Nandu / Crab Perattal, a Chettinad style recipe

Ingredients needed for Nandu / Crab Perattal
6 medium sized crabs
1 onion sliced / 2 cups of sliced onions
1/2 cup grated coconut - roasted
1 tsp Khus khus roasted
1 tsp aniseeds / saunf -roasted
 1 tsp roasted gram dal / pottu kadalai
1 tsp Garlic paste
1 tsp Ginger paste
1 tbsp Fish curry powder
1 tsp Chilli powder ( for extra spiciness )
1/2 tsp Turmeric powder
Tamarind juice ½ cup from a small marble sized ball
Salt to taste
1/2 cup oil

For tempering
1 inch cinnamon stick
2 Cloves
2 Cardamoms
2 Star anise
Curry leaves

How to prepare Nandu / Crab Perattal, a chettinad style recipe?
Clean the crabs, remove the shell. Break and remove the legs and the claws.
Using the chopper bash the claws once.
Pound the small legs in a pounding stone . Add half a cup of water to the pounded legs and squeeze out the juice, then discard them.
Roast Khus khus, Grated coconut and the roasted gram dal / chutney dal. Grind to a smooth paste and keep aside.
Make a paste of fish curry powder, chilli powder,and tumeric powder. Keep aside.
Heat oil in a thick bottomed kadai. Add in the spices and as they splutter, add in the sliced onion. Stir till the onions turn pale and add garlic and ginger paste, fry for a second more..
Add in the fish curry paste and the ground coconut paste.
Fry till the raw smell goes and then add the tamarind juice and juice from the crab legs.
Add salt to taste and the curry leaves. Let the masala get thicker.
Now add in the crabs and the bashed claws, mix well, so that the masala get coated nicely on the crab pieces.
Serve as soon as the crabs are cooked with hot and steaming rice.

Recipe for Crabs Roast

Ingredients needed for Crab Roast
500 grams crabs
3 onions chopped
5 green chillies
1piece ginger
handful curry leaves
10 garlic flakes
1 1/2 tsps red chilli powder
 one half of te coconut
1 tsp garam masala powder
1/4 tsp turmeric powder
2 tomtoes chopped
salt to taste
1 cup water

How to prepare the crabs roast
Wash and clean crabs, drain out the water completely.
Heat oil, saute green chillies, onions and ginger till they get transparent. Add Garlic and saute till all of them get golden.
Then add chilli powder, garam masala powder and turmeric powder, stir for a minute and add chopped tomatoes.
Add cleaned crabs to this and add a cup of water and salt to taste.
Cook till the crabs are tender and the water dries off.
Grate the coconut and fry them till they are golden.
grind to a coarse powder and add to the cooked crabs. Mix well and cover for a minute or two.
Serve hot with plain cooked  rice.

Batter Fried Fish Recipe

Ingredients needed for Batter Fried Fish:
10 Fish Fillets (boneless)
1 cup maida
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp ginger paste
salt to taste
1 egg
1 tsp ghee
oil to fry
juice of half lime

How to prepare the batter:
Sift maida, baking powder and salt to taste. Add ginger paste and the beaten egg to this and add enough water to make it a batter.
Add lime juice and mix well. The batter should be of a smooth consistency. Just before using it add the melted ghee and mix well.

How to fry the fish slices in batter
Heat oil in a fry pan.
Dip the fish pieces in the batter and deep fry in oil.
Drain and kepp the fried pieces on a kitchen towel to remove the excess oil.
Serve with tomato ketch up or sauce.

Points to note:
Do remove the small bones if there are any. Since the fry is with batter it will be difficult to remove the bones while eating and that too with a fork.

Other Fish Recipes
Fish Biryani
Fish Pickle
Stuffed Fish Rolls In Tomato Sauce

Recipe for Chemmeen Ularthhu (Kerala Style Prawn Fry)

Ingredients needed for the Chemmeen Ularthu :
2 cups prawns, shelled and deveined
3 kodum puli pieces
1 tsp turmeric powder,
1"piece ginger chopped
4 green chillies
1 cup onions, sliced
2 tsps pepper powder
1 tsp chilli powder
1/2 cup coconut kothhu ( coconut cut into very small pieces)
oil - as required
Salt to taste

How to prepare the Chemmeen Ularthu or Prawns fry
Clean, wash and devein the prawns nicely and keep aside.
Soak kudam puli pieces in a little water for ten mnutes. Drain out the water.
Mix salt, kudam puli pieces, turmeric powder, chopped ginger and green chillies with the prawns .
Keep aside for half and hour. Cook till the prawns are tender.
Heat oil in a pan, add sliced onions and fry till golden. Add pepper powder, chilli powder and the coconut pieces . Saute for a minute. Add 1/2 acup of water for the masalas to cook.
When the gravy dries, add the cooked prawns and stir well, till the prawns are coated with the masala and the dish gets dry. Garnish with chopped curry leaves and serve as a side dish with Rice/ pulaos.

Prawn Mango Curry Recipe

Ingredients needed for the Prawn Mango Curry Recipe
250 grams prawns
3/4 cup onions chopped
1/2 cup green mango chopped
3 tbsp coconut oil
salt to taste

To grind to a fine paste, with a little water:
1 1/2 tsp chilli powder
1/2 tsp turmeric powder
1/4 tsp cumin seeds
1/2 tsp mustard seeds
1 tbsp garlic chopped
1/2 tbsp ginger chopped
1 tbsp small onions chopped

How to prepare the Prawn Mango Curry
Clean, wash and devein the prawns . Grind the masala to a fine paste and keep aside.
Heat oil in a pan, add the chopped onions. Saute till they are transparent.
Add the ground masala paste and fry till the oil starts oozing out.
Add the prawns and fry for a minute. Add salt to taste , chopped mango pieces and a cup of water. Cook till the mango pieces and prawns are tender.
Adjust the water content as per the consistency and your taste.
Serve hot with rice and vegetables as a side dish.

Variations you can try with this recipe
Ground coconut paste or coconut milk can be added to make the gravy richer.
When you add coconut paste or milk to a dish add it in the end and let it not boil. As it froths in the sides remove from fire.