Grilled Pork Ribs

Ingredients:
Pork ribs-2 lb
Ingredients for boiling the ribs:
Minced Garlic-1 tsp
Ginger-1/2 inch piece, crushed
Bay leaves-3
Cardamom-3
Cloves-3
Cinnamon stick-1
Crushed red pepper-1 tsp
Garam Masala powder-1 tsp
Crushed whole pepper corns-1/2 tsp
Salt
For sauce mix:
Soy sauce-3 tsp
Chilly garlic sauce-3 tsp
Red chilly powder-1/2 tsp
Vinegar/Lemon juice-1 tsp
Crushed red chillies-1/2 tsp
Pepper powder-1/2-1tsp
Method:
Wash and clean pork ribs. Remove the thin membrane on one side of the ribs and slice into pieces as shown below.

Boil water with the ingredients listed under for boiling. Turn heat to medium, add ribs and cook slowly in medium- low flame for 1 hour. While it is getting cooked, combine the ingredients for sauce in a medium bowl. After one hour, drain ribs and coat them with sauce mix by tossing them in a bowl. Spread ribs to a baking dish lined with aluminum foil.

Wrap in aluminum foil and bake each side  at 375F for 15 min. Afterwards, broil each side of the ribs uncovered  around 5-7 minutes to brown them. Spray oil if required. Serve warm

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Bitter Gourd-Dryfish Stir Fry/Pavakka-Unakkameen thoran/പാവക്കാ-ഉണക്കമീന്‍ തോരന്‍

Ingredients:
Bitter gourd, finely chopped - 1.5 cups
Dried fish, fried and crushed-3/4 cup
(preferably any dry fish without bones)
Onion-1 large, chopped
Ginger, chopped-1 tsp
Garlic, chopped, 1 tsp
Green chilly-3-5, finely chopped
Curry leaves-2 sprigs
Grated coconut-1 cup
Kudam puli-2, soak them in 1/8 cup of water
Oil-1 tbsp
Mustard seeds-1/2 tsp
Method:
Add oil into a pan, splutter mustards and add chopped green chilly, garlic, ginger and curry leaves. Saute for two minutes. Stir in chopped bitter gourd and onion. Pour in the kudam puli along with water and cook covered until it is half done. Add crushed dried fish, grated coconut and cook until its done. Boil off any excess water and stir fry for couple of minutes. Serve with rice.
Tips:
To reduce the bitterness, chop bitter gourd into salt water. Then drain the salt water by squeezing.
Soak the dry fish in water for 30-45min if they are too salty. Drain water and fry them in oil.

Olive pickle

Ingredients:
Green olives in brine ~ 200g
Garlic, minced-1-2 tsp
Ginger, minced-1-2 tsp
Green chilly, sliced-3
Kashmiri red chilly powder-2 tsp
Turmeric powder-1/4 tsp
Mustard seeds-1/2 tsp
Fenugreek seeds, crushed- 1/4 tsp
Asafoetida- a small pinch
Gingelly oil/ any veg. oil-1 tbsp
Curry leaves-2 sprigs
Vinegar-1 tbsp
Method:
Heat oil in a cooking pan and splutter mustards. Add curry leaves, ginger and garlic. Saute until they are slightly brown. Reduce the heat, add chilly powder, turmeric powder and crushed fenugreek.Stir for a couple of minutes and add vinegar. Bring it to boil and add olives and asafoetida. Adjust the consistency of the pickle by adding more water or the salt water that olives were soaked in. Add salt if needed. Mix well, turn off the flame, cool and keep it in an air-tight jar.

(I used whole green Spanish olives stuffed with minced pimientos for making olive pickle)

Meen (Tilapia) peera pattichathu / മീന്‍ പീര പറ്റിച്ചത്‌

Ingredients:
Tilapia-3 fillets
Green chilly-6-8
Ginger-1/4" piece
Garlic-1 small
Turmeric powder-1/3 tsp
Shallots or onion-1/4 cup, chopped

Sun dried Gambooge/Kudampuli (കുടംപുളി)-2
Shredded coconut-1.5 cup
Curry leaves-a handful
Coconut Oil-2 tsp
salt

 Method:
Clean fish and cut into medium size pieces. Soak Kudampuli in 1/4 cup of water. Crush together green chilly, ginger, garlic and shallots/onions. Mix these with shredded coconut and turmeric powder and slightly crush it again. Layer fish pieces in a manchatti/ heavy bottomed pan and add the above crushed coconut mixture and salt. Pour in kudampuli along with water. Add curry leaves. If needed add more water (~1 cup) and combine everything together. Cook covered in medium heat for 20 min. Uncover and drizzle coconut oil.Serve with rice or kappa.

Bitter Gourd Pickle/Pavakka Achar/പാവക്ക അച്ചാര്‍

Ingredients
Bitter gourd-3
Green chilly-6, cut into 1" rounds
Ginger -1" piece, sliced lengthwise
Garlic-5-7, sliced lengthwise
Curry leaves- a handful
Asafoetida( കായം) -1 pinch
Fenugreek powder(ഉലുവ പൊടിച്ചത്)-1/4 tsp
Mustard seeds-1/2 tsp
Vinegar~ 1 tbsp
Oil for frying -gingelly oil (നല്ലെണ്ണ) preferred/ or any vegetable oil

Method
Wash bitter gourd, cut into 2" rounds, discard the seeds and slice into thin strips. Heat oil in a pan and stir in bitter gourd, add salt and stir fry for 15-20 min in medium heat until they become slightly brown and crispy. Keep it aside. Add more oil into the same pan and splutter mustards.  Add ginger, garlic and saute for 2-3 min, then add green chilly and curry leaves.  Finally add fenugreek powder and asafoitida. Turn off heat and pour in vinegar. Check for salt and combine everything well. Once its get cooled, pack the pickle tightly into an air-tight jar. It will be ready to use after few days.

Tips:
If you use fenugreek seeds splutter them after mustard seeds.

Beef Pickle/Irachi Achar/ഇറച്ചി അച്ചാര്‍

Ingredients:
 Beef-1 lb
Set1:
Red chilly powder-1tsp
Coriander powder-1/2 tsp
Turmeric powder-1/4 tsp
Fennel powder (പെരുംജീരകം)-1/2 tsp(optional)
vinegar-1 tsp
Meat masala-1/2 tsp
set 2:
Mustard seeds-1/2 tsp
Fenugreek seeds (ഉലുവാ) -1/2 tsp
Curry leaves-a handful  
set 3:
Ginger-2 tsp,minced
Garlic-2 tsp, minced
Green chilly- 3, sliced
Dry red chilly-3(optional)
set 4:

Red chilly powder-1 tsp
Garam masala-1/2 tsp

Black pepper powder-1/4 tsp
Vinegar-2-3 tbsp
Asafoetida (കായം)-1 small pinch
   
Oil for frying (gingelly oil preferred), or any veg oil

Method:
Clean and drain beef. Cut into very small pieces.
Rub the ingredients enlisted under set1 on beef. Cover and leave it in refrigerator for at least 1 hour.
Transfer the beef into a pan and cook it covered for 10-15 min (No need to add water). Open the lid and drain the excess water. Once it is half cooked, (if you see the gravy/ masala powder is sticking on the pan, add 1 tbsp of vinegar and try to dissolve all the gravy-we will use this at the end of the preparation) take out the beef pieces and fry them in oil until both sides are reddish brown. Keep it aside.
Add oil in a pan and splutter mustard seeds followed by fenugreek seeds and curry leaves. Stir in set 3 ingredients and saute until ginger/garlic is light brown. Add set 4 masala powders and stir for 2-3 min. Pour in  2 tbsp vinegar and the gravy dissolved in vinegar. Bring it to boil and turn off the flame. Add fried beef pieces, check for salt, add a small pinch of asafoetida and mix everything well.
 Transfer into a air-tight jar, the pickle will be ready to use within 1 week.

Beef Curry

Ingredients:  
        to marinate beef:
Beef -2 lb
Ginger-1/2 ", finely chopped
Garlic-3-4, finely chopped
Green chillies-3-4, sliced lengthwise
Kashmiri Chilly powder-2 tsp
Coriander powder-2 tsp
Meat masala/ Garam masala-1 tsp
Pepper powder-1/2 tsp
Turmeric powder-1/2 tsp
Vinegar-1 tsp
Salt 
     to pressure cook beef:
Curry leaves- a handful
Onion-1 thinly sliced
Coconut slices-a handful (optional)
       to make curry: 
Onion-1, thinly sliced 
Tomato-2,finely chopped 
Oil 
Mustard seeds-1/2 tsp
Chilly powder-1 tsp
Whole garam masala: (cardamom-3, cloves-3, cinnamon stick-1")-slightly crushed
Cilantro- to garnish
Method:
Cut the cleaned beef into 1" pieces. Marinate with the ingredients enlisted for ~1 hr. Add onion, curry leaves and pressure cook in medium heat until it is done. (Take care not to overcook beef, no need to add water, usually there would be enough liquid once it is done pressure cooking)
Heat oil in a large pan and splutter mustard seeds. Add whole garam masala followed by onions, saute until the  onions are transparent. Add chilly powder and saute for 10min, stir in tomatoes and nicely cook until it becomes a nice paste. Pour in cooked beef+liquid from pressure cooker and cook open in medium/simmer  heat until the gravy becomes thick and dark brown. 
Garnish with cilantro and serve hot with rice, chapathi or porotta.