Manipuzha Kappa Vevichathu & Beef Curry

Wishing Happy May Dinam to all Sakhakals!!! Lal Salaam!!!!

Kappa is one of Kerala’s favorite staple foods. It is widely enjoyed across the length and breadth of God’s Own Country!!!

Back at home, my Amma prepares Kappa vevichathu and even though Kappa with fish curry is the best combination people prefer in Kerala, we enjoy it with beef curry. I have enjoyed having Kappa from Manipuzha as well, a restaurant with roots in Kottayam, Madhya Thiruvithaamkoor. This recipe is followed more or less in every house in Kottayam, and wherever you go around having Kappa in Kottayam, you will find that it tastes the same. Isn’t that amazing?....!!!

Ingredients for Kappa

Yuka Root: 3-4

Green Chilies: 5-6 (depending on your hot taste buds)

Shallots: 3-4

Shredded coconut: 4-5 table spoons

Turmeric powder and mustard seeds: a pinch

Salt: to taste

Curry leaves: a few of them

Oil: as required

Preparation:

First remove the skin off the Kappa and wash them well in water. Cut them into smaller pieces. Boil them in water with a little bit of salt. Drain of the water occasionally, and replace with more water and boil again. Do this a couple of times. This will help in removing a little bit of bitterness Kappa might have otherwise. Now, while the Kappa is boiling, heat oil in another pan, add mustard seeds and then add finely chopped green chilies and shallots. Sauté for a while. After mixing them well for about 2-3 minutes, add a pinch of turmeric and then add shredded coconut with a little bit of water. This part should be done on a medium flame. After a couple of minutes, add the cooked Kappa and mix well for about 5 minutes with the curry leaves. Have it with beef curry described below.

Ingredients for Beef Curry

Beef: 2 lbs

Red Chili powder: 2 teaspoons ( more for people who love hot food)

Coriander powder: 3 teaspoons

Onions: 1

Tomatoes: 3-4

Ginger- one small piece, finely chopped

Garlic and mustard seeds: a little bit

Preparation:

First chop the beef into smaller pieces and wash it properly. In a pressure cooker, add oil and mustard seeds. Then add the chopped onions and saute with ginger and garlic till the onions turn transparent. Now add tomatoes and saute for about 5 minutes. Later, add the beef, red chili and coriander powder. Mix well and pressure cook for about 30 minutes. There is no need to add water, as it will ooze out from the beef. Once pressure cooked, cook it further with the lid off. This final cooking can be done for a shorter/longer period depending on how much gravy you need.

Enjoy!!!!!

Sakhavu Nettooran

ISA Cricket Tournament-2010 Winners

Baton Rouge Cricket Club Wins ISA Cricket Tournament. The trophy was given away at the Spring Banquet Function, Mauj at LSU on April 17th, 2010.

Salmon Varathathu (Fry)

This is a very easy and fast recipe for making fish fry. I have used Salmon for this post. The best fishes for frying are preferably Karimeen, Kilimeen, Tilapia, King fish etc.....hmmm...already feeling the rush in my mouth:-)

Ingredients:

Fish----make sure you wash it properly and sprinkle some salt, black pepper and lime
Chili powder- 2 teaspoons
Coriander powder- 1 teaspoon
Black pepper- 1 teaspoon
Ginger Garlic paste- 1 teaspoon
Oil- as required for frying
Salt- as required

Marinate the fish pieces with the marinade made from the spices and ginger garlic paste with a little bit of water. Keep it aside for at least half an hour. Heat the oil in a kadai and when the oil is hot enough, reduce the flame a bit. Deep fry the fish pieces till they become brown and then take them out.

Fish fry goes well with rice and Kachiyamor!!! Cut a few slices of onions and have them along with it....

Ippol ningalude munpil irikkunnathanu swadhishthamaya meen varathathu!!!!

If you want to make it hotter, add more black pepper and chili powder.......

Enjoy!!!!!

MJ

Nigerian Beef Soup/Curry

The Nigerian beef soup is one of my favorite dishes. My Amma makes it in a very special way. I just love having it again and again. My taste buds are beyond control as I go on with this recipe. Let me start off with a brief prologue on this Nigerian Soup/curry recipe…..

Nigerian soup and pounded yam is a staple food consumed in most parts of Nigeria, especially in Oyo State, where I was born and where I stayed till my 3^rd grade. We used to have lots of this food at our B’day parties along with Amma’s delicious Beef Cutlets (That recipe is left for the next post ).

Ingredients:

Beef- 1 kg

Tomato-3-4 big ones

Onions-2-3 big ones

Red Chili Powder-3-4 tbs

Oil-to fry the beef

Preparation:

The main ingredients of this Nigerian dish are tomato and beef. The more the tomato, the merrier. First pressure cook the beef (usually cut into big pieces) with an onion and salt to taste. There is no need to add water, as water will ooze out of the juicy beef. While the beef is being pressure cooked, grind the rest of the onions and tomatoes to a fine paste along with red chili powder and keep it aside. Once the beef is cooked, strain the beef from the stock and keep the stock aside for later use. Deep fry the beef.

Remove the fried meat from oil, pour the tomato-onion paste into this oil and maintain a medium flame for about 5 minutes. Then add the beef stock to this along with the fried beef. Cook this on a low flame for about 10-15 minutes. This will give ample time for the beef to soak up the taste.

This dish can be had with rice or yam….I usually have it with rice and I keep eating and eating and eating……….

I hope you find this recipe easy and can make use of it at Majboori times!!!!

Enjoy!!!!!

EmManuel

PS: Come back to this blog for the next exotic dish!!!!!!!!!