Macha Tarkari( Odia style Rohu Fish Curry)

Odisha, previously known as Orissa, is one state that is traditionally famous for it's mouth watering delicacies of rice, lentils, desserts and sea food. Odia cuisine is known for its simplicity and delicate treatment of various ingredients that goes into it. Odisha has a vast coast line along the Bay of Bengal and also has many rivers flowing within the State. Owing to this proximity, access to  riverine fish and its inclusion has become an inevitable part of Odia cuisine and majority of the people from Odisha are non-vegetarians and fish forms an integral part of their traditional cuisine.

Fresh water fish such as Rohu has a natural sweetness to it than the fishes from sea and that is what that makes all the difference to this Odia fish delicacy called Macha Tarkari/ Macha Jhola  which is sure to leave a lasting impression on your taste buds for a while. When I crave for some fish, this few ingredient Macha Tarkari / Macha Aloo Jhola( Oriya/Odia style fish curry with potato ) is the one I always prepare for my lunch. "Maachha" in Odia means Fish; "Aloo" means potato and "Jhola" refers to a thin consistency gravy quite typical to an Odia style fish curry).  If you are looking for a light, simple and different  fish curry, then this oriya/odia fish curry recipe is the perfect solution to your meal plan.This recipe is very close to my heart as it is still the same way I have been making as I was when I learnt it first. Though I love to experiment with food, but  rohu fish curry recipe reminds me of home and the little things that my mother does for me as a child make it so much worthwhile to try it as it is.

Unlike the fiery spiced curries associated with Indian food, the Oriya/Odia food is usually subtle and delicately spiced using Panch-Phutana, a mix of five spices- Cumin, Mustard, Fennel, Fenugreek and Nigella (Kalonji) seeds.Mustard oil and mustard seeds are ingredients, which makes Oriya/odia food stand apart from other cuisines. Mustard oil has a typical pungent smell and it is usually heated to its smoking point to decrease its pungency.Mustard Oil is mostly used for frying fish and making fish curries since it imparts a very distinct taste to the subject at hand.

Cuisine: Odia
Prep time: 15 minutes
Cooking time: 20 minutes
Serves - 4

Ingredients

• 500 grams Rohu Fish
• 2 medium  Potatoes

For the masala

• 1 medium  Onion
• 1 small Tomato
• 1 tsp Ginger - Garlic paste
• 1/4 tsp panch phutan
• 2 dry red chillies
• 1/2 tsp Roasted Cumin Powder
• 1 tsp Roasted Corriander Powder  
• 1/4 tsp Garam Masala  
• 1 tsp Turmeric powder
• 1/2 tsp Red Chilli Powder
• 1 bay leaf
• 1inch cinnamon stick
• 2 green cardamoms
• Salt to taste 

Let us Learn how to make oriya/odia fish curry recipe:

• Wash the fish and apply  turmeric and salt to the fish. Marinate and keep aside for 15 minutes.

• Chop the onions and tomatoes finely.

• Peel and cut the potatoes into medium side wedges and apply turmeric and salt to it.

• Pour some mustard oil and heat it to smoking point. Slowly add the fish pieces one by one and shallow fry them in batches. Take out the fishes and keep them on a kitchen towel .

• Add the potatoes and shallow fry them in the same oil and keep aside.

• Add bay leaf, cinnamon, green cardamom to the oil and when it starts to release it’s aroma, put a pinch of panch phutan .

• Next add the onion and fry till it turns a little brown, add ginger garlic paste to the oil. Stir and fry the masala till the masala is cooked and there is no raw smell.

• Add chopped tomato, potatoes, turmeric, cumin powder,coriander powder, chili powder and salt. Cook for few more minutes till the masala starts to leave oil at the sides.

•  Add a cup of warm water ,cover and let the curry simmer on medium heat till potatoes get soft. Add fish to it and cook for 2 to 3 minutes on slow heat . Remove from heat and add the garam masala powder and chopped coriander leaves on top to garnish.

