Passion fruit and banana cake

Last week, when my mother bought some passion fruit, I had mentioned that I had seen a delicious looking orange and passion fruit syrup cake recently on Poppy’s Patisserie. The very next day, my mother had baked a tangy, crunchy passion fruit and banana cake. The crunchiness is from the baked passion fruit seeds inside the cake.

I would like to share my mother’s recipe for this delicious dessert cake today.

Passion fruit and banana cake

Time taken: 1 hour

Ingredients:

Passion fruit – 4 large or 5 medium fruits + 1 (for topping)
Banana – 1 (local varieties: kolikoottu or anamalu)
Wheat flour – 1 cup
Semolina – ½ cup
Oats – 3 tbsp
Sugar – ¾ cup + 2 tbsp (for topping)
Low fat vegetable margarine – ½ cup
Water – ¼ cup
Baking powder – 1 ½ tsp
Baking soda – ½ tsp
Rose essence – a drop

Method:

Sift the wheat flour and semolina together with the baking powder and baking soda. Keep aside the dry mix.
In a large bowl, whisk the margarine and sugar by hand, using a large spoon.
Mix the passion fruit pulp, including the seeds, and the oats with the water in another bowl to make a wet mix.
Stir in the wet mix into the bowl containing the whisked margarine and sugar and continue to whisk.
Add in the finely chopped banana and the drop of rose essence into the bowl and mix.
Stir in the dry mix into the large bowl of the wet ingredients gradually.
Pour the cake batter into the baking tray.
Pre-heat the oven and bake at 140⁰C/ 284⁰F for 45 mins.
Beat the pulp of 1 passion fruit together with the 2 tbsp of white sugar and pour over the baked cake, while still hot from the oven.
Serve warm for dessert.

Recipe source: Raji Thillainathan.

Soyameat Curry and Fried Soyameat

In the late 70s and early 80s, a lot of research was done in Sri Lanka on processed soyabeans as a means to alleviate protein deficiency amongst children and pregnant and lactating mothers. Soyameat was soon introduced in the market and promoted by the health ministry and the new and affordable food product became a hit in Sri Lankan households.

Today, I will share two ways my mother makes soyameat at home.

(a) Soyameat curry

Time taken: 15 – 20 mins

Serves 4 or 5

Ingredients:

Soyameat – 1 packet
Onion – ½, chopped
Ginger – ½ “ piece, chopped
Garlic – 2 cloves, chopped
Fenugreek seeds – ½ tsp
Curry leaves – 1 sprig
Rampe leaf/ pandan – 1” piece
Coconut milk (for vegans) or non-fat milk – ½ cup
Curry powder – ½ tbsp
Salt, to taste
Low fat oil (sunflower or canola) – 1 tbsp

Method:

In a bowl, Add 1 cup of boiling water and add the soyameat chunks. Add some salt and let the soya chunks soak for around 5 minutes. Drain out the water and keep aside.
Heat 1 tbsp oil in a pan and fry the chopped onion, ginger, garlic and curry leaves and rampe with the fenugreek seeds for a minute or two.
Then, add the soaked and drained soyameat chunks and mix well.
Add the curry powder (you can alternatively use the curry powder mix that comes with the packet) and the coconut or non-fat milk.
Let the curry cook for about 10 mins. Adjust salt, if required.
Remove from heat.
Serve with roti or rice.

(b) Fried soyameat

Time taken: 20 mins

Serves 4 or 5

Ingredients:

Soyameat – packet
Onion – ¼ , chopped
Ginger – ½ “ piece, chopped
Garlic – 2 cloves, chopped
Curry powder – 1 ½ tsp
Salt, to taste
Oil – 1 tsp (for marinating) + for deep-frying.

Method:

In a bowl, Add 1 cup of boiling water and add the soyameat chunks. Add some salt and let the soya chunks soak for around 10 minutes. Drain some of the water (not needed to have it dry) and keep aside.
Heat 1 tsp oil in a pan and fry the chopped onion, ginger, garlic and curry leaves for a minute.
Add the lightly drained soyameat chunks and mix well for a couple of minutes. Remove from heat and keep aside, allowing it to marinate.
When cooled, squeeze out the liquid (excess water or oil) from the marinated soyameat mixture and deep-fry in a pan.
Serve with rice.

Recipe source: Raji Thillainathan.

Veggie roti

Roti has always been a favourite of mine. What is even better is that it is amongst the few food that seems to have been and continue to be comfort food across different generations in my family.

Today, I will share the recipe for my mother’s veggie roti.

Veggie roti

Time taken: 35 mins

Makes 4

Ingredients

Wheat flour – 1 cup
Scraped coconut – ¼ cup
Chillies – 2
Onion – ½
Beans – 4
Carrot – ½
Water, as required
Low fat oil (sunflower or canola), as required

Method:

Finely chop the carrot, beans, onion and chillies.
In a bowl, add the wheat flour, freshly scraped coconut and mix in the finely chopped vegetables.
Add some salt, to taste.
Stir in some water slowly and make the mixture into a ball of dough that should not stick to your fingers.
Pour in a little oil and divide the dough into 4 balls and keep aside for 10 – 15 mins.
Roll out each of the four balls and cook them on a flat pan or griddle on low heat. Flip the roti to the other side after a few minutes so that both sides are cooked and slightly browned.
Serve with soyameat curry or sambal.

Recipe source: Raji Thillainathan.

Fried bean curd

This is the most common way my mother makes bean curd at home.

Fried bean curd

Cooking time: 15 – 20 minutes

Serves 4

Ingredients:

Bean curd – 150 g
Onion – 1
Ginger – 1 inch
Garlic – 2 or 3 cloves
Capsicum – 1 or green chillies – 3
Soya sauce – 1 tbsp
Tomato sauce – 2 tbsp
Low fat oil (sunflower or canola) – 2 tsp

Method:

Cut the bean curd into 1 inch pieces and deep fry the pieces until browned.
Chop onion, ginger, garlic and chillies.
Heat the oil in the pan and sauté the chopped onion, ginger, garlic and chillies.
Add the soya sauce and tomato sauce and sauté for 1 minute.
Add the fried bean curd pieces and fry for another 3 to 5 minutes.
Serve hot with rice or soup noodles.

Recipe source: Raji Thillainathan.

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.

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.

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.