Egg Kothu Paratha

A street snack that holds fort in Tamil Nadu (particularly Madurai) and Kerala, and quite casually fends of attacks from McD and KFC, this wonderfully spicy scramble is a great snack for when you get the munchies or have some left over parathas. It can be made with leftover rotis as well, but comes out much better with flaky multi-layered parathas, like Kerala parotas or Laccha paratha. At street vendors, its made on iron griddles with cleavers to chop and scramble all the ingredients together, and makes for quite an colourful sight as the vendor tosses and scrambles all of the ingredients together. At home, any thick-bottomed pan will do, as everything is chopped or shredded before cooking.

Ingredients

• 1 multi-layered paratha, shredded
• 1 beaten egg
• 1 small onion, chopped
• 2 cloves garlic, chopped
• 1/2 inch ginger, chopped
• 1 medium tomato, chopped
• 1 small green chili, chopped
• 1 bunch curry leaves
• 1 tsp black mustard seeds
• 1 tsp turmeric powder
• 1 tsp coriander powder
• 1 tsp cumin seeds
• 1 tbsp oil
• salt to taste

Method

1. Heat the oil on high heat and add the mustard seeds and cumin seeds and curry leaves. Let it sputter and release it aroma.
2. Add the ginger, garlic and chili, and fry lightly.
3. Add the onion and cook until it turns translucent, and then add the coriander powder and turmeric powder. Stir around to ensure that the powders coat the onions and let it cook for a minute.
4. Stir in the tomatoes and cook until it turns a little mushy.
5. Pour the egg in and let it form up before scrambling. Reduce the heat and add the shredded paratha and salt to taste.
6. Toss the mixture around so that it evenly coats the paratha, and to further scramble the egg. Shake the pan to loosen the paratha and masala and serve up hot, with a garnish of cilantro for a colourful flourish.

Thai Green Curry with Fish

I've been looking to use this bottle of thai fish sauce that's been lying at the back of the pantry, but never really had the entire suite of ingredients available. This time though, I finally found some fresh lemon grass, and decided to make this curry for dinner. I made it with fish, but this curry can be made with diced chicken as well, and this recipe can be adapted into a vegetarian version with paneer or tofu and the use of light soy sauce instead of the fish sauce. I had some Malabar Trevally fillets left over, and used that fish. With coconut based stews I prefer to use a bland white fish as the flavours of the coconut and the spices infuse into the flesh of the fish. In case Malabar Trevally is unavailable, you can use Basa, Cod or any other similar white fish. The green curry paste can be made in advance and keeps well for at least 3 days in the fridge.

Ingredients

Green Curry Paste

• 1 tsp cumin seeds
• 1 tsp coriander seeds
• 1 tsp peppercorns
• 1 large bunch coriander leaves, shredded
• 1 lemon grass stalk (white part), chopped
• 2 inch ginger root, roughly chopped
• 1 inch galangal (optional)
• 1 tbsp fish sauce
• 1 medium shallot, chopped
• 3 cloves garlic, chopped
• 3 long green chilies (1 deseeded), chopped
• 1 tsp salt
• 3-4 kaffir lime leaves (or any citrus leaves), shredded
• 2 tbsp oil
• juice of half a lime with zest

Green Curry

• 300 g Malabar Trevally filets (skin-on) cut into bite sized pieces
• 1 small purple aubergine, chopped
• 1 medium tomato, chopped
• 2 cups thin coconut milk
• 3 tablespoons of the Green Curry Paste (above)
• 1 lemon grass stalk (green parts)
• salt to taste
• 1 tbsp oil

Method

Green Curry Paste

1. Roast the cumin, peppercorns and coriander seeds in a pan to release its aromatic oils.
2. Once cooled, pound it in a pestle into a fine powder.
3. Add all of the remaining ingredients to a food processor along with the spice powder.
4. Grind with a little water to create a thick paste. 
5. Remove and store away in an airtight container.
6. Thin the paste remaining in a food processor with water and keep aside.

Green Curry

1. Marinate the fish pieces in the thin paste liquor for at least 3 hours, or use 1 tsp of the green curry paste with half a cup of water to create a thin marinade.
2. Heat the oil in a pan and add the aubergines. Cook until the aubergines soften.
3. Add the green curry paste and lower the heat. Cook the paste until the oil starts to leave the paste.
4. Add the tomatoes and let it stew and soften.
5. Add the coconut milk, salt and lemon grass stalk and stir around to create a thin coconut stew.
6. Add the fish pieces, skin side up and the marinade.
7. Raise the heat, and once the stew stars to boil lower the heat. Cover and cook for around 10 minutes, or until the fish is completely cooked through.
8. Serve with plain rice, with a little lime.

Sri Lankan Fish Curry

This bright yellow curry is sweet and lightly spiced, with a focus on the individual flavours of each spice. Some variants of it use gambooge or tamarind juice to add a little sourness, but I prefer to add lemon grass for that light lemony flavour. I had this curry in Mirissa with tuna and boiled rice and was amazed by its light playful melding of sweet coconut with bitter coriander. A vegetarian version of the curry can be made by substituting the fish with okra (lady's finger) and frying the okra with the onions prior to stewing it in the coconut milk. 

For the fish, this curry is typically made with thick cut tuna steaks, but I preferred to use Malabar Trevally. Malabar Trevally is a firm white sea fish with a fairly bland taste. I preferred this fish to the strong flavoured tuna as the bland fish acts as a great palette for the spices of the curry. You can use Basa or a similar firm white fish, but try to get skin-on filets as it will prevent the fish from disintegrating while stewing.

Ingredients

• 300 g Malabar Trevally filet, with skin, cut into large chunks
• 1 star anise
• 1 tsp coriander seeds
• 1 tsp cumin
• 2 cups thin coconut milk
• 1 inch cinnamon
• 1 small onion, chopped
• 1 tomato, chopped
• 1 stalk lemon grass
• 1 pandan leaf (or substitute with 1 bayleaf)
• 1 green chili, slit and chop into large chunks
• 1 handful curry leaves
• 1 tbsp vegetable oil
• 1 tbsp turmeric powder
• salt to taste

Method

1. Add some salt and half the turmeric to the fish and rub it into the fish. Let it aside for an hour.
2. Heat the coriander, cumin and star anise in a pan and roast lightly to release its aroma.
3. Remove the star anise and pound the cumin and coriander into a fine powder.
4. Heat the oil in a pan and add the onions. Sweat down the onions till it turns translucent. 
5. Add the curry leaves, green chilies and the coriander-cumin powder. Fry lightly and add the chopped tomato.
6. Once the tomato has cooked add the cinnamon, coconut milk and star anise and lower the flame.
7. Bash the lemon grass with the back of a spatula, and add it to the pan along with the turmeric, pandan (bayleaf), fish pieces and salt to taste. Stir it lightly to get the turmeric to evenly diffuse.
8. Cover and let it stew on a low flame till the fish is cooked.
9. Serve up with boiled rice or appams.