Mathanga Vanpayar Erissery/Yellow Pumpkin Red Moong Curry ~ A Kerala Sadya Recipe

Ingredients Used: -

1. Vanpayar/Red Chori/Red Moong - ½ cup
2. Mathanga/Yellow Pumpkin - 2 cups(Skin peeled and chopped into med size cubes)
3. Turmeric powder - ½ tsp
4. Green Chilies - 4
5. Curry leaves
6. Water ~ 2 Cups + 1 Cup

To Grind:-

1. Grated Coconut - ¾ cup
2. Jeera/Cumin - ¾ tsp
3. Turmeric powder - ½ tsp
4. Water - 4 tbsp + more if required

To Temper:-

1. Coconut Oil/Veg Oil - 2tbsp
2. Mustard seeds - 1tsp
3. Dry Red Chilies - 4
4. Curry leaves few
5. Grated coconut - 3tbsp(generous amount)

How I made It:-

• Wash Vanpayar/Red Moong for couple of times and soak in water for about four hours.
• Add red moong, salt, water and pressure cook it for two whistles. (If you didn't get a chance to soak Vanpayar/Red moong, pressure cook for some more time in medium heat for five-seven whistles)
• When the pressure subsides, open the cooker, stir well and mix the Vanpayar/Red Chori.
• Add pumpkin, turmeric powder, slit green chilies, curry leaves and cook on stove top till pumpkin is soft and cooked. Stir well to mix and mash some pumpkin/Mathanga. Check for the salt and adjust.
• Meanwhile grind the 'to grind' ingredients. Add the ground paste to Vanpayar-Pumpkin mix and stir well. Add salt and water if required(Erissery normally is not too thick but should not be runny as well) 
• Put on the stove and get it to boil. Simmer the heat to medium and let it boil for another five minutes. Take it off the  stove and set aside.
• Heat a small frying pan, pour coconut oil, add mustard seeds and let it crackle. Add curry leaves, dry red chilies and saute for few seconds. Add grated coconut and saute till it is brown(make sure not to get it to dark brown and burn)
• Pour over the curry and give it a gentle mix. Serve warm with boiled rice and papads.

Fish Biriyani With Tilapia Fish Fillet

I have not been consistent in blogging these days and have almost lost touch with many of my dear blogger buddies and wonderful readers lately. Blame it on me, even if I have excuses like not getting much time to post while managing work and household together, believe me I have missed all the fun being here and had been trying real hard to find some time to blog. It is not the laziness that kept me away from here but three pair of starving eyes which gives me a wierd look when they see my intention to click pictures when they are are waiting eagerly for having something from the the time they are back from school/office just dont let my motherly instict to click any pictures. The sun light is not helping me in anyway as well, by the time I leave office it is already dark. But yes, since I've moved to a new job which is pretty much close to where we live and I have started commuting daily rather than travelling over the weekends, I am getting sometime to cook and click pictures which I am really happy about. I hope I will be active with blogging from now and will definitely make time to hop onto all my blogger buddies post. I request all my wonderful readers and blogger friends to please stay connected and give me the same support and encouragement which you guys gave me before.

Coming onto today's recipe, its the again one of the most family favorite - Fish Biriyani. I have already posted a Fish Biriyani, but the procedure for making this Fish Masala is a lot different which gives this biriyani a very unique taste. I've used Tilapia Fish fillet for making this biriyani, but you can use fish of your choice but try to use fish with less bone and more meat. So make it home today and Enjoy with family and friends!!!

Ingredients Used:-

For making Rice:-

1. Basmathi Rice or Kaima(Jeera) Rice - 4 Cups
2. Water - 7 Cups
3. Salt - 1 tsp(to taste)
4. Cinnamon sticks - 2
5. Cloves - 8
6. Cardamom pods - 4
7. Bay Leaves - 2
8. Whole Black Pepper - few(10 counts)
9. Ghee - 2 tsp(can add more ghee if desired)

For making Fish Masala:-

1. Tilpia Fish Fillet - 6
2. Turmeric powder - ¾ tsp + ½ tsp
3. Chilly powder - 1 tsp + ½ tsp
4. Salt -1 tsp(or more)
5. Fennel Crushed - ½ tsp
6. Coriander powder - 1 tsp
7. Garam Masala - 1 tsp
8. Coconut oil/Oil - 3 tbsp
9. Onion Finely sliced - 3
10. Tomato finely sliced - 3
11. Green chilly - 8
12. Ginger-Garlic crushed - 2 tbsp
13. Curry leaves few sprigs
14. Coriander leaves chopped - 3 tbsp
15. Water - ½ cup to 1 cup(as required)

To Grind: -

1. Cashews - ¼ cup
2. Grated Coconut - 3 tbsp

For Garnishing:-

1. Raisins few ghee roated
2. Cashews few ghee roasted
3. Onion sliced very thin and deep fried till light brown. 
4. Can use some saffron milk( I did not use)

How I made It:-

Fish Masala:-

1. Clean and cut tilapia into small bite size pieces. Wash once or twice. 
2. Make a marinade with ¾ tsp turmeric powder, 1 tsp chilly powder, crushed fennel and salt. Marinate the fish and set aside for an hour.
3. Heat up a skillet/tawa, pour 1 tbsp oil, shallow fry the fish pieces on both side and keep aside.
4. Grind the 'To Grind' ingredients to a smooth paste and set aside.
5. Pour 2tbsp of oil in manchatti/earthern ware(or any non-stick pan), add crushed ginger-garlic, curry leaves and saute for a minute or two.
6. Add onion, green chilly, salt and saute well in medium heat till the onion turns transkucent.
7. Add tomato and saute well till the tomato is fully cooked mashed up.
8. Add ½ tsp turmeric powder,½ tsp chilly powder, coriander powder and garam masala and saute well to mix.
9. Add the ground paste and mix well. Add water to get required consistency, stir well and let it boil.
10. Simmer the heat to medium and add fried fish pieces. Mix well with masala and let it boil for another ten minutes. Add coriander leaves and take off the stove.

For Making Ghee Rice:-

1. Heat up a thick bottom pan, pour ghee. Add cardamom, cinnamon stick, cloves, bay leaves and saute for a minute.
2. Pour water, salt and whole pepper. Let it boil.
3. Add rice, with a saptula stir well till the bottom of the pan. Simmer the heat to medium, cover with a air tight lid and let it cook till the water is absorbed. 
4. Take it out of the stove and give it a gentle stir. Let it cool down for a while say let the steaming heat subside.
5. Move to two-three platters so that rice do not stick to each other and will be nice and fluffy.

Dumming the Biriyani and Final Process:-

1. Heat a wide vessel, keep in low heat, pour 2 tsp of oil, spread half the rice on the bottom of the vessel, top it with fish masala gravy, top with fried cashews, raisins, fried onions, coriander leaves and few drops of saffron milk.
2. Repeat the process with remaing rice, masala, fried cashews, raisins, onions and saffron milk. Cover with an air tight lid and cook in low heat till steam starts to release from the sides of the pan.
3. Take them out to individual serving plate, garnish with more raisins, cashews and fried onion. Serve warm with pappads, pickles, chutney and Raita.