Fish Curry

In a pan, heat oil and add the following spices one by one: kadugu (mustard seeds), vendhayam (fenugreek) and peruncheeragam (fennel seeds). 

Keep the flame low as you don't want to burn the spices. The add the following in this order: Sliced onions, halved garlic pods, chopped ginger & curry leaves. 

Once onion is nicely cooked, add fish masala powder, chilly powder & turmeric powder. Fry for a while under very low flame. Add water to make it a paste and let it boil. 

Add the following vegetables next: ladies finger, brinjals, tomato, green chilly. For better flavour you can deep fry the brinjals first. Add some tamarind water and salt to taste. 

Wait for vegetables to cook. Finally add fish and allow fish to cook. Fish cooks very fast. Don't stir much or the fish will break. Once fish is cooked, switch off fire and leave it in the pan to cool down.

Allow at least a couple of hours for curry to settle. Bring the fish curry to boil again, once you are ready to eat - over very small flame.

Mum's Bread Uppumaa

No one eats bread ends in my house so I save them and store in the freezer. Sometimes I make bread pudding with them.Sometimes it's this bread uppumaa.... 

1. Cut bread into small pieces (if frozen, defrost using microwave or simply steam them)

2. Cut one potato to small pieces, season with salt and deep fry till golden. Set aside.

3. Heat a little oil and add some butter.

4. Add a little mustard seeds and cook on low flame until they splatter.

5. Add sliced onion and continue cooking till soft.

6. Add sliced chilly

7. Move aside above ingredients to the side of the pan. Break a couple of eggs (depending on the quantity of bread) onto the hot oil, season will salt, give a quick stir.

8. Almost immediately add cut bread pieces and fried potato and stir constantly.

9. Serve warm.

Yogurt Carrot Rice

First soak basmati rice for an hour. Strain and roast in a pan with a few drops of ghee. Set aside.

Next make a paste of 3 spoons of thick yogurt, 3 green chillies, a little pepper powder and a little cumin seeds (seeragam). Add a little Babas Kurma powder and set aside.

Heat some ghee and fry cinnamon (karuvaapattai) till it turns black. Add star anise (laungapoo) to the ghee and once its roasted add cloves and cardamom.
Immediately add sliced onions and continue frying. At this stage, add pandan leaves.
Add the ground paste next. Bring to boil an then add 1 chopped tomato and 1 large shredded carrot.
Once tomato is mushy, switch off the stove.

Now add this to the soaked/roasted Basmati rice and salt. Add water 1.5 to 1 rice.
Cook in rice cooker. Whilst it's cooking do not stir more than once.

Serve with chicken/mutton curry and cucumber raita.

Mutton Varuval

Pressure cook mutton with some turmeric and ginger-garlic paste. 

Grind a handful of coconut, garlic, ginger, cumin & fennel seeds (seeragam & perunjeeragam) and black pepper (milagu) - amount will depend on mutton - a tablespoon each for 1 kg of mutton should be sufficient)

Fry sliced onion in some oil. Add chilly halves and curry leaves.
Add cooked mutton, together with the water to this.

Next add chilly and turmeric powder and salt to taste.
Add the ground mixture above.
Bring to boil, reduce flame, cover and let it cook.

Halfway through add onion rounds and mint leaves. 

Mutton varuval is ready once the liquid is all absorbed.

Nandu (Crab) Perattal

Cook crab first in boiling water - add salt and turmeric powder.
About 10 mins would be sufficient. Set aside.

In a pan, heat oil and fry lots of sliced onion till limp.
Add finely chopped ginger and garlic.
Once fragrant, add slices of tomato and cook till mushy - add some water from the crab in between.
Add green chilly and sliced curry leaves.

Next add chilly powder, coriander powder and salt. Fry till fragrant. Add more water from the crab, if necessary. 

Finally add crabs and stir nicely, till the masala is well coated. 
Serve with rice and rasam.

Easy Bread Pudding


I keep the ends of bread loaves in the freezer - they make very good puddings!
But if you want to make with fresh bread, that's possible too.

Simply soak about 10 slices of bread in milk (UHT or Fresh) for about 30 mins.
Add 2 beaten eggs, salt & sugar to taste and mix well.
Add raisins and a few drops of vanilla essence.

Grease a baking container lightly and bake for about 15 mins. Use a fork to pierce, to see whether it's cooked. The fork should come clean.

Serve warm, either on its own or with your preferred sauce.
Leftover pudding can be kept in the fridge and served cold - delicious too!

Malaysian-style Fried Macaroni

Boil macaroni with water and stir constantly.

Drain completely before it is full cooked.

Grind/blend soaked dried chilly, tomato, garlic and small onions.

In a wok, heat some oil and pour the above sauce.

Add meat/seafood as you like. (I use chicken and prawns)

Add vegetables - frozen mixed vege (corn, carrot, peas) works the best.

Add seasoning (salt and soy sauce)

Once fragrant and the ingredients are cooked, add the macaroni and stir until the sauce is completely coated. Add scrambled egg last.

The macaroni should be served dry.

Delicious and perfect for parties.