Saucy Crab

Today i got huge crabs which is my all time favourite seafood.I wanted to prepare something unusual dish without coconut and less spicy.Then i remember one dish my mom always used to make with other seafood For example :prawns ,clams or any other shell fish but she never prepared it with crabs so thought of trying that dish of her with my  crabs.
    My amma (mother) is a fantastic cook,coming from a small fishing village in the state of God's own country 'Kerala',She made a excellent dishes with seafood in which she is a master.

This recipe is very simple and less spicy compared to my earlier post  of  Kurla alley piyava Gashi/konkani style crab curry.


Ingredients:-
Crab-4
Onion-4( chopped finely)
Tomato-1( chopped finely)
Ginger paste-2tsp
Garlic paste-2tsp
Green chilly-4-5 slit
Turmeric-1/2tsp
Chilly powder-1/2 tsp
Tamarind pulp-1tsp
Cooking oil-1tbsp
Salt to taste

How to clean the crab:-

• Place the crab on the flat surface ,belly side up.
• Now you will see triangular -shaped belly flap,just pull that off  by holding the belly part tightly with your left hand and with your right hand  thumb try to pull off the shell like how you open the tiffin box and shell comes out easily.
• Now with a creaser cut off the ends of the legs and separate the claws from the crab.
• Now pull off the spongy gills and small paddles which is over the belly of crab.
• Now wash it under the water and cut into half from the centre of the belly to two pieces and keep aside.

Method:-

• Heat up your pan and add cooking oil.
• Stir fry the onions until they are light pink.
• Now add tomatoes and red chilly powder, keep stirring until tomatoes are soft and mushy.
• Now add Ginger and garlic paste and saute till you get nice aroma.
• Its time to add  some green chillies and turmeric and give a nice stir.
• When all the spices are done now its time to add pieces of crab along with tamarind paste and salt.
• Now add a cup of water,cover and cook on a low flame for 10 mins or till you get nice thick saucy crabs.

Serve hot with plain rice

Amrakhand

Yesterday i got some sweet ripe Alphanso/appus mangoes in the market.So while making Shrikhand  thought of making this Amrakhand which again  yoghurt based dessert but the difference is Amrakhand is flavoured with mango purée or pulp where as shrikhand is plain sweetened yoghurt. Gujarat is famous for both Amrakhand and Shrikhand.Both are served as a dessert or side dish with puris.

Ingredients:

1. Hung curd-2cups
2. Mango pulp-1cup(don't use any water while making)
3. Sugar-2tbsp or to taste depending on the sweetness of mango
4. Butter-1tbsp
5. Salt a pinch
6. Almonds few for garnishing

Making of hung curd:

• Hung curd is nothing but yoghurt from which excess water has been drained off
• For making hung curd you will need a muslin cloth ,bowl and sieve.
• Place a muslin cloth over a sieve (big one) and pour the yoghurt in the centre of the muslin cloth
• Tie up the muslin cloth tightly with a string and leave it over the sieve.
• Now keep this sieve over a huge bowl.This is important ,else you will end up with a puddle of whey.
• Now keep this inside the fridge for at least 8-9 hours.
• Now open the muslin cloth and you will get nice creamy yoghurt.

Note:-Don't discard the water strained from the yoghurt.You can use it for curries or while kneading dough or mix it with sour curd to make spicy buttermilk.

Method :

• Make mango pulp by puréeing mango pieces in a blender.
• Refrigerate the puree for at least 1hour. 
• Now with a help of a hand blender mix hung curd ,mango purée,butter and  sugar  till light and creamy .
• Then add the cardamom powder and salt and mix it well.
• Let it rest in the refrigerator at least 1 hour before serving.
• Garnish with crushed almonds before serving.

Note: Color of your  Amrakhand is depend on the type of mango used and Alphanso  mangoes are the best choice.If  you use amrakhand with puris then use only a cup of mango plup for 2 cups of hung curd in order to get a thicker Amrakhand.If you want little smooth dropping consistency as a dessert  then use curd and pulp  in 2:2 ratio you will get nice creamy Amrakhand.