We were not fish eaters until two generations back. Now, even though we like fish, we never liked the dried fish because of distinct and strong smell. Dried mackerel, shark, prawns etc are very popular among people here. Few years ago, somebody told me that dried dhandshi or bhobshi (Konkani names for two varieties of small fishes) could be stored for rainy season to be used for curry when fresh fish is not available. I tried it once and all of us liked the curry with mangos in summer. We usually remove the heads and tails before storing them, this helps reducing the smell a bit.
Ingredients: 1 cup dhandshi or bhobshi or any other small dried fish (heads and tails removed ) 1 cup fresh/frozen coconut 7-8 red chillies 1 tea spn coriander seeds 1/2 cup chopped onion 5-6 ripe mangoes (I use local variety) Oil Salt
Method: Wash the dried fish in water and immerse them in water for about fifteen minutes. Heat a little oil and add coriander seeds. Grind coconut with red chillies and fried coriander seeds to a smooth paste. Fry the chopped onion with oil till the pieces get brown in colour. Add the water immersed fish (after squeezing out the water) to the fried onion and add one cup of water, cook. Add the mangos (after removing the skin) and cook for two more minutes. Add the ground masala and salt. Cook for 3-4 minutes. Serve with rice.
Serves : 3-4 Preparation time : 20mins
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These days my cooking has been limited to very basic and easy dishes. As any moms with a year old toddler would agree with me, I hardly have any free time on hands. I try my best to make fresh lunch and dinner every day. Most of the dishes on the menu are decided based on what Ishaan likes to eat. The hardest part for me so far has been deciding his lunch. It has to be fresh, healthy and also something he can eat by himself. Most of the days I end up making some pasta or noodles dish. I try to sneak in as many vegetables as possible. This is one such dish which he really loves. This is actually one of my favorite lunchbox item too.
Ingredients: 1/2 pack spaghetti (I normally use wheat spaghetti) 2 tomatoes 1/2 cup onion 1/2 cup carrots 1/2 cup red bellpepper Olive oil/butter Black pepper (according to taste) Salt
Method: Cook spaghetti in salted water according to package instructions. Blanch the tomatoes in hot water for few minutes. I just add the tomatoes to the pot in which I cook spaghetti for a few minutes. Then take out the tomatoes. Heat oil or butter and add onions, carrots, red bellpepper. Cook on a medium heat till the vegetables are soft. With a spoon, take out half the amount of this vegetable mix and grind it with tomatoes to a smooth paste. Add the paste and spaghetti to remaining vegetable mix. Add salt and black pepper. Cook for a min and serve hot.
Serves : 2 Preparation time : 30mins
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