Monthly Archives: November 2013

Spicy Carrot Curry

I was a finicky eater growing up – and one of the vegetables that I couldn’t stand for many years was carrots, particularly steamed carrots, which happened to be my mother’s favourite. Until one day, surprisingly, I started liking them. I now particularly like the smell of fresh carrots.

Today’s recipe is that of my mother’s spicy carrot curry.

Spicy carrot currySpicy Carrot Curry

Time taken: 20 – 25 mins

Serves 4

DSC00836Ingredients:

  • Carrots – 2, medium
  • Onion – ½
  • Ginger  – a small piece
  • Garlic – 2 or 3 cloves
  • Fenugreek seeds – 1 tsp
  • Curry leaves – 1 sprig
  • Green chilli – 1
  • Thin coconut milk – ¾ cup
  • Curry powder – 1 tsp
  • Salt, to taste
  • Low fat oil – 1 tbsp

Method:

  1. Clean the carrots, peel and chop them.
  2. Heat 1 tbsp oil in a pan over low heat and fry the fenugreek seeds and chopped ginger, garlic and onion for a min.
  3. Then, add the chopped carrots, curry leaves and chopped green chilli and continue frying for another 5 – 7 mins. Add a little oil if the carrots or onions start burning.
  4. Add the coconut milk to the pan, together with the curry powder.
  5. Cook for about 10 mins over medium heat. Add salt, to taste.
  6. Garnish with coriander and serve with rice.

Recipe source: Raji Thillainathan.

Seeni Ariyatharam

Today’s recipe is that of another Jaffna traditional festival snack – seeni ariyatharam. With the modification of one ingredient, it can be found in traditional festival Sinhalese and South Indian cuisine under the name of ‘athirasa.’ In Sri Lanka, ‘seeni ariyatharam’/’athirasa’ is most often made during the Sinhalese and Tamil New Year which comes around in April.

This is my mother’s recipe for seeni ariyatharam accompanied by a photo I took of some that a neighbour brought us for Theepawali earlier this month.

Seeni Ariyatharam

Time taken: 45 mins + soaking time for raw rice, if preparing flour from scratch

Makes 10

Seeni AriyatharamIngredients:

  • Raw rice – ½ cup
  • Sugar – ¼ cup
  • Cardamom – a few, crushed
  • Low fat oil – for deep-frying

Method:

  1. Soak the raw rice and then using a dry grinder, grind the rice into flour or alternatively, simply purchase the pre-prepared raw rice flour.
  2. Heat the sugar in ¼ cup of water in a sauce pan, with some crushed cardamom, over low heat.
  3. When the consistency is syrupy (not too thick), remove from the stove. Stir in the raw rice flour to make the dough. If the consistency of the dough seems too watery, add a tbsp of raw rice flour. It should also not be too thick but smooth.
  4. Heat the oil in the pan over low heat.
  5. Dab the surface of a small piece of banana leaf with water and then scoop a little of the ‘seeni ariyatharam’ dough onto the banana leaf and flatten it lightly into a circular shape.
  6. Drop the ‘seeni ariyatharam’ into the oil pan and deep-fry. Flip it to the other side so that both sides are browned before transferring onto a tray lined with grease absorbing paper.

Recipe source: Raji Thillainathan.

Beetroot and Garlic Curry

The recipe of my mother’s that I am sharing today is a fusion of the south and north Sri Lankan cooking. Garlic curry is a specialty of the southern province of Sri Lanka and I hope to soon share the recipe of the dish that I had enjoyed during my several trips along the southern coast. In the meantime, my mother’s experimental cooking has fused her beetroot curry with garlic and has resulted in a quite pleasant, unique curry.

Beetroot and Garlic Curry

Time taken: 20 – 25 mins

Serves 4

Beetroot and Garlic CurryIngredients:

  • Beetroot – ½ cup, chopped
  • Garlic – ¼ cup, peeled and sliced
  • Onion – 2, chopped
  • Coconut milk or water – ½ cup
  • Tomato – ¼ cup, chopped
  • Curry powder – ½ tsp or Green chilli – 1, chopped
  • Salt, to taste
  • Low fat oil – 1 tbsp

Method:

  1. Heat a tbsp oil in a pan and fry the garlic and onion for a couple of mins.
  2. Add the chopped beetroot to the pan and mix well.
  3. Add the coconut milk or water and salt, to taste.
  4. Add the curry powder or chopped green chilli to the pan and cook for about 15 mins.
  5. When the liquid starts drying up, add the chopped tomato and cook for a further 5 mins.
  6. Serve warm with rice.

Recipe source: Raji Thillainathan.

Banana bun

This is a recipe of my mother. I remember the first time my mother ventured into using bananas in her baking. It was in mid 80s Jakarta, where every embassy had been invited to put up a stall, at a banana food festival and all food had to be made of banana. Besides organizing the Sri Lankan stall, my mother experimented and baked her first banana cake then. Ever since, she has tried using banana in different baked products.

