Seafood Recipes

Kallu Shap Meen Curry – Toddy Bar Fish Curry

September 25, 2011

Kallu shap or local toddy shops are a very sought after and dominant part of Kerala culture. They are small white painted concrete or wooden structures with a large hand painted sign saying kallu or toddy. The shop is humble in its look, plain floors with the creaky, broken in parts benches and tables. The exclusive family shaps are remodeled to look more like a hotel with better facilities as compared to the traditional ones. However it is the food and the toddy that sets it apart. Almost all toddy shops have local men as their main customers. But there are also a few…

Kerala Fish Fry

June 9, 2011

Steaming hot rice with spicy fish fry, cheera thoran and moru kachiyathu …. yum yum..!! Summer has started full force in Bahrain. The heat is burning and schools have asked children to stay indoors during recess. Ice cream and cold drink sales have soared and watermelons have found a permanent spot in the fruit baskets. However what has been affected is the sales of fish. This is the period where the availability of fish has slightly decreased. Most of the fish that come to the market are from the neighboring countries. When we do manage to get a decent set of good fish, we try to make the…

Anchovies / Nethili Fry – a Sri Lankan side

May 16, 2011

Anchovies are also called kozhuva in Kerala, Nethili or natholi in Tamil Nadu, Sri Lanka and Ikan Bilis in Malaysia. It is a cheap and popular source of protien in the diet. When eaten fresh, these fishes do not have a strong smell or taste. The strong taste people associate with anchovies is due to the curing process. These fishes are gutted and salted in brine, matured, then packed in oil or salt. During this method of preservation they acquire a characteristic strong flavor. I learned this dry fish fry from a lady who is originally from Sri Lanka. She is very fond of fish…

Meen Kuzhambu – Spicy fish Curry

May 11, 2011

Meen Kuzhambu is another traditional South Indian dish. It is made with fresh fish, in a pot of ground spices and the flavor is enhanced with the addition of a little coconut milk. The spicy, sour and intense flavor of this curry is highly pleasing for the palate.The curry is extremely tasty and goes very well with rice, dosa and rotis. This curry is not made often at home. But when it is prepared, the chatti gets wiped clean in no time at all.

Mackerel / Ayala Curry for those late dinners.!

May 3, 2011

Mackerel or Ayala as it is called in Kerala is a very popular fish. It is not very expensive and can be made in numerous ways – fried, curried or grilled. Back home we make it in a thick red gravy, in a coconut based gravy or we have it fried in oil. In many restaurants in Kerala, fish curries made with this fish is a regular side. There is also a restaurant in Madiwala, Bengalaru, where they serve a gravy made using this fish as a ozichucurry. Fish is the one thing I just cannot photograph. I have written and discarded…

Avoli Pollichathu – Pomfret fried in banana leaf

April 26, 2011

I have been craving Karimeen ( Pearl spot) for some time now. Everytime I go to India, my mom makes the most delicious Karimeen and mango curry. The taste is so unique that you could have an entire plateful of rice with just the gravy alone. I had often heard of karimeen pollichathu, but never had a chance to taste it. My cousins always spoke about having had it at the “shappu” which means toddy shop. But being the “eaters” rather than the “cookers’ in the family, they could not explain the taste or the underlying funda of the dish.…

Prawns and mango in coconut gravy – Chemeen Manga curry

February 27, 2011

Succulent prawns cooked with green mango, cooked with coconut in a tangy , beautifully delicious gravy..! I am happy. The prawn season is almost at a close here and I have been lucky to get some. Irene and myself are the prawn lovers in the family. Fried or gravy or grilled – the plate gets wiped clean in no time. This bag of shelled and cleaned prawns have been a welcome sight. And like my son used to say .. ” I love it 1, I love it 2, I love it 3 and I love it 5…!!” This post…

Goan Fish curry – a spicy and sour fish curry…

February 19, 2011

A very simple, easy to prepare and mouth watering, delicious fish curry from the wonderful coasts of Goa..!! Bahrain is a country rich in fish resources. The Central Market is a place where fish can be found in abundance all seven days of the week. Fishes ranging from sardines to King fish and the most popular Hammour are found here. There are also numerous fish mongers in the city. Most people take a walk down to the fish monger closest to their homes and buy fish fresh, out of the basket.