paste (Look at bottom for details)
2 1/2 cups coconut milk (Available in supermarkets easily)
1 cup button mushrooms
1/2 cup green peas
1 cup cauliflower florets
1 cup capsicum cubed
1 cup sliced baby corn
1 cup paneer (cottagte cheese) cubes
1 tsp sugar
1 tbsp oil
salt to taste
Method
Parboil the mushrooms, peas, cauliflower, capsicum and baby corn.
Deep fry the paneer, Drain and keep aside.
Heat the oil in awok, add the gren curry paste and fry for 2 minutes. Add the coconut milk.
Add the vegetables, paneer, sugar and salt and simmer for a few minutes.
Serve hot with steamed rice.

Green Curry Paste
10 green chillies, chopped
6 cloves garlic (lehsun)
1 onion, chopped
20 mm. (3/4") piece of ginger (adrak)
1 cup chopped corriander (dhania)
1 lemon rind , grated
1/2 tbsp lemon juice
1 tbsp coriander (dhania) powder
2 tbsp cumin seeds (jeera) powder
2 lemongrass stalks (hare chai ki patti)
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp freshly ground pepper
Method
Grind all the ingredients in a mortar or a food processor using a little water.

[gauravdgr8]

Tried a new Pasta on Sunday.

Cream-Tomato Fusili Pasta

1. 1 Onion diced
2. 6-7 Tomatoes Diced
3. 2 Garlic chopped
4. 1 Tablespoon Basil
5. 2 Tablespoons Oregano
6. 3 Tablespoons Tomato Sauce
7. 1 Tablespoons Chilli Flakes
8. 2 Tablespoons White Cream
9. 2 cups Boiled Fusili pasta
10. 4 Tablespoons Olive oil
11. 1 Tablespoon Sugar
12. Salt to taste

Take diced onions and put in Olive Oil. Let it turn pink. Add Garlic and Tomatoes and cook till they go soft. At the same time add Sugar, Basil, Organi, chilli flakes & salt. Let the tomatoes cook for 7-10 mins. Once cooked remove from flame.

Now add the Cream & Tomato sauce. Again put the mixture on the flame for 2-3 mins. Add the boiled pasta and serve hot.

A very different taste than the normal Pasta Arabiata.

[nirmaljusdoit]

Where can i buy a bamboo steamer in Blore ? I saw a 7inch one on Shoppers stop online for R 399.

I would prefer a 10 inch dia to steam bigger sized items like a whole fish etc !

[DerAlte]

Wanted to make some very delicate steamed fish - no masala, no oil. Wasn't getting bhetki fillets anywhere so had to make do with frozen Basa fillets.

Made a paste of the white part of tender coconut, bit of the coconut water, green chilly, the juice and grated rind of green gondhoraj lemon and salt, and marinated the fish for a couple of hours.

Wrapped it in banana leaves and steamed it for about 10 minutes. End result was heavenly - butter soft, delicately flavored, flaky and aromatic.

Mogambo khush hua!!!

Originally Posted by nirmaljusdoit

... I would prefer a 10 inch dia to steam bigger sized items like a whole fish etc !

10" dia is restaurant size - never seen it in shops. For that you need to go deep into the area off BVK Iyengar Road and Avenue Road.

[benzbeemers]

Thought it would be nice to share the cooking plain rice which is a staple food for many in the South and East.

Though many would know already, just sharing it since many more have microwaves at their home (just used to reheat food) but unaware to cook rice.

We started cooking rice in microwave ever since my brother went to US and learnt the art of cooking rice over the microwave.

The best part of it (using microwave) is that it is timed that is start it and forget it (no need to be in front of the stove etc)

• 1 serving of rice (cup / tumbler)
• pour it into a microwave bowl (preferably glass)
• clean the raw rice in water
• add 3 servings of water (same measures)
• place bowl it in microwave for 22 mins on highest power settings

Note: Do not cover the bowl (the water will not spill over as per popular perception)

You can perfect the cooking each time varying the water and the time settings till you get the desired state of your choice.

Once the rice is cooked, eat it with curd / pickle / curries for a quick meal!

[bblost]

Originally Posted by bblost

Get the full thigh.

I decided to try a variation and it worked well.

I had the butcher cut the full thigh into large pieces.
Chopped up garlic, ground some pepper. Added olive oil and salt.
Rubbed it all over the meat pieces.

Pressure cooked at low flame for approximately 20 minutes.
Opened the cooker after the pressure dropped.

Transferred contents to a frying pan in which about 2 tbsp of oil had been heated.

Let the meat get a crispy cover.

Sorry no pics. The 1.250 kilos of meat did not last long for pictures.

[bblost]

Coconuts!

I use the modified cycle crank with a sharpened end to break a coconut and remove the flesh from the shell.

I usually get the coconut to break in half.
But sometimes getting the flesh out of the shell can be a problem.

Sometimes it comes out perfect. But occasionally the flesh can be very difficult to remove.
I slice the flesh in line that meet at the center and are approx 1" or so away at the end.
Then leverage it out using the sharp end.

What can be done to make it come out easy and smooth, everytime.

[huntrz]

Originally Posted by bblost

Coconuts!

What can be done to make it come out easy and smooth, everytime.

Have you tried this. Chef talks about breaking the coconut from 1.20

Let us know if it works.

Coconut Chutney - YouTube

[bblost]

Originally Posted by huntrz

Have you tried this. Chef talks about breaking the coconut from 1.20

Let us know if it works.

Thanks for this tip.

I will try it out.
Will freeze the coconut before cracking it open.

But using the back side of a knife. That feels a little too dangerous to me.
I will stick to the implement I have.

[Mister_M]

Folks, here I present one of the best from my wife's kitchen: The Soya Chunks Gravy!!

Onion - 2(small -1, Big -1)
Tomato - 2
Garlic - 7 pods
Ginger - Small
Chilli - as required
Coriander seeds - 2 tbsp
Fennel seeds - 1 tbsp
Cumin Seeds - 1 tbsp
khuskhus - 1tsp
pepper corn - 3
Cashewnuts - 6
Chilli powder - as required
Soya chunks - 1 cup
Coconut - 1/2 cup
Clove - 1
Cinnamon - small stick


1. Soak the Soya Chunks in lukewarm hot water for 10 min and squeeze out the water fully from it. Cut it into equires size pieces.
2. Heat oil in a pan, add ginger, garlic, clove, cinnamon, one chopped big onion(small size), Red chilly, Cumin seeds, Fennel Seeds, Khuskhus, pepper corn, Coriander seeds, Cashewnut fry it. Add coconut and grind it into a paste.
3. Heat oil, add Brinji leaf, onion, tomato, Red chilli powder, Turmeric powder and saute it till tomato is done.
4. Add the ground paste, Soya chunks and salt and stir it for 5 min.
5. Add a cup of water and let it boil till the oil seperates.
6 Garnish it with coriander leaves.

Good Luck friends!!

[DerAlte]

Originally Posted by bblost

... What can be done to make it come out easy and smooth, everytime.

Had seen a glimpse of the 'foreign' way of getting the coco out of the nut. Possibly on one of the cooking shows on TV. They heated the coconut whole for a few minutes on a flame, and then cracked the shell open after cooling it a bit. The inside part came out neatly. I guess freezing the coconut and then warming it would have the same differential expansion effect freeing up the nut inside, except that freezing coconut will need longer prep time.

But, why would you want to take out the inside part, other than to cut slices? For any other use, grating out the white part works the best - as it avoids the brown skin. For me even a hand-held scraper works for that. Chopping and then grinding it in a mixie sometimes leaves lumps when you expect it the least.

I love chopped fresh coconut in chana dal, tempered with whole red chillies, saunf (aniseed), cloves and raisins. Fried bits of copra works too at a pinch, though the flavor is a bit different.

EDIT: I watched the video after posting. Breaking the coconut in half and grating out the pulp is waaay better than the method the chef showed. Of course, for people not cooking with coconut often, the missing part will be the tool to break it in half. The sharp edge of a large stone works just as well on the 'equator' of the coconut - just rotate the coconut while whacking it. For grating, I have a small handheld grater that does double duty mashing potatoes and boiled veggies.

PS: Good heavens! The amount of oil the chef used to make the tadka, we would use literally over a month at home!!!

[bblost]

Originally Posted by DerAlte

Chopping and then grinding it in a mixie sometimes leaves lumps when you expect it the least.

I like those lumps.

I love chopped fresh coconut in chana dal, tempered with whole red chillies, saunf (aniseed), cloves and raisins. Fried bits of copra works too at a pinch, though the flavor is a bit different.

I love Coconut.

[selfdrive]

Originally Posted by DerAlte

The sharp edge of a large stone works just as well on the 'equator' of the coconut - just rotate the coconut while whacking it. For grating, I have a small handheld grater that does double duty mashing potatoes and boiled veggies.

Originally Posted by bblost

I love Coconut.

I use the back of a 'pakkad' (used to pick/ handle hot utensils) or the edge of a tile (outdoor only, dont try on ceramic/ vitrified/ marble!) to crack open coconuts. Earlier, the coconuts used to crack in an uneven way. Got a tip from the wife to paint a water line (dip a finger in water and draw a line across the equator where the crack is expected) and then hit on this line. Better results, ie no unnecessary sharp edges or multiple pieces of broken coconut!