READERS’ CHOICE RECIPES FOR 2021

Traditional Mangalorean Fish Curry – Lavinia

Lavinia purchased a copy of my cookbook ‘Deliciously Indian’ at my book launch in October 2019. She is a keen cook and loves to try all the traditional, other Mangalorean and Anglo Indian recipes. She prepared the Traditional Mangalorean Fish Curry and simply loved it. She cannot wait to cook it again.

A big thank you to Lavinia for her encouragement and support during 2020. Best wishes from the team at Deliciously Indian.

Chicken in White Gravy and Panpolay – Deepak

Deepak and his wife are Sydney Mangalorean foodies. They were gifted a copy of my cookbook by a mutual friend who attended my book launch. He prepared the Chicken in White Gravy and Panpolay for a weekend dinner and sent me this beautiful photo. Thanks to him for trying out these recipes.

Chicken in White Gravy is a delicate curry which has a nutty base and the flavours of fennel and aromatic spices. This curry does not use any red chillies and therefore is a terrific choice for lovers of mild curries. You may make it mild to suit your taste however, the addition of extra green chillies than called for in the recipe can add heat to this recipe, if that’s what you prefer. It is a popular curry during summer due to its mild flavour and pairs well with all Indian breads or rice based Indian breads such as dosa, pan polay and sannas. My preferred selection is pan polays as shown in the image.

Pork Chilli – Shamila

Shamila is a full time working mum and is a keen cook. She loves Mangalorean food and has tried several of my recipes in 2020 after having purchased a copy of my book at my book launch.

During the Christmas and New Year break, Shamila tried the Pork Chilli from Deliciously Indian and was thrilled with the results.

She commented ” Super recipe, very tasty, it was awesome”. Further, for a bit of humour she said, her son “finsihed half no sooner it was cooked”. She is also eager to try out all of the vegetarian recipes during the lent season. I will keep you posted on some of her choice recipes in the coming months.

Thank you Shamila for trying out this recipe and your photo. It is people like you that keep me inspired to do what I do everyday.

Lady Fish/Kane/Sand Whiting Curry – Vanessa and Hansen

A truly professional Sydney couple, they are also passionate home cooks and members of The Hungry Mangy Group.

I published the above recipe on my website in early January 202I and I am pleased that Vanessa tried this recipe almost instantly as a birthday special for her mum’s birthday and sent me this photo. She commented with a cheeky sense of humour “Hansen had lunch twice so no dinner for him today”.

Who can resist a great Lady Fish/Kane Curry?

Even after coming to Australia, it happens to be a favourite fish of many Mangaloreans who reside in Sydney. This recipe adapts to many preparations because of it’s light colour flesh and sweet delicate taste.

It’s a brand new taste for the above young couple as they tried this fish for the first time and I am thrilled to have introduced this fish to them.

Thanks a million for this beautiful photo.

Pork chilli – Roshi and Naina, USA

Scientists by profession, they are also passionate home cooks and have tried most of the recipes from my book after they purchased a copy on Amazon in November 2019.

They paired the Pork Chilli with rotis and commented that it was their second time. They said they will prepare it again as they loved this melt in the mouth recipe and it is also easy to prepare.

Young parents with a young family, they are always happy to take time to photograph the finished dishes and share a copy with me. Thank you for your support, encouragement and feedback all throughout writing my cookbook. Thank you for your continued support and trying out almost all my recipes. Your support is a gift I will always treasure.

Mangalorean Sannas – Ophelia

Whether it is Indian, Italian, Swiss or Asian, Ophelia is an adventurous cook and an admirable baker. She loves to experiment with new recipes and share them with her daughter and son-in-law who are also foodies in their own way.

Recently, I received this photo of the Mangalorean Sannas she prepared and the results speak for themselves. It is wonderful to see that many Australians have experimented with this recipe during the Christmas New Year period and are pleased with the results. I have selected this photo as it looks perfect and captures the essence of Mangalorean cooking during the Christmas season.

A big thanks to Ophelia from the team at ‘Deliciously Indian‘ for trying out the sannas and most importantly for your feedback and this beautiful photo.

Prawn Balchao- Roshan

Prawn Balchao is a favourite curry of mine. It is a spicy, sweet and sour Goan curry and this is a curry that calls for a perfect balance between spice, sweet and sourness. Balchao can also be made as a pickle however this is a curry version and medium size prawns as shown in the photo are perfect match for this recipe.

