Ingredients:

• Shrimps/Prawns – 1 lb peeled, deveined and cleaned
• Onions – 1 medium (chopped fine)
• Ginger garlic paste – 1 tsp
• Turmeric powder – 1/2 tsp
• Chilli powder – 1 tsp
• Coriander powder – 1/2 tsp
• Black pepper powder – 1/2 tsp
• Salt – to taste
• Oil – 2 tbsp
• Tamarind paste – 1/4 tsp (or less)
• Pottu Kadalai flour – 2 tsp
• Curry leaves – a few

Method:

Cook the shrimp adding a little water, salt and turmeric.

In a pan, heat oil and add the onions. Saute the onions for a while. Then, add the ginger garlic paste, curry leaves and saute. Then, add the turmeric powder, chilli powder, coriander powder, pepper powder and salt. Fry this mixture for a few seconds and then add the pre-cooked shrimp. Sprinkle a little water and mix well. When the shrimp is fully cooked, add in the tamarind paste and mix. Allow to fry well. Finally, sprinkle the pottu kadalai flour and allow to become crisp.

Miscellaneous:

• Tips: Serve hot with rice, sambhar or rasam.
• Serves 4-5
• Cooking Time: 25 min
• Cuisine: Indian

Ingredients:

• Mochakottai – 1/4 cup
• Brinjals – 3 medium (diced) (optional)
• Dry Fish (Karuvaadu) – 1-2 slices cleaned
• Onions – 1 (medium) chopped
• Tomatoes – 2 (small) chopped
• Garlic – 3 cloves (small) – chopped roughly
• Mustard seeds – 1/2 tsp
• Chilli powder – 1 tsp
• Coriander powder – 1 tsp
• Turmeric powder – 1/4 tsp
• Tamarind paste – 1/4 tsp
• Oil – 3 tbsps
• Salt to taste
• Coconut paste – 3 tsp (optional)

Method:

Soak the mochakottai overnight and pressure cook with a little salt and set aside.

In a pan, heat the oil, splutter mustard seeds. Add the onions, garlic, tomatoes and saute for a while. Then, add the chilli, coriander, turmeric powders, brinjals and salt to the mix along with some water and allow the brinjals to cook well. Then add in the dry fish and allow to cook for a few minutes till it is cooked more than half. Then add the mochakottai to the mix and bring the contents to a boil. Finally stir in the tamarind paste. Bring to a boil.? (Optionally, can add in the coconut paste finally and mix well and bring to a boil.)
Miscellaneous:

• Tips: Serve hot with rice.
• Serves 4-5
• Cooking Time: 30 min
• Cuisine: Indian

Ingredients:

• Shark Fish – 1 lb
• Onions – 1 big (finely chopped)
• Green Chillies – 2 big (finely chopped)
• Garlic cloves – 4 finely chopped
• Fresh coriander leaves – 2 tbsp finely chopped
• Turmeric powder – 1/2 tsp
• Chilli powder – 1/4 tsp (optional)
• Ginger garlic paste – 1/2 tsp
• Salt – to taste
• Oil – 4 tbsps

Method:

Blanch/cook the Shark pieces in water. Drain the water and strain the water out of the pieces and pat dry.
In a bowl, shred them into tiny pieces. To this, add turmeric, chilli powder, onions, ginger garlic paste, green chillies, salt and mix well.

Heat oil in a pan, and add the chopped garlic, fry for 1/2 min and then add the mixed up contents of the bowl and fry till the raw smell of the shark disappears and oil starts to come out at the sides. Mix in chopped coriander leaves and serve.

Miscellaneous:

• Tips: Serve hot with rice. You can actually make this puttu with any other fishes other than shark also (choose ones that don’t have small bones – use any fillets from Tilapia, King Fish or Salmon also).
• Serves 4-5
• Cooking Time: 20 min
• Cuisine: Indian

Ingredients:

• Dry Fish fillets/slices – 4 or 5 medium sized pieces
• Red Chilli Powder – 2 tsp (or to taste)
• Turmeric powder – 1/4 tsp
• Salt – a pinch (as the dry fish is already salted)
• Oil – 3 tbsp

Method:

Make a paste of the turmeric, chilli powder, salt with a little water and coat the dry fish pieces. In a flat pan/tawa, heat around 3 tbsp oil, and add the coated fish pieces marinated fish pieces one by one and allow to cook on all sides till fried and crispy.

