BROWN BUTTER HONEY GARLIC SALMON

Ingredients

1/4 cup (4 tablespoons) butter
1/4 cup (4 tablespoons) honey
3 cloves garlic, minced
1-2 tablespoons fresh squeezed lemon juice (or juice of half a lemon)
4 wild caught salmon fillets (about 1/2 pound or 250 grams each), skin off or on
Lemon wedges (to serve)
Salt, to taste

Method

Arrange oven shelf about 8-inches away from heat element in your oven. Preheat your oven to broil .
Place butter in a cast iron skillet . Cook over medium heat, stirring and swirling pan occasionally for about 3 minutes, or until the foam settles; the butter begins to change in colour to golden brown and has a nutty fragrance.
Pour in the honey and let it dissolve into the butter. Then add in the garlic and sauté for about 1 minute until fragrant. Add in the lemon juice; stir well to combine all of the flavours together.
Add the salmon steaks to the butter in the pan; cook each fillet (skin-side down if there's any skin) for 3-4 minutes or until golden, while basting the tops with the pan juices. Season with salt and pepper, to taste.
Add the lemon wedges around the salmon. Transfer the pan to your oven to broil / grill for a further 5-6 minutes, or until the tops of the salmon are nicely charred.
To serve, drizzle with the reserved brown butter sauce. Serve with steamed vegetables; over rice or with a salad.

MATHANGA/PUMPKIN VANPAYAR ERISSERI

Ingredients

250 gms Pumpkin/Mathanga diced
1/2 cup vanpayar 
3-4 Green chilies, slit
1 cup Grated coconut
2 cloves Garlic 
5-6 nos Black pepper corns 
1/4 tsp Cumin seeds 
1/2 tsp Chilly powder 
1/2 tsp Turmeric powder 
3 Dry red chilies
1 tsp Mustard seeds 
few Curry leaves 
2-3 tsp Oil 
Salt   to taste

Method

Pressure cook vanpayar till soft and done. Set aside.

In another vessel cook the pumpkin with salt,turmeric,chilly powder, slit green chilies and salt adding enough water to cook the pumpkin. (You can pressure cook it for 1-2 whistles).

 Meanwhile grind  1 cup coconut, 2 cloves of garlic, whole black pepper corns and cumin seeds into a fine paste adding water, if needed.

Add the ground coconut paste and the cooked vanpayar to the cooked pumpkin and mix well. Check for salt and add water if needed. If you prefer dry erissseri, you do not need to add water. Cook for a few minutes at medium-low heat.

In a frying pan heat coconut oil, splutter mustard seeds, fry the dry red chilies, curry leaves and then add remaining 1/2 cup grated coconut. Roast the coconut till it turns brown (If you want, you can pour the seasoning over the curry and then roast the coconut in the same pan).

Add this roasted coconut to the pumpkin and mix well. Check for salt. Serve hot with rice and a thoran/mezhukkupuratti.