Paani Panaattu

Two of my mother’s favourite snacks from her childhood days are ‘panaattu‘ and ‘paani panaattu’. She remembers her grandmother making them for their home consumption and storing them in little jars or earthen pots. When my mother and her sisters visited her, she would serve them these treats with tea or after a main meal.

It is much easier today to buy a jar of ‘paani panaattu’, from the Katpaham outlets around the country, as my mother did this weekend. However, as palmyrah used to be and is still considered an intrinsic part of the north Sri Lankan culture and cuisine, I do like to know and share the recipes of how these traditional delicacies are made.

My mother felt that the ‘paani panaattu’ that she had bought didn’t quite taste the way she liked so she revamped it with the spices she remembers her grandmother had used. It was the first time that I tried ‘paani panaattu’ and I think this is another dish that is an acquired taste. It has quite a strong taste and is both spicy and sweet at the same time. My mother was delighted to go back to her childhood memories and favourite snacks while I enjoyed recording both recipes, as she remembered from her observations of my great-grandmother.

Paani Panaattu

The palmyrah sap is collected by tying a pot to the stem of the palm flower stump after it has been cut or gashed to allow the sweet water of the palm to be collected. To prevent fermentation, a little lime is added to the pot. This water that is collected is non-alcoholic, due to not being fermented, and it is considered nutritious particularly for the elderly.

The collected palm water is then heated and continuously stirred till it thickens into a brown treacle like substance called ‘paani’ . ‘Paani’ is usually stored in an earthen pot and it can be stored for a long time.

Time taken: 10 mins

Serves 4

Ingredients:

Paani – ½ cup
Panaattu – 1 cup
Coconut chips – 2 tbsp, roasted
Roasted rice – 1 tbsp
Crushed chillies – 1 tsp
Cumin powder – ½ tsp

Method:

Chop up the panaattu into small pieces.
Heat the paani in a saucepan over low heat for about 3 mins.
Add the crushed chillies and cumin powder and stir well for about 2 mins.
Add the coconut chips and roasted rice to the saucepan for about 1 min.
Then, add the panaattu pieces and stir for about 2 mins.
Stir well until it thickens and remove from stove, to allow the ‘paani panaattu’ to cool before serving. When making in larger quantities, transfer to an earthen pot or air-tight jar.

Recipe source: Raji Thillainathan.

Vadaham

My mother made a few dishes that she really likes, and which are specialties of Jaffna cuisine, this weekend so I will be sharing the recipes of those this week.

Today’s recipe is that of vadaham, a sun-dried and fried side dish made of some special ingredients. Vadaham is usually made in bulk during sunny days and preserved to be eaten over a long period. There are a few varieties of vadaham, the more popular ones made of neem flowers (vepampoo) or banana flower (valaipoo). The neem tree is considered one of the most medicinal trees and the flowers particularly good for diabetics.

My mother tells me that she learnt how to make vadaham by observing her aunt (my grand-aunt) making them. My grand-aunt was fond of the neem flower vadaham and she had mats placed around the neem tree at my grandmother’s house to collect the tiny flowers that fell off the tree. The flowers were then rinsed and dried before being used to make the vadaham.

The recipe I am sharing below is my grand-aunt’s recipe that my mother occasionally uses when she feels like making vadaham.

Vadaham

Time taken: 30 mins + the soaking time for the urad dhal + sun-drying of the vadaham

Makes 12 – 15

Ingredients:

Banana flower – ½ cup, finely chopped
Urad dhal/ black gram – ½ cup
Crushed chillies – 1 tsp
Crushed onion – 1 tbsp
Cumin powder – 1 tsp
Turmeric powder – ½ tsp
Pepper – ½ tsp
Salt, to taste
Oil, for deep-frying

Method:

Soak the urad dhal for about 3 hours and then drain and grind the dhal.
Mix the finely chopped banana flowers with the ground urad dhal in a mixing bowl.
Add to the mixing bowl the crushed chillies, onion, cumin powder, turmeric as well as pepper and salt to taste.
Mix well and then make small, circular disks of ‘vadaham’.
Sun-dry the ‘vadaham’ for 2 or 3 days and then bottle them in an air-tight jar. If you do not plan to make in bulk and are preparing the side dish for a meal within that day, you can omit the sun-drying part and directly make instant vadaham by moving on to the next step as my mother did this weekend. Some also prefer to simply use the sun-dried version directly without frying them.
When you wish to serve them, simply deep-fry the required number and serve warm with rice and some curd and pickle.

Recipe source: Raji Thillainathan.

Pineapple juice

Of course, a post with a recipe for a pineapple cake has to be accompanied by a post on pineapple juice for the fresh fruit juice series of this blog. Rich in manganese, which helps in creating bone and connective tissues, and bromelain which helps in managing pain and inflammation, pineapples are an especially delicious and nutritious fruit.

So go ahead and prepare yourself a glass of pineapple juice by blending ¼ cup of pineapple chunks with a cup of water and a tablespoon of sugar or less and a pinch of salt.

Pineapple cake

A lovely cake in my mother’s fruit cake series… this weekend, it is a pineapple cake.

Pineapple cake

Time taken: 1 ½ hours

Serves 8 – 10

Ingredients:

Pineapple – 1 cup, chopped
Sugar – ½ cup + pinch
Oats – ½ cup
All-purpose flour – 1 cup
Vegetable margarine – ½ cup
Baking soda – ½ tsp
Baking powder – 1 tsp
Vanilla essence – ½ tsp
Pineapple essence or yellow food colouring – ½ tsp

Method:

Cook the chopped pineapple with a little sugar in ½ cup of water till the liquid dries up. After the cooked pineapple has cooled, transfer the fruit to a blender and process the fruit.
Whisk the margarine and sugar in a mixing bowl.
Add the ground pineapple and ½ cup of water to the mixing bowl, together with the vanilla essence and pineapple essence or yellow food colour. Stir in the oats. Mix well.
Sift the flour together with the baking powder and baking soda. Fold in the flour into the cake mixture.
Transfer the pineapple cake batter to the baking tray and bake at 170⁰C/ 338⁰F for 30 – 45 mins.
Enjoy a slice of the pineapple cake with some coffee. If possible, do try some of Hansa Ceylon coffee‘s house blend of robusta and arabica beans or dark arabica, my favoured blends of Sri Lanka’s specialty coffee.

Recipe source: Raji Thillainathan.

Soya bean and Kangkung Stir-fry

Of the four soya bean dishes my mother prepared last week, I like this easy-to-prepare soya bean and kangkung stir fry dish the most.

Soya bean and Kangkung stir-fry

Time taken: 15 mins (with pre-cooked soya beans)

Serves 2

Ingredients:

Soya beans – ¼ cup, boiled
Kangkung – ½ cup, chopped
Onion – ½
Green chilli – 1
Dried red chilli – 1
Fennel seeds – 1 tsp
Coconut – 1 tbsp
Curry powder – 1 tsp
Salt, to taste
Low fat oil – 1 tbsp

Method:

Clean and finely chop the kangkung.
Heat 1 tbsp oil in a pan and sauté the fennel seeds, chopped green and dried red chillies and onion for 1-2 mins.
Add the soya beans to the pan. Stir fry for another 2 mins.
Mix in the kangkung and cook for 2- 3 mins over low heat.
Add the freshly scraped coconut and continue stir frying for a few minutes before adding the curry powder. Continue cooking for another couple of minutes before removing pan from stove.
Serve warm with rice.

Recipe source: Raji Thillainathan.

Soya bean Vadai

Today’s recipe is a snack made from soya beans – a crunchy soya bean vadai.

