Poi Chinguri (Prawn in Malabar Spinach)

Poi or Basella Alba or Malabar Spinach (also Phooi, Climbing spinach, Creeping spinach etc) is a common saaga (leafy vegetable stir fry) prepared in Orissa and other eastern states. Prawns/Shrimps add greatly to the taste of this simple, unpretentious dish with extremely balanced flavors.


As a kid, when eating green leafy vegetables felt next only to capital punishment, this was one of those oddities that had captured my taste buds. I especially liked the smell of this combo with the mushy poi leaves, sweet pumpkin, small pieces of potatoes (which tops everything else but chicken when it comes to my "favorite edible  things" list) and prawn.


If you haven't cooked poi before, you may be a little concerned while chopping it. It feels mushy, sticky, gooey like okra while chopping. Since the leaves have so much moisture, ensure that you don't cover and cook the whole time. Give it a little bit of air while cooking - open the lid a little more than usual!
The recipe below serves two.


You need:


1 tbsp panch phoran

2 dry red chilis

1/2 inch ginger grated

4 cloves garlic crushed

4 cups poi leaves chopped

1 cup pumpkin chopped

1/2 cup eggplants

1/2 cup potato chopped into very small pieces

1 small onion chopped

1 tsp cumin powder, 1 tsp coriander powder , 1/2 tsp turmeric

salt to taste

Process

1. Fry the prawns and keep aside.
2. Fry the potatoes and keep aside.
3. Temper the oil with panch phoran and the red chilis, and add onions as they start crackling
4. As onions turn golden brown, add small pieces of potatoes and pumpkin. Cover and cook for a bit till they start getting tender.
5. Add eggplant and and cook for 5 more minutes.
6. Keep stirring constantly. After the eggplants are done, add the chopped poi leaves, cumin, coriander and turmeric powder and cook for around 8 minutes on low heat.
7. Mix the prawns and warm for 2 more minutes.
8. Serve with roti, rice or parathas. I like my poi saaga with roti and daal!

Thai Prawn-Mango Salad (Thai Shrimp-Mango Salad)

The only difference between this salad and Thai Mango Salad, as the name suggests, is the addition of prawns/ shrimps. I think the sweetness of prawns goes so wonderfully well with tangy-sweet-spicy salad! It is a good appetizer too! I have written so much in the Thai Mango Salad post, I feel this time around, I should just get on with the recipe!

OK. There are three key ingredients that make this salad flavoricious (don't know if there is any such word like that, I just coined it) – toasted peanuts, kaffir lime leaves and of course shripms. While shrimps lends a sweet, rich flavor, toasted peanuts give a nice crunch between the tangy-hot-sweet bite. Though traditionally kaffir lime leaves are not added to this dish, I feel lime leaves give it a totally new dimension. But I  know, in most part of the world kaffir lime leaves are hard to come by, so if you can't find any, don't worry, it will still taste awesome!! 


You can always add deep fried calamari, crab meat, baked tilapia,  or any seafood of your choice

You need:

Semi ripe mango – 2 Parts (I prefer slightly ripe mango which is still very firm when you press the surface and try picking a variety that is not too sour) 

Cucumber – 1 Part (discard the seed part completely)

Carrot - 1 Part

Tomato - 1 Part (discard the juicy seed part completely)

Greens of spring onion - 1 Part

Red onion - 1 Part

Kaffir Lime Leaves – 2-3 Nos.

Shrimp/ Prawns – As per your liking

Salt

Pepper

Cream Sherry (optional) – 2 Tbsp 

Toasted peanut – roughly broken into halves

Getting the veggies ready:

Make very fine juliennes of all the vegetables. You can always add or subtract as per your choice. 

Getting the salad dressing ready: 

Just follow the ratio of ingredients as below, and make as much you wish. Best way to do it, is to first make the dressing, taste and then add the veggies. This is because you can always tweak the dressing to your taste before you add the veggies, but once added, there is no going back! ;)

Lime juice – 2 Tbsp

Sugar – 1 tsp

Fish sauce – ½ tsp (optional, or replace with ¼ tsp of light soy sauce)

Getting the Shrimp ready:

Marinate the shrimp/ prawns with salt, pepper and cream sherry for not any more than 15 min.

In a pan, heat 1 tsp of oil, add shrimps and fry on high flame. Don't over cook or  they will not be succulent anymore. Rule of thumb - cook till shrimps turn pink, and there is no pale patch anywhere, that's when you know its done. 

Now getting the salad ready:

Pour the dressing in a big bowl, add all the veggies, add the toasted peanut and then shrimps. Toss all of them gently so as to coat the dressing uniformly. Serve immediately. 

**If you are making it for a party, you can chop all the veggies and keep them all in an air tight container (don't mix them, keep them separate so that their individual flavors intact) in refrigerator. Make the dressing and store it in a glass jar and refrigerate. Keep toasted peanuts in a box. Only shrimps will have to be made just before serving.

Doi Maach

Doimaach (Carp in yogurt based gravy)

You need:
500 gms Rohu fish (carp fish)
100 gms curd
3 tbs. Onion paste
1 tbs. Ginger paste
1 tbs. Jeera (Cumin) paste
1/2 tsp. Garlic paste
1 tsp. red chilli powder
1 tsp. Haldi powder (Turmeric)
1 tsp. Cumin seeds
3 Cardamom
3 cloves

1 inch stick Cinnamon
2 Bay leaves
4 green chilli (slit)
4 tbs. Oil
1 tsp. Ghee
1 tbs. sugar
Salt to taste

Preparation:
Wash the fish with cold water. Smear haldi and salt to the fish pieces and keep them aside.

Whip the curd well in a large bowl and prepare a marinade with the curd, onion paste, ginger-garlic paste, sugar, chilli powder and salt and blend it thoroughly.
Heat oil and shallow fry the fish pieces in a deep pan/kadai till yellowish brown. Then strain them.
Now add the bay leaves, the cinnamon, cardamom, cloves and cumin seeds and allow it to splutter. Add the masala paste left to marinade and fry it till the oil starts leaving it from all sides. Now add the fried fish and cook for another 8 mins.
When the fish is done add the ghee and the green chillies.

Serve hot with steaming rice.

**Cooking on medium flame recommended.

Daarun !!!

Garlic Prawns!

I was never a sea-food crazy person until a dear friend of mine who we lovingly call Shaan spoke so much about delicious fried fish that I badly wanted to taste some. But I could never manage to eat anything beyond that. My recent love affair with sea-food began with my visit to Langkawi. And ever since I fear if prawns would soon be termed as endangered specie. I ate Garlic prawns in a local Chinese shack...If this is what they call those beachside food joints..!! Honestly...You need to try those to realize how tasty they are ... I would be wasting my time here explaining it to you..

You will find it funny if I told you what all you need to prepare this.. Prawns,finely chopped garlic,oil/butter depending on how generous you can get,salt,freshly ground pepper.

Heat butter/oil in a wok. When its hot add garlic and saute' it for sometime till u get the aroma of the garlic. Take out the garlic before it changes color. Now fry the prawn in the remaining oil which has the garlic flavor. When it turns crispy add salt ,pepper and fried garlic and gently mix. You can also add spring onion on top if you like.

Eat it with just about anything..My recommendation..Seinfeld concept..NOTHING!!

To be honest, even if I try I cant make this any complex...But yeah if you have time and some white wine you can marinate the prawns in wine and salt.This gives added zingg.....!