Erachi Vattichathu / Lamb Fry / Dry-Fried Lamb (Kerala Style)

                 A typical Kerala recipe made by my Big mom. She is a wonderful cook with innovation in cooking. She magically transforms any vegetable or meat to tasty curries or fry. She has patience to cook and may be that is one reason she serves plate licking dishes every time. I will never forget the way she treated me with delicious dishes for 15 days after delivery of my little one. Thank you Valsala Valliamma...This post is dedicated for you.

                   "Vattichathu" in Malayalam means "Drying up all the liquid". After preparing Lamb curry in a pressure cooker, I let it cook again on stove top to get the Fry look here. It takes a bit time as we need to dry up all the water, but very simple and tasty recipe for Lamb/Mutton lovers like me. My big mom would take the pieces from the curry and dry roast it. This way you can use the curry as a gravy for rice. I did not do that but simply let it dry completely. Have some Curd rice or Lemon rice on your plate with a few pieces of lamb fry - a combo you cannot go wrong.


Ingredients:

To marinate:
Lamb / Mutton - 450 grams
Ginger garlic paste - 1 tablespoon
Chilli powder - 1/2 teaspoon
Coriander powder - 1 teaspoon
Garam masala - 1 teaspoon
Pepper powder - 1/2 teaspoon
Fennel powder - 1 teaspoon
Turmeric powder - 1/4 teaspoon
Oil - 1 teaspoon
Salt - as needed

For Fry:
Onion - 2/3 cup (Finely chopped) or 1 medium sized
Green chilli - 2 no's
Oil - 1 tablespoon
Red chilli - 1 no
Bay leaf - 1 no
Fennel seeds - 1/2 teaspoon
Water - 1/2 cup


Method:

• Take a bowl and add all the ingredients under "To marinate" column and marinate over night inside your Fridge. (1 hour Minimum marination time is required, but I did over night).

• Next day, in a pressure cooker add this marinated ingredients with 1/2 cup water and pressure cook upto 6 whistles and keep aside (Mutton/Lamb differs time from region to region...add water according to your need. The number of whistles could be as low as 5 to upto 10 as well based on the lamb purchased).

• Take a tawa, heat oil, add fennel seeds, bay leaf, green chilli, red chilli and onion. Saute till onions are golden brown. Add the cooked mutton along with water and stir well.

• We need to dry the water completing by letting it cook on slow fire. once the masala gets coated on mutton...it is completely ready!

My Notes:

• Marination should be done for a minimum of 1 hour and maximum of over night.
• While pressure cooking the Mutton/Lamb, add very less water because meat will lose water. 
• We can let it stay with little bit of water or dry them like shown here.

Fish Fry (Using oven) / Meen Varuthathu / Meen Varuval

                

              I remember the first time we made fish after reaching USA...eeww..That stinked our home. We decided not to fry fish any more. Well, being a Mallu, we couldn't live without eating fish for long.. so gave a try again but this using my oven. This version is so much more richer in flavour and taste. No smell and no mess. 

              Today we had an UN-imaginable combination for lunch with this Fish fry - Vegetable Pulav & Red Wine. It was a wonderful lunch together with my hubby because we don't get this "OUR" time too often other than when our little one goes for her weekend afternoon nap ;).

         I used Tilapia fish fillets where Ginger and garlic simply bosses the taste and curd simply makes your fish soft. When something falls in our Family Favorite list then I cannot wait to present that for you guys too....so have fun - Its Fish Time Baby!

Ingredients:

Tilapia Fillets - 4 no's (Any fish you like)

Ginger garlic paste - 1 tablespoon

Hung curd / Curd - 1 tablespoon

Chilli powder - 1/2 teaspoon

Lemon juice - 1 teaspoon

Turmeric powder - 1/4 teaspoon

Pepper powder - 1/4 teaspoon

Olive Oil - 4 teaspoon(Heat it while adding)

Salt - 1/2 teaspoon 

Method:

• Clean fish well. Take a bowl, First Mix all the ingredients with hot oil except curd and fish. Later add curd, stir well.

• Now add the fish and coat with masala. Refrigerate for 2 hours(Minimum 30 minutes).

• Pre-heat your oven to 450'F for 10 minutes. grease a baking tray with some olive oil and place the fish, also drizzle some oil on fish too and toast them for 30 minutes in total, but flipping the sides at 15 minutes. (Keep checking to avoid the fish from burning)

• Serve this Fish fry with any thing you like - Just a glass of wine will do too ;)

My Notes:

• Toasting time for fish differs based on the variety used.
• Catfish, Salmon or King fish could also be used instead of Tilapia. They are bone free as well.
• Oil used here is very less compared to frying them on tawa.
• We can also fry the fish on tawa after the soaking process if oven is not available.

Mutta Kothiyathu / Egg Fry / Onion-eggs scrambled

           Ah, can't begin to explain my husband's love for eggs !!! If not for my restrictions, he would take egg for each meal in the day. This recipe is from my mom's; the aroma of coconut oil, small onions, green chilli and eggs is fresh in my memory. So, when I reproduced it for my hubby, tan-ta-da, it sure did draw his curious eyes and nose to the kitchen.. aha.. best credit for a wife.

Ingredients:

Eggs - 5 no's

Milk - 1/8th cup

Onion - 2/3 cup (finely chopped)

Green Chillies - 1 tablespoon(finely chopped)

Garlic - 1-1/2 teaspoons(smashed and chopped)

Coconut oil - 1 tablespoon

Pepper - 1/2 teaspoon (Crushed)

Salt - As needed

Method:

• Beat eggs and milk together in a bowl

• Heat coconut oil, add garlic and green chilli for a minute(nice aroma comes out).

• Add chopped onions,salt and saute to golden brown colour.

• Add egg mixture and mix well. let it cook and get scrambled. now add pepper,mix well.

• Switch off your stove and transfer to a bowl to serve.

Am happy to send this recipe to: