Prawns Balchao Pickle Recipe

Prawns pickle is one of the most popular dishes of East Indian Cooking. It is easily avaiable at retail stores or East Indian stores. But cooking this recipe at home is just wonderful. It can be prepared easily and can be stored in the refrigerator for months.

Ingredients for Prawns Balchao Pickle Recipe:

Prawns - 500 gm
Onion - 1, chopped
Tomato - 2, finely chopped
Garlic - 10 flakes, chopped
Ginger - 5 gm
Dry red chilies - 5 to 7
Garam Masala Powder - 1 tbsp
Vinegar - 3 tbsp
Curry leaves - 1 sprig
Salt, as required
Oil - 2 tbsp

Method for Prawns Balchao Pickle Recipe:

Grind dry red chilies along with ginger, garam masala powder and vinegar.

Heat oil, saute garlic and onions. Drop in the ground paste and continue to saute.

Add the chopped tomatoes and cook on low flame until it is mixed well and homogeneous. Keep adding little water in intervals.

Add prawns and salt. Cook till done.

Indian Crab Curry Recipe

Ingredients for Indian Crab Curry Recipe:

Crabs - 4 medium sized
Onion - 3
Tomato - 2, finely chopped
Kashmiri red chilies - 3 to 4
Fresh coconut - 1 cup
Tamarind paste - 1 tbsp
Coriander powder - 2 tsp
Turmeric powder - 1/2 tsp
Ginger - 1" inch
Garlic - 5 to 6 flakes
Cumin seeds - 1 tsp
Cinnamon stick - small piece
Oil - 3 tbsp
Salt, as required

Method for Indian Crab Curry Recipe:

Wash and clean crab. Pull off the top shell, discard the stomach bag. Discard the greyish white fingers. Wash and clean them again.

Grind coconut along with red chilies, coriander powder, turmeric, garlic, cumin seeds, onion and cinnamon to fine paste. (Add little water if required).

Heat oil and fry the ground paste. Add the crabs and continue to fry.

Add chopped tomatoes and salt. Stir and continue to cook.

Add tamarind paste and mix well. Cook for few more minutes and check the seasoning.

Serve hot.

Indian Masala Lobster Curry Recipe

Ingredients for Indian Masala Lobster Curry Recipe:

Lobsters - 4 large, live
Tomato - 4, chopped
Onion - 2 large, finely chopped
Tamarind paste - 1 tsp
Coriander powder - 1 tsp
Chili powder - 1 tsp
Turmeric - 1/2 tsp
Vinegar - 1 tbsp
Cumin seeds - 1 tsp
Cloves - 4
Ginger - 1 tsp, finely chopped
Salt, as required
Oil - 2 tbsp

Method for Indian Masala Lobster Curry Recipe:

Boil live lobsters. Once done set aside. Remove the meat from shells.

Dry roast coriander powder, cumin seeds, cloves, turmeric, chili powder and grind along with vinegar.

Heat oil, drop in chopped onions and ginger, saute. Add the ground paste and lobster meat. Fry for a few minutes.

Add water enough for desired gravy. Add salt, and finely chopped tomatoes. Cook.

Finally add tamarind paste. Check the seasoning and remove from heat.

Serve hot.

Fish Roe Patties Recipe

Fish Roe Patties 

Ingredients for Fish Roe Patties Recipe: 

Potaotes - 2 large
Cornflour - 2 tbsp
Fish roe - 2 cups
Egg - 1
Onion - 1, chopped
Bread crumbs, as required
Pepper, as required
Salt, as required

Method for Fish Roe Patties Recipe:

Boil and mash potatoes.

Steam fish roe, and when cool add it to the mashed potaotes.

Add to it cornflour, salt, pepper, chopped onion. Mix well.

Heat oil in non-stick pan. Scoop out spoonful of the Fish Roe Patties recipe mixture and press it well in a plate of bread crumbs.

Place this in the hot non-stick pan, and shallow fry till done. Do the same with the rest of the patties.

Tip: If you find the fish roe - potato mixture too stiff, try adding some milk and mix well. If the mixture gets too thin then drop in some bread crumbs.

Prawns in White Butter Sauce Recipe

Ingredients for Prawns in White Butter Sauce Recipe: 

Prawns - 150 gm, cleaned and de-veined
Garlic - 5 flakes, finely chopped
Cherry tomatoes - 4 to 5, halved
Butter - 1 tbsp
White wine - 3 tbsp
Salt, as required
Pepper, as required

Method for Prawns in White Butter Sauce Recipe:

Heat the butter, and add the garlic. Saute.

