Garlic and Jeera Fish Fry (Aila meen Varuval)

Garlic and Jeera fish
Ingredients:
Mackerels (aila) fish - 3
Garlic 6 pods
Jeera - 1 table spoon
Salt - as required
Chilly powder - 2 table spoons
Turmeric - 1/2 table spoon

Crush garlic and set aside
Powder cumin (Jeera) and set aside
Clean and wash the mackerels (aila fish)
Make 2 or 3 cross cuts till the bone on both sides of the fish.
Sprinkle salt, chilly powder and turmeric powder and spread on the fish evenly.
Now, place a wide bottomed pan(tava) on the stove and pour about 30 ml of oil.
When the oil gets heated up lay the fish in the tava and cook till golden brown on one side and turn the fish over and repeat the same.
Now, medium sim the fire and brush the garlic paste on the fish then sprinkle the jeera on the fish a pinch at a time.
Turn over and repeat the same (should cook only 15 secs after the garlic and Jeera).
Serve hot with lemon and onion slices.

Puli kaichal for Tamarind Rice, puli sadam

Ingredients:

Gingely Oil - 50 ml
Mustard - 1 tea spoon
Fenugreek - 1 teaspoo
Channa dal - 1 table spoon
Curry leaves 2 sprigs
Asfoeatda - 1/4 tea spoon
Peel Small onions - handful
Garlic - around 15 pods
Dry red chilli - 5
Jeera/cumin seeds - 1/2 table spoon
Turmeric - 1/2 teaspoon
Chilly powder - 2 table spoon
salt to taste

Tamarind - two balls large lemon size
Soak the tamarind in 1 tumbler of water, dissolve and filter it.

Heat the kadai and add the oil.
When the oil is hot add mustard and when it starts to splutter,
Add fenugreek, channa dal, curry leaves, dry chilli, asfoeatda, onion, garlic, cumin seeds, chilly powder and turmeric in the given order.
Once the onion is translucent, Add the tamarind juice to the rest of the ingredients and bring it to boil.
Once it starts boiling, sim it and cook on a low flame for about 15 to 20 mins.

Thats it.

Store in a dry air tight container and refrigerate.
When required, cook rice when it is cooled a bit, add this kaichal and mix it thouroughly.
Yummy tamarind rice is ready!

Simple Dressing for Salad

Honey - 3 tablespoons
Lemon Juice - 3 tablespoons
Olive oil - 1 tablespoon
Pepper (powdered)- 2 pinches
Salt - to taste
Mix the above contents and store. Your dressing is ready!. Or you can make them fresh.
Cut any veggies in shapes that you desire and arrange them on a plate and drizzle the dressing.
Cut the fruits in desired shape and arrange them in a bowl and drizzle the dressing

Karuveppilai thokku - Curry Leaves

curry leaves - 3 handfuls
Green chillies-1
Garlic - 10-15 pods (Smashed)
Ginger - 1 inch(Smashed)
kadalai paruppu - 3 tablespoons
ulundu - 1 table spoon
Groundnut - 4 nos
red Chillies - 6
Pepper - 1 spoon
Asafoetida - 1 pinch
Jeera - 1 teaspoon
aniseed - 1/4 teaspoon
coriander powder - 1 pinch
Venthyiam (fenugreek) - 1 teaspoon
Tamarind - 1 small lime sized ball
Turmeric - 1 pinch
Salt - to taste
Jaggery - 1 inch
Mustard - 1 teaspoon
gingely oil - 200ml

Pour 150 ml of oil and heat it. Fry the curryleaves lightly so that they dont lose colour. Keep it aside. In the same oil, add mustard and the rest of the spices in the given order. Leave it to cool. Grind it. Pour the remaining oil to store.

PS: Can add tomatoes or coconut and sesame if required.

Gobi Manchurian

Ingredients:
1/2 kg cauliflower3 tbsp corn flour1 medium green capsicum, cut into thin strips1 onion, cut into thin strips1 1/2 tsp tomato sauce1 tsp soya sauceA pinch of ajinimoto1 tsp garlic pasteRed chilly powder to taste1/2 tsp red chilly sauce1 tsp chilly powderSaltOilChopped coriander to garnish
Method:
Cut the cauliflower into small florets.
Soak it in hot water for five minutes and drain.
Add corn flour, salt to taste and chilly powder to cauliflower. Mix well so that cauliflower is coated with cornflour.
Heat oil in a pan and deep fry the florets till golden brown. Keep aside.
Add three tsp of oil in saucepan and saute garlic paste.
Now add the onions and green pepper strips and saute for two to three minutes till the onions are transparent.
Add the sauces and ajinimoto. Mix well.
Immediately, add the fried cauliflower and saute for two minutes over a medium flame. Garnish with chopped coriander.