Kerala Fish Fry

When I saw that this month's JFI by Saffron Trail is on Chillies, the first thing that came to my mind was the spicy fried fish that my mom invariably prepares when we visit home. This is her preparation and I am merely posting the recipe with the picture. Since its exremely difficult to get good fresh fish in Hyderabad, I am left with no options.



What I Used:

Any medium sized fish - 4 pieces

For the paste:
Chilly powder - 1tsp
Pepper powder - 1/4 tsp
Ginger-garlic paste - 1 tsp
Curry leaves - 1 strand
Turmeric powder - one pinch
Fenugreek powder - 1/4 tsp
Salt - to taste

How I Made It:

Grind the ingredients for the paste, adding a little water. Marinate the fish pieces in the paste for 4 hours. Deep fry in coconut oil till the pieces turn dark. Serve hot.

My entry for JFI For August hosted by Saffron Trail.
Recipe courtesy: my mom :)

Rich Dark Chocolate Cake

I am a self-confessed chocolate addict. I still remember feeling angry that people only seemed to give away fruit cakes during xmas cuz I was not too fond of them. But without fail, Omana Aunty, (Mrs. Omana Paul is a well-known caterer in Kottayam) our neighbour, used to send one chocolate cake. Rich, dark and absolutely yummy. This is her recipe and my mom makes it whenever she gets the chance and is in the mood.

What I Used:
Maida - 300 gms
Powdered sugar - 450 gms (Please measure after powdering)
Butter - 290 gms
Milk powder - 20 gms
Curd - 8 oz
Cocoa powder - 70 gms
Eggs - 5 big
Salt - 1 pinch (if using unsalted butter)
Soda bi carb - 1 tsp
Vanilla essence - 2 tsp

How I Made It:

Sieve soda + maida + cocoa powder + milk powder + salt six times. This is to make sure that the ingredients have blended completely.

Beat the curd well to remove any lumps.

Beat sugar and butter, keep adding one egg at a ttime and keep mixing well. When this batter has blended well, add the vanilla essence.

Alternately add the curd, and the powder mixture to the butter and sugar mixture. Do not beat at this stage. Slowly blend the ingredients and keep mixing well.

Once the batter has blended well, grease a tray and bake in 350 degrees heat. It should take 35-40 minutes to be completely done. We use the conventional oven at home. Please check after 25 minutes if you use a different one.


Optional Butter Icing:

Mix 30gm butter and 80gm castor sugar and spread over the cake.

This is my entry for Anupama's Fun In the Sun Event, showcasing picnic recipes.

Tip* - Sometimes we found that the deep colour is missing in our cakes than the ones sent by Omana Aunty. So we started experimenting to find out her secret ingredient that seemed to enhance the colour in her cakes. We zeroed in on one teaspoon coffee powder. So if you feel that your chocolate cake lacks colour, try this tip :)

Another tip is to mix the chocolate powder in boiling water before adding to the batter.

Recipe courtesy : Mrs. Omana Paul

Disclaimer: The pictures in this post are of a boxed chocolate cake I made. But the recipe given makes a cake that looks almost exactly like that.