Karuvattu Kulambu or Karuvadu Kulambu

Nethili Karuvattu Kulambu" is a mouth watering curry from the state of Tamil Nadu, India. It goes very well with Plain Rice, Curd Rice, Idli/Dosai.

Ingredients

Nethili - 50 gms
Brinjal - 4
Drumstick - 5 cut pieces
Mochai - 25 gms
Small Onions or Shallots - 10 (cut into two-halves)
Tomato - 1 (diced into 8 pieces)
Turmeric Powder - 1/2 tsp
Home made Kulambhu Podi - 4 tsp (Chilli Powder + Dhaniya Powder)
Sea Salt - to taste
Tamarind juice - a small cup

To Season
Gingilee Oil - 3 tbsp
Fennel Seeds - 1 tsp
Mustard Seeds - 1/4 tsp
Split Urad Dhal - 1/4 tsp
Fenugreek Seeds - 8 to 10
Curry Leaves - few
Garlic Pods - 6 to 8

Method

Soak the Dry Nethilies for 15 minutes. Wash it thrice or more if required.
Add little of turmeric powder, kulambu podi and keep it aside.

Make a thick paste with the remaining turmeric powder, home made kulambu podi with water and keep it separately.

Heat 2 tbsp of gingilee oil in a saucer pan. Add items given in To Season one-by-one.

Add the Onion shallots and saute for 2 minutes. Now add the diced domatoes and saute till it leaves out oil.

Add the mochai, brinjal & drumstick pieces. Saute till you find the brinjal turning its colour.

Add the marinated dry nethilies and saute for few minutes.

Now add the thick paste and allow it to boil in high flame for 3 to 5 minutes.

Add the tamarind juice, water and cook it in medium flame till you find the bubbles.

Now add 1 tbsp of oil and simmer the flame.

Transfer the Nethili Karuvattu Kulambu and serve it with hot rice.

Dry Nethili Fry

Nethili fry is a very good non-veg starter served in most of the chennai restaurants. It can be even served along with rice especially curd rice.

Ingredients
Nethili - 75 gms
Oil - 3 tbsp

To Marinate
Turmeric Powder - 3/4 tsp
Kashmiri Red Chilli Powder - 2 1/2 tsp
Home made Chilli Powder - 1/2 tsp
Ginger Garlic Paste - 1/4 tsp
Curry Leaves - 20 to 30 leaves
Salt - very little

Preparation

Remove the head and black part of the Anchovies and wash it twice or thrice. Drain out the water from it.

To the washed anchovies, add all the items given in the "To Marinate" section and leave it for 15 min.

Heat Oil in a small kadai. Deep fry the nethili's and curry leaves in batches.

Arrange them in a serving plate. Now your Nethili fries are ready to be served hot.

Kerala Fish Fry

"Kerala Fish Fry" is one of the most important recipe from Kerala Cuisine.

How one can miss tasting this mouth watering dish from the land of Kerala that is well-known for Coconuts, Fish curry, Puttu, Idiyappam and Kadala curry.

When talking about Kerala food, I remember a thing that happened during my college days. I was doing an Oracle course in Chennai after my long tiring college hours. Through one of computer class batchmates, a Keralite; I got an opportunity to taste their food on Onam. Wow, what a food it was..Amazing!! Tummy-filled dinner. The Banana leaf was filled with those many veg curries. Last but not the least, a small place was given for the poor Rice (though, it was the main dish :( that day..). We couldn't complete tasting all those curries. Myself and my friend, we even asked "Aunty, would you serve the same curries a week or month later??" She laughed and replied back, "why not! find time to come again and I would be happy enough to feed you molae.."

My Dad has helped me in taking these pictures (by holding it for a while). Thanks Appa!

Ingredients
Fish Pieces - 6
Oil - to shallow fry

To Grind
Small Onions or Shallots - 4
Pepper Corns - 8
Cumin Seeds - less than 1/4 tsp
Fennel Seeds - less than 1/4 tsp
Store bought Red Chilli Powder - 1/4 tsp
Turmeric Powder - 1/4 tsp
Sambhar Powder - 1 1/2 tbsp
(homemade Chilli + Dhaniya Powder)
Salt - to taste

Procedure
(1) Add the items given in "To Grind" to a fine paste
(2) Apply the grinded paste to the fish pieces
(3) Arrange the fish pieces in a plate & allow to marinate in its own masala

See to it that its arranged like this

(5) If required allow it to dry for a while in fan's air
(6) Heat Oil in a non-stick kadai
(7) When the oil gets hot, reduce the flame to medium
(8) Fish pieces can be fried in batches
(9) Garnish the fried fish pieces with curry leaves

(10) Kerala Fish Fry can now be served hot with your Rice

Meen Kulambhu

"Meen Kulambhu" is a spicy dish from South Indian kitchen that goes good with Rice, Idly and Dosa.

I have prepared this curry with a fish variety called Thengaparai.

We do require the english names if we are out of India. As we have hundreds and hundreds of fish varieties, at times we get confused with the names. It is known as "Yellowtail Scad" in english. Not sure guys, check it out!!

Here is the recipe for you..

Ingredients
Fish pieces - 5
Shallots or Small Onions - 10 (cut into 4 pieces lengthwise)
Tomato - 1/2 (chopped)
Turmeric Powder - 1/4 tsp
Sambhar Powder - 1 tbsp (homemade Chilli Powder + Dhaniya Powder)
Tamarind Paste - 2 tbsp (adjust according to the thickness)
Water - as required
Salt - to taste

To Grind
Grated Coconut - 3 tbsp
Fennel Seeds - 1/4 tsp
Cumin Seeds - less than 1/4 tsp
Pepper Corns - 3 or 4
Tomato - 1/2
Shallots or Small Onion - 2 or 3
Red Chilli Powder(store bought) - 1/4 tsp
Salt - little

To Season
Sesame Oil - 2 tbsp
Fenugreek Seeds - less than 1/4 tsp
Curry Leaves - a sprig
Garlic Pods - 10 (whole or cut into 2 pieces, lengthwise)

Preparation
(1) Pour Oil in a pan and reduce the flame to medium when it gets hot
(2) Add the items given in "To Season" one-by-one
(3) Now add the Shallots and saute for 2 minutes
(4) Add the chopped tomatoes and saute it for a while
(5) Add turmeric powder, home made sambhar powder and salt
(6) Reduce the flame to low and saute till the raw smell is off
(7) Now add the tamarind paste and required amount of water to it
(8) Grind the items given in "To Grind" as a fine paste
(9) Allow the curry to cook in a medium flame
(10)Stir the curry once in a while
(11)When you find bubbles in the curry, add the grinded paste
(12)Allow it to cook for few minutes
(13)Add the Fish pieces and allow it to cook for few minutes

It wouldn't take much time for the Fish pieces to get cooked. At the max, it would take 10 minutes or even less than that. You might find the curry little watery in the snaps that I had posted (My dad wanted a thin curry). You can thicken the curry (add very little water and increase the amount of coconut in the To Grind's list) which would taste great than the thin one.

Nethili Masala

"Nethili Masala" is an authentic dish from South Indian Kitchen. This would go well with your curd rice and rasam rice.

Anchovies are called "Nethili" in Tamil. These are tiny fishes edible both in fresh and dried form. The dried ones are called "Nethili Karuvaadu" which we use to prepare Nethili Fry or Nethili Kuzhambu.

A few weeks before we had got this smaller Nethili dried fish from one of the Chennai's busiest places. Generally this dried fish would have loads and loads of salt in it but this time we got a saltless dried fish.

Ingredients
Nethili or Anchovies - a cup (smaller Nethili's)
Onions - 2 (finely chopped)
Tomatoes - 2 (finely chopped)
Turmeric Powder - 1/2 tsp
Red Chilli Powder - 1 tsp
Fennel Seeds Powder - 1/2 tsp
Chilli Corriander Powder - 2 tsp (Homemade powder)
Salt - to taste

To Season
Oil - 1.5 tbsp
Mustard Seeds - 1/2 tsp
Urad Dhal - 1/2 tsp
Fennel Seeds - 1/2 tsp
Curry Leaves - few sprigs
Garlic pods - 10 (chopped)

Preparation
(1) Rinse the dried anchovies and drain the water.
(2) Pour Oil in a hot pan add the item given in To Season one-by-one.
(3) Add the chopped onions and little salt for the onions to get cooked.
(4) Saute till the onions turns transaparent.
(5) Now add the finely chopped tomatoes.
(6) Cook till it leaves out oil.
(7) Add all the dried powders and salt.
(8) Reduce the flame and saute till the raw smell is off.
(8) Pour little water to it and cook till oil separates out.
(9) Add the washed anchovies and cook till gets dry.

Fish Fry

Fish Fry is an authentic south indian dish that goes well with Rice and Fish Kulambhu..This is a simple fish fry that I usually prepare at home..Will post other methods here as well in the future.

While choosing fish for frying, choose fishes that doesnt stick to your kadai or tawa. Shallow frying consumes less oil and retains the masala.

I made Fish fry as side dish to go with my main course rice and meen mangai kulambhu. I had an awesome lunch last sunday and thought like why don't I share my receipes here in my blog with my friends and readers.

Ingredients
Fish pieces - 8 to 10
Turmeric powder - 1/2 tsp
Red Chilli powder - 2 tsp
Sambhar powder - 2 tsp (combination of chilli powder and corriander powder)
Salt - to taste
Oil - for shallow fry

Procedure
1. Marinate the fish pieces with dry powders and salt and keep it aside for an hour.
2. Heat oil in a kadai.
3. In medium flame fry the marinated fish pieces with care.
4. Garnish the fish pieces with lime and sliced onion pieces.

Chettinadu Meen Maangai Kulambhu

Meen Kulambhu is a traditional South Indian dish. Chettinadu Meen Kulambhu with Maangai (Mangoes) gives a tangy taste. You people might ask a question..How it differs from other Meen Kulambhu?? We generally dont use coconut for meen kulambhu in Chettinadu side and that makes the difference and the ratio of our Sambhar powder (combination of dry red chilli powder and corriander powder) differs from the regular ones..

There is a popular song in tamil "Nethu vecha meen kulambhu enna illukuthaiyya" which means Yesterday's fish curry drags me..

Ingredients
Fish pieces - 5
Raw Mango - 3 or 4 (big pieces)
Small Onions - 10 to 15
(or)
Onion - 1 (chopped)
Tomatoes - 2 (small one crushed or smashed)
Green Chilli - 1 (whole)
Turmeric powder - 1/4 tsp
Red Chilli powder - 1/2 tsp
Sambhar powder - 2 tbsp (includes dry chilli powder and corriander powder)
Tamarind juice - 1 small cup (diluted)
Salt - to taste

To Season
Sesame oil - 2 tbsp
Fenugreek seeds (Vendayam) - 1/4 tsp
Fennel seeds (Sombu) - 1 1/2 tsp
Garlic pods - 10
Curry leaves - few

Procedure
1. Place a pan and pour sesame oil and wait till it gets hot.
2. Add the ingredients given in to season.
3. Add the onions and fry till its color changes.
4. Add crushed tomatoes, green chilli and saute till oil oozes out.
5. Add all the dry powders and little water and cook for 5 min.
6. Add the tamarind juice and wait till it gets little thick to add the mango pieces.
7. Add the mango pieces to the boiling kulambhu.
8. Now add the salt and then the fish pieces and cook for 5 minutes.
9. Reduce the flame and wait till gravy gets thick.
10. At the end, pour some sesame oil and cook in low flame for 2 min for the oil to ooze out and turn off the stove.