MY COMFORT ZONE... THE KITCHEN!

The past few months have been painful & not the best time of my life. And if it were not for my cook, Jacinta, I wouldn’t have been in the kitchen today either! She needed a holiday and I couldn’t refuse. As much as I love cooking, I was strangely not excited at the prospect. Until I entered the kitchen, that is. I saw the firm, white, plump slices of fresh Surmai (Kingfish) & Rawas (Indian Salmon) that Mum had bought from my fisherwoman, Rekha, and I could feel excitement course through my veins. And in an instant, I knew it was going to be a beautiful Sunday. I could feel it in my bones! The half Keralite in me jumped out of nowhere, and I found myself announcing the menu… My version of Meen Vevichathu, a spicy, red fish curry from Kerala with pan fried spicy Surmai fry!

In minutes, while Mom cleaned & washed the fish, I found myself grinding spices on my large, stone mortar & pestle (Yes, I love the old-fashioned ways of cooking when I have the luxury of time, and today I had plenty of it!) 

There is nothing more satisfying & therapeutic than grinding spices on a mortar & pestle and `bhunoing’ (Hindi for frying spices). There are many aspects of cooking that I truly enjoy! But grinding masala on stone or frying those spices, as difficult as it may be, is inexplicably wonderful!

And this may not make sense to you, but it’s oddly reassuring, comforting that EVERYTHING will be alright, that the world is a bright, lovely place... warm, secure, like a mother’s bosom… It makes sense to me, because as a child, the kitchen is where I spent the maximum time with my mother, helping her, standing on a stool, watching her chop, clean, fry, grind, while she pushed back a lock of hair or wiped her brow… Perhaps that’s the reason why the kitchen is so comforting… It makes all my troubles go away!

So here I am once again with a new recipe for my darling friends! Enjoy!

P.S.:- A special mention to Rajib Rahman, who has patiently waited for me to return to my blog! Thank you Rajib! Hopefully I will be consistent this time! ;-)

MY VERSION OF MEEN VEVICHATHU (Kerala Red Fish Curry)!

INGREDIENTS:

5 to 6 slices of any firm, white fish. I used Surmai (Kingfish), but I also used the fish head. 

6 tsps Chilli powder

1 tsp Turmeric powder

1/2 tsp Fenugreek seeds, dry roasted

8 Garlic cloves

1 large piece of Ginger

1 tsp Mustard seeds

3-5 Green Chillies, slit

2 tbsps coconut oil (You could use vegetable oil or olive too)

5 to 6 shallots, finely sliced (Sambar onions)

One large Tomato, roughly chopped

3 sprigs of Curry leaves

2 cups hot water

A lemon sized ball of tamarind. 

Juice of half a Lemon

Salt to taste. 

METHOD:

Soak the tamarind in two cups of hot water.

Clean & wash the fish. Drain all the water out and marinade the fish in half tsp turmeric powder, salt and juice of half lemon.

Wash & grind 6 cloves of garlic, half of the ginger, chilli powder, turmeric powder & roasted fenugreek seeds to a fine paste. 

Heat oil in a pan. Drop the mustard seeds in. As soon as they splutter, throw in a few curry leaves. Add the sliced shallots. Chop the balance two garlic cloves & ginger. Fry the onions till they turn a light brown. Add the chopped garlic, ginger & slit green chillies. Saute for a less than a minute and now, add the spice paste. You’ll be hit with a lovely aroma of the slightly pungent fenugreek and the garlic & ginger.

Stir fry for a minute or two and add the chopped tomatoes. Fry well, till the oil leaves the masala. Simmer and let the tomatoes cook on the gentle fire. Meanwhile, take out all the pulp from the tamarind. Add this tamarind water to the spice paste, stir and let it all simmer for a few minutes. When you don’t smell any raw tamarind, gently drop in the marinaded fish pieces & some more curry leaves. Gently stir. Make sure you don’t break the fish pieces. 

Cover the pan and cook till it boils. Open the dish and simmer till the fish is cooked (a few minutes). Turn off the heat. Garnish the curry with a few curry leaves and serve with steaming hot rice. 

Yes, I love the flavor that the curry leaves imparts to this dish. The tamarind pulp automatically balances out the spices. Trust me, it won’t be spicy at all. But if you do not like too much chilli, you can always reduce the quantity. 

I hope you enjoy this dish! A feedback is more than welcome!

Cheers!!!