Soya bean Vadai

Time taken: 15 – 20 mins (using pre-cooked soya beans)

Makes 6 or 7

Ingredients:

Soya beans – ½ cup, boiled
All-purpose flour – ½ cup
Onion – ½, chopped
Crushed chillies – 2 tsp
Fennel seeds – 1 tsp
Curry leaves – 1 sprig, chopped
Turmeric powder – ½ tsp
Salt, to taste
Low fat oil, for deep-frying

Method:

Mix all the ingredients in a mixing bowl to prepare the ‘vadai’ dough. Divide the dough into small balls, around 6 or 7. Flatten each slightly.
Heat the oil in a pan. When the oil is ready for frying, drop the ‘vadai’ in batches into the heated oil and deep fry them until they are golden brown on both sides.
Serve warm with some Sri Lankan tea.

Recipe source: Raji Thillainathan.

Soya bean curry

Today’s soya bean recipe is a nice soya bean curry that I like.

Soya bean curry

Time taken: 20 mins (with pre-cooked soya beans)

Serves 3

Ingredients:

Soya beans – ½ cup, boiled
Tomato – 1
Onion – ½
Fennel seeds – ½ tsp
Fenugreek seeds – ½ tsp
Curry leaves – 1 sprig
Curry powder – 1 tsp
Rampe/ Pandan leaf – piece
Salt, to taste
Low fat oil – 1 tsp

Method:

Heat 1 tsp oil in a pan and sauté the fennel and fenugreek seeds, chopped onion and curry leaves for a couple of mins.
Add the chopped tomatoes to the pan. Stir and add ½ cup of water.
Add the curry powder, rampe leaf and salt, to taste and cook for about 5 mins.
Mix in the cooked soya beans and cook for another 10 mins.
Serve with rice or pittu or bread.

Recipe source: Raji Thillainathan.

Soya bean Crumble

While soya bean is not so commonly cooked at home, we had some leftover soya beans from one of my cooking experiments. My mother therefore decided to cook up a few soya bean dishes over the week.

So, the key ingredient of the recipes on this blog for the next few days will be soya beans.

Soya bean Crumble

Time taken: 45 mins + soaking time (overnight)

Serves 4

Ingredients:

Soyabeans – ½ cup
Turmeric powder – 1 tsp
Chilli powder – ½ tsp
Salt, to taste
Red chilli – 1
Green chilli – 1
Onion – ½
Fennel seeds – 1 tsp
Curry leaves – 1 sprig
Scraped coconut – 1 tbsp
Low fat oil – 2 tbsp

Method:

Soak the soya beans overnight and then rinse and cook the beans with water for 30 mins.
Drain and grind the cooked soya beans in a blender for about 2 mins.
Transfer the ground soya beans to a mixing bowl and add the turmeric powder, chilli powder and salt, to taste. Mix well and keep aside.
Heat 2 tbsp oil in a pan and lightly fry the chopped onion, chillies, curry leaves and fennel seeds for a minute.
Add the seasoned, ground soya bean mixture to the pan and stir fry for about 5 – 10 mins.
Add the scraped coconut. Mix well and cook for about 2 mins.
Serve the soya bean crumble with rice.

Recipe source: Raji Thillainathan.

Cabbage fry

Cabbage fry

Time taken: 20 mins

Serves 3 or 4

Ingredients:

Cabbage – 1 cup
Scraped coconut – 2 tbsp
Onion – ½
Red chilli – 1
Fennel seeds – 1 tsp
Curry leaves – 1 sprig
Turmeric – ½ tsp
Crushed chilli – ½ tsp
Salt, to taste
Sesame oil – 1 tbsp

Method:

Finely chop the cabbage.
Heat 1 tbsp sesame oil in a pan and lightly sauté the fennel seeds, chopped onion, red chilli and curry leaves for 1 to 2 mins.
Add some salt to the pan.
Mix in the chopped cabbage. Add another tsp oil if required and cook for about 10 to 15 mins.
Towards the end, add the freshly scraped coconut, the turmeric and crushed chilli. Mix well before removing from stove.
Serve warm with rice.

Recipe source: Raji Thillainathan.

Thank you for the nomination!

A few days back, I was surprised by a touching email from a fellow blogger. Surprising because I found that my blog had been nominated for an award and it has been in existence for only four months. Thank you, Diana @ Little Bits of Nice for nominating my blog for the Liebster Blog Award!

