Spicy Fish Biriyani

Thought of trying Fish Biriyani for a while now. My sis in law who lives in Chicago makes this and I first had a taste of this, like 8 years ago. Talk about procrastinating! The hubby loves the usual Chicken Biriyani so I never really thought of trying anything new. But I gave it try yesterday and it turned out rather well. ;)

Ingredients
For the Marinade
Fish fillets- 1.5 lb
Yogurt-2 tbsp
Chilly powder-1 tsp
Coriander powder-1/2 tsp
Jeera powder-1/2 tsp
Salt-as needed
Black pepper powder-1/2 tsp

For the Rice
Basmati rice-3 cups (soaked for 15 min)
Whole spices (Cardamom, Cinnamon stick, Black peppercorns, Cloves)
Water
Salt-as needed

Onions thinly sliced-2
Tomato-1 chopped
Ginger Garlic paste-1 tsp
Biriyani masala- 2 tbsp (I used Shan Bombay Biriyani)
Oil

Directions
1.Clean the fillets of fish and marinade with the marinade ingredients for a few hours and refrigerate.
2.Then shallow fry them 5 minutes on each side.
3.For the rice you can boil a pot of water with whole spices and salt.
4.Add the drained rice and cook covered for about 10-15 minutes until done. Then drain excess water and set aside.
5.In a pan sauté the onion along with the ginger garlic paste. Once browned add the tomatoes and the Biriyani masala.
6. Once all cooked and nicely browned you add the fried fish pieces and coat with the masala.
7.Lastly layer the cooked rice with fish masala and garnish with fried onions and coriander leaves.
8.Serve with a side of raita, pappadam and lemon pickle.

Parippu Vada

Happy New Year! It's almost the end of January and I didn't seem to get any time to update. Lame excuse, I know!!! Thought I'd start the year with a a very down to earth Malayalee snack "Parippu Vada".
Parippu vada is basically a Kerala style lentil fritter. A lot of you from Kerala remember this an evening snack. And if you have travelled by the Indian Railway who doesn't remember those station vendors with hot tea and vadas. One of the perks of travelling by train. This was my first attempt at this yummy snack. My mom had taught me the recipe when she spent the summer with us and I thought I'd give it a try today. Being so cold out, it's nice for the hubby to come home to some hot vadas!

Ingredients
Vada Parippu ( Yellow split peas)-2/3 cup
Onion-1/2 finely diced (Shallots would be a better choice, didn't have any on hand)
Dried red chilly-2 finely chopped
Ginger-1 tbsp finely diced
Curry leaves-5/6 thinly cut
Salt-as needed
Asafoetida-1/4 tsp
Oil-for frying

Directions
1.Wash and soak the lentils in just enough water to cover then and let it soak for about 2 hours.
2.Then drain all the water and place them in a grinder and grind (making sure not to add any water) and grind them in batches too.
3. To the mixture add the onion, ginger, dried chilly, curry leaves, salt and asafoetida.
4. Mix well with your hand, taste and form into thin patties.
5. Make sure they are not too thick in the center or else they'll be raw in the middle.
6. In small batches fry the vadas and enjoy warm.
Don't forget a nice hot masala chai to complete the experience. Happy Snacking!