Meen Soru - Jakob's Kitchen Restaurant Style

Meen Soru Recipe

Ingredients for fish marination
Boneless Shark fish (Sura) or Seer fish (Vanjaram) - 250 gms
Ginger & Garlic paste - 1 tsp
Red chilli powder - 1/2 tsp
Turmeric powder - 1/4 tsp
Salt - 1/4 tsp

Ingredients for rice
Seeraga samba - 1 and 1/2 cups
Onion minced - 2 nos
Tomato finely chopped - 2 nos
Garlic thinly sliced - 2 cloves
Ginger & Garlic paste - 1 tsp
Red chilli powder - 1/2 tsp
Pepper powder - 1/2 tsp
Turmeric powder - 1/4 tsp
Coriander powder - 1 tsp
Pudina / Mint leaves chopped - 1/4 cup
Coriander leaves chopped - 1/4 cup
Curry leaves - few
Salt to taste
Cloves - 4 nos
Cardamom - 4 nos
Cinnamon stick - 2" piece
Oil - 4 tbsp
Lemon juice - 2 tsp

Fish Rice Recipe

Method
1. Boil fish until tender, drain and completely squeeze water. Mince the fish pieces with fork, marinate with ingredients given under fish marination for 15 mins.
2. Boil rice until tender, drain and mix 1 tsp oil to the cooked rice, spread rice on large plate and allow to cool.
3. Heat oil in a deep pan, add cinnamon, cardamom and cloves. Add onions, curry leaves and garlic, saute until slightly browned.
4. Add ginger & garlic paste to the pan, saute until raw smell leaves.
5. Add chopped tomatoes and saute for 2 mins until tomatoes are cooked.
6. Next add chopped mint, coriander leaves, red chilli powder, coriander powder, turmeric powder, pepper powder to the pan, saute for 2 mins.
7. Now add marinated fish mince and lemon juice to the pan, stir fry for few mins on medium heat.
8. Add cooked rice to the pan, stir well until fish mixture and rice are well mixed.
9. Serve hot with chicken gravy, salna or with raita.

Chefs tips
1. You can use any boneless fish fillets for this recipe.
2. Seeraga sambar rice has authentic Southindian flavor and aroma. Ponni raw rice or Basmati rice can be substituted instead of seeraga samba rice.

Fish Biryani

Disclaimer- this not an original recipe from Jakob's Kitchen. The recipe and idea has been adapted,  tried and tested in my kitchen to derive actual taste closely to restaurant preparation.

Kari Ayam recipe / Malaysian Chicken Curry

Recipe source Malaysian Cooking by Carol Selva Rajah

Kari Ayam recipe

Ingredients
Chicken pieces with bone - 500 gms
Potatoes peeled and diced - 2 nos
Onion chopped - 1 no
Curry leaves - few
Ginger & Garlic paste - 1 tbsp
Thick coconut milk - 500 ml
Sugar - 1 tsp ( optional)
Salt to taste
Oil - 2 tbsp
Lemon Juice - 1 tsp

For Curry powder
( roast and grind below ingredients to powder)
Coriander seeds - 3 tbsp
Cumin seeds - 1 tbsp
Dried red chillies - 4 to 5 nos
Peppercorns - 1 tsp
Cinnamon stick - 2" piece

Fried onions to garnish (optional)

Malaysian Chicken Curry

Method
1. Heat oil in a pan, when hot add onions, curry leaves and saute till onions browned.
2. Add ginger & garlic paste and saute till raw smell leaves.
3. Add potatoes, chicken pieces and curry powder to pan. Saute until chicken turns pale.
4. Add 1 cup coconut milk and 1/4 cup water to the pan, simmer chicken covered on medium heat for 15 mins.
5. Uncover pan add rest of coconut milk, sugar and salt, simmer curry uncovered for few more mins until curry thickened.
Serve hot chicken curry garnished with fried onion rings and drizzle lemon juice on top.

