Thideer Puli Rasam

Ingredients:

Tamarind - 1/2 lemon size or 1/4 tsp of paste
Onion - 1 tsp - chopped
curry leaves - few
Green chilli - 1 - cut them into pieces
Turmeric powder - 1/4 tsp
Hing - A pinch
Salt - 1/4 tsp
Mustard seeds - 1/4 tsp
Oil - 2 tsp

Method:

1. Soak tamarind in 1/2 cup of water and extract the juice, filter it and keep aside.
2. Heat oil in a pan, splutter mustard seeds, add onion, curry leaves and fry until golden brown in onion.
3. Add tamarind juice, turmeric powder, hing and salt.
4. Let it boil for 10 mins. Do not let it too thick as you prepare for puliogare. It should be thin.

Notes and Secrets:

-> It will be very sour, so add very little to rice and have. But it'll taste good.
-> If you are planning to take this out, say lunch, add a tsp of oil more. So that rice wont become dry. (see pic)
-> It will stay for 2 - 3 days. Pappad, vadam, chips suits this dish.

Fish fry - 2

Ingredients:

Fish(any kind) - 1 lb or 1/2 kg
Turmeric powder - 1/4 tsp
Chilli powder - 1/2 tsp or as per need
Tomato - 1 (let it be juicy)
Salt - 1/4 tsp or as per need
Oil - 1/4 cup

Method:

1. Clean fish, add turmeric powder, chilli powder and salt. Squeeze the tomato using hands, so that only juice comes out and not the flesh and skin. No matter if seeds are there.
2. Mix well using hand and let it for 30 min - 1 hour.
3. Heat oil in a kadai/dosai pan, add fish (2 or one at a time)
4. Let it cook well. Turn it, so that the other side also cook well.
5. Cook until you see brown color. (see picture)

Notes and Secrets:

-> Add salt and chilli powder little more(very little), so that after frying also everything remains perfect. Do not add more at the beginning, fry a fish, taste it, if needed add more salt and chilli powder. Stick to the recipe to get the perfect taste.
-> If you feel its bitter add a little salt and chilli powder.

Fish Kozhambu/Curry

Ingredients:

Fish(any kind) - 1 lb or 1/2 kg
Tamarind - A lemon size
Onion - 1 - chopped
Tomato - 1 chopped
Grated coconut paste - 3 tsp
Turmeric powder - 1/4 tsp
Chilli powder - 1/2 tsp
salt - 1/2 tsp
Fenugreek seeds - few, say, less than 1/4 tsp
Curry leaves - few
Oil - 5 tsp(2 tsp more if you prefer)

Method:

1. Clean fish, drain water completely and keep it aside.
2. Soak tamarind in a cup of water and extract juice, filter and keep it aside.
3. Heat oil in a pan, splutter fenugreek seeds, add onion and curry leaves.
4. Fry until golden brown in onion, then add chopped tomato and fry until oil gets separated.
5. Add turmeric powder, chilli powder and salt and stir once.
6. Add tamarind juice now and coconut paste and add 1/2 cup of water.
7. Let it boil for 5 mins, then add fish one by one and close the lid. Let it boil for 5 mins. (Note: Do not add fish at the beginning, it gets cooked faster and will break or melt if boiled more.)
8. Check for salt and now its ready.

Notes and Secrets:

-> Fish curry is healthier than fish fry. But taste wise the reverse.
-> People have dry skin can have more fish, be careful that eat the fish that have less or no mercury content. Mercury do some hormone changes in our body.
-> Don't serve it hot, leave it for 4 hours. So that fish gets soaked well with all ingredients in curry and taste ....taste....Yummy! Yummy!
-> Do not add much coconut to fish curry, because actual taste may get varied.
-> Neimeen(Gheefish), is the best for kuzhambu/curry. If you use this fish, reduce the amount of oil as the fish lets out oil while cooking.