•  Serve hot with plain rice. 

For more fish recipes you can try: 

Masor Tenga (Tangy Fish Curry)

PATRANI MACHCHI

DAHI MACHA- Fish Cooked In Rich Yoghurt And Mustard Paste

Eggless Thandai Cookies recipe- How to make Thandai Cookies for Holi

Holi – the festival of colours, marks the beginning of spring season and is celebrated in different parts of India though the  rituals and customs to celebrate this  festival vary from one region to another, the spirit of festivity remains the same. Traditional food plays a major role in such festivities, but have you ever thought of making some fusion recipes for Holi using the traditional ingredients . 

If not, then come with me and take a tour of some of the fusion recipes I have tried like Baked MawaGujiyas and Thandai Phirni earlier and for the 31^st Foodie Monday Bloghop theme of #Fusionthandairecipes , I thought of incorporating the famous thandai flavour in cookies, which everyone can have not only during Holi but also throughout the year. Learn how to make cookies at home , that to which Eggless Cookies recipe which are easy to learn and  can be made in Microwave. These Recipes which are easy, simple and can be made with available ingredients at home.

Before I take you on a tour to the fusion cookies recipe , let me tell you my house was filled with the beautiful aroma from Thandai powder and the rose water which I have infused in the cookies .  Thandai is a very popular drink that is consumed during Holi which is made by grinding almonds, rose petals, fennel seeds, melon seeds and black peppercorns and adding it to milk. You can use the thandai syrup which is available  the market or you can make the Thandai Powder at home .

Baking is one such activity which is very relaxing in nature and the outcomes are amazing.

Recipe: Indian

Prep Time: 1 hour

cooking time:20 minutes

yields:15 cookies

Ingredients: 

• 1 cup All Purpose Flour

• 1/4 Tsp Baking Soda

• A pinch of salt

• ½ cup Powdered Sugar 

• 100 Grams Butter

• 1 tablespoon Corn Flour 

• 1/4 Cup  Ground Thandai Masala *

• 2 Tbsp Rose Water

• Pistachio slices for garnishing

*Thandai Masala

• ¼ Cup Almonds (lightly toasted)

• 1 tbsp Melon seeds (charmagaz)

• 12 – 14 Peppercorns

• 1 tbsp Poppy seeds / Poshto / Khus khus

• 1 tbsp Fennel seed /Saunf

• ½ tsp Green Cardamom / Elaichi

 Let us learn How to make Eggless Thandai Cookies for Holi:

• Lightly dry roast almonds, melon seeds, poppy seeds and fennel seeds. once cool, grind to a fine powder along with cardamom and peppercorn.

• In a bowl sift together all purpose flour, cornflour, baking soda, salt, Thandai Masala.

• Beat sugar and butter together with a hand blender on medium speed till creamy.

• Add the flour mix into the sugar butter mixture. Now add rosewater to it.

• Mix everything together to form a dough. Divide  the dough into two parts. Wrap in cling film and  keep in the refrigerator to chill for about an hour minimum.

• After an hour take out the dough and with the help of little flour, roll into a round shape with thickness as per your choice.

• Preheat the Microwave at 180 degrees C.

•  With the help of a cookie cutter, cut out the cookies and arrange them in a greased baking tray keeping at least 1/2 inch gap between cookies .

• Sprinkle some pistachio slices on top of each Cookies.

• Bake in the convention mode of the microwave oven  for 15 minutes .

• After 15 minutes, remove the cookies from the oven and place them on wire rack to cool.The cookies will firm up on cooling.

• Once completely cool, store in an airtight container.

 You can use these Thandai Cookies for a wonderful gifting ideas. Sending this Fusion Thandai cookies to the 31st Foodie Monday Bloghop theme of #Fusionthandairecipes .