Add to this prawns and continue to saute.

Add the cherry tomatoes and the white wine. Cook and reduce the wine by 25%.

Add salt and pepper. Serve hot with steamed rice.

Doi Maach Recipe

Doi Maach is a Bengali Fish Preparation and is very easy to make.

Ingredients for Doi Maach Recipe:

Rohu Fish - 500 gm, cut into 1" thick pieces
Curd - 250 gm
Onions - 2, ground to paste
Ginger paste - 1 tbsp
Cinnamon - 3 small sticks
Cloves - 4
Cardamom - 4
Bay leaves - 2
Turmeric - 1 tsp
Green chilies - 2 no, chopped
Coriander leaves - 1 tbsp, chopped
Ghee - 1 tsp
Oil - 2 tbsp
Sugar - 2 tsp
Salt, as required

Method for Doi Maach Recipe:

Rub the fish with salt, turmeric. Fry in oil, from both sides until half done.

Heat ghee in a pan. Add to this cinnamon stick, cardamom, bay leaves and cloves. Saute and then add to this onions along with ginger and turmeric.

Fry this until golden brown. Add to this curd and salt.

Mix well and as soon as the mixture boils ass green chilies and fish.

Simmer the mixture for few minutes. Garnish with chopped coriander and serve with rice.

Salted Egg Dip Recipe

Salted egg dip goes well with fried fish as well as grilled fish when served along with vegetables. Here's how to make Salted Egg Dip Recipe.

Ingredients for Salted Egg Dip Recipe:

Garlic - 3 flakes
Red chillies - 4
Eggs - 2, hard boiled
Lime juice - 2 tbsp
Fish sauce - 1/2 tbsp
Salt, as required
Sugar - 1 tsp

Method for Salted Egg Dip Recipe:

Firstly pound the chillies as well as garlic together until well blend.

Add eggs and salt and continue to pound well.

Season it with lime juice, fish sauce and sugar and mix well.

Serve immediately.

Crab Jhal Recipe: Crabs cooked in Bengali Style

Ingredients for Crab Jhal Recipe: 

Crab - 1, big, cut into pieces
Onions - 250 gm, ground to fine paste
Ginger paste - 2"
Green chilies - 3
Turmeric - 1 tsp
Mustard paste- 2 tsp
Mustard oil - 50 ml
Salt, as required

Recipe for Crab Jhal Recipe:

Heat oil in a pan. Add turmeric and crab pieces. Add salt and fry for a minute. Drain and keep aside for a while.

Heat another pan and add oil. Add onion paste and saute till golden brown.

Add to this ginger paste, mustard paste and stir. Add crabs and saute over a high heat for 7 minutes.

Add salt, chopped green chillies and enough water to cover the crabs.

Cover and cook until crabs are well cooked.

Serve hot with rice.

Seafood and Vegetable Tempura Recipe

  This Japanese style batter fried seafood and vegetables tastes really yummy but there are two secrets to this dish a success. First you need to do is use a use a light, lumpy, thin and cold batter. Second fry the vegetables and seafood right when you are about to serve. Once they go cold they go soft. Also while making vegetable tempura, do see that you use at least three to four different vegetable variety.

Ingredients for  Seafood and Vegetable Tempura Recipe:

Fish fillet - 1 whole pomfret or salmon, cut into thick fillets
Large Prawns or shrimps - 250 gm
Carrots - 2, cut into long slices
Eggplant - 1, cut into long thick slices
Mushrooms - 8, large ones cut into half
Sweet potato - 1, peeled and diced into round yet thick slices
Oil, for frying

Ingredients for Tempura batter:

Corn flour - 200 gm
Baking soda - 1/4 tsp
Ice cold water - 1 cup
Egg - 1
Salt, as required

Ingredients for tempura dipping sauce:

Chicken broth - 1 cup
Soya sauce - 1/4 cup

Method for tempura batter:

In a bowl, add egg, cold water, baking powder and salt. Mix well.

Add to this 1 cup cornflour and continue mixing.

Allow the batter to be little lumpy.

Add the remaining cornflour and stir well the mixture with the help of a fork. Don't be too hard with the batter.

Till you prepare the vegetables keep the batter bowl in bowl of ice.

