Dal curry

This is my mother’s recipe for cooking Mysore dal, a curry that is a regular at home.

Mysore dal curry

Time taken: 15 – 20 mins

Serves 4

Ingredients

Mysore dal – 1 cup
Green chilli – 1
Onion – ¼
Curry leaves – 1 sprig
Rampe leaf/ pandan
Non-fat milk (for lacto vegetarians and better for those having cholesterol issues) or Coconut milk (for vegans) – ½ cup
Turmeric – ¼ tsp
Crushed chilli – 1 tsp
Garlic – 1, crushed
Pepper – ½ tsp
Salt, to taste

Method:

Wash and clean the dal.
Cook the cleaned dal in 1 ½ cups of water, together with the chopped green chilli, onion, curry leaves and rampe.
Once the dal is cooked and the water dries up, add ½ cup of non-fat milk or coconut milk along with the crushed garlic, chilli flakes, turmeric powder, pepper powder and salt to taste.
Let the dal cook for another few minutes till the ingredients combine.
Remove from heat and serve with rice.

Recipe source: Raji Thillainathan.

Okra stir-fry

This is one of my mother’s favourite recipes as she really likes okra.

Okra stir-fry

Time taken: 10 – 15 mins

Serves 4

Ingredients:

Okra – 200g, whole
Onion – 1, small and chopped
Red chilli – 1, chopped
Curry leaves – 1 sprig
Fennel seeds – ½ tsp
Turmeric powder – ¼ tsp
Pepper powder – ¼ tsp
Salt – ¼ tsp
Oil

Method:

Boil some water. When the water comes to a boil, drop the okra prior to chopping, in the boiling water and take them out after a minute and immerse them in a bowl of ice-cold water. This reduces the sliminess of the okra and retains the colour.
Chop the blanched okra into ½ or 1 inch pieces.
Marinate the okra pieces by adding some turmeric, salt and pepper. Mix and keep aside.
Heat 1 tbsp of oil in a pan. Fry the chopped onion, red chilli, curry leaves with the fennel seeds for a few minutes.
Add the marinated pieces of okra and combine well. Cover the pan and allow the okra to cook for about 5 mins.
Remove from heat and serve with rice.

Source: Raji Thillainathan.

Sura Sarakku Kulambu

This dish is particularly made for people recovering from severe illness and mothers recuperating from childbirth.

Sura Sarakku Kulambu

Ingredients:

Shark/ sura – 10 pieces
Onion – 1
Salt, to taste
Tamarind extract – 1 ½ cup
Sarakku powder mix (Coriander – 3 tbsp, Cinnamon – 2 tbsp, Pepper – 1 tsp, Turmeric – ½ tsp, Fenugreek – 1 tsp)

Method:

Clean the shark pieces and place them in a pan.
Chop up the onion and add to the pan. Pour some water and add some salt and cook on low heat for 10 to 15 mins.
Add the sarakku powder to the pan and add the tamarind extract.
Let the curry simmer for another 10 minutes or until the curry thickens and is not watery.

Recipe Source: Raji Thillainathan.

Idiyappam with Sodhi

Idiyappam/ Idiyappa/ Stringhoppers with Kilanghu sodhi/ Ala hodhi is a food that is part of all the different cuisines of Sri Lanka. Everyone around the country either regularly or occasionally makes or buys stringhoppers. It is generally consumed for dinner or breakfast. While my mother has reduced making it as it is easier to buy them, she occasionally makes it when anyone at home is sick. It is considered lighter on the stomach and easily digestible.

Idiyappam/ Idiyappa/ Stringhoppers

Cooking time: 20 mins

Makes 10 – 12 stringhoppers

Ingredients:

Roasted rice flour – ½ cup
Steamed wheat flour – ½ cup
Salt, to taste
Water, as required

Method:

Boil around 1½ cups of water and then cool it slightly for a couple of minutes so that it is still hot but not boiling hot.
Mix the roasted rice flour, steamed wheat flour and some salt and add the hot water slowly, continuing to stir. The water needs to be carefully added so that there is not too much or too little but just enough to make it all come together as a dough and not stick to fingers when tested.
Fill the stringhopper mould/ ural with some of the dough mix and squeeze out the string hoppers onto the stringhopper trays. There are stringhopper machines now that simplify this process.
Place 5 or 6 trays, at a time, in the steamer and cook the stringhoppers for 5 mins.
Serve stringhoppers with sodhi and any other curry.