 You can also try these cookies & Biscuits Like:

CUMIN SHORTBREAD BISCUITS

EGGLESS PEANUT BUTTER COOKIES

KADHI PAKORA RECIPE

Kadhi Pakora/ Pakode or kadhi chawal literally means “fritters with yoghurt”. The dish can be savoured both on special occasions or as part of the everyday meal. Kadhi is one such recipe that reminds us  of homemade food. Served warm with fluffy steamed rice, papad and pickle I couldn’t think of a more satisfying meal. Rice is undoubtedly the perfect accompaniment for it. Simple to make, this yoghurt and gram flour based curry is full of flavour.

One of the reasons why I enjoy this  Punjabi Kadhi Pakora recipe is because it has a real tangy taste to it that enhances the taste of the pakoras brilliantly.You can have the kadhi alone minus the pakoras but when the pakoras are added to the gravy , it enhances the flavour of the kadhi  soaking all the spices.

Cuisine: Punjabi

Prep Time: 30 minutes

Cooking time:20 minutes

Serves:4

Ingredients:

For the Pakoda:

• 1 cup besan
• 1 medium chopped onion
• 1 cup chopped baby spinach
• 2 chopped green chillies
• 1/2 tsp baking soda
• salt

For the Kadhi:

• 400 grams sour curd
• 3-4 tbsp besan
• 1/2 tsp turmeric powder
• 1 tsp garlic paste
• salt
• 1 tbsp coriander powder
• 3 cups water 

Foe the 1 st tempering:

• 1/3rd tsp fenugreek seeds
• 2 to 3 whole dry red chillies
• 1 tsp fennel powder
• a pinch of asfoiteda
• 2 tbsp mustard oil

For the 2nd tempering:

• 1 tbsp ghee
• 1 tsp cumin seeds
• 1/2 tsp kashmiri red chilli powder

Let's Learn How to make Kadhi Pakoa recipe:

• In a bowl take sour curd and whisk it well till smooth. Add gram flour, red chilli powder, garlic paste,turmeric powder, coriander powder and salt to the whisked curd.Add 2 cups of water and stir and mix everything again to make a smooth mixture without lumps.
• Take gram flour in a bowl and add green chillies, baking soda and salt as required.Add thinly sliced onions and chopped spinach.Mix everything well and keep aside covered for 30 minutes to allow the onions to release water in the mixture. Depending on the water content in the onions, accordingly add water as required to make a thick batter. 
• Heat oil in a pan or kadai. with a spoon or with your hands drop the pakora batter in the oil.when the pakoras are partly cooked, then turn over and fry the other side till the pakoras are crisp and golden.
• Remove the fried pakoras and place them on a kitchen paper towel so that extra oil is absorbed. keep  them aside.

• In another pan or kadai, heat mustard oil. make sure to use a large bottomed pot so that while cooking, the kadhi does not spill. Add fenugreek seeds, a generous pinch of asafoetida/hing , whole red chillies and roasted fennel powder. 
• Allow the seeds to crackle and change their color. Fry on a low flame, so that these spices do not get burnt. Then add 1 cup water so that the temperature will come down and now add the curd mixture. Stir very well. This way the curd will not split . 
• Increase the flame to medium and bring the kadhi to a boil. Keep on stirring often so that the kadhi doesnot stuck to the bottom. Lower the flame and then simmer the kadhi for 8 to 10 minutes or till the kadhi thickens. f the kadhi becomes too thick, then add some hot water. Add the pakoras in the kadhi. Stir gently and let the  pakoras be soaked in the kadhi for 8 to 10 minutes.
• Before serving, make the 2^nd tempering .Heat the ghee in a small pan on medium heat. Once hot add cumin seeds and when it starts to sputter, turn off the heat and add  red chili powder. pour this on the simmering kadhi. Stir it well.
• Serve with plain steamed rice.

Sending this recipe to Cooking from cookbook challenge for the month of March.

