Category Archives: Western province

Comprises of three districts: Colombo, Gampaha and Kalutara

Mango Kesari

Today’s lovely recipe is my mother’s recipe for mango kesari/ halwa. Great with a cup of tea or coffee.

Mango Kesari

Time taken: 20 mins

Serves 4

Mango KesariIngredients:

  • Mango – ½ cup, chopped
  • Orange juice – 1 tbsp
  • Mint – 2 or 3 leaves
  • Sugar – 1 tsp (for juice) + 1 tbsp
  • Salt – a little
  • Semolina – ¼ cup
  • Vegetable oil margarine – 1 tsp
  • Vanilla essence – 1 tsp
  • Yellow food colouring – ½ tsp (optional)
  • Nuts (your choice) – optional

Method:

  1. Make 1 cup of mango juice by blending the chopped mango, orange juice, mint leaves, 1 tsp of sugar and pinch of salt with water.
  2. Heat the juice in a saucepan with a tbsp of sugar for about 2 mins. Add the vanilla and semolina. Continue stirring until it thickens.
  3. Add 1 tsp of margarine and the optional yellow food colour and nuts. Mix well before transferring to a tray or mold so that it can set.
  4. Serve warm with tea or after a meal.

Recipe source: Raji Thillainathan.

Beans with Carrot Sauce

Today’s recipe is one of my mother’s sauce recipes. For another of my mother’s similarly interesting sauce recipes, check out ash plantain and carrot with beetroot sauce.

Beans with Carrot Sauce

Time taken: 30 mins

Serves 4

Beans with Carrot SauceIngredients:

  • Beans – 1 cup, chopped
  • Carrot – 1
  • Onion – ½
  • Ginger – 1 tsp, finely chopped
  • Garlic – 1 tsp, finely chopped
  • Green chilli – 1
  • Low fat oil – 1 tbsp

Method:

  1. Clean and chop the beans and carrots. Boil the beans and carrots in water, adding a little salt, for about 10 mins.
  2. Separate the cooked carrots from the beans. Drain the beans, keeping the water aside for re-use.  Transfer the cooked beans to the serving dish.
  3. Heat a tbsp oil in a pan and fry the chopped onion, ginger, garlic and chilli for a couple of mins before adding the cooked carrots and continuing to stir-fry for an extra minute or two.
  4. After cooling slightly, blend the carrot mixture from the pan.
  5. In a sauce pan, heat the previously cooked water, together with the ground carrot mixture, that was kept aside. Adjust salt, as per taste.
  6. Pour the carrot sauce over the beans and serve warm.

Recipe source: Raji Thillainathan.

Triple layer veggie and fruit cake

Today, I will share one of my mother’s latest cake experiments. She got very much caught in her fruit cake series that she wanted to bake this triple layer cake. I call it the cake extravaganza and it very much reminded me of Tian-Tian’s birthday cake with the many ingredients put into it and the time taken. It did taste good, though personally I would have preferred each of the three layers as a separate cake.

Triple layer cake

Triple layer veggie and fruit cake

Time taken: 1 ¾ hours

Serves 15 to 20

Slice of triple layer cakeIngredients:

  • Layer 1 (bottom layer): Beetroot – ½ cup, steamed
  • Layer 2 (middle layer): Apple – ½ and Guava – ½ , Mint leaves – 3 or 4
  • Layer 3 (top layer): Carrot – 1 large, steamed
  • All-purpose flour – 1 ½ cups ( ½ cup for each of the layers)
  • Sugar – ¾ cup ( ¼ cup for each of the layers)
  • Oats – ¾ cup ( ¼ cup for each of the layers)
  • Vegetable oil margarine – ¾ cup ( ¼ cup for each of the layers) + 1 tbsp (for icing)
  • Banana – 3 tbsp, mashed (1 tbsp for each of the layers)
  • Water – ¾ cup ( ¼ cup for each of the layers)
  • Baking soda – ¾ tsp ( ¼ tsp for each of the layers)
  • Baking powder –  1 ½ tsp ( ½ tsp for each of the layers)
  • Vanilla essence – 3 tsp (1 tsp for each of the layers)
  • Lime juice – 5 tbsp + 1 tsp (for icing)
  • Green food colour – 1 tsp (for second layer)
  • Orange food colour – 1 tsp (for third layer)
  • Icing sugar – 4 tbsp (for icing)

Method:

  1. Steam the beetroot and carrot for about 10 mins.
  2. Separately blend the steamed beetroot and carrot in a processor.
  3. Next, finely chop up the apple and guava. Grind a few mint leaves.
  4. Cream ¼ cup margarine and ¼ cup sugar each in three mixing bowls.
  5. To the first bowl, add the pureed beetroot to the mix and to the third bowl, add the pureed carrot to the mix. To the second bowl, add the finely chopped apple and guava together with the ground mint leaves.
  6. Add ¼ cup of oats and 1 tbsp of mashed banana to each of the three bowls and mix well.
  7. Stir in the lime juice (2 tbsp each for the first and third bowl and 1 tbsp for the second bowl) and 1 tsp vanilla essence each, together with ¼ cup of water, to each of the three bowls and beat the respective mixture well.
  8. Add a tsp of green food colour to the second bowl (apple and guava mix) and a tsp of orange food colour to the third bowl (carrot mix)
  9. Divide the flour into three ½ cup flour piles. Sift each with ¼ tsp baking soda and ½ tsp baking powder. Add a sifted ½ cup flour mix to the mixture in each of the three bowls.
  10. Whisk the cake batter until smooth.
  11. Transfer the beetroot cake batter to the baking tray and spread the batter evenly.
  12. Then, transfer the apple, guava and mint cake batter to the baking tray and spread the batter evenly over the beetroot mix to form the middle layer.
  13. Transfer the carrot cake batter on top of the apple batter and spread it evenly.
  14. Bake the cake at 170⁰C/ 338⁰F and bake for 45 mins – 1 hour.
  15. Whisk together 4 tbsp icing sugar, 1 tbsp vegetable margarine and 1 tsp lime to make a light icing and spread it thinly over the cake, after it has cooled.
  16. Slice the cake into 15 or 20 pieces and serve with a cup of plain or fruit tea.

Recipe source: Raji Thillainathan.

Ash plantain and Onion Fritters

Today’s recipe is a lovely snack – fritters. I like the ash plantain fritters more than the onion ones.

Ash plantain and Onion fritters

Time taken: 40 mins

Serves 4

Ash plantain and onion frittersIngredients:

  • Ash plantain – 1
  • Onion – 1
  • Wheat flour – ½ cup
  • Salt – ½ tsp
  • Chilli powder – ½ tsp
  • Turmeric powder – ½ sp
  • Pepper – ½ tsp
  • Low fat oil, for deep-frying

Method:

  1. Boil the ash plantain and then peel. Slice the cooked plantain lengthwise into 4.
  2. Peel the onion and slice them, such that the rings in each slice do not fall apart.
  3. Make the batter by mixing the wheat flour, chilli powder, turmeric, salt and pepper with ½ cup of water.
  4. Dip the ash plantain and onion slices into the batter, coating them well.
  5. Deep-fry the batter coated ash plantain and onion slices until golden brown on both sides.
  6. Serve warm with tea or as a side-dish at lunch lunch.

Recipe source: Raji Thillainathan.

Pumpkin cutlet

For some odd reason, I posted this on Oct 28th instead of Nov 28th so I am re-posting it today. 

I guess I have some pleasant memories of Thanksgiving dinners of past years that I tend to personally take note of the day. Last year’s Thanksgiving dinner was a memorable one with three special friends at Mount Kilauea, after we watched the crater eruptions from a very safe distance. My very first Thanksgiving dinner, a little over a decade ago, was hosted by a special vegetarian couple so much so that Thanksgiving food for me has since meant an opportunity to explore creative ways of incorporating pumpkin into everything from starters to dessert. 

So, today, I will share another of my mother’s pumpkin recipes.

Pumpkin cutlet

Time taken: 30 mins

Makes 6

pumpkin cutletIngredients:

  • Pumpkin – 2 cups, ripe and boiled
  • Onion – 1, small
  • Green chilli – 1
  • Pepper – 1 tsp
  • Wheat flour – 3 tbsp
  • Bread crumbs
  • Low fat oil, for deep-frying

Method:

  1. Remove peel of boiled pumpkin and mash it in a bowl. Add a bit of salt.
  2. Finely chop up the onion and green chilli. Add them to the bowl of mashed pumpkin.
  3. Add the pepper to the bowl. Mix well.
  4. Divide the pumpkin mixture into six portions.
  5. Mix 3 tbsp of wheat flour in some water to make a watery batter.
  6. Dip the pumpkin ball in the batter and then roll it in the bread crumbs so that the pumpkin cutlet is well coated. Repeat for each of the 6 cutlets. Set aside on plate while the oil is heated for deep-frying.
  7. Heat the oil over low heat. Deep-fry the cutlets until they are golden-brown.
  8. Transfer to a plate lined with grease absorbing paper and serve hot.

Recipe source: Raji Thillainathan.

Pineapple cake

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

pineapple cakePineapple cake

Time taken: 1 ½ hours

Serves 8 – 10

Pineapple cake sliceIngredients:

  • 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:

  1. 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.
  2. Whisk the margarine and sugar in a mixing bowl.
  3. 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.
  4. Sift the flour together with the baking powder and baking soda. Fold in the flour into the cake mixture.
  5. Transfer the pineapple cake batter to the baking tray and bake at 170⁰C/ 338⁰F for 30 – 45 mins.
  6. 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

Soya bean and kangkung stir fryIngredients:

  • 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:

  1. Clean and finely chop the kangkung.
  2. Heat 1 tbsp oil in a pan and sauté the fennel seeds, chopped green and dried red chillies and onion for 1-2 mins.
  3. Add the soya beans to the pan. Stir fry for another 2 mins.
  4. Mix in the kangkung and cook for 2- 3 mins over low heat.
  5. 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.
  6. 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

Soya bean VadaiIngredients:

  • 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:

  1. 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.
  2. 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.
  3. 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

Soya bean curryIngredients:

  • 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:

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

Soya bean crumbleIngredients:

  • 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:

  1. Soak the soya beans overnight and then rinse and cook the beans with water for 30 mins.
  2. Drain and grind the cooked soya beans in a blender for about 2 mins.
  3. 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.
  4. Heat 2 tbsp oil in a pan and lightly fry the chopped onion, chillies, curry leaves and fennel seeds for a minute.
  5. Add the seasoned, ground soya bean mixture to the pan and stir fry for about 5 – 10 mins.
  6. Add the scraped coconut. Mix well and cook for about 2 mins.
  7. Serve the soya bean crumble with rice.

Recipe source: Raji Thillainathan.