Prawn Curry

It is the season for prawns here in Kuwait. This means that the prawns are in abundance and they are cheaper. We bought a few kilos from the Sharq fish market and yesterday I made a curry which came out very tasty. Instead of chilly powder that the recipe asked for, I used whole chilies and the less hot variant called the piriyan chilly in Kerala. Now I am back to using home made spices since I feel it would be safer. The piriyan chilly gives a rich red color while it is not at all spicy. 

I soaked them in warm water and grounded them to paste. Look at the rich color it gave to the curry! This was before I added the coconut paste.

Prawn Curry

Ingredients

1. Prawns, de-veined and washed - 1/2 Kg
2. Fenugreek seeds - 1/2 tspn
3. Whole chilly - 6 nos or chilly powder 3 tspn
4. Turmeric powder - 1/2 tspn
5. Ginger/Garlic paste - 2 tspn
6. Small onions sliced finely - 10 nos.
7. Grated coconut - 1/2 cup
8. Coriander powder - 3 tspn
9. Kokum - 2 pieces
10. Salt to taste
11. Curry leaves - a sprig

Method

Fry the fenugreek seeds in 2 table spoon of oil until lightly browned. Add the curry leaves and ginger/garlic paste. Fry it until the raw smell leaves. Add the sliced onions and fry until browned. Add the chilly paste and saute until oil separates or if you are adding powders, add chilly and turmeric powders. Now add the prawns and fry on high until a little dry. Add a cup of water and the kokum. Let it cook for a while. Meanwhile, grind the coconut along with the coriander powder. Add this to the boiling curry and check if there is enough water. Else add some water and let this cook until the prawns are well done. Just before you switch off the fire, you can add a few curry leaves to get that extra taste. 

Enjoy with rice or roti!

Mumbai Street Sandwich

Since I am yet to taste the same from Mumbai, thought I shall try and make it myself. It is a very healthy sandwich and one can make it even more healthier by substituting brown bread for white. Since ours is an "egg loving" family, I could not avoid it! But what is a healthy breakfast without an egg? Wink! Actually eggs were not a daily affair while growing up. It only became an everyday affair after I got married to an egg crazy individual. Initially I tried to cut down on it but then I realized that it is not an easy job. But those having cholesterol might as well restrict the intake of eggs. For the time being both me and hubby have kept this fiend at the border. 

Eggs can also satiate your hunger. Recently I cut down on eggs to reduce my weight and realized that I was hungrier and always managed to find something to quell it. The result was that I gained weight. Now I am back to eating eggs. Hubby always cites the example of his grandfather who lived (in Kuttanadu) to a ripe age and for whom one or more duck's egg was a must. Guess the duck's egg is healthier than the hen's since it is able to find a whole range of healthy food either in the rice fields or in the backwaters of Kerala. Unlike earlier, the eggs that we get now is that of the broiler chicken fed in captivity.

I adapted the recipe from Spicy Cookery. 

Mumbai Street Sandwich

Ingredients:

• Bread slices – 4nos
• Tomato – 1no (cut into rings)
• Onion – 1no (cut into rings)
• Potato – 1no (cooked & cut into rings)
• Coriander chutney – 4tbsp
• Eggs - 2 cut into rounds (optional)

Coriander Chutney

Ingredients:

• Coriander/ Dhaniya leaves – 1/4 cup

• Grated coconut – 1/2 cup

• Green Chilies – 1 nos

• Ginger – small piece 

• Small onion/ shallots/ cheruulli – 2 nos

• Curd - 1 Tbs  (optional, I used this instead of water to grind)

• Salt – as per taste.

Method:

• Wash the coriander leaves thoroughly. Don’t remove the stems.

• In a mixer, grind all the above ingredients except coriander leaves to fine paste.

• Then add coriander leaves to it & grind properly. 

• Coriander chutney is ready to serve. Preserve the chutney in refrigerator in an air tight container.

 Method:

• Cut sides of the bread slices (4slices). Spread coriander chutney 1tbsp on inner side of 1 bread slice.
• Place 2pieces of onion rings, 2pieces of tomato rings and 2pieces of cooked potato rings and egg pieces over spread coriander chutney.
• Take the 2nd bread slice. Spread coriander chutney 1tbsp on one side of bread slice.
• Place the spread coriander chutney part of bread slice over the vegetables.
• Place it in a toaster & toast bread till both sides of the bread slice turns slightly brown in color or on a pan until both sides are slightly browned.