After the nomination email brought a smile to my morning, my penchant for history had me looking for the roots of this award. Tracking back through the links till it broke off at some point within this year and after ‘googling’ around, I made some interpretations of the various information that I came across: (1) the award is a lovely chain award passing on the spirit of sharing, (2) the nomination is not necessarily meant for new bloggers as much as it is meant for favourite or special blogs, (3) the nominated blog’s theme can be any subject as it rather depends on what the favourite topics of the nominator are, (4) there has been a range set to the limit of readers to a nominated blog over the years and it seems to vary between 100 in 2013 and 3000 back in 2010.

Further, there are variances to accepting a nomination, in that it is quite flexible. As such, I prefer to accept Diana’s kind nomination of my blog in the following way: sharing a few facts about my blog, 10 questions answered, 10 new nominations and 6 new questions for the nominees.

So, starting off with some facts about ‘A Taste of Sri Lankan Cuisine’:

This blog is the sixth of my seven blogs and is the only one focused on cuisine.
While I have initiated this blog and am keen to put together a site that will eventually have a representative sample of Sri Lanka’s multi-ethnic cuisine, I have personally not contributed any recipe yet.
My role has been to reach out to friends and invite them to send in recipes and as regular readers may already know, I also record and transcribe my mother’s recipes and photograph the food she makes.
Before this year, while I did engage in occasional cooking, I used to keep out of the kitchen most of the time and sticking to basics when I had to cook. It was during the last six months of trying to cook something different, colourful and nutritious enough to tempt my mother to eat when her health declined, that my interest in cooking came about and I have found that I enjoy baking.
This blog has become something more than just a documentation of Sri Lankan recipes to me. I have found that it has re-sparked my mother’s creative interests and she enjoys sharing her recipes and stories a lot. Despite her current frail health, she seems to enjoy concocting creative, new food.

Answering the ten questions of Little Bits of Nice:

1) What herb could you not do without? Turmeric. I am fond of a number of herbs but I think turmeric is an absolute essential in my kitchen. Not just for cooking, but also as an antiseptic.

2) What is your favourite season? Autumn. I love the fall colours. Even more so because I have had few occasions to experience it.

3) City or Countryside? City. I like to live in a city that is close to the sea but I love to travel out to the countryside on holiday as it always rejuvenates me.

4) What is your happiest memory? My years in Sweden. I guess it is because I felt a good sense of independence, freedom of thought, expression and movement in addition to the beautiful environment and wonderful friends.

5) What is the thing you most love to do? Explore through travelling or creative writing or usually both.

6) Are you an early riser or a night owl? I usually wake up before dawn as that is my most productive thinking time.

7) What is your favourite item of clothing? Shawl. I love shawls and usually buy locally designed shawls when I visit a new country.

8) Sweet or Savoury? I have a sweet tooth!

9) Which countries have you travelled to? Around 25 countries so far (too many to list out here)

10) Following on question 9, which of them is your favourite and why? Hawai’i. There is a wonderful healing vibe around Hawai’i, particularly Big Island, and I lived there at a time when I needed some time to reflect on my next steps. So, besides the beautiful blue skies and seas and the amazing double rainbows of Hawai’i, it is special because of the particular moment that I visited the breathtaking islands.

Now, for my nominations… Based on my interpretations of the award, I have chosen ten blogs from those that I now enjoy following and my selection has also included travel blogs, journals/ memoirs in addition to culinary blogs.

Your blogs are truly special, in that you share what you care about a lot with the world, and it comes through your writing, recipes and photographs. Keep on continuing your wonderful work! And, I hope you accept my nomination.

My six questions for you, if you choose to accept the nomination, are:

Who is your favourite fictional character and why?
Which place in this world makes you feel most at home and why?
If you were to cook a meal for the most favourite person in your life, what would be the meal you cook?
If given the choice, which wildlife would you contribute towards protecting and why?
What do you consider as the biggest priority in environmental protection and conservation?
Apart from the places you have already travelled to, where would be your next dream destination and why?

My warmest wishes to all of you, the readers of this blog… Have a lovely week!

Ahila.