Thick Dry Fish Curry

In Sri Lanka dried fish is popularly consumed among the native as a snack or as a main course with rice during lunch or dinner time. It is prepared in many ways which commonly involve fried and curried. Below is the recipe for thick dry fish curry.

Ingredients

125 g sprats or hard whitish dry fish

1 ½ cups of coconut milk (½ a small coconut)

2 tablespoons of raw Mc Currie chillie powder

2 Mc Currie green chillie slices

5 red onions sliced

¼ teaspoon Mc Currie dill seeds

1 dessert spoon salt water

1 piece of Mc Currie goraka (Mashed)

2 small tomatoes wedged (optional)

1 sprig curry leaves

½ lime

 

Method

 

Separate sprat heads or cut the dry fish into approximately 1 inch pieces. Wash well. Add all the ingredients excluding lime, cover and cook while occasionally stirring. When gravy appears to be oily, add lime juice and stir. Taste for salt.

 

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Sago

What is Sago

Sago is a starch that is extracted from the pith of many tropical palm stems which include the true sago palm known as metroxylonsagu. These palms are considered the oldest palms to cultivate, thereby making it the oldest starch cultivated by man. The tropical palms belong to several Geno types which include the metrolxyn which metroxylonsago belongs to. The plant uses the sago starch stored in its trunk as a reserve food for flowering and fruiting purposes. We humans use this starch for cooking and baking purposes. According to researches, traces of sago were found on pieces of stone that were five thousand years old, and were used by ancient people of china for cooking. This shows that sago was used as a source of food for five thousand years or more.

Food    

As a food, sago is baked in to a dough and used to make dumplings or sandwich wraps. In Papua New Guinea sago is mashed with banana, wrapped in dough leaves and boiled to make sweet sago dumplings, and in Thailand it is used to make pork dumplings. In some parts of Malaysia it is fermented into a beverage and consumed as an energy source.

Other than being prepared as dough or fermented, the starch can also be processed in to pearl like orbs which closely resemble tapioca orbs. They are commonly used in soupy desserts like the Chinese Sai Mai Lo dessert and its sweetened Malaysian version. Most desserts made with Sago need to be sweetened because, like Tapioca it is bland.

Health Purposes

Sago, primarily a starch, has no health benefits because it lacks vitamins that are necessary for a healthy living. But, when consumed moderately could be used for diet purposes due to its lack of fats. Like any starch, when consumed excessively, the body will convert the excess sago in to fat.

Small Prawns Devilled Curry

 Sri Lanka is an island that is well known for its seafood curry dishes. Small Prawns deviled curry is one of the most popular seafood curries among the Islands locals. This is because it is rich in flavor and known for its chillie hotness. Unlike most curries, it is only consumed on special occasions. Below is the recipe for small prawns deviled curry.   

 

Ingredients

 250 g small prawns

2 tablespoons of salt water

2 small pieces Mc Currie goraka (smashed)

1 teaspoon Mc Currie vinegar

1 teaspoon saffron powder

1 tablespoon of Mc Currie chilli powder

½ cup water

 

For tempering

6-8 red onions sliced

3 dry Mc Currie chillies chopped

A few Mc Currie dill seeds

2 sprigs Mc Currie curry leaves

3 tablespoons of coconut oil

2 teaspoons lime juice

 

Method

If the prawns are very small, they need not be shelled. Remove heads, legs and tails and wash well. Boil with the salt water, Mc Currie goraka, Mc Currie vinegar, saffron, Mc Currie chilli powder and water. When boiled and all the liquid is absorbed, remove into a bowl. Temper with coconut oil, onions, Mc Currie dill seeds and Mc Currie curry leaves. Lastly, add the chopped dry chillies and the boiled prawns. Fry on a low flame stirring frequently and scraping off the bottom of the pan (Do not let the mixture burn). When sufficiently fried, add the lime juice and mix well. The dish is ready to be served.

Stay tuned to the blog for more such recipes and visit the Mc Currie website for all your spice needs!