                           

BAKED MAWA GUJIYAS- HOW TO MAKE BAKED MAWA GUJIYA

Any festival in India is incomplete without dessert. Holi is one such festival which is about a riot of colors and can hardly be complete without a hearty dose of mawa gujiyas – a recipe made with dough stuffed with a sweet filling mawa and deep-fried. Gujiya which is a fried crispy flaky pastry stuffed with sweet mawa filling is one of the staple dessert prepared especially on Holi festival. On this Holi, let us learn how to make gujiyas/mawa gujiyas at our home and serve it  with thandai, which is a delicious beverage. 

Gujiya, Karanji or Chandrakala is a very popular dessert which is prepared in most households during festive occasions like Holi, Diwali, Dushera etc. This sweet dish is a celebration of deliciousness in the festive season of Holi. Traditionally this Holi special gujiya is stuffed with Khoya/mawa, chopped almonds, walnuts, pistachios raisins, green cardamoms, and nutmeg to enhance the flavor . Gujiya is known as different names in different parts of the country like Kajikalayu in Andhra Pradesh, Nevries in Goa, Karachika in Tamil nadu, Ghughra in Gujarat, Karanji in Maharastra & Odisha, Chandrakala in northern part of India, They all are similar in making but have different ingredient in stuffing.

The outer layer is made from all purpose flour. While the stuffing is made from mawa, sugar and nuts. Gujiya is not an overly sweet dish. It has a crispy, flaky exterior with a cardamom flavored sweet filling. Today, am blogging Mawa Gujiya where khoya/mawa is used in place of sooji (semolina).  There are many different variation is stuffing recipes like made with sooji or dried fruits and jaggery. The authentic gujiya has stuffing of sweet mawa or khoya. Hence it is known as Mawa gujiya as well.

  Gujiyas have come a long way now, and along the way, new shapes and fillings have emerged. You can try the croissant shaped savoury ones, the rich shahi gujiyas, the sweet samosas, the fragrant clove flavoured laanglata, the saffron tinged kesari ones, the coin purse-like potli gujiya and the phool gujiya, that are garnished with petals from the Lotus. 

But gujias can be calorie-rich due to the fact that it is fried and filled with mawa or khoya. If you are watching what you eat this Holi, and would like to cut back on the calories, you can try this Potli Gujiyas  which is not fried but Baked. This will help you keep the weight off this dessert and will allow you to enjoy it, minus the guilt.

Cuisine: Indian

Cooking Time : 30min

Preparation Time : 20min

Servings : 4-5 (makes 15-20 gujiya)

Ingredients :

For Outer Layer

• 2 Cups All Purpose Flour
• 4 tbsp Ghee or Oil
• 1 tsp salt
• water for kneading

For Filling

• 1 Cup Mawa/Khoya
• 1 Cup jaggery
• 1/2 tsp Cardamom Powder
• 1/4 Cup  Grated Coconut
• 2 tbsp Raisins
• 1/4 cup powdered Cashewnuts
• 1/4 cup powdered almonds
• 1/4 tsp freshly grated nutmeg 

Let's learn how to make mawa gujiya:

•  For the pastry, sift the flour into a bowl and rub in the ghee with your fingertips till the mixture resembles breadcrumbs. Add one-fourth cup and one tablespoon of cold water and knead into a stiff dough. Cover with piece of damp muslin and set aside for fifteen minutes. 

• If using frozen mawa, microwave for 20-30 secs or let sit on the counter for 20-30 mins to thaw. Once thawed, gently crush with your fingers making sure to break all the lumps for a crumbled mawa. If using freshly home made mawa, make sure it is crumbly before use.

• For the filling, heat a non-stick pan; add the khoya and sauté for three minutes or till the fat separates. Set aside to cool.Add the cashew nuts, almonds and raisins, grated coconut, jaggery and mix well.

• Divide the dough into equal portions and shape into balls. Roll out each ball into a puri.

