Sannas

Ingredients
250 grams rice
1 coconut 3/4 bottle toddy (sap of coconut palm)
salt and sugar to taste

Method
Wash the rice and soak overnight. Drain then grind the rice finely with some of
the toddy.

Grate and then finely grind the coconut. Mix the rice, coconut, 1/2 tsp salt and about 4 Tsp (or more) sugar.

Add enough toddy to make a thick batter. Cover and keep in a warm place for
about 3 hours until batter doubles in quantity.

Pour batter into saucers or idli moulds and steam for 20 minutes.

To check if the sannas are done, pierce with a knife. If the knife comes out clean then the sannas are done.

Fish Curry

Ingredients
1 Pomfret or other white fish, cleaned and cut into steaks.
1 coconut, grated
1/2 tsp cumin seeds
4 cloves garlic
a marble sized ball of tamarind mixed in 1 cup of water or equivalent of
‘instant’ e.g Tamcon
4 green chilies, slit lengthways
1 onion sliced
1 inch piece ginger, finely chopped
6 dry red chilies
1 inch piece turmeric (or 1 tsp ground)
1 raw mango, cubed
1 lemon salt to taste

Method
Sprinkle lemon juice and salt onto fish
and marinade for an hour or so. Grind the coconut, dry chilies, cumin
seeds and garlic together. Mix the onion, ginger and green chilis and
mash with the turmeric. Add the chopped mango. Add the ground masala and
1 cup of water. Simmer slowly for 10 minutes. Add fish and cook slowly
until the fish is done. Serve with plain boiled rice.

Lime chutney

Ingredients
12 limes
2 pods garlic
4 inch piece ginger
8 green chilies
1 Tsp chili powder
12 Tsp sugar
1 cup vinegar

Method
Clean the limes and chop into smallish pieces, removing the seeds. Keep any lime
juice that collects whilst chopping.

Finely slice the garlic, ginger and chilies.

Mix together all the ingredients except the vinegar.

Cook over a low heat until mixture is thick. Add the vinegar and simmer for 5 minutes.

Cool and bottle. Eat after 3-4 weeks.

Sorpotel II

Ingredients
1kg pork
1/4kg pigs liver
3 green chilies, finely chopped
2 inch piece of ginger, finely chopped
20 cloves of garlic, finely chopped
15 dried red Kashmiri chilies
1 tsp peppercorns
1 tsp cumin seeds
2 tsp coriander seeds, dry roasted
1 tsp turmeric
a marble sized ball of tamarind mixed in 1 cup of water or equivalent of
‘instant’ e.g Tamcon
vinegar,
salt to taste

Method
Boil the meat with 2 cups of water until liquid reduces by half. Reserve the
boiling liquid.

Cool then cut the meat into cubes. Fry in a little oil until brown. Add the green chilies, garlic and ginger.

Grind together the dried chilies, peppercorns, cumin and coriander with a little vinegar, add the tamarind to this mixture. Add this masala to the meat and fry for a few minutes.

Add the reserved boiling liquid, salt, tamarind and vinegar. Simmer, covered until the meat is tender.

Fofos (Fish rolls)

Ingredients
1 lb. any fleshy fish
3 potatoes, boiled and mashed
1 level tsp turmeric
1 tsp chili powder
1/2 tsp ground pepper juice of
1 lime
2 Tsp fish stock
1 egg, beaten well breadcrumbs
oil for frying

Method
Clean and boil the fish in lightly salted water. Remove bones (if any) and mash
together with the potatoes,chili powder, turmeric and pepper. Add enough
lime juice and stock to moisten. Add salt if required. Form into oval rolls,
dip in the egg then coat with breadcrumbs. Deep fry until golden. A similar
dish called bombils may be made using the above method. Here bombay duck,
soaked for 1 hour and then de-boned and mashed, is used instead of the fresh
fish.

Balchao (prawn preserve)

Many Asian countries have a balchao type preserve. It is used either
in the preparation of other dishes ;- see Balchao de peixe (fish balchao)
and Balchao de porco (pork balchao), or served as an accompaniment to other
dishes. For a fresh balchao, i.e. one you are not going to bottle

Ingredients
:
1/4 Kg prawns (shelled)
1tsp cumin seeds
1tsp peppercorns
10 Kashmiri chilies
vinegar to taste
1 tsp ground turmeric
2 cups oil
4 medium onions, minced
handful of curry leaves
1 inch piece of ginger, finely chopped
3 heads of garlic, finely chopped
4 green chilies, seeded and chopped
salt to taste

Method
Grind together the cumin, peppercorns and chilies with the vinegar.
Mix in the turmeric. Fry the onions in the oil until all the water have
gone. Add the prawns, masala, curry leaves, garlic, ginger and green chilies.
Simmer for 10 minutes or so.

Sorpotel I

Sorpotel is a dish served at festivals. It is served with sannas, a type of rice
bread. I have included the recipe for sannas, even though you will not be able to make it – it uses the sap of the coconut palm (toddy) as the source of yeast.

Ingredients
1kg pork
1/2kg pork liver and heart
1 cup pork blood mixed with 1/2 cup coconut vinegar
1/4 bottle of coconut vinegar small ball of tamarind, soaked in a cup of water 1
whole head of
garlic, finely chopped 2 inch piece of ginger, finely chopped 3 onions, finely
chopped 4 green
chilies, finely chopped
salt to taste
Masala – grind the following into a paste with a little vinegar 20 dry chilies
1 teaspoon cumin seeds 6 cloves 1 tsp tumeric 10 peppercorns 1 inch piece cinammon bark

Method
Wash and boil the uncut pork, liver and heart.

Cool and cube into small pieces then brown in a little pork fat, remove and set aside. Add ginger, garlic and onions and fry until onions change colour.

Add masala and stir and fry for a minute or so then return meat to pan along
with the tamarind and some of the vinegar if more liquid is required. Cook on a low heat for 1- 1 1/2 hours until meat is tender.

Add the chilies and blood (which may require a good stir prior to adding T.H.), cook for another ten minutes or so. Better eaten the next day re-heated!

Caril de tomato (Tomato and prawn curry)

Ingredients
1 lb. red tomatoes
1 inch piece turmeric (1tsp ground)
8 peppercorns
3 cloves
1/2 tsp cumin
1 lb. fresh uncooked prawns, cleaned and shelled
1 coconut
2 large onions, finely sliced
1 inch piece of ginger, finely sliced
4 cloves garlic, finely sliced
2 green chilies, finely sliced

Method
Skin and chop the tomatoes then pass through a sieve to remove seeds. Grind
together the turmeric, peppercorns, cloves and cumin. Extract a thick
and thin milk from the coconut. Fry the onion, ginger, garlic and chilies
in a little oil until onions are slightly brown. Add spice mix and fry
for 30 second or so. Add the prawns (if using cooked prawns add at the
end of the cooking) and fry for a few minutes. Add the tomato juice and
cook for 5 minutes. Add the thin coconut milk and cook for 5 minutes. Add
the thick coconut milk and cook until the sauce is thick. Serve with rice.

Note : I was told this may be served with roasted dried prawns, never got
to try them though.

Lime Pickle

Ingredients
30 limes
4 Tsp dried red Kashmiri chilies
2 Tsp turmeric
2 Tsp cumin seeds
handful curry leaves
2 1/2 cups vinegar
2 Tsp mustard seeds
4 whole heads garlic
5 inch piece ginger
10 green chilies
4 Tsp sugar
2 Tsp salt
2 cups oil

Method
Cut the limes into quarters, salt and keep, covered for 3-4 days.

Grind together the chilies, turmeric, cumin and mustard.

Peel the garlic but keep cloves whole.

Slice the ginger.

Heat the oil in a large pan.

Add the garlic, ginger and curry leaves and cook until the garlic has browned slightly.

Add the ground spices and chopped green chilies. Cook for a minute or so and
then add the vinegar.

Wash the limes in a little vinegar and add to the pan along with the
sugar. Bring to the boil and cook for 15-20 minutes over a low heat. Cool and bottle. Eat after 3-4 weeks.

Pork Vindaloo IV

Ingredients
Pork Vindaloo IV
Servings: 6
2 tsp whole cumin seeds
2 Hot, dried red chilies
1 tsp black pepper corns
1 tsp cardamom seeds
3 In stick cinnamon
1 1/2 ts black mustard seeds
1 tsp fenugreek seeds
5 Tsp white wine vinegar
1 1/2 ts salt
1 Tsp brown sugar
5 Tsp vegetable oil
2 Medium onions cut into rings
1 1/3 c water
2 lb pork cut into 1″ cubes
1 One in cube ginger chopped
8 Cloves garlic peeled
1 Tsp ground coriander seeds
1/2 tsp turmeric

Method
Grind cumin seeds, red chilies, peppercorns, cardamom seeds, cinnamon, black
mustard seeds and fenugreek seeds in a coffee-grinder or other spice grinder. Put the ground spices in a bowl.

Add the vinegar, salt and sugar. Mix and set aside. Heat the oil in a wide, heavy pot over a medium flame.

Put in the onions. Fry, stirring frequently, until the onions turn brown and
crisp. Remove the onions with a slotted spoon and put them into the container of an electric blender or food processor. (Turn off the heat.)

Add 2-3 Tsp. of water to the blender and puree the onions.

Add this puree to the ground spices in the bowl. (This is the vindaloo paste. It may be made ahead of time and frozen.)

Dry off the meat cubes with a paper towel and remove large pieces of
fat, if any.

Put the ginger and garlic into the container of an electric blender.