Roti Canai Recipe / Malaysian Roti Canai

Roti Canai is Malaysian style flaky paratha served along with Kari ayam (Chicken Curry)---click here for Kari ayam recipe

Roti Canai Recipe

Ingredients
All purpose flour - 2 cups
Butter - 1/4 cup
Oil - 1/4 cup
Water - 3/4 cup
Salt - 1 tsp

Method
1. Mix all the ingredients in a large bowl except oil, knead dough for 10 mins until smooth and soft.
2. Place dough in a bowl, pour 1/4 cup oil over dough, cover bowl with damp towel and set aside dough for 4 hours.
3. Divide dough into equal sized balls, oil the kitchen counter, take one dough ball and flatten it on counter with palm and spread dough onto kitchen counter as much as possible by pulling dough from corners.
4. Dough must be spread as thin as possible, the counter top must be visible.
5. Gather the dough by making pleats like pleating paper fan or saree. Roll it from center to form disc and tuck end of dough to center.
6. Again flatten the pleated disc on counter top to form medium circle.
7. Continue the same with rest of the dough.
8. Heat a griddle or tawa and cook the flattened discs until golden browned on both sides for 3 mins.
9. Place cooked roti canai one on another on a plate, slightly dab on the sides of roti canai to make it flaky.
Serve hot with Kari ayam.

Singapore Prawn Noodles - Chilli Garlic Prawn Noodles

Singapore Noodles with Shrimp

Ingredients

Fresh Noodles - 400 gms

Prawns medium sized - 20 nos

Capsicum thickly sliced - ¼ cup

Capsicum finely chopped – ¼ cup

Onion thickly sliced - ¼ cup

Onion finely chopped - ¼ cup

Ginger minced - 1 tsp

Readymade Sweet chilli garlic sauce – ¼ cup or see below tips for homemade version

Sugar – ¼ tsp

Chilli powder / paprika – ¼ tsp

Salt – ¼ tsp

Peanut oil or Vegetale oil - 3 tsp

Singapore Prawn Noodles

Method

1. Marinate the prawns with sweet chilli garlic sauce, sugar, chilli powder  and salt for atleast 15 mins.

2. Heat 1 tsp oil in a wok, when wok is smoking hot add thickly sliced capsicum and onions, quickly stir fry for a minute to retain its crunchiness, remove onto a plate and set aside.

3. In the same pan heat 2 tsp oil, add chopped onions, capsicums and minced ginger stir fry for a minute.

4. Next add marinated prawns along with the marinate sauce to the onion mixture in the pan, add a tbsp of water and cook until prawns are done and sauce had slightly thickened.

5. Now add the noodles to the pan and stir fry until the sauce is well coated on the noodles.

6. Finally add the sliced sautéed onion and capsicum to the noodles, stir well and serve.

Chefs tips

1. I have used fresh noodles for this recipe, fresh noodles have chewy texture when compared to dried noodles. If fresh noodles are not available try substituting it with dried noodles. Cook the dried noodles al dente as per box instructions,  drain the cooked noodles,  toss with generous oil and set aside.

2. This recipe uses store bought sweet chilli garlic sauce you can replace it with homemade chilli garlic sauce. Soak 4 to 5 kashmiri red chilies and 2 to 3 peeled garlic cloves in ¼ cup boiling water for 5 mins, drain the soaked chilli and garlic and grind to smooth paste with 1 tsp vinegar and 2 tsp sugar.

3. When using homemade chilli garlic sauce for this recipe mix 1 tsp corn-flour diluted in 2 tbsp cold water to the homemade sweet chilli garlic sauce.

Chilli Garlic Prawn Noodles

Egg Malai Curry / Egg Butter Masala

Boiled eggs in mildly spiced creamy gravy. Best sidedish for naan, jeera pulao or ghee rice.

Egg Malai Curry

Eggs - 5 nos
White Onions medium - 2 nos
Green chilli - 1 no
Ginger and garlic paste - 1 tsp
Cardamom - 3 nos
Kashmiri chilli powder - 1/2 tsp
Cumin powder - 1 and 1/2 tsp
Cashewnuts - 10 nos
Kasuri methi - 1/4 tsp
Thick cream - 1/2 cup
Sugar - 1 to 2 tsp
Salt to taste
Butter - 50 gms
Oil - 1 tsp

Egg Malai Masala

Method
1. Boil the eggs, remove its shell and cut each egg into halve.
2. Toast kasuri methi in a pan, crush between palms and set aside.
3. Heat oil in pan, add roughly chopped onion, green chilli and ginger & garlic paste, saute until onion turns transparent and raw smell of ginger & garlic leaves.
4. Next add cardamom, cashewnuts, cumin powder and kashmiri chilli powder to the onions and saute for 3 mins on low heat.
5. Remove pan from heat and allow onion mixture to cool, grind the onion mixture to smooth paste adding few tsp water if required.
6. Wipe the same pan and return to heat, add butter to the pan, when butter starts to melt add the ground onion paste to the pan.
7. Saute the ground onion paste on low heat for 3 mins, add sugar, crushed kasuri methi and required salt to the onion gravy and mix well.
8. Remove the pan from heat, add thick cream to the onion gravy and stir well.
9. Add the halved eggs to the malai gravy and garnish with few kasuri methi leaves.
Serve hot Egg malai curry with naan, jeera rice or pulao

Chef's tip
Paneer can be substituted in place of eggs for Paneer Malai Curry.