This banana bun is great as both a tea-time snack and as breakfast food.

Banana bun

Time taken: 2 hours

Makes 9 buns

Banana bunIngredients:

  • Multi-purpose flour – 1 ½ cups
  • Yeast – 1 tbsp
  • Salt – 1 tbsp
  • Vegetable margarine – ¼ cup
  • Banana – ½ cup, mashed
  • Raisins – 1 tbsp
  • Cinnamon – ½ tsp, crushed
  • Vanilla essence – ½ tsp

Method:

  1. In a mixing bowl, add a pinch of salt to the flour.
  2. Prepare a yeast solution by adding ¼ cup of lukewarm water to a tbsp yeast and a tbsp salt. Let the solution rest for 2 – 3 mins before adding to the flour in the mixing bowl.
  3. Add the vegetable margarine and mashed banana to the mixing bowl as well and make the dough for the bun.
  4. Sprinkle the raisins, crushed cinnamon and vanilla essence and knead the dough. Divide the dough into 9 balls and let the dough rest for around 30 – 40 mins.
  5. Transfer to baking tray and bake at 170⁰C/338⁰F for 25 mins first on the lower shelf and for another 15 mins on the top shelf so that it is sufficiently browned.
  6. Serve warm, either plain or with a dab of margarine or sprinkled with sugar.

Recipe source: Raji Thillainathan.

Apple cake

Today’s recipe is my mother’s apple cake recipe.

apple cakeApple cake

Time taken: 1 hour

Serves: 8

Apple cake sliceIngredients:

  • Apple – 1 ½ , large
  • Cinnamon – 2 large sticks
  • Green food colouring – ½ tsp
  • Lime – 1
  • Vegetable margarine – ¼ cup
  • Sugar – ¼ cup
  • All-purpose flour – 1 cup
  • Baking powder – 1 tsp
  • Baking soda – ¼ tsp
  • Rose essence or Apple essence – few drops

Method:

  1. Peel the apples and chop them up. Place them in a sauce pan and add water so as to just cover the apple chunks.
  2. Add some green food colouring and 2 large cinnamon sticks to the pan. Cook the apples over low heat until the water dries up.
  3. After the apples have cooled sufficiently, remove the cinnamon sticks and transfer the cooked apples to a blender.
  4. Grind the cooked apples to a puree. Add the juice of 1 lime to the apple puree and mix.
  5. Whisk together the vegetable margarine and sugar. Add the blended apple and lime juice mix.
  6. Sift together the flour, baking powder and baking soda.
  7. Gradually add the flour mix to the apple and margarine mix to make a smooth cake batter. Add a few drops of rose essence.
  8. Transfer to a baking tray and bake the apple cake at 170⁰C/338⁰F for 30 mins.

Recipe source: Raji Thillainathan.

Ellu Pa

Today’s recipe is a traditional sweet from Jaffna called the “Ellu Pa.” This is a spiced sweet made of sesame seeds and it is one of my mother’s favourite.

The recipe I am sharing today is that of my great-grandmother, as remembered and occasionally made by my mother.

Ellu Pa

Time taken: 15 mins

Makes 4

Ellu PaIngredients:

  • Sesame seeds/ Ellu – ½ cup
  • Urad dhal/ black gram flour – ¼ cup, roasted
  • Sugar – ¼ cup
  • Pepper powder – ½ tsp
  • Cumin powder – ½ tsp

Method:

  1. First, grind the sugar and sesame seeds together in a blender.
  2. Then, add the urad dhal flour and continue grinding the mixture.
  3. Transfer the blended flour mix to a mixing bowl.
  4. Add the pepper and cumin powder to the bowl. Mix well.
  5. Add a little hot water and make the ‘ellu pa’ dough. Divide the dough into 4 balls.
  6. Serve with tea.

Recipe source: Raji Thillainathan.

Spicy Toor Dhal Gravy

Spicy Toor Dhal Gravy

Time taken: 35 mins

Serves 4 or 5

Toor Dhal GravyIngredients:

  • Toor Dhal/ Thuvaram Paruppu – ½ cup
  • Chilli powder – ½ tsp
  • Cumin powder – ½ tsp
  • Coriander powder – ½ tsp
  • Pepper powder – ¼ tsp
  • Turmeric powder – ¼ tsp
  • Tamarind juice – ½ cup to 1 cup, as required
  • Salt, to taste
  • Garlic – 3 cloves, crushed

Method:

  1. Soak the dhal for about 10 mins. Rinse and drain the dhal and transfer to a saucepan.
  2. Add 1 ½ cups of water to the dhal and cook for about 10 to 15 mins, over medium heat.
  3. Reduce to low heat and add the five spice powders (chilli, cumin, coriander, pepper, turmeric).
  4. If the water has dried up, add 1 cup of tamarind extract. If there is some water still in the pan, reduce the amount of tamarind extract added accordingly.
  5. Add salt, to taste and mix well.
  6. Cook for another 10 mins. Adjust gravy consistency by adding more tamarind extract, if required.
  7. Add crushed garlic just before removing from stove. Mix well.
  8. Serve with rice or chappathi.

Recipe source: Raji Thillainathan.

Banana and Apple Cake

Today’s recipe is that of another from my mother’s fruit cake series – banana and apple cake.

DSC00728Banana and Apple cake

Time taken: 1 hour

Serves 6 to 8

Banana and Apple cakeIngredients:

  • Apple – 1
  • Banana – 1
  • Vegetable margarine – ¾ cup + 1 or 2 tbsp (for icing, optional)
  • Sugar – ½ cup
  • Cinnamon powder – 1 tsp
  • Semolina – ½ cup
  • All-purpose flour – 1 cup
  • Baking powder – 1 tsp
  • Baking soda – ¾ tsp
  • Green food colouring – few drops
  • Vanilla essence – ½ tsp
  • Icing sugar – 4 or 5 tbsp, optional
  • Lime juice – 1 or 2 tsp, optional

Method:

  1. Chop up the apple. Cook the chopped apple for about 10 mins, in a saucepan over low heat, adding some cinnamon powder. Stir regularly.
  2. Transfer the cooked apple pieces from the saucepan to a blender. Add the chopped banana. Coarsely blend. Keep aside.
  3. Add the margarine and sugar to the saucepan containing some of the apple sauce after the apple pieces had been transferred to the blender. Add up to ½ cup of water. Heat the contents for a few mins.
  4. After cooling, transfer the melted margarine and sugar to a mixing bowl. Stir in the blended fruits. Add the green food colouring and vanilla essence.
  5. Sift the flour, semolina, baking powder and baking soda together. Gradually add in the flour mix to the mixing bowl until a smooth cake batter is obtained.
  6. Transfer to baking tray and bake for 30 mins at 170⁰C/338⁰F.
  7. If you would like icing on the cake, prepare the icing by mixing the icing sugar with a tbsp of margarine, lime juice and a few drops of green food colouring.
  8. Spread the icing evenly over the cake before slicing and serving.

Recipe source: Raji Thillainathan.

Vaalai Poo Curry

Today’s recipe is the banana flower curry/ vaalai poo curry.

Vaalai Poo Curry/ Banana Flower Curry

Time taken: 30 mins

Serves 4

Vaalai Poo CurryIngredients:

  • Vaalai poo/ banana flower – 1 cup, chopped
  • Tomato – 1 large, chopped
  • Capsicum – 1, chopped
  • Onion – ½ cup, chopped
  • Fenugreek seeds – 1 tsp
  • Fennel seeds – 1 tsp
  • Oil – 1 tbsp
  • Coconut milk or non-fat milk – ½ cup
  • Curry powder – 1 tsp
  • Salt, to taste

Method:

  1. Clean and chop up the banana flower and add a little salt to it. Keep aside.
  2. Heat 1 tbsp oil in a pan and fry the fenugreek seeds, fennel seeds and chopped onion for a couple of mins.
  3. Add the chopped vaalai poo and chopped capsisum. Cover and fry for about 10 mins on low heat.
  4. Uncover the pan and add the chopped tomato, coconut milk and curry powder. Add some salt, to taste.
  5. Cook for about 5 mins until the curry has a nice gravy, before removing pan from stove.
  6. Serve with rice.

Recipe source: Raji Thillainathan.

Vaalai Poo Varai

Today’s and tomorrow’s recipes are focused on the flower of the banana tree. In Tamil, the banana flower is called “vaalai poo.” The banana flower is considered to have medicinal value, particularly as it reduces sugar levels and possesses antioxidant properties. Given that the fruit and the tree plays an important role in Tamil cuisine and culture, the flower is also considered a special dish when cooked.

Vaalai Poo Varai/ Banana flower fry

Time taken: 30 mins

Serves 5

Vaalai Poo VaraiIngredients:

  • Vaalai Poo/ Banana flower – 1 cup, chopped
  • Carrot – ½ , chopped
  • Green capsicum or malu miris – 1 or green chillies – 2, chopped
  • Red chilli – 1, chopped
  • Onion – ¼ cup, chopped
  • Curry leaves – 1 sprig
  • Fennel seeds – 1 tsp
  • Low fat oil – 1 tbsp
  • Scraped coconut – 2 tbsp
  • Curry powder – 1 tsp
  • Salt, to taste

Method:

  1. Chop up the vaalai poo. Add some salt and keep aside.
  2. Chop up the carrot, green capsicum, red chilli and onion.
  3. Heat 1 tbsp oil in a pan and fry the fennel seeds and onion for a minute.
  4. Add the rest of the chopped ingredients and the curry leaves. Cover the pan and cook, for around 10 mins, on low heat.
  5. Stir in the freshly scraped coconut and curry powder and cook for another 2 mins, mixing the ingredients well, before removing pan from stove.
  6. Serve with rice.

Recipe source: Raji Thillainathan.