• Place one portion of the stuffing  in the middle  , lightly moisten the edges, and bring all sides together to make a potli like design as shown in the picture above.

• This is not tough at all. Here you have to pinch it upwards and bundle them.It doesn’t have to be perfect,just make sure it sticks well so that it doesnt open up during the baking process. 

• Preheat oven to 180 degree centigrade. Grease the baking tray or line a butter paper in a baking tray. Line the gujiyas in baking tray. Coat the gujia with ghee (clarified butter)  and honey. Bake for 18-20 minutes. After 10 minutes, turn the sides and brush with ghee and bake till they are golden.

THANDAI PHIRNI

Phirni is a easy traditional Indian rice pudding like dessert which is prepared with full cream milk, basmati rice and sugar as main ingredients. The cooked rice milk mixture is poured into small earthern clay pots garnished with mixed nuts and edible silver leaf. You will find this easy sweet dessert prepared in the homes of Hindus and Muslims to celebrate festivals like Eid, Holi and Diwali. Phirni  has got it’s origins in the Middle East and has made its way to the Indian sub continent through the Mughals. 

I shall never forget the first time I had made Phirni. I had never tasted anything quite so delicious, I remember thinking when shall be the next occasion where shall I be able to make this dish once again. The first time I made it I had set it in ceramic ware but later I learned that if Phirni is set in clay, it  absorbs some of the fluid from the Phirni and helps it set, contributes a very special flavor of its own, and also helps keep the Phirni cool — important because this is one Indian dessert that should always be served chilled. You can make a lot of variation with this Phirni by adding almonds, saffron, rose, Pistachios, Mango, strawberry and even chocolates. 

While Holi is all about colours, like every other festival the celebration is incomplete without some delicious sweet dishes that will  keep your mood upbeat. Different delicacies are prepared in various parts of India to bring in the festival with great zeal and enthusiasm.  On the onset of Holi, the festival colors, you can try this Thandai Phirni to serve your family and guests. 

Ingredients

• 1 liter full cream milk
• 1/4 cup rice
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1 teaspoon cardamom powder
• 2 tablespoon Thandai Powder* 
• Pistachios,  almonds, rose petals and few strands of saffron for garnishing

*Thandai Powder : 1/3 cup almond ,2 tbsp cashew nuts, 1 tsp fennel seeds , 1 tbsp poppy seeds , 1 tbsp melon seeds, 1 /2 tbsp black pepper, 4 to 5 green cardamom, . Dry roast everything , coo and make a fine powder of it.

Let's learn how to make the Thandai Phirni: 

• Wash and soak the rice for 1 hour. Drain and pat dry on an absorbent cloth. Once dry, blend the rice into a coarse powder.

• In a heavy bottomed pan; add the milk and bring it to a boil. Once it begins to boil, turn the heat to low and add the ground rice to milk. You will notice that the milk will begin to thicken.Keep stirring the milk while it is simmering. Once it starts thickening, add the sugar, cardamom powder .

• Add the Thandai powder and keep stirring for another 5 to 10 minutes till the mixture attains its full flavor and has an almost pudding-like consistency.

• Turn off the heat and allow it to cool completely. 

• Pour this mixture into small earthen pots and refrigerate for 3 to 4 hours.

• Serve with chopped pistachios, almonds, rose petals and saffron.

Sending this Thandai Phirni to Holi Collective Recipes by Sonal Gupta of Simplyvegetarian777.

PATRANI MACHCHI

Imagine a fish that is coated in coconut chutney, wrapped in banana leaves and steamed, this dish is one of the hallmarks of Parsi cuisine -  influenced by the fine blend of Gujarati and Persian cooking. No Parsi celebration is complete without their most famous and mouthwatering dish Patra ni Machhi, which literally means fish in leaves, and in this case refers to pomfret wrapped in a banana leaf. It is an absolute standard on every Parsi festive menu and must come from the community"s seafaring and coastal days.