Method for Tempura dipping sauce:

Mix the chicken broth with soya sauce well. Keep aside.

Method for Seafood and Vegetable Tempura recipe:

Heat oil to boiling point.

Dip the vegetables and seafood into the batter one at a time. Allow excess batter to drip off.

Don't crowd the pan and fry the vegetables and seafood until crisp and golden.

Drain well before serving.

Serve hot immediately with the tempura dipping sauce.

Fried Prawns in Shells Recipe

Ingredients for Fried Prawns in Shells Recipe:

Large prawns with shells - 1 cup
Oil - 1 cup
Ginger - 3 tsp, julienned
Rice wine - 1 tbsp
Soya sauce - 2 tsp
Sugar - 1/2 tsp
Salt, as required

Method for Fried Prawns in Shells:

Wash the prawns and keep the shells intact. Slit the shell and de-vein them.

Marinate the prawns with ginger, soya sauce, salt, sugar and rice wine.

Heat oil in a pan. Add the marinated prawns and fry till done.

Serve hot.

Crab Meat With Rice Recipe

Ingredients for Crab Meat with Rice Recipe: 

Crabs - 4, large
Rice - 5 cups, boiled
Mayonnaise - 60 ml
Parsley - 2 sprigs
Lemon juice - 1 tbsp
Salt, as required

Method for Crab Meat with Rice Recipe:

Boil the crabs. Remove the crab meat and set aside the crab shells for later use.

Mix the crab meat with mayonnaise, salt, pepper and lemon juice.

Fill half of the crab shells with rice mixed with parsley.

Place the crab meat mixture on the rice.

Serve.

Bisque Recipe

Ingredients for Bisque Recipe:

Shellfish - 450 gm
Tomato - 2 medium, chopped
Flour - 15 gm
Onion - 1, sliced
Carrot - 1, chopped
Peppercorns - 1 tsp
Parsley - 4 sprigs
Butter - 30 gm
Bay leaves - 2
Cognac - 30 ml
Fish stock - 75 ml
Salt, as required

Method for Bisque Recipe:

Clean and wash the shellfish.

In a pan heat butter. Add to this onions and saute. Add carrots and tomatoes and continue to saute.

Add the bay leaves, peppercorns, parsley and shellfish. Saute.

Add cognac and flambe.

Add flour and continue to saute.

Add the fish stock and allow the mixture to simmer for at least 30 minutes.

Remove from heat and allow it to cool.

Strain.

Reheat the strained liquid.

Garnish the bisque with pieces of boiled shell fish.

Recommended fish garnishes: Boiled lobster meat, Boiled crab meat

Lobster Thermidor Recipe

Ingredients for Lobster Thermidor Recipe:


Lobsters - 4 no
Shallots - 2 no
Cream sauce - 850 gm
Cheese - 60 gm
Mustard - 5 gm
Parsley - 3 sprigs
Butter - 225 gm
Oil - 30 ml,
Salt, as required
Pepper, as required

Method for Lobster Thermidor Recipe:


Boil lobsters and cut them lengthwise into two. Keep the shelves for later use.

Dice the meat and mix with mustard, chopped shallots, chopped parsley and butter. Add salt and pepper.

Add to this cream sauce and mix well.

Stuff this mixture into the lobster shells. Sprinkle cheese on the top and bake till golden brown.

Please note: For making cream sauce, add 2 tbsp cream to 4 tbsp white sauce.

Chili Garlic Shrimps Recipe

Ingredients for Chili Garlic Shrimps Recipe:

Shrimps - 500 gm, de-veined
Garlic - 6 cloves
Lemon juice - 3 tbsp
Red chili - 1, chopped
Ginger - 10 gm
Sugar - 2 tsp
Soy sauce - 15 ml
Vegetable oil - 15 ml
Sesame oil - 1  tsp
Lemon juice - 10 ml
Coriander, for garnishing
Salt, as required

Method for Chili Garlic Shrimps Recipe:

Pound ginger, garlic, chili and sugar to fine paste.

Mix this paste with soy sauce, sesame oil, lime juice and salt to prepare the marinade.

Marinade the shrimps in this mixture for at least an hour.

Heat the vegetable oil in a wok and saute the marinated shrimps in it for 5 minutes or till done.

Garnish with coriander and serve hot.

Fried Pomfret - II

Fried Pomfret with Semolina and Rice flour

Ingredients for Fried Pomfret Recipe:

Pomfret - 1 big size, around 500 gm
Ginger - 1"
Garlic - 10 - 12 flakes
Coriander - half cup
Turmeric powder - 1/2 tsp
Red chili powder - 1 tsp
Garam Masala Powder - 1/2 tsp
Semolina - 1 tbsp
Rice flour - 1 tbsp
Salt, as required

Method for Fried Pomfret Recipe:

Finely grind garlic, ginger and coriander to a fine paste. Wash the pomfret and cut into thin slices. Apply the ground masala to the pomfret, along with the red chili powder, salt,  garam masala powder and turmeric powder. Marinate the pomfret  for at least half an hour. ,mix semolina with rice flour in a plate.

Coat the pomfret with this semolina - rice flour mixture and shallow fry in a non-stick pan until done from both sides. Serve hot.

Tip: The same masala can be applied to any fish like Surmai (King Fish), Ravas (Indian Salmon) or any other white flesh fish and shallow fried in the similar manner. Goes well with Sol Kadhi and hot rice.

Fried Pomfret Recipe - 1

Fried Pomfret

Ingredients for Fried Pomfret Recipe:

Pomfret - 1, big size weighing around 500 gms
Lemon juice - 1 tbsp
Salt, as required
Turmeric powder - 1/2 tsp
Red chili powder - 1 tsp
Garam Masala Powder - 1 tsp
Black pepper powder - 1 pinch
Oil, for frying

Method for Fried Pomfret Recipe:

Wash the pomfret and cut into thin slices. Rub gently salt, lemon juice, turmeric powder, red chili powder, garam masala powder and set aside. Heat oil in a deep fry pan. Fry the pomfret slices golden brown. Sprinkle black pepper powder over it and serve hot.

Tip: Pomfret can be fried in many styles, as there are different Indian styles for frying fish. You can either fry them directly as done above or coat with semolina, Rice flour, bread crumbs, eggs and many more other items. This above mentioned style is a simple way of frying fish. Serve hot as a starter with sliced onions and lemon wedges.

Prawns Crispy Recipe

Prawns Crispy

Ingredients for Prawns Crispy Recipe:

Prawns - 1 cup, cleaned and de-veined
Egg - 1
Cornflour - 1 tbsp
Maida (refined flour) - 1/2 tbsp
Sesame seeds (til) - 1 cup
Garlic - 1 tsp, chopped
Ginger - 1 tsp, chopped
Green chili - 1 tsp, chopped
Chaat masala, as required
Oil, for deep frying

Method for Prawns Crispy Recipe:

In a bowl, mix the cleaned prawns with chopped garlic, chopped ginger, chopped green chili, egg, cornflour, maida and chaat masala. Mix well. Marinate the prawns in this mixture for around 20 minutes.

Coat each prawn with sesame seeds. Deep fry in hot oil.

 Serve hot.

Tip: For coating the prawns with sesame seeds, take sesame seeds in a plate, roll each prawns over the seeds and they get coated well. Now for people who don't prefer sesame seeds, can try using bread crumbs. Breadcrumbs is an good substitute for sesame seeds in this recipe. Serve hot with nice dip or sauce.

Chili Garlic Crabs Recipe

Chili Garlic Crabs

Ingredients for Chili Garlic Crabs Recipe:

Crabs - 2, big and live
Garlic - 16 cloves, chopped fine
Tomato Ketchup - 2 tbsp
Red Chili powder - 2 tsp
Chicken Stock - 1 and half cup
Sugar - 1 tsp
Vinegar - 1 tsp
Salt, as required
Egg - 1
Spring onions - 2, chopped fine
Cornstarch - 2 tbsp, mixed in little water
Oil, for frying

Method for Chili Garlic Crabs Recipe:

For preparing Chili Garlic Crabs, heat oil in a deep pan. Deep fry the live crabs for a minute and remove on an absorbent paper. Set aside.

In an other wok, heat oil (you can use same oil though) add chopped garlic and saute. Add the tomato ketchup and red chili paste. Mix well.

Add the chicken stock and salt to it. Later on continue adding cornstarch. Boil till the gravy thickens. Do keep stirring continuously. Add sugar and stir.

Whip the egg in a bowl. Add vinegar and spring onion to it. Slowly pour the beaten egg in the wok. Keep stirring.

Serving Tips: Place the fried crabs each in a separate serving plate. Pour the hot sauce over it. Garnish with some spring onion twigs.  Serve Hot.