A Fish A Day

Susan Pachikara (COPYRIGHT 2011)

Late one morning in Kerala, I heard a female voice call into my aunt's dining room window. My aunt hollered back something about fish and headed to the doorway just outside the kitchen. I followed her, intrigued by the casual, yet intimate exchange. When I arrived, Martha lifted a wide aluminum vessel from her head and set it down in front of us. Nestled inside were several varieties of fish, including the region's much beloved karimeen (or pearl spot). Like the fresh fish I happened upon in markets across Kerala, their eyes were clear and their bodies, plump.

Martha, Susan Pachikara (COPYRIGHT 2011)

Kerala has a zig-zag of lakes and rivers and a coastline that hugs that Arabian Sea for hundreds of miles. So living off the land includes daily doses of fish for many Malayalees. During my stay, fish with green mangoes, coconut milk, or chili sauce, and shrimp with tamarind all made it to the table. Yet, what I really crave, months later, are mathi (sardines). My aunts marinated them with chili powder, garlic powder, and turmeric and fried the fish to a crisp. Memories of pairing mathi with a canvass of parboiled and ladling of fresh yogurt still haunt me today.

Men Fishing in Trivandrum, Susan Pachikara (COPYRIGHT 2011)

On my last day in Kerala, my cousins took me to Kumarakom, a dreamy resort town in the backwaters. At the Kumarakom Club, my eldest cousin Reena ordered two specialty dishes - duck with gravy and karimeen pollichathu (fish roasted in a banana leaf). When the food arrived, she unwrapped three of the fish and placed the fourth one in front of me. As a guest, I didn't have to share. As I pulled back the corners of the banana leaf, the smell of black pepper, ginger, and garlic rose to my nose. Using my fingers, I scooped up a bit of the flesh. The outer edge had a thin crust. Inside, the flesh was tender and moist. I was grateful to have an entire fish, so exquisitely prepared, to myself.

Susan Pachikara (COPYRIGHT 2011)

We ended the afternoon with a houseboat ride along the lake. I'd had many dazzling adventures in India, but this finale on the water, was the most enchanting. For an hour, we meandered through a carpet of frilly green water hyacinths. Lanky coconut trees lazed about, beckoning us to be still. Their wispy leaves lifted and fell with the breeze. Everything in the hidden water world moved more slowly - the paddle boats, the birds, even the children splashing along the shoreline.

Susan Pachikara (COPYRIGHT 2011)

FISH MAPPAS

(COPYRIGHT CARDAMOM KITCHEN 2009)

Serves 6-8

One of the most appealing things about everyday Kerala cooking is how I feel once I've left the table. With a reliance on spices rather saturated fat, the fish dishes in particular, leave me feeling replenished not weighed down. Try this recipe for fish with turmeric for a nourishing meal.

INGREDIENTS

2 tablespoons canola oil or olive oil

3/4 cup onion, roughly chopped

1 teaspoon minced garlic

1 tablespoon minced ginger

1 small jalapeno, cut lengthwise

1 medium tomato, cut into wedges

1 pound Catfish or Tilapia fillets, cut into roughly 3-inch pieces

1/2 cup water

1/4 teaspoon turmeric

1/4 teaspoon cumin

1 teaspoon salt

1/4 cup milk or coconut milk

1/4 teaspoon vinegar

INSTRUCTIONS

Heat oil in a saucepan on medium-low heat. Add onion, garlic, ginger, and jalapeno. Cook until onion becomes translucent.

Add tomato and cook until it begins to soften.

Add fish. Cook for about 5 minutes.

Add water, turmeric, cumin, salt, and stir gently.

Bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium. Cover and cook until fish flakes (about 10 minutes).

Reduce heat to low. Add milk and cook for 2 more minutes.

Remove from heat. Sprinkle in vinegar. Tilt pot to the left and right to distribute vinegar.

Serve with rice and steamed peas.

10 Store-Bought Breakfasts That Won't Sabotage Your Diet

According to a Self.com poll, 78 percent of us have the same breakfast every morning. For me, it’s my berry, granola and yogurt parfait. It’s a perfect start to my busy schedule, but day after day? I’ll admit to a case of breakfast boredom. If you’re not excited about your morning meal, you may be inclined to skip it completely—not a good thing, since studies show breakfast eaters tend to consume fewer calories and less saturated fat throughout the day, and have flatter abs and a lower risk for heart disease than those who skip. Cereal monogamists, take note: By eating a mix of satisfying fat, protein and carbs in the morning, you’ll find it easier to stick to a healthy diet all day. However, you want to make sure you’re eating the right foods—a challenge given all the sugary cereal and oatmeal, nutritionally barren bagels and fat-laden sausage and bacon on supermarket aisles. As part of SELF’s annualHealthy Food Awards (we call them SELF Selects!), we asked dietitians Willow Jarosh and Stephanie Claire of New York City to suss out breakfast foods that met their rigorous criteria, then invited dozens of taste testers to sample the goods. These 10 winners nabbed top honors. Pop them in your cart, try the deliciously satisfying recipe idea for each, and rise and shine.

Bonus: See all 66 of SELF's Store-Bought Packaged Picks

1. Best Plain Greek-Style Yogurt: Fage Total 0% (120 calories, 0 grams fat per 8 oz): It’s fat-free, but so luxuriously thick and creamy, you’d never know it. Plus, it’s a great source of calcium and protein.

You’ll love it like this: Puree 1 cup frozen or fresh strawberries in a blender. Pour into a tall glass, alternating in layers with 8 oz yogurt and 1/3 cup fresh or thawed frozen blueberries or strawberries. Top with 1/3 cup lowfat granola and 2 tbsp sliced almonds. 

2. Best Cottage Cheese: Friendship Lowfat 1% Milkfat (90 calories, 1 g fat per 1/2 cup): This dairy do is rich in protein and contains just enough salt to add flavor.

You’ll love it like this: Spread 1/2 cup on 2 slices of whole-grain toast. Top each with 1 slice tomato and 2 tbsp shaved Parmesan. Sprinkle with 1 tbsp chopped fresh tarragon, salt and pepper, and broil until warm. 

3. Best Granola: Special K Low Fat Granola (190 calories, 3 g fat per 3/4 cup): This crunchy mix is tinged with honey and packed with fiber, too!

You’ll love it like this: Sprinkle 2 tbsp over 1 cup fruit salad (for instance, a mix of guava, watermelon and apricots) and 1 cup nonfat plain yogurt.

4. Best Frozen Waffle: Kellogg’s Eggo Nutri-Grain Whole Wheat (170 calories, 6 g fat per 2 waffles): These light and fluffy breakfast treats almost taste homemade.

You’ll love it like this: Top 2 waffles with 8 oz lowfat plain yogurt, 3/4 of medium banana cut into slices and 1 tbsp chopped walnuts. 

5. Best Cereal: Quaker Oatmeal Squares (210 calories, 2.5 g fat per cup): Pour on the moo juice—these brown sugar–coated nuggets stay crunchy in milk, but they’re tasty enough to eat on their own, too.

You’ll love it like this: Combine 1/3 cup cereal with 2/3 cup old-fashioned rolled oats, 1/4 cup raisins and 2 tbsp slivered almonds. Top with 1 cup nonfat milk and a dash of cinnamon—muesli!  

6. Best Bagel: Thomas’ Hearty Grains 100% Whole Wheat (240 calories, 2 g fat per oz): Take bagels off your verboten-foods list! This version has fiber and protein and tastes just baked.

You’ll love it like this: Top 1/2 bagel with 2 tbsp light cream cheese and 2 oz smoked salmon. Garnish with capers, sliced red onion and lemon. 

7. Best Light Cream Cheese: Philadelphia 1/3 Less Fat Neufchâtel (70 calories, 6g fat per oz): Less fat doesn’t have to mean less flavor, as this creamy, indulgent-tasting spread proves. Say (cream) cheese!

You’ll love it like this: Fill a whole-wheat wrap with 2 tbsp cream cheese, 4 dried fig halves and 2 tbsp chopped walnuts, and roll it up. 

8. Best Unsweetened Instant Oatmeal: McCann’s Instant Irish Oatmeal, Regular (100 calories, 2 g fat per packet): Save yourself unnecessary sugar by adding spices or a spoonful of maple syrup to a steaming bowl of these oats. Bonus: They’re high in vitamins and fiber.

You’ll love it like this: Top cooked oatmeal with 3/4 cup skim milk and 1/2 cup blueberries. 

9. Best Turkey Bacon: Applegate Farms Organic Turkey Bacon (35 calories, 1.5 g fat per slice): Countdown to deliciousness! These strips cook up crisp, even when you nuke them in the microwave.

You’ll love it like this: Scramble 1 large egg in 1 tsp margarine and place on a toasted whole-grain English muffin spread with 1 tsp margarine. Top with 1 slice cooked turkey bacon and 2 tbsp shredded reduced-fat cheddar. 

10. Best Orange Juice: Florida’s Natural Calcium and Vitamin D (110 calories, 0 g fat per cup): Thanks to its fresh-squeezed flavor, you’ll want to make this beverage your new main squeeze. Plus, a serving contains all the vitamin C you need for the day!

You’ll love it like this: Buzz 1/2 cup orange juice in the blender along with 1 cup nonfat vanilla yogurt and 4 ice cubes. Sip with 18 almonds for a quick breakfast.

Eggless Dates and Cashew Olive Oil Cake - Day 1, Blogging Marathon #4

Time for another Blogging Marathon. This Group is growing with every season, this time Srivalli had to divide us into 3 groups. The 3rd Group Start their Marathon from today and this fun goes on till 24th of this month.  My Theme for this season is 7 Days of Cakes. yeah, i have lot of bookmarked Cake recipes, some of them waiting in my draft for some days. So, Lets get our Oven Mitts ready and do some Baking!!!!!

This Recipe is from Anushruti's Divine Taste : Date and Cashew Olive Oil Cake. The taste was awesome, with chopped dates and cashews popping here and there and the mild taste of Olive Oil. My Photo's aren't as awesome as the taste, Please bare with me!!!! 

Ingredients
2 cups plain flour
1 ½ cup Dark Brown sugar (Jaggery can also be used)
150 gm seedless dates, chopped
100 gm cashew nuts
1/2 cup plain yogurt
1/2 cup olive oil
1 cup milk 
2 tbsp molasses (Date Syrup can also be used)
2 tsp cinnamon powder
1 tsp vanilla extract
2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda

Method:

Grease a loaf pan/Round (8")Cake pan with butter/oil. I baked as a Loaf in my 26cm Pyrex Loaf Pan.Sieve the flour, baking powder and baking soda, in a Large Mixing Bowl.In another bowl add the yoghurt, oil,Brown sugar,molases and milk and beat with a wire whisk or a spoon. 

Mix in the sifted flour mixture and beat with a spoon or a wire whisk until there are no lumps.Stir in the dates, cashews, cinnamon powder and vanilla and mix well.Transfer the contents to the greased and lined tin and bake in a preheated oven at 150 degree centigrade for 1 hour or until a skewer comes out clean.

Check out my Blogging Marathoners doing Group 3 BM#4 along with me
Diabetes Diet/Management: Kamalika, Smitha, Suma 
Kid Friendly Recipes: Anusha, Cool Lassi(e) 
Seven Days of Soup: Priya Suresh 
Seven Days of Indian Bread: Jayasree, Pavani 
Seven Days of Cakes:  Me
Seven Days of Preserves: Gayathri Kumar, Vaishali 
30 Minutes Meals: Priya Mahadevan, Srivalli