This is a simple prawn masala– hot spicy with a backbeat of sweetness that comes from the prawn and the onions. The important thing here is not to over cook the prawns. Any more than 3-4 minutes and they lose their succulence and acquire a rubbery texture. This is great eaten with chappatis or as a side dish with rice...
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Green peppers or green capsicum is a great favorite in Mumbai in a dry spicy fry. Usually this is eaten with chappatis alongside a simple dal. In this recipe, crushed peanut, called shengadana in Marathi, is added as a garnish along with the more commonplace grated coconut. Peanut is a staple in most Maharashtrian and gives a...
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Egg curries, in many different varieties, are eaten all over south India and Maharashtra. Here’s one that’s popular in the Malabar region of north Kerala and is served with appam or porotta as breakfast. What’s special about this curry is the roasted grated coconut and fried spices. The Malabari Muslims, who I...
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Fried fish is a popular dish up and down the Malabar coast. The fish of choice is butterfish, locally called white pomfret. But sardines, mackerel, king fish, lady fish are also good fried. It’s mostly marinated in a basic masala made up of chilli, turmeric, salt and pepper. Then according to regional variations, ginger,...
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Not many people relish liver. But try this slow-cooked liver masala recipe with plain rice and dal as accompaniments or spread it on crackers as a perfect cocktail snack. I’ve never been much fond of liver. As a child when chicken curry at home was made of a whole chicken cut up onto small parts–no special cuts of...
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The Spinney’s stores here in Dubai stock some excellent ready cooked pies: steak and kidney, pepper steak, Cornish pasties etc. Here I’ve tried to re-engineer the pepper steak pie, but used chicken instead, in the interests of following a healthy diet. Although the Spinney’s pies are pretty spicy, I’ve given...
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For this exquisite recipe I owe thanks to my sister-in-law Chhaya. She makes some of the best Kerala dishes I’ve tasted and she’s a Maharashtrian. The trick, she told me, is in the slow, long frying process. Although very impatient by nature, I forced myself not to take any shortcuts. The result was well worth the...
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