Kilanghu Sodhi/ Ala Hodhi

Cooking time: 15 mins

Serves 3

Ingredients:

Potato – 1
Chilli – 1
Onion – ¼
Curry leaves – 1 sprig
Coconut milk – 1 cup
Turmeric powder – ½ tsp
Pepper – ½ tsp
Salt, to taste

Method:

Chop up the potato, chilli, onion and curry leaves and cook them in a pan with some water.
Once the potato is cooked, add the coconut milk, turmeric, pepper and some salt, to taste.
Bring the ‘sodhi’ to boil two or three times before removing from heat.
Serve with the stringhoppers.

Recipe source: Raji Thillainathan.

Pongal

My mother often recounts a story from her childhood years, particularly ones that include her grandmother. One story she is fond of narrating is about how her grandmother used to undertake her own farming and not use machines or chemicals. My great-grandmother, who was the last farmer in our family lost her husband at a young age and raised her three children on her own. She had some paddy land and a small vegetable farm, which she managed to buy with her own earning. While she did hire farm labourers when needed, she did a lot of work on her field herself. Also, she raised cows and goats and undertook organic farming. Compost was made on her farm and used in her field. She had her land ploughed with a hand-plough and planted the paddy seeds. When the seeds started growing, just like any other small time farmer, she undertook the weeding together with the help of some hired hands.

The harvesting season was a special process and the cut grain stalks would be loaded onto bullock carts and brought home for the grains to be separated from the husks. By the time they were brought home, it would be night. As there was no electricity in their home at that time, three or four petromax lamps were lighted. My mother remembers that she was very much excited during those days and didn’t want to go to sleep but stay up and watch. It seemed like a carnival at her grandmother’s home, with the place lighted up and movement of people throughout the night.

A pole was planted in the middle of the yard and large woven mats placed around the pole. The cut stalks were spread on the mat. The buffaloes were tied to the pole and two or three hired help would walk the buffaloes around the pole. This was the old process to separate the grains from the husks. My mother remembers watching the men walk the buffaloes calling out, “poli.” The stalks were then picked up and thrashed onto the mat and the grains would separate out and fall. These were then packed up in sacks.

The first handfuls of grain were beaten in a stone or wood “ural” to separate the raw rice from the grain. This was made into the first pongal of the harvest. Everyone who helped would be invited for a meal and given bags of grains.

Family members who had died were also remembered on that day and a large variety of food was made. My mother mentions that a special offering was made that day, as part of the remembrance ritual, called the “puthir.” Her grandmother used to take some of the pongal made from the first rice from the harvest and spread it out on a large tray. Then, all types of available fruits were cut up and layered on top of the pongal. Honey was poured over the fruits. A sampling of all the vegetable curries that were made were also layered on top of the pongal-fruit-honey mix. Finally, ghee was poured over the tray of food and everything was mixed together. After the prayers were made, a little “puthir” was handed as “prasadham” (blessed offering) to everyone present.

Today, I will share the recipe of pongal that is made with the first harvest of the season by farmers and by non-farmers on festival days such as the Pongal festival in January, New Year in April and other celebrations.

Pongal

Cooking time: 30 to 40 mins

Serves 4 or 5

Ingredients:

Rice – 1 cup
Roasted split gram (without skin) – ¼ cup
Jaggery – 1 cup (grated)
Coconut – ½
Cardamom – 4 or 5, crushed
Cashew nuts – few, chopped
Raisins – 1 tbsp
Water

Method:

Wash the rice and gram and cook them in a pot with 2 ½ cups of water. Cook for around 15 to 20 mins, till the water dries up.
Grind and extract coconut milk by blending the freshly scraped half of a coconut with 1 cup of water.
Once the rice and gram is cooked, add the grated jaggery and mix.
Then, add the coconut milk and crushed cardamoms. Bring to a boil on high heat and cook for a few more minutes before reducing the heat.
Add the chopped cashew nuts. Cook until the pongal mixture starts coming together and starts to thicken.
Just before removing from heat, add the raisins and mix.
Remove from heat and cover.
Serve pongal with bananas.

Recipe source: Raji Thillainathan.

