Fried Shrimp ' Olathiyathu'

This one is V's fav recipe for chicken or shrimp. The recipe is from a magazine 'Femina' from Jan 98 issue..the recipe is from the Southern basket collection called "ERATCHI OLATHIYATHU" ( fried mutton garnished with slivers of dry coconut). I have never cooked mutton but gave it a try with chicken and it was a sure hit among meat eaters. Sceptical about the feedback and convinced that it was empty praise, I had to give it a shot with shrimp and sure enough,it tasted awesome....if I may say so, myself!This is the picture that inspired my interest in cooking meat ( a vegan at that time) among 100 other recipes that is saved in a hope to cook it to My Crowd.


















Ingredients
Shrimp - 2 lbs
onions - 2, thinly sliced
tomato - 1,chopped
green chillies - 2, slit
ginger-garlic paste - 1 tsp
coriander powder - 1 tbsp
red chilli powder - 1tsp
curry leaves - -2 sprig

garnish
fennel - 1/2 tsp, freshly pounded
red chillies - 2 whole
coconut pieces - 10 pcs ( I used 1 tbsp of grated coconut)
cilantro - 10 stems, finely chopped

Heat oil in a pan and fry the slice onions till golden brown, Add green chillies, ginger-garlic paste, and stir fry. Add red chilli powder, coriander powder, curry leaves and salt, fry till oil floats on the top. Add tomatoes and cook till masala is dry.
Toss shrimp/chicken, cook for a 7-10 mins and then add all the ingredients that was set aside for garnish: fennel, whole red chilli,coconut and cilantro and roast for a couple mins( this step releases roasted fennel aroma which) .
Serve as a starter.

Crab cakes

Spinach Artichoke Asiago dip

Ingredients
1 (14 ounce) can artichokes
1 cup spinach blanched or frozen
4 ounces cream cheese
1/2 cup mayonnaise
1 teaspoon lemon juice
1/2 cup asiago cheese, shredded
salt and pepper

Directions
shred or chop blanched or frozen spinach in a blender or food processor.
chop artichoke hearts into quarters if they are larger than a thumb.
mix everything together in a medium sized bowl.
Add salt, pepper and more shredded cheese to your taste.
Transfer to a heat resistant casserole and sprinkle more cheese on the top.
Broil for 8-10 mins in a 375F oven.

Chilli Paneer

Ingredients
400g paneer, cut into rectangle pieces
red onion
green bell pepper
yellow bell pepper
orange bell pepper
ginger
garlic

For the sauce
tomato ketchup 4tbsp
soy sauce 2 tbsp
hot sauce 2 tbsp
chilli flakes 1 tsp
Spring onions, finely chopped
Salt

Shallow fry paneer pieces. have all the vegetables cut in big cubes and ginger and garlic finely chopped.

Make the sauce using all the ingredients for sauce.

Heat oil in a kadai and combine all the vegetables and saute well. When the vegetables are half done, and are sizzling, add the sauce and salt and mix well. Serve hot with fried rice.