Parsis are a community of Zoroastrians who made their home in the western borders of South Asia (Gujarat and Sindh in India) somewhere during the 10th century. Parsis are famously known for their enjoyment of life and have a saying:"Khanar pinar ne khodai apnar."  God gives in abundance to those who eat and drink.But you don't have to been a Parsi to fall in love with a dish as flavorful and refreshing.

Though very similar to the Paturi or Patrapoda that we make minus the Mustard and plus a few other ingredients. To us the spice would be predominantly Mustard paste while to a Parsi it would be a green chutney consisting of predominantly coriander leaves, coconut. While the Paturi is made of Bhetki or Hilsa, the Patra ni Machchhi is made of Pomfret,Either a Bengali Paturi , Odia Patra Poda or a Parsi Patrani Machchhi...all these are subtly flavoured fish delicacies of their  respective communities.

 Coming back to the Patra ni Machchi, the preparation is made by marinating the fish in a coating of spicy green coconut chutney and wrapping it in banana leaves.  The fish is steamed to ensure that the flavors and juices of the fish and chutney are sealed in the banana leaves packet.Going with the theme of Microwave Cooking for our 30^th Foodie Monday Blog Hop , nothing seems more appropriate than this Patra ni Macchi recipe which calls for it to be filleted and stuffed, then parcelled in banana leaf and steamed.

Now a days intense time pressures do not allow the slow way of cooking practiced in earlier days. One device that has defied the clock in the Kitchen is the microwave oven. Now is it possible to cook delicious Indian food in microwaves? Yes, it is very much possible to do your everyday cooking in Microwave. Unlike the conventional Indian food, microwave cooked food is low calorie. The process of cooking the food is clean and efficient. One can serve the food in the same vessel one cooked food in saving us a lot of chores and time.

Cuisine: Parsi

Prep time: 45 minutes

cook time:5 minutes

cooking Medium : Microwave Mode

Serves:2

Ingredients

• 2 whole Pomfret fish
• salt
• ¼ cup lemon juice
• 1 cup fresh coriander coarsely chopped
• 4 green chillies chopped
• ½ cup fresh grated coconut
• 2 teaspoon cumin seeds
• 6 to 8 large garlic cloves
• 1 teaspoon sugar
• curry leaves( Optional)
• 2 nos of Banana leaves

Lets learn how to make this recipe of Patra ni Machchi:

• Cut and clean the fish. you can make fillets out of it or can cook the whole fish. If using the whole fish make some cut in the body of the fish, so that the fish can absorb the marinade easily.

• Sprinkle salt and half  of the lemon juice over the fish and set aside for 30 minutes preferably in the refrigerator.

• Grind the fresh coriander, green chillies, coconut, cumin seeds, garlic to a fine paste.Add salt, sugar and the remaining lemon juice and mix well.

• Apply this marinade to the fish and set aside for at least 15 minutes in the refrigerator.

• Cut out the vein of the Banana leaf with a sharp knife after it is cleaned and washed. Fold it lightly and toss it around on the burner for a little while, till it starts to wilt a little. This will make sure that the Banana leaf is softer and easier to handle and not hard and brittle.

•  Place the marinated fish in the center of each banana leaf and smear rest of  the chutney on them.Fold in the ends to make a parcel.

•  Place the fish parcels on a greased Microwave safe platter. Pour some water in another microwave safe dish which is larger than the one with the fish in it. Place the dish with fish parcel in them and microwave at 900W for five minutes.

• At this point you will see the  banana leaves turning light brown.Serve immediately with a steamed bowl of hot rice.

• Do not open the parcels while serving. Let the person eat by opening them.

Sending this recipe to 30th Foodie Monday BlogHop theme of Microwave cooking....

You can also see other Fish recipes like:

MASOR TENGA (TANGY FISH CURRY)

DAHI MACHA- FISH COOKED IN RICH YOGHURT AND MUSTARD PASTE