Brinjal and Capsicum Curry

Ingredients

250g              brinjals
125g              capsicums
½                  cup of Mc Currie coconut milk
1                    level tablespoon of roasted Mc Currie chillie and curry  powder
1                    teaspoon of ground Mc Currie cumin seeds
1                    tablespoon of Mc Currie maldive fish
½                   tablespoon of saffron powder
2                    tablespoons of salt water
1 ½                cups of thick and thin Mc Currie coconut milk (1/2 a big coconut)
2                    green Mc Currie chillies sliced
8                    red onions sliced
1                    sprig of Mc Currie curry leaves
2                    tablespoons of Mc Currie vinegar
1                    tablespoons of Mc Currie mustard seeds ground
1                    tablespoons of roasted Mc Currie curry powder

Method

Wash the capsicums and brinjals and sit the capsicums  a side. Cut the brinjals length-wise into six to eight pieces. Marinade with saffron powder and add ½ cup of salt water (other than the ingredients mentioned in the recipe). Heat oil in a frying pan and slow fry the wedged capsicums and brinjals. Drain using a colander. Add all ingredients except the roasted dill seeds into the mixture and temper in a saucepan without covering (as the mustard will turn bitter). When oily, stir and add the fried brinjals and capsicums. Continue to stir gently. Cook for about 2 minutes, remove from fire and add the roasted curry powder.

Chilli for Self Defense

On January 13^th 2013, the city council of Mumbai handed chilli powder to a 100,000 female residents, not for cooking purposes, but for self defense. To many of us knives seem more relevant for self defense, but why chilli? What makes chilli effective for self defense and how can it be used? Read here.

Caution: The information given in this article is only to be used for self defense purposes. Do not attempt for fun. The consequence could be severe. Prior to using pepper spray for self defense, please check with your country’s regulations on its use.

Why chillie for self defense?

Chillies contain a chemical known as capsaicin that causes an eye watering burning sensation. This chemical activates pain receptors that are located at the edge of the nerves, when it comes into contact with soft tissue such as the skin, tongue and eyes.  Read here.

The Effects on the body

In concentration, capsanoids present in chillie are highly toxic and so painful they could incapacitate a person. According to research, chilli peppers have been used for thousands of years in China, Japan and India to blind one’s enemy. Read here.

Ways to use chillie peppers for self defense

Powder: initially chillie peppers in the form of a powder was used for self defense. This powder would be blown in to the eyes of the attacker, causing severe eye burns and temporary blindness. In Japan this method was known as Metsubishi box. Read here.

Pepper spray: Today pepper sprays (or capsicum sprays), are the most common form of self defense around the world. These sprays are made from oleoresin capsicum mixed with alcohol or another organic solvent which acts as a carrier for the capsicum when sprayed. Pressurized gas is used to propel the alcohol capsicum mixture.

Devilled Dry Fish – Sri Lankan style

The devilled dry fish dish is one of the most mouth watering dishes in the Sri Lankan cuisine. It’s most commonly eaten as an accompaniment to a meal or as a snack also known as a bite. The dish was mainly influenced by the Dutch and Portuguese that colonized Sri Lanka, and since then has been adapted into the Sri Lankan culture.

Ingredients

250 g dry fish – sprats or dried prawns
2 tablespoons of salt water
2 small pieces of Mc Currie goraka ground
1 teaspoon of powdered or ground saffron
1 tablespoon of Mc Currie chilli powder
½ cup water

For tempering

8-10 red onions sliced
2 dry Mc Currie chilies chopped
a few Mc Currie dill seeds
2 sprigs Mc Currie curry leaves
3 dessertspoons coconut oil
½ lime
½ teaspoon sugar (optional)

Method

Cut the dry fish into ½ inch pieces. Wash well and boil after adding salt, goraka, saffron, chilli powder and ½ cup of water. When boiled and all the liquid is absorbed, place into a bowl. Temper with coconut oil, onions, dill seeds and curry leaves. Lastly add the chopped dry chillies to the boiled dry fish and fry on low flame, stirring frequently while scraping off the bottom of the pan (Do not let the mixture burn). When sufficiently fried add lime and mix well. Sugar (optional) can be added, if desired.

The dish is ready to be served. Stay tuned to the blog for more recipes and visit the Mc Currie website for all your spice needs!