Tag Archives: Side dish

Vendhaya Kulambu

Today’s recipe is Vendhaya Kulambu/ Fenugreek curry, a Jaffna curry that is regularly made at home.

Vendhaya Kulambu

Time taken: 30 mins

Serves 3 or 4

Vendhaya kulambuIngredients:

  • Onion – 1 cup, chopped
  • Fenugreek seeds/ Vendhayam – 2 tbsp
  • Curry leaves – 2 sprig
  • Coconut milk – 1 cup
  • Tamarind juice extract – ½ cup
  • Curry powder – 1 ½ tsp
  • Salt – ¼ tsp
  • Low fat oil – 2 tbsp

Method:

  1. Soak the fenugreek seeds in water for about 10 mins. Drain and keep aside.
  2. Heat a tbsp of oil in a pan and fry the soaked and drained fenugreek seeds for a couple of mins.
  3. Add the curry leaves and chopped onion to the pan, along with another tbsp of oil.
  4. Saute till the onion changes colour and the aroma of fried onions wafts about.
  5. Add ½ cup of tamarind juice and ½ cup of coconut milk along with the curry powder and salt to the pan. Mix well.
  6. Increase the heat and let the ‘kulambu’ cook for about 5 – 10 mins. Do not let it dry up.
  7. Add the remaining ½ cup of coconut milk and let it simmer for another 5 mins before removing from stove.
  8. Serve with pittu or rice.

Recipe source: Raji Thillainathan.

Polos Embulla and Kos Melluma

Today’s guest blogger is Maheesa Dayananda, UNDP project staff from Polonnaruwa district. He will be sharing his mother’s recipes for a couple of his favourite dishes.

These are two of my favorite curries and around once in two weeks we cook one of these at home. These two curries should be served with rice and are very popular (especially Polos Embulla) among Sinhalese not only in Polonnaruwa but also in other areas too. Also, these curries come from few generations back. I can remember my grand mother also cooked these curries.

Polos embulla 2(a) Polos Embulla

Time taken    – 75 minutes

Serves             – 05

Polos Embulla

INGREDIENTS

  • Baby jack                         15 pieces (250 gm)
  • Goraka/Garcinia Cambogia 04 pieces
  • Garlic                                 04 cloves
  • Pepper                              01 teaspoon
  • Cardamom/ enasal        ½ teaspoon
  • Curry Powder                  02 teaspoon, roasted
  • Chilli Powder                   02 teaspoon
  • Turmeric Powder           ½ teaspoon
  • Coconut                           01 nut
  • Curry leaves/ Rampe      as per required
  • Salt                                     to taste
  • Cinnamon                         a bit
  • Water                                 as per required

METHOD

  1. Removing the outer peel of the baby jack, cut it into fairly big pieces, wash well and put them in an earthen vessel.
  2. Mix the pieces of baby jack with chilli powder, curry powder, turmeric powder and salt.
  3. Add some goraka.
  4. Mix crushed pepper, cinnamon and cardamom with the pieces of baby jack.
  5. Pour coconut milk in to the earthen vessel until the baby jack pieces are just covered and cook them till most of the liquid dries up. As the curry should have a little gravy, remove from heