Shrimp / Prawn Pulao

Shrimp pulao is a simple and flavorful recipe. Once the shrimp gets cleaned up, this recipe gets ready in no time.

Ingredients:

750 grams Medium sized shrimps / prawns
11/2 cups basmati rice
1/2 tsp turmeric powder
2 tsp ginger garlic paste
Salt to taste
1 tsp red chili powder
2 tsp lemon juice
3 tbsp oil
1/2 tsp cumin seeds
1” cinnamon
4 cloves
2 bay leaves
1 large onion, finely chopped
2 green chillies, slit lengthwise (optional)
1 tbsp coriander powder
1/2 tsp cumin powder
1/2 tsp garam masala powder
2 medium tomatoes, chopped
Handful of chopped cilantro

Directions:

Peel, devein and clean shrimp. Marinate with 1/4 tsp turmeric powder, 1/2 tsp red chili powder, 1 tsp ginger garlic paste, 2 tsp lime juice and 1 tsp salt. Keep aside for 1 hour.
Heat oil in a pan. Add cumin seeds, cinnamon, cloves and bay leaves. Once they start to sizzle, add chopped onions. Cook till they turn light golden brown.
Add 1 tsp ginger garlic paste and green chillies. Sauté for few seconds till the raw smell of the ginger and garlic goes away.
Lower the flame and add remaining turmeric powder, red chili powder, coriander powder, cumin powder and garam masala powder. Mix it well.
Add chopped tomatoes, increase the heat to medium high and cook till they become mushy.
Now add the marinated prawns and sauté till they change color slightly.
Add 3 cups of water and adjust the salt. Once it comes to a boil, add washed and drained basmati rice and mix it well.
Reduce the heat to low medium and cook covered with lid.
Once the rice is cooked, turn off the heat. Garnish with fresh chopped cilantro.
Serve warm with raita.

Egg Curry with Coconut Milk

Hearty and mildly spiced egg curry with coconut milk goes very well with some warm rotis. Perfect recipe for the days when you don't want to spend lot of time in the kitchen.

Ingredients:

6 eggs

2 tbsp oil

1/2 tsp mustard seeds

1 large onion, thinly sliced

1 spring curry leaves

1 tsp ginger garlic paste

1/3 tsp turmeric powder

1 tsp Kashmiri red chili powder

1 tsp coriander powder

1/2 tsp fennel seeds powder

1/2 tsp garam masala powder

2 tomatoes, chopped

Salt to taste

1 cup coconut milk

Few springs cilantro

Directions:

Boil eggs, peel and cut them into half.

Heat oil in a pan. Add mustard seeds and allow them to splutter. Add curry leaves and thinly sliced onions and cook till golden brown. 

Add ginger garlic paste and cook till the raw smell is gone.

Reduce the flame and put turmeric powder, Kashmiri red chili powder, coriander powder, fennel seeds powder and garam masala and mix well.

Add chopped tomatoes and salt. Mix well. Increase the heat to medium high and cook till the oil leaves the sides of the pan.

Add coconut milk and mix well. Bring it to a boil. Slide in the eggs and mix gently. Cover and cook for 5 to 10 minutes on medium flame. Adjust salt.

Garnish with chopped cilantro.

Serve hot with chapati or roti.

Prawn Rava Fry / Shrimp Rava Fry

                  Prawn or shrimp rava fry is one of the easiest recipes that is prepared by marinating prawns/shrimps in garlic, green chilies, cilantro and coated with rava to make it crispy.

                  I got this recipe from my cousin. This is a family favorite starter. I have been making these regularly since a long time.

Ingredients:

25 med. sized prawns/Shrimps
3 med cloves garlic
3-4 green chilies (adjust according to taste)
4-5 springs cilantro
Salt to taste
2 tsp rice flour
1 tsp cornstarch
1 egg
Oil, enough to deep fry
3/4 cup Rava/sooji

Directions:

Remove the head, shell and clean up the prawns.
Crush or coarsely grind garlic, green chilies and cilantro.
Take prawns/shrimp in a bowl. Add ground paste, salt and mix.
Add rice flour, cornstarch and mix it well. Refrigerate for at least 30 minutes.
After 30 minutes, break egg and add it to the prawns/shrimps and mix well.
Heat oil in a pan. Coat each prawn/shrimp in rava and deep fry till crisp.
Serve hot with lemon wedges.

Egg Bhurji (masala scrambled eggs)

Egg bhurji is a flavorful, easy and quick to make dish. You can serve it along with pav or bread for breakfast or as an evening snack. It can also be served on the side with some rotis for a quick and simple weekday meal.

Ingredients:

4 eggs
1 onion, chopped
1 large clove of garlic, minced
1-2 green chillies, chopped
1/4 tsp turmeric powder
1/4 tsp red chilli powder
1/4 tsp cumin powder
1/2 tsp coriander powder
2 tomatoes, chopped
Salt to taste
1/2 tsp garam masala powder
Pinch kasoori methi
1 tbsp chopped coriander springs

Directions:

Beat eggs in a bowl and keep it aside.
Heat oil in a pan, add chopped onions and green chillis, saute till onions turn translucent..
Add turmeric powder, red chilli powder, cumin powder, coriander powder and mix well. Add the chopped tomatoes and salt and cook till they turn mushy and most of the moisture dries out.
Add garam masala powder and kasoori methi, mix well.
Add beaten eggs and stir constantly and cook till the eggs dry up to the desired consistency. Put chopped coriander springs and mix well.
Serve hot.

Chicken Fry

This is one of the first chicken recipes I ever learnt to make. I got this recipe from one of my friends few years back. Once you marinate the chicken for couple of hours, it gets ready quickly. I used boneless chicken thighs, but you can also use boneless chicken breast or bone in chicken.

 

Ingredients

500 grams chicken
4 tbsp yogurt
1 tbsp ginger garlic paste
1/3 tsp turmeric powder
1 tsp red chilli powder (adjust according to taste)
1 tbsp coriander powder
Salt to taste
2 tbsp oil
1/3 tsp mustard seeds
1/2 tsp cumin seeds
1 spring curry leaves
1 medium onion, chopped
1-2 green chillies
1/2 tsp garam masala powder
Pinch of clove powder
Juice from half a lemon
Chopped coriander

 





 

Directions

Wash and cut chicken into bite sized pieces
Marinate chicken pieces using yoghurt, ginger garlic paste, turmeric powder, red chilli powder, coriander powder and salt.
Marinate for atleast 3 hrs or overnight by keeping it in refrigerator. Bring back to room temperature before you start cooking the chicken.
Heat oil in a skillet and add mustard seeds. When they splutter, add cumin seeds, chopped onions, curry leaves and green chillies.
Fry till the onions turn golden brown.
Add chicken pieces and sear it for 2-3 minutes and cover the skillet with a lid. Cook on medium flame until it's cooked completely.
Add garam masala powder and cloves powder and mix well. Stir continuously on a high heat till all the moisture evaporates
Serve hot garnished with chopped coriander and lemon wedges
Serve.



Chettinad Egg Curry

We love eggs in any form in our home. It is one of the most versatile ingredient. I make curries, gravies, biryani, scrambled eggs and omelets with eggs very often. This egg curry is a perfect blend of aromatic Indian spices and it goes really well with rice or roti.

 

 

 

Ingredients:

6 eggs, hard boiled peeled and sliced
3 tbsp. oil
8-10 dry red chillies
2 cloves
1/2" piece of cinnamon
2 green cardamom pods
1/2 star anise
8-10 black peppercorns
1/2 tsp cumin seeds
1/2 tsp fennel seeds/saunf
1 tsp poppy seeds/ khus khus
1 tbsp coriander seeds
1 cup fresh/frozen grated coconut
4 large cloves of garlic
1" piece of ginger
1 large onion, finely chopped
1 spring of curry leaves
1/4 tsp turmeric powder
2 tomatoes, chopped
Salt to taste
1 tbsp freshly squeezed lemon juice
2 tbsp green coriander leaves for garnishing.

 

 Directions:

Heat 1 tbsp oil. Add dry red chillies and roast them until they puff up and becomes crispy. Take out on to a plate and keep it aside.
In the same pan, put cloves, cinnamon, cardamom pods, star anise, black peppercorns, cumin seeds, fennel seeds, poppy seeds and coriander seeds and roast until nice aroma comes out and the spices turn light golden. Add grated coconut and roast until golden. Allow it to cool down. Grind everything to a slightly coarse paste by adding roasted chillies, ginger, garlic and some water.
Heat remaining oil in a pan. Add onions and sauté until golden. Add curry leaves and turmeric powder and mix well.
Add ground paste, chopped tomatoes and salt and mix well. Bring it a boil, cover and simmer until the oil starts to leave the masala.
Add water to get a medium thick gravy. Bring it to a boil and simmer for 5 more  minutes until everything comes together.
Add boiled egg slices and cook for another 2-3 minutes. Switch off the flame and add lemon juice and half of the chopped coriander. Mix well.

Serve hot, garnished with remaining chopped coriander.

 

 



Spicy Prawn/Shrimp Curry

               I am a great fan of prawns. I do find peeling and deveining prawns a bit difficult. But once it's done, making a curry is very easy. It gets ready in no time.
              This spicy prawn curry is my family's favorite. It goes really well with some rice and dal or fish curry. I got this recipe from my cousin Sangeeta Shenoy who is an amazing cook.

 

 

Ingredients:

500 grams prawns
2 tbsp oil
2 medium sized onions, chopped
4 large cloves of garlic
1" piece ginger
1 spring curry leaves
1/4 tsp turmeric powder
1 tbsp red chilli powder
2-3 medium sized tomatoes, chopped
Salt to taste
1/2 tsp garam masala powder
Salt to taste
3 tbsp chopped coriander leaves

Directions:

Peel, devein and wash prawns and keep it aside.
Grind ginger and garlic to a smooth paste by adding some water. Keep it aside.
Heat oil in a pan and fry the onions till golden brown.
Add ginger garlic paste and saute for few seconds until the raw smell is lost.
Add the curry leaves, turmeric powder and chilli powder. Saute for some more time.
Add chopped tomatoes and salt and cook till mushy and oil leaves the sides of the pan.
Add prawns and mix well. The prawn will release its own moisture, so there is no need to add any water. Once the sauce comes to a boil, simmer and cover for about 10 minutes or until the prawns are cooked.
Add garam masala powder and half of the chopped coriander and mix well. Cook for 2 more minutes.
Serve hot garnished with remaining coriander leaves.





Simple Chicken Fry

This chicken fry goes very well with some rice and dal. It's very simple and easy to make and gets ready in no time.



Prep time: 10 min

Cook time 10 min

Serves: 2

Ingredients:

1 chicken breast
Salt to taste
1 tsp kashmiri red chilli powder
1/4 tsp turmeric powder
Chopped coriander leaves
2 spring curry leaves
1 tsp ginger garlic paste
1 tbsp oil
1" piece cinnamon
3 cloves
1 green cardamom
1/2 tsp cumin seeds
2 green chillies, slit lengthwise
1 tsp coriander powder
1/2 tsp garam masala powder
Juice from 1/2 lime

Directions:

Cut chicken in to bite size pieces. Add salt, red chilli powder, turmeric powder, some chopped coriander leaves, curry leaves and ginger garlic paste. Mix well and keep it in the refrigerator for atleast an hour.
Heat oil in a pan, add cinnamon, cloves, cardamom and cumin seeds. When they start to sizzle, add green chillies and stir for 30 seconds.
Add marinated chicken and mix well. Cover with a lid and cook until most of the moisture evaporates. Stir in between to prevent spices from burning.
Add coriander powder and garam masala powder and mix it well. Continue to cook for a minute.
Add some chopped coriander leaves, curry leaves and lime juice. Mix well and serve immediately.

Recipe source: maa vantagadi