Papaya and Orange juice

My mother has always been fascinated by the health benefits of different fruits and she has always tried to encourage my siblings and I to drink fresh fruit juices since we were kids. Based on her request, I will be sharing a few fruit juices, not for the recipe as they are very much straightforward blending, but because they are considered exceptionally healthy by her.

Today’s fruit juice is papaya and orange juice. My mother has always been fond of papaya while I could not be persuaded to eat papaya for a very long time. The only way I would have papaya was when it was mixed with something else that I liked. A papaya and orange mixed fruit juice was perfect. Papayas are supposedly good for people with diabetes as well as those with colon cancer, besides being a great fruit for the digestive system.

Papaya and Orange juice

Time taken: 5 mins

Serves 1

Ingredients:

Papaya – ½ cup, chopped
Orange – 1, squeezed
Water – 1 cup

Method:

Blend all three ingredients and serve (chilling is optional).

Jaggery and coconut cake

My mother makes scrumptious cakes. Some of my favourites are the basic butter cake and the chocolate cake. However, on this site, I will share a cake recipe or two of my mother’s that is both vegan and made with typically Sri Lankan ingredients.

Today’s recipe is that of my mother’s jaggery and coconut cake. The key ingredient here is the jaggery.

Jaggery and Coconut cake

Time taken: 1 hour

Makes 12 – 16 pieces if baked in a 6”x6” baking pan

Ingredients:

Grated jaggery (palm or kithul) – 1 cup
Water – 1 cup
Low fat sunflower oil margarine (Flora, for e.g.) – ¾ cup (150g)
Wheat flour – 1 cup
Semolina – ¼ cup
Roasted coconut – ¼ cup
Coconut powder – 1 cup (100g)
Cardamom – 4
Vanilla essence – few drops
Baking powder – 1 tsp
Baking soda – ¼ tsp
Cashew nuts – ½ cup, chopped or a little for sprinkling (optional)

Method:

Mix the wheat flour, semolina, baking powder and baking soda and keep aside.
Put the jaggery, margarine, water in a blender. Add the vanilla essence and crushed cardamom seeds. Blend for about a minute or two.
Then, add the coconut powder and roasted coconut to the mix in the blender and blend for another minute or two.
Pour the batter into a mixing bowl.
Stir in the flour mix gradually into the batter and mix well.
Add the chopped cashew nuts and mix.
Pour the batter into the baking pan and sprinkle some chopped cashew nuts on top.
Bake in a preheated oven at 140⁰C/ 284⁰F for around 40 – 45 minutes.
Serve with some Sri Lankan tea or fresh fruit juice.

Recipe source: Raji Thillainathan.

Triple layer veggie sandwich

Sandwiches are another globally popular and much consumed food. Everyone is sure to have their own recipe for what they like in their sandwich.

The second recipe I wish to share today is a sandwich that is commonly served at kids birthday parties, tea parties and even cocktail events in Sri Lanka. While there might be slightly different ways on how this party snack is made in the country, I am sharing here the way my mother makes them.

Triple layer veggie sandwich

Cooking time: 15 – 20 mins

Makes 2 or 4 sandwiches

Ingredients:

Sandwich bread – 4 pieces
Carrot – ¼
Beetroot – ¼
Mint or green peas – 2 tsp (mint is the more popular choice, though green peas is used in the photo here)
Green chilli – ½, finely chopped
Onion – ½, finely chopped
Low fat sunflower oil margarine – 1 ½ tsp (my mother uses flora margarine)
Salt and pepper, to taste

Method:

Boil or steam carrot and beetroot slices.
Grate separately and add 1 tsp finely chopped onion, ½ tsp margarine and salt and pepper to taste to the two vegetables. Keep aside.
Crush or coarsely grind the boiled green peas or mint with the green chilli and 1 tsp finely chopped onion. Add ½ tsp margarine with salt and pepper to taste and mix well.
Make the sandwich by layering each slice of sandwich bread with one of the vegetables mixtures, starting with the carrot mixture on the first layer, the beetroot mixture on the second and the mint or green peas mixture on the third.
Cut off the edges and cut the sandwich into two or four triple layer, colourful sandwiches.
Serve with hot Sri Lankan tea or fresh fruit juice.

Recipe source: Raji Thillainathan.

Stuffed Veggie Cutlet

The recipe I would like to share today is my mother’s stuffed vegetable cutlet recipe.