It is encouraging to see that this curry happens to be a favourite pick of many who have purchased a copy of ‘Deliciously Indian’.

This recipe is bursting with flavour and an oh-so-satisfying taste that all your family will enjoy. This is a recipe that I find hard to resist each time I buy prawns.

I have received numerous photos of this particular curry in 2020 and also in January 2021.

A big thanks to Roshan from the team at ‘Deliciously Indian‘ for trying out this recipe and for uploading a photo for me.

Fish Molee- Astria

Astria was gifted with a copy of my book by her brother who lives in Sydney. Astria loves Mangalorean food and has tried several recipes in 2020.

She prepared Fish Molee with ling fish fillets during the Christmas holidays (a white fish found on the Southern coast of Australia from Perth to Port Macquarie including Bass Strait and around Tasmania).

She commented that the curry turned out yummy. Her pro-active twin boys enjoy the recipes from my book and they also do not hesitate to complement me with simple yet perfect culinary language “Lavina Aunty’s recipes are always good”. It is extremely special to see that we have a young Hungry Mangy team in Sydney who are Mangalorean food lovers and it is noteworthy that they are under 10 years of age.

‘Deliciously Indian‘ wishes to thank Astria and her boys sincerely for their thumps up on my recipe and their feedback.

Fish Curry with Coconut milk- Nandita

As I was doing this post, it was a pleasure to receive this hot off the press photo from this young family who made this curry for their dinner this weekend.

Nandita is an all time Mangalorean food lover and is always up to trying another new recipe from my book. She loves fish and it appears from the curry that it has the perfect balance of colour and texture. She commented that the curry tasted wonderful.

Nandita is a young mum with children who are under 5 years of age. It is very encouraging to see that she made time to prepare this curry despite her hectic schedule of raising a very young family.

On behalf of the team of at ‘Deliciously Indian’, I would like to say a huge thanks to Nandita for updating me with a photo of the finished dish and her honest feedback. Your feedback is invaluable to me as I continue my culinary journey.

Chickpea Sukka (chana) – Vanessa

It’s pleasing to note that there are a few Hungry Mangys out there who love their vegetarian food as much as non-vegetarian food. It’s also interesting that some vegetarian recipes surface up during the festive season and this traditional Mangalorean Chana Sukka (sonay sukke) is one such recipe. Many people add it to their Christmas menu as it is a perfect accompaniment to some traditional Christmas favourites such as the famous Pork Indad and Pork Sorpotel.

It is also a popular choice for a simple vegetarian weaknight meal as it is a healthy and satisfying option if you have had non-vegetarian meals on two consecutive nights.

On behalf of the team of at ‘Deliciously Indian’, I would like to say a huge thanks to Vanessa for sharing a photo of the finished dish.

It not only makes me happy but also keeps me motivated that people like you are trying out some of my recipes. Most of all, I am happy that my cookbook is used by people not only during the weekends but also the weekdays and that is the icing on the cake.

Spinach and Black Eye Beans Delight- Hansen and Vanessa

Although Vanessa is an Accountant by profession, she always makes time to cook her favourite curries, be it weeknight or weekends. It amazes me how she can fit in so much in her day and the same applies to Hansen too. They are a really energetic and enthusiastic Sydney foodie couple.

She is one of the people who has made the most of my cookbook in 2020 and continues to do so in 2021. Some of the curries she has prepared include Tangy and Spicy Pork Masala, Chicken Green Masala, Beef Mince with Peas, Masoor Dhal (Saar), Carrot & Zucchini Fugath just to name a few. Further, she has also made Lemon Pickle and spice powders.

We, at ‘Deliciously Indian’, are always happy to recieve photos of the finished dishes and feedback. The photos make it realistic and offer an insight into how the dish turns out from a given recipe. We particulalry enjoy looking at the range of recipes selected from one month to the other.

Thank you Vanessa for your enthusiasm in trying out my recipes and for photographing each and every recipe that you have cooked. It’s a gift that the two of you are in my life.

I enjoy receiving photos from all my readers in Australia and overseas and I want to let you know I feel extremely happy to see so much resilience from all my readers particularly during these unprecented times where chaos and uncertainty prevails. I would like to say a huge thank you to all of you who take time to refer to my book, make shopping lists, go shopping, cook the curry/dish and send me lovely photos and videos of the final dishes.

Thank you and looking forward to your continued support always.

The team at Deliciously Indian