Egg Butter Masala

Mushroom Lasagna - Vegetarian Meatless Lasagna Recipe

Mushroom Lasagna Recipe

Ingredients
Lasagna sheets - 250 gms
Canned mushroom - 1 can
Celery minced - 1/4 cup
White onion minced - 1/4 cup
Roma tomatoes - 5 nos
Peeled and crushed garlic - 2 nos
Dried oregano - 2 tbsp
Sugar and Salt to taste
Parmesan cheese - 2 cups
Olive oil - 4 tbsp
Fresh chopped Basil and Parsley - 3 tsp each

Vegetarian Lasagna Recipe

Method to make mushroom sauce
1. Cook lasagna sheets al-dent as per boxed instructions, spread little oil to the cooked lasagnas and set aside.
2. Drain the canned mushrooms from brine, wash mushroom in water and drain again, thinly slice the mushroom and set aside.
3. Blanch tomatoes in hot water for 8 to 10 mins or until tomatoes skin slightly cracks.
4. Remove blanched tomatoes from hot water, allow tomatoes to cool and remove its skin.
5. Puree the blanched and peeled tomatoes along with garlic in a blender.
6. Heat oil in a pan, add minced onion and celery, saute on low heat for 2 mins.
7. Now add the thinly sliced mushrooms to the pan and saute for few seconds.
8. Add ground tomato puree, chopped parsley, chopped basil, dried oregan, sugar and required salt to the mushroom mixture in the pan, stir everything well and cook on low heat for 5 to 6 mins until sauce thickens.
9. Once sauce thickened, remove from heat and allow to cool.

Parmesan Mushroom Lasagna

Method to make lasagna
1. Take a non stick loaf pan or lasagna pan, spread mushroom sauce mixture at the bottom of pan.
2. Next place a layer of cooked pasta sheet over top of sauce.
3. If there are any gaps found, cut some pasta sheet into strips and layer on the gap.
4. Again spread mushroom sauce mixture over cooked pasta sheet.
5. Generously sprinkle parmesan cheese over mushroom sauce and top it again with pasta sheet.
6. Continue the same process with rest of pasta sheet, mushroom sauce and parmesan cheese.
7. The final top layer of lasagna should be generously layered mushroom sauce and parmesan cheese.
8. Pre-heat oven at 200°c and place the loaf pan filled with lasagna in the middle rack of the oven.
9. Bake the lasagna for 8 to 10 mins or until top layer of cheese turns golden and bubbly.
Serve hot

Chef's tip
You can substitute freshly chopped parsley and basil with dried ones

Quick Mushroom Lasagna

Mangalore Bonda / Mangalore Bajji

Manglore Bonda Recipe

Ingredients
Maida - 1 cup
Rice flour - 1/2 cup
Curd - 1/4 cup
Cumin seeds - 1 tsp
Green chilies chopped - 2 nos
Coriander leaves chopped - 2 tbsp
Cooking soda / Baking soda - pinch
Ginger minced - 1 tsp (optional)
Salt to taste
Water - 1/2 cup (plus more if required) 

Manglore Bajji Recipe

Method
1. Heat oil in a pan to deep fry.
2. Meanwhile mix maida, rice flour and cooking soda in a bowl.
3. in another bowl whisk curd with cumin seeds, green chilies, ginger, coriander leaves, salt and water. 
4. Add the curd mixture to the dry flour mixture and mix well until a smooth lump free batter is formed.
5. Batter should be slightly thick so it doesn’t absorb lot of oil.
6.Add spoonful of batter to hot oil, you can add many bonda batters depending on the size of kadai but do not over crowd 
7. Fry the bondas on medium heat for 3 mins until crispy and golden brown on outside. 
Serve hot with coconut chutney