Stuffed Veggie Cutlet

Cooking time: 45 mins

Makes 5 – 6

Ingredients:

Potatoes – 2, medium-sized
Carrot – 1, small
Green peas – 3 tbsp
Green chilli – 1
Onion – ½, medium-sized
Pepper – 1 tsp
Fennel seeds – 1 tsp
Ginger – tiny piece
Garlic – 1 clove
Salt, to taste
Low fat oil – 1 tsp (for sauté) + for deep-frying (can be reused)
Wheat flour – ½ cup
Bread crumbs – 7 or 8 tsp

Method:

Dry grind the pepper and fennel together and keep aside.
Boil the potatoes and carrots separately.
Peel the skin of the potatoes and mash them, adding some salt and the ground pepper and fennel mix. When they have been sufficiently mashed and mixed with the spices, make balls of mashed potato and keep aside.
Mash the carrots separately and keep aside.
Boil the green peas lightly, if not pre-cooked, and coarsely grind them a little so that they are half mashed.
Heat a little oil in a pan. Add the chopped ginger, garlic and onion and sauté lightly.
When the aroma begins to waft about, add the mashed carrot and coarsely ground green peas. Add salt and pepper and cook for a few minutes till they come together. Remove from heat.
Make a batter by mixing the wheat flour with salt and adding water little by little, till reaches a pancake batter consistency.
Take a potato ball and flatten it on your palm. Scoop up 1 – 1 ½ tsp of the carrot and peas mixture. Make the cutlets by covering the mixture with the edges of the potato patty like a dumpling.
Dip the cutlets in the batter and roll it in the bread crumbs. Keep aside.
Heat the oil for deep-frying. The oil should be enough to cover the potato balls.
When the oil is ready, drop the batter coated stuffed potato balls in the pan and fry till they are browned on all sides.
Serve the stuffed vegetable cutlets with tea.

Recipe source: Raji Thillainathan.

Banana fritters

There are several varieties of bananas in Sri Lanka. One of the most common and popular banana are the small ones known as Kathali/ Ambul. This is the variety that is best for the two banana recipes that I will share today.

I think almost everyone, around the world, has their own recipe for banana fritters as it is a fruit that is easily made into a delectable dish.

Today’s recipes for banana fritters come from my great-grandmother and mother. While my great-grandmother’s banana fritter recipe is the traditional way that they are made in the north, my mother’s banana fritter recipe has been influenced by our time in Jakarta when we were kids. We were all very fond of ‘pisang goreng’ so my mother’s banana fritters are her version of a mix of the two styles.

(a) Vaalapala Paniyaaram (Banana fritters in my family, four generations ago)

Cooking time: 30 mins

Makes about 25

Ingredients

Ripe bananas – 4
All purpose flour – 1 ½ cups
Baking powder – 1 ½ tsp (my great-grandmother’s original recipe uses a pinch of baking soda but my mother prefers using baking powder instead of soda)
Brown sugar – ½ cup, or less
Salt, to taste
Low fat oil, for deep-frying (can be reused)

Method

Mash the bananas.
In a bowl, mix the flour with sugar, salt and baking powder.
Add the dry ingredients mix to the mashed bananas slowly to form a thick fruity batter.
Heat the oil in a pan.
Form small balls (or oblong shapes) out of the batter and drop them in batches into the heated oil.
Turn the banana balls so that they are browned on all sides.
Remove from pan and put them on a grease absorbing paper to get rid of excess oil.
Serve hot with tea.

(b) Fried bananas (my mother’s recipe)

Cooking time: 20 mins

Makes 4

Ingredients:

Ripe bananas – 4
All purpose flour – ½ cup
Chickpeas flour – 2 tbsp
Vanilla extract – few drops
Yellow food colouring – few drops (optional)
Salt, to taste
Low fat oil, for deep-frying (can be reused)
Melted cooking chocolate or chocolate sauce – 4 tsp
Brown sugar, a little to sprinkle

Method:

Mix both flours and salt in a bowl.
Add water little by little, making a batter of consistency like that of pancake batter.
Add the vanilla extract and optional food colouring and mix well.
Remove the banana skins and dip the fruits into the batter, coating it well.
Deep fry the bananas coated in the batter one by one. Let them cool on a plate on a grease absorbing paper.
Drizzle the melted chocolate over the fried bananas and sprinkle with a little brown sugar.
Serve with tea.

Recipe source: Raji Thillainathan.