Claypot Tamil Fish Curry

Ingredients :

1 - teaspoon Fenugreek seeds (venthiyam)

1 - teaspoon mustard seeds (kadugu)

1 - teaspoon cumin seeds (sombu)

1 - teaspoon fennel seeds (siragam)

1 - teaspoon skinned black beans (ulunthu)

1 - big onion 

Some curry Leaves

some young ginger (bout 1 inch - sliced)

Some garlic ( 4 / 5 units )

3 small riped tomatoes (cut into 4)

3 or 4 small brinjal (cut small)

3 table spoon fish curry powder

6 to 8 small fish - fried with some salt and 
turmeric powder sprinkled on it before fry.

Some tamarind juice or lime juice ( as per your taste )
this is to cut off the fish smell and add sourness to the curry.

Cooking Step 1
Heat the claypot on a slow fire. Pour enough oil to saute the onions.Put in the fenugreek seeds, black beens, cumin seeds, fennels and mustard seeds. After the seeds popup put the onion into the pot fry until it turn golden brown. next add the garlic, ginger and curry leaves and fry evenly until it turn golden brown.

Cooking Step 2
Now add in the brinjals and fry until it is half cooked in the oil.Next add in the curry powder, stir all the ingredient evenly, now add some water and let the curry powder cooked until the curry smell go away ( approximately 5 minutes.Now add the tomatoes in  and pour some water into the gravy.Let it cooked for anther 5 minutes.

Cooking Step 3
When the content start to boil like on this photo (on left)put in the fried fish. Let it cooked for 5 minutes.

Cooking Step 4
At this point, add in the lime juice or the tamarind juice. let it cooked until it boiled. stop the stove and the claypot fish curry it ready for serving. 
Note:-
you may add some coconut milk to reduce the spiciness and add fat to the curry if you want.only add enough water to let the fish sink in. too much water, will make the curry become watery and tasteless





 

Ghee Rice

GHEE RICE - for a family of 6 person


Ingredient
1 big onion chop 
1 inch young fresh ginger sliced thin
3 cloves
3 cardamom 
2 star anise 
1 cinnamon stick
1 stalk lemon grass - about 2/3 inches (smashed)
1 pandan leaves ( can substitute with any other smelly leaves like bay leaves) 
4 table spoon of ghee / butter (melted)
1 carrot diced into cube
1/2 cup canned green peas.
1/2 cup boiled corn grains  
1/2 teaspoon turmeric powder

3 cup of long grain rice

1 pinch of salt 

3 cup of water

step 1

Heat up rice cooker, pour in melted ghee / butter.Add cardamom, cloves, star anise, cinnamon stick  and chopped onion, fry until the onion turn into golden brown. Add pandan leave, lemon grass and ginger and stir evenly. Next put in the cube carrots, green peas, corn, turmeric powder and a pinch of salt and stir until all mix well.


Step 2


Add in the rice (clean rice before add) and add enough water as per your own measurement.Mix the rice well and let it cook for about 15 minutes. for me, i will add 2 1/2 inches of water, measured from the bottom of the rice cooker after add in the rice. This will cook a beautiful and colourful rice as shown in the picture above. Ghee rice ready for serving.




 

Chicken Curry

Amma Chicken Curry  - Cater for a Family of 6 to 8.

Not milk added - for health cautious people

Ingredient 

1    - Whole chicken - cut into small pieces and clean

3    - Potato - 1 cut in to 2 / 4 as wished.

1    - Big tomato (2 if small tomato) slice small 

3    - table spoon chicken curry powder - you may reduce, as per your taste.

1    - table spoon dried chilly powder - you may reduce, as per your taste.

* salt to taste and a pinch of sugar to boost the taste.

For saute (for frying)

1   - Big Onions - sliced 

3   - shallots - sliced

2   - Cardamom 

1   - Cinnamon stick ( 3 inch )

2   - Cloves 

1   - teaspoon cumin seeds.

1   - stalk lemon grass ( clean and smashed )

1   - pandan leave.(tie a knot)
2   - stalk curry leaves.

Ingredient to be grind

4   - inches ginger

10 - garlic cloves

1   - big onion

3   - shallots

grind all together in to a smooth paste.


for garnishing
some chooped onion leaves / shallots or chai

some chopped corriander leave.

Step 1

take half portion of the blended paste into a big bowl (fit all the chicken pieces well)mix the paste with chicken and some salt and add in the curry powder and dried chilly powder.Mix everything well and Marinade the chicken for about 10 to 20 minutes.

Step 2

Light up the stove, place the cooking pot on the stove.fire up. After the pot is hot, pour in some cooking oil. wait until the oil is hot.Put in the ingredient for saute/frying, started from onion and the other follow. stir until turn brown and put in the potato and saute well. let the potato cook a bit and add in the chicken and tomato slices in the pot. stir and mix well.


Step 3
Cook under slow fire until the chicken release water itself, add in enough water (probably 1 or 2 cup) too much water may lead to watery curry. try avoid too much water. mix well and let the chicken and potato cooked well and you have a thick gravy. Add in salt to taste and a pinch of sugar to boost the taste. Mix well and stop the fire.garnish with corriander leave and shallots.Hot and spicy original chicken curry ready for serve.