Miscellaneous:

• Tips: Serve with rice and sambhar or rasam.
• Serves 4-5
• Cooking Time: 10 min
• Cuisine: Indian

Ingredients:

• Dry fish pieces – 3/4 lb
• Onions – 1 big chopped
• Tomatoes – 1 small chopped
• Ginger garlic paste – 1/2 tsp
• Green Chillies – 1 chopped (optional)
• Turmeric powder – 1/4 tsp
• Chilli powder – 1 1/2 tsp
• Coriander powder – 1/2 tsp
• Salt – a pinch
• Oil – 4 tbsp

Method:

Clean the dry fish pieces well and shred them into small pieces.

In a pan, heat oil, add the onions, saute them for a while. Then add the ginger garlic paste, green chillies, turmeric, chilli and coriander powders. Fry for a while. Add salt and tomatoes and sprinkle a little water. Then add the dry fish pieces to this mix and fry well. Fry until the oil starts to come out slightly and the raw smell of the powders disappear.

Miscellaneous:

• Tips: Serve with rice and rasam/sambhar.
• Serves 4-5
• Cooking Time: 15 min
• Cuisine: Indian

Ingredients:

• Crabs – 4 nos (cleaned and cut – separate as legs, body pieces, and claws)
• Green Chillies – 4 big
• Onions – 1 big (chopped)
• Ginger – 1/2 inch chopped
• Garlic – 5 cloves
• Saunf – 1 tsp
• Garam masala items – Cinnamon stick – 1, Cloves – 2, Cardamom – 1
• Black Pepper whole – 1/2 tsp
• Grated coconut – 1/2 cup
• Oil – 4 tbsp
• Salt to taste
• Curry Leaves – a few

Method:

Clean and cut the crabs separating the legs, body pieces and claws. Break the body piece into quarters.

Grind the saunf, half the onions, green chillies, black pepper, ginger, garlic with some litte water and set aside. Grind the grated coconut with some water and set aside.

In a thick bottomed pan, heat oil, add the garam masala items, curry leaves and then the rest of the onions and saute for a while. Then, add the chillies paste with some water. Bring to a boil. Add the crab pieces and salt and mix well to coat the pieces with the masala. Add some water. Cover and allow to cook for around 20 min or so. Then, add the ground coconut paste and bring the whole mixture to a boil.

Miscellaneous:

• Tips: Serve hot with rice.
• Serves 4-5
• Cooking Time: 25 min
• Cuisine: Indian

Ingredients:

• Fresh smelt (small sized fish) – 1 lb cleaned
• Onions – 1 big (chopped)
• Green Chillies – 3 big
• Ginger – 1/4 inch chopped
• Garlic cloves – 4 roughly chopped
• Coconut grated – 1/4 cup
• Turmeric powder – 1/2 tsp
• Mustard seeds – 1/2 tsp
• Coriander powder – 1/2 tsp
• Saunf – 1 tsp
• Garam masala items – 1 tsp (cloves – 1, cinnamon stick – 1, bay leaf – 1)
• Salt – to taste
• Oil – 3 tbsp
• Coriander leaves(Cilantro).

Method:

Grind the ginger, saunf and green chillies with little water and set aside. Grind the grated coconut with some water and set aside. In a pan, heat oil, splutter mustard seeds, and then add the garam masala items and then the onions. Saute the onions for a while. Then, add the chopped garlic and saute till a nice smell comes. Then, add the chillies-ginger-saunf paste and saute. Then, add the turmeric powder, coriander powder and salt. Fry this mixture for a while adding a little bit of water. Then, add the smelts and little water and cover the pan with a lid and allow to cook for 20 min or until done. Do not stir the contents too much or the smelts might break. Then stir in the coconut paste with some water and bring to a boil. Add the coriander leaves for garnish.
Miscellaneous:

• Tips: Serve hot with rice.
• Serves 4-5
• Cooking Time: 20 min
• Cuisine: Indian

Ingredients:

• Fresh smelts (small fish) – 1/2 lb cleaned
• Onions – 1 medium (chopped fine)
• Tomatoes – 1 small (chopped)
• Ginger garlic paste – 1 tsp
• Garlic – 3-4 cloves chopped finely
• Mustard seeds – 1/2 tsp
• Turmeric powder – 1/2 tsp
• Chilli powder – 2 tsp
• Coriander powder – 1/2 tsp
• Tamarind paste – 1/4 – 1/2 tsp
• Salt – to taste
• Oil – 4 tbsp
• Curry leaves – few

Method:

In a pan, heat oil, splutter mustard seeds and then add the onions and chopped garlic. Saute for a while. Then, add the curry leaves, ginger garlic paste? and saute. Then, add the tomatoes, turmeric powder, chilli powder, coriander powder and salt. Fry this mixture for a while maybe adding a little bit of water. When the oil is coming to the top, add the smelts and litte water. Mix well, cover and allow the smelts to cook. Once the water starts to evaporate and mixture slightly begins to thicken (oil will come out to the top), add the tamarind paste and some water and bring to a boil.

Miscellaneous:

• Tips: Serve hot with rice.
• Serves 4-5
• Cooking Time: 20 min
• Cuisine: Indian

Ingredients:

• Fish – 1/2 lb cut and cleaned
• Onions – 1 big (chopped)
• Tomatoes – 1 small (chopped) (optional)
• Ginger garlic paste – 1 1/2 tsp
• Mustard seeds – 1/2 tsp
• Fried Dried onions – 1 tsp
• Black pepper whole – 3/4 tsp
• Cumin seeds – 1/4 tsp (optional)
• Curry Leaves – 7
• Turmeric powder – 1/2 tsp
• Chilli powder – 2 tsp
• Tamarind paste – 1 tsp
• Salt – to taste
• Oil – 4 tbsp

Method:

In a blender, grind 3/4 the onions, tomatoes, whole black pepper, cumin seeds, half the curry leaves with some water and set aside. In a bowl, mix in the tamarind paste with some water, ginger garlic paste, chilli, turmeric powders and salt. Add the ground up contents of the blender to this and mix well.

In a pan, heat oil, splutter mustard seeds and then add the fried onions and saute. Then add the rest of the chopped onions and curry leaves. Saute for a while. To this, add the tamarind mixture and bring to a boil. Drop the fish pieces in one by one. Close the lid and allow to cook for about 10-15 minutes on medium high heat. When the oil starts to come out on top, the kozhambu is done.

Miscellaneous:

• Tips: Serve hot with rice, or a side for idli/dosas. You can use any fish fillets to make this dish. Each fish provides a different flavor to the kozhambu, like the shark fish, pomfret or snapper. Be sure to try it with all of these varieties.
• Serves 4-5
• Cooking Time: 20 min
• Cuisine: Indian

Ingredients:

• Fish fillets/slices – about max 1/2 inch thick slices (can use whole small fish too) – 1 lb cleaned
• Red Chilli Powder – 2 tsp (or to taste)
• Turmeric powder – 1/4 tsp
• Tamarind paste or pulp – 1 tbsp
• Fresh curd – 2 tbsp (optional)
• Lime juice – 1 tsp (optional)
• Salt – to taste
• Ginger garlic paste – 1 tsp (optional)
• Oil – few tbsps for shallow frying

Method:

Make a paste of the turmeric, chilli powder, tamarind, curd and lime juice, salt and ginger garlic paste by mixing well maybe adding a little water if needed to get the consistency. Apply the paste uniformly on to the cleaned fish pieces and allow to marinate for atleast 3 hours.

In a flat pan/tawa, heat around 2-3 tbsp oil, and add the marinated fish pieces one by one. When crispy and cooked on one side, turn over carefully so as to not break the piece and cook the other side. Make sure all sides are cooked and crispy. Avoid keeping very high heat setting, else the fish would be crisp on the outside but not fully cooked inside.
Miscellaneous:

• Tips: Serve with lime wedges and thinly sliced onions. You can use a combination of either of Tamarind juice or lime juice or curd to alter the tanginess of the marinade as preferred.
• Serves 4-5
• Cooking Time: 25 min
• Cuisine: Indian