Pepper Flavored Croakar Fish Tava Fry [Konkani-Dodyaro (Hodki) Fry]

Dhoma / Croakar is a fresh water fish, it is called as Dodyaro (Hodki) in Konkani. The species gets its name from the croaking sound it makes from the voluntary contraction of muscles attached to the air bladder, which acts like a resonance chamber. Croaker is lean and full flavored, with an almost sweet taste. The flesh is firm & the skin is edible.
Dodyaro is one of my favorite among the fresh water fish. The Spicy ginger flavor curry of this fish also goes great along rice and idli/dosa. The fry also delicious provided you add adequate amount of spice as the fish is not from salt water habitat. The following masala goes well for this fish fry, but see that you add proportionate amount of pepper powder, ginger-garlic to make the recipe yummmy :)

Ingredients:
Cleaned Croakar Fish - 10 medium
pepper 6 tbsp [Table spoon is bigger spoon]
1 tsp turmeric powder
1 tsp red chilli powder
1/2 tsp Ajwain
1 Lemon juice
Garlic fresh 4 flakes
Ginger 1"
1-2 tbsp corn flour (This helps the masala to bind well to fish while frying)
Salt to taste

Method:

• Rub the cleaned fish with lemon juice and salt and keep aside.

• Grind pepper, ginger, garlic, ajwain to make a fine powder (if it is course powder, it is also well and good).

• To the lemon marinate fish, add the ground powder, chilli powder, turmeric powder and corn flour. The water content of the lemon is enough to bind the pepper powder along the fish. Keep it aside for 10-15 minutes. You can also fry rest of the fish at night by refrigerating it, I had fried few and kept rest for frying during dinner.

• Adjust the salt if needed. 

• Add 4-5 tbsp coconut oil to warm iron tava, and start frying the fish batch wise. When done serve along the meals. (You can also deep fry the fish)

  
Sunday Menu:
Clam Sukha/ Tisre Sukha (Konkani)
Mackerel Ginger curry/ Bangda Ambat (Konkani)
Croakar Fish Tava Fry [Konkani-Dodyaro (Hodki) Fry] 
ENJOY!!! Yummmmm..........

Padmashree Raikar

@ gHara javaN

Benne-Masala Dosa/ Butter Dosa

This special dosa is prepared in the Karnataka district. The Butter/ Benne dosa recipe is unique and tastes very authentic. It is served along Coconut chuttney and Potato sabji. The salted boiled potatoes are mashed and mixed with onions. The chutney is more spicy than the potato stuffing and the dosas are fried only with ghee (clarified butter) or butter. Take a look to know how to prepare the benne dosa. The Davangere benne dosas is a famous among most hotels where masala dosas and the potato stuffing is served separately in a plate unlike in other south Indian restaurants. I love this dosa a lot. Just tried my hands and really loved it at final. Well, I am satisfied that I am doing great in Dosa making too :P he he he...

Ingredients for Dosa Batter:
1 cup urad dal
3 cups idli rice/dosa rice
1/2 cup rice flour
1 cup poha (avalakki)
1 tea spn methi(fenugreek) seeds (Soak it same as rice)
1 fist full Chana dal (Soak it along Methi seeds)
Butter
Salt

Method:

• Soak urad dal, methi seeds, chana dal and rice for 1-2 hr. Wash poha in water.
• Grind all together to a soft batter. Now add rice flour, salt and grind again (or mix well with a spoon).
• Keep it aside for 4-5hrs [you can keep it for fermentation after grinding it at night].
• Heat tava and spread a thin dosa. Add some butter pieces. Close the lid and let the dosa get cooked above too. Here you need not flip the dosa, just wait for the dosa edges to get separated from tava when cooked.

•  After 2-3 minutes you see that the dosa edges leaving the tava, spread some butter on dosa, sprinkle some Red chilli powder and add the Potato sabji. [As shown in video] Make both end half folded and serve hot :)  You can serve with some more dollop of butter on top.

• Serve the Benne masala dosa along chuttney too... Its yummm...     

Ingredients for bhaji:
2 potatoes
1/2 cup onion
2 green chillies
1 tea spn mustard seeds
3-4 curry leaves
A pinch turmeric
Oil
Salt

Method:
Cook the potatoes in pressure cooker, peel and mash them.
Heat oil and add mustard seeds. When they start popping, add curry leaves, green chillies, onion. Fry for few minutes. Add turmeric, salt and potatoes. Mix well.

Ingredients for chutney:
1 cup fresh/frozen coconut
6 green chillies (chillies I used were not very spicy)
4 cloves
1 cardamom
2″ cinnamon
1 tbl spn choppes ginger
1/4 tea spn tamarind
Salt

Method:
Grind all with minimum amount of water needed.

Padmashree Raikar

@ gHara javaN

Egg Hakka Noodles

Hakka Noodles (Veg) is another Indo-Chinese recipe which is a favorite among kids and adults. Here, the boiled noodles are stir fried with vegetables and sauces. I have used Soya sauce, Worcestershire sauce and Red chilli sauce. You can also use one sauce if you dont have other variations. It is a comfort food, very simple to make and can be done in a few minutes time, if all the vegetables are cut and kept ready. You can make it Veg, as well egg/Chicken. I have Made Egg Hakka noodles, where the egg is scrambled at the end and mixed with the noodles. You can skipp the egg and also have it as Veg Noodles. Try this quick recipe and enjoy! 

Ingredients needed
Hakka Noodles -200 grams/1 packed (made of durum wheat)
coconut oil - 3 tbsp
Garlic - 2 tbsp very finely chopped
Onion - 1 medium sized finely chopped
Ginger - 1 tsp very finely chopped
2 Green chilli -cut it into thin strips (julienne)

Vegetables
Carrot - 1 cut it into thin strips (julienne)
Spring onion greens - 1/4 cup finely chopped
Capsicum - 1 medium size (into thin strips)
You can use cabbage, beans, mushroom too.

Soya sauce -1 1/2 tbsp or as needed
Red Chilli Powder - 2 tsp or as needed [you can also use Red chilli sauce]
Worcestershire sauce- 1 tbsp
Vinegar -1 tsp (choice)
Salt and pepper powder to taste

For garnishing
Spring onion greens - 2 tbsp

Making of Hakka Noodles:
Boil noodles in plenty of water until 3/4 cooked or al dente. (al dente-cooked just enough to retain a somewhat firm texture). Do not over cook. Drain the water and pour cold water on top of the noodles or immerse it in cold water. Drain the water completely, toss noodles with a tsp of oil and keep it aside. This is done to prevent the noodles from sticking together. Now boiled noodles is ready.

Making of Egg Scramble:
Take a Vok, add a tbsp oil, add 1/2 tbsp ginger garlic paste, 1/2 tbsp Red chilli powder and toss well, now add 1 egg , let it set in flame for 2-3 seconds , then scramble it well and shown below. Add a pinch of salt. And keep aside.

 

Method:

• The whole cooking process should be done on high flame and continuous tossing is required.
• Heat oil in a pan, add finely chopped onion, garlic, ginger, green chilli and saute on a high flame for a few seconds until onion turns transparent.

• Add the carrots, stir fry for 2-3 seconds and then add capsicum,  spring onion greens & stir fry for a few seconds.
• Then add Red chilli powder, soya sauce, Worcestershire sauce, vinegar, salt needed, pepper powder and stir fry for a second.

• Add boiled noodles and toss on high flame for a few seconds. Adjust the sauces according to your taste if needed.

•  Now add the scrambled Egg and toss well for few seconds. Garnish with spring onion greens, toss and serve noodles piping hot.

 

Padmashree Raikar

@ gHara javaN

Smoky Paneer Tikka Masala Restaurant Style (Marinated Indian Cheese)

Paneer Tikka Masala is a famous Punjabi dish. The pre-marinated pieces of Paneer are grilled and then added to a thick spicy gravy. In this recipe the Paneer lends a subtle smoky charcoal flavor and finally the paneer tikka along rest contents (onions, tomato, capsicum) is cooked along a rich smooth creamy gravy with all the goodness of Indian spices. This is just the resturant way of taste with lovely smokey and tangy flavored delicious curry, which you can enjoy along Pulka/Nan/Chapati or even Rice items (pulao). This recipe can be made little quick if you are managing to make tikka one side and gravy on other end. Try it for yourself and relish, I am sure you will love this Recipe!

