Fish Curry with Drumsticks(Murungakkai Meen Kuzhambu)

During my recent visit to my parents native kanyakumari, found out there people making fish curry with drumsticks, brinjals sometimes potato too which I found very weird initially, but spellbound after tasting them. It was awesome. So after coming down I tried in my home, where my father in law gave a sarcastic comment “who will use drumsticks for fish curry” but then, he ended up overeating. The drumsticks do gives a unique flavor to the fish curry.



Ingredients:
Drumsticks (chopped)-6 pieces
Shallots-15(chopped)
Fish(any type)-150gms (cleaned)
Coconut(grated)-1 cup
Tomatoes-3 nos(chopped)
Cumin seeds-1tsp
Chilli powder-2tsp
Dhania powder-3tsp
Turmeric powder-1/2tsp
Tamarind extract-2cups
Salt-as per taste
Coconut oil-2tbsp
Mustard seeds-1tsp
Fenugreek seeds-1/2tsp
Curry leaves-few
Coriander (chopped)-for garnishing
Green chillies (sliced)-3nos

For Masala:
In a kadai add 1 tsp of oil, when hot add half of the chopped onion, fry well, then add the coconut, roast well tills lightly brown,add all the powders like chilli,dhani and turmeric before taking out from the fire. Grind it to a smooth paste when it cool enough.

Method
1.In a heavy bottom vessel add the ground paste, chopped tomatoes, green chillies, tamarind extract, salt, drumsticks. Check for the taste with salt and spices. Mash everything with hand,so that the tomatoes and greenchillies shld get churned with the curry(kozhambu).

2.Keep the vessel having the curry on stove and allow for a boil. Add the fish and drumstick pieces when the curry is boiling. When the fish is done remove from fire.

3.In a tempering kadai, add the remaining oil. When its hot, temper with mustard, fenugreek, curry leaves, and chopped shallots, fry well till the onions turns golden brown.
Pour on top of the curry, and serve with plain steamed rice.

Era Avarakkai Poriyal

Avarakkai(broad beans) is such a boring vegetable in my family, everybody just runs away on seeing it.:).This recipe is one of my experiments, again landed as a huge hit. Since it was cooked with prawns, the taste of the broad beans gets enhanced. Together its goes well as a sidedish for sambar.



Ingredients:
Broad beans-250gms(finely chopped)
Prawns-100gms
Onion-1(finely chopped)
Dry red chillied-4-5nos(broken)
Curry leaves-few
Oil-2tsp
Mustard seeds-1tsp
Channa dal-1/2tsp
Crushed fennel seeds(sombu)-1tsp
Turmeric powder-a pinch
Redchilli powder-1/2tsp
Grated coconut-3tbsp
Salt-as per taste

Method:
1. In a kadai add oil, when its hot enough add mustard,channa dal, crushed fennel seeds,curry leaves, broken redchillies,turmeric powder, followed by Redchilli powder, then add the finely chopped onion,fry well till the onion turns pink,then add the broad beans chopped, sauté for a 10 minutes.

2. Then add the cleaned and washed prawns to it, give it a stir, close with lid and allow to cook for a while. No need to add water, since prawns do gives out some amount of water while cooking. After 15-20 minutes open the lid add required salt and allow the remaining water to get dry. When the poriyal becomes dry, add the grated coconut cook for another 5 minutes in slow fire and remove from fire.
Serve as side dish to any meals.