Prawn / Fish Curry

My friends , a set of enthusiastic twins , often experiment with food. They cook, try out new restaurants, post their reviews , offer suggestions. They are our go to guys for restaurant recommendations. They absolutely adore coastal cuisine. So from Goa, to malvan and coastal Maharashtra , they try to recreate the food they have eaten on their trips. Here is a favourite from their kitchen 
Ingredients
1 lemon, quartered
or 500 gms prawns / 2 medium sized fish, (any with firm white flesh, boneless and cut either into pieces or long slices) 
A pinch of salt


For the Masala:
1/2 tsp cumin seeds
1/2 tsp turmeric powder
4 flakes garlic
8 Kashmiri red chillies
1 Tbsp coriander seeds
1 coconut, grated
1 1/2 inch lump tamarind, soaked in water
1/2 cup water
1 onion, finely sliced
2 green chillies, sliced


Method
Marinate the  prawns/ fish in salt and lime (half a lime) juice for 10 minutes.
Grind all the masalas togethar. Add a little bit of water to adjust the consistency.
Add the onions and green chillies to the masala and place the pan over the flame.
Keep the masala over the flame for about 10 minutes (two boils).
Once done, add the marinated fish to this masala.
Cook till one boil. (In case you use fish with bone cook up till two or three boils)
Serve hot.
Tastes best with unpolished Goan rice.

Green Coconut Chutney

Throughout the coastal belt of India, coconut is used in everyday cooking. Coconut is also allowed during fasting days, hence it finds its way into Phalahari or Farali cooking on special days like Janmashtami, Navratri, Sankashti, Ekadashi and menus for the fasting Mondays in Shravan.
This chutney is devoid of garlic and yet is tasty and creamy.

1 cup of freshly grated coconut, 2 green chillies , 2-3 tbsp chopped coriander, rock salt or common table salt. Grind to a smooth paste.
Other variations : you can add 2 tbsp chopped raw mango when available . It makes the chutney amazingly tangy. You can heat a tbsp oil and add mustard seeds and curry leaves. Thin down the chutney to a thick curry consistency and add the tempering.

This chutney goes well with Batata Vada, Vada Pav, Idli, Dosa, Uttapam, Upma , Dhokla, Patra/ Allu Vadi

Manngane

Saraswat cooking is light except for the liberal use of coconuts.Most Saraswats are found in the coastal belt of Maharashtra, Goa, Karnataka and Kerala.Due to the abundance of coconuts , they have based their cuisine on coconuts. Coconut grated, dessicated , ground or the milk extracted from grated coconut.The richness it adds to gravies and the delicate flavour, is unmatched. Most of their sweets are coconut based. The delicate steamed Patolio, Modaks,Steamed Rice Semiyan in coconut milk, Sweet Potato Kheer and Manngane or Madgane.This is a rare sweet , but nutritious light and very different. The next time you want a dessert that is talked about try this.

1 cup Chana dal/ Bengal gram/ split chick peas ,1 cup grated jaggery,1/4 cup fresh coconut sliced and chopped into small pieces, 1 1/2 cups grated coconu,1 pinch cardamom powder,2 tbsps cashewnut pieces, 1 tbsp raisins, a pinch of salt

 Soak the chana dal in 2 cups of water for an hour, drain .Heat a tbsp of ghee,fry the channa dal, coconut pieces and raisins. Keep the cashews and  raisins aside, add 1/4 cup water to the fried chana dal and cover and cook the dal till soft but whole.Soak the grated coconut in 1 cup warm water.Grind it and squeeze the milk of the coconut.To the cooked dal and coconut pieces , add the jaggery and fried cashews. Keep on medium heat for 2-3 mins or so. Add the coconut milk and then the salt ,cardamom powder and raisins.Serve hot or cold.

Dried Shrimp Kismur

A delectable Goan delicacy, Kismur is practically a salad. Vegetarians can substitute the dried shrimp with roasted red chilli papads , crushed. A brilliant side dish with hot phulkas.

1 cup dried shrimp, 4 tbsp dessicated coconut, 1 chopped white onion, 1 chopped green chilli, 1 tsp tamarind, 1/2 tsp salt.
mix the tamarind paste with a little water. Mix with the onions, coconut and salt.
Dry roast the dried shrimp on a low heat, stirring every few seconds so as to not burn them.
Mix the shrimp with the coconut-onion mixture. Enjoy the kismur with rotis. Another spicier option is to temper the kismur . Heat a tsp oil , add mustard seeds. When they splutter add the onion and red chilli powder. take off heat immediately , add coconut, tamarind paste, salt and shrimps. You can substitute the shrimp with dry roasted , crumbled mackerel, bombay duck or prawns. Vegetarians try the spicy red chilli papad , roasted & crushed.