Paneer Marination :

Ingredients:

4 tbsp yogurt

1 tbsp Red chilli powder

1 medium tsp garam masala powder

1/2 tsp ajwain powder

1 tbsp giner-garlic paste

1 tbsp musturd oil

1 tsp kasturi methi powder

1 tbsp Besan (roast it well till you get plesant smell)

1 small tsp corn flour 

Salt to taste

~ Mix all the above ingredients and make a paste

•  Make medium cubes of Paneer (200 gm), Capsicum (1 no), onion (1 no' separate the leaves), Tomato (1 no' deseed it).

•  Marinate the Paneer, capsicum, onions & Tomato for 30 minutes (If kept 1 hour in refrigerator is also good).
• Now insert slowly capsicum, onion, paneer, tomato alternately in satay sticks. (You can also use tooth picks)

•  Heat iron griddle, grease some butter and fry the stuffed tikka stack. Let the flame be low. Add melted butter if needed while turning over the tikka stack. Let them fry well to golden brown on all sides. When done, remove the individual paneer, onion, tomato and capsicum and keep aside.

Making of the gravy:
Ingredients:
2 large onions finely chopped
3 medium tomatoes chopped
1 tbsp coriander powder
1 tsp cumin seeds
Ginger garlic paste 1 big tbsp
1 tbsp chilli powder
1 small tsp turmeric powder
1 tsp garam masala powder
1 tsp kasturi methi
1/2 thick Cashew paste (Soak 250 gm cashew in warm water for 10-15 minutes and grind it to fine paste)
1/2 cup fresh Cream
100 gm butter
3 tbsp coconut oil
Salt to taste
Chopped coriander leaves

Method:

• Take a kadai, add 100 gm butter, when it melts add the cumin seeds, follows by onions.
• Let the onions get to golden brown.

•  Now add the chopped tomato, and fry it for 5 minutes untill it gets cooks well. Add salt.

•  Transfer the content to grind into mixer to paste. Now add the ground paste into a thick bottom vessel containing 2 tbsp oil. Saute it well for a minute.

•  Now add Red chilli powder, coriander powder, kasturi methi, garam masala powder, turmeric powder and saute well till the content leaves oil.

•  Add the cashew paste , followed by the Cream & cook the content well. Add sufficient amount of water. Let the gravy cook well. (You can add corn water if your gravy turns to be thin)

•  Now add the fried tikka pieces. and mix well. Cook it for 2-3 minutes. Adjust the salt if needed. Add chopped coriander leaves/ spring onions. Serve it along nan/pulka/Rice

Padmashree Raikar

@ gHara javaN

Pomfret Tava Masala

The masala on the tava fried Pomfret, which I prepared was spicy with pleasing flavours of chilli, turmeric, curry leaves and mild flavors of coriander/cumin powder. The fish was flaky, soft and utterly fresh. This recipe is easy to make, provided you need to have an iron griddle for frying the fish. When the fish is fried by tava method, it tastes better than the deep fried method. I love tava fried fish! Try this recipe and, I am sure you will love it.

Ingredients:

Cleaned Promfret 8 no' [I cleaned the inside part properly, till the fish looks clean. I have cut the fins and retained the head and tail part.]

4 tbsp Kasmiri Red chilli powder

1 lemon juice

1 small tsp cumin powder

1 small tsp coriander powder

1 tsp turmeric powder

1 tbsp garlic paste [you can also finely chop the garlic]

4 springs of curry leaves finely chopped

Salt to taste

 Method:

• Rub the Pomfret with lemon juice and salt and keep aside for 5-10 minutes.

•  Make the paste by adding Red chilli powder, cumin powder, coriander powder, turmeric powder, garlic paste, curry leaves finely chopped. 

• Rub the fish with the masala and keep aside for 10 minutes [you can also fry the fish directly after applying the Masala.

• Heat the iron griddle (tawa) & apply 2-3 tbsp coconut oil. Fry the fish until done.
  Serve the fish with lemon wedges.

Padmashree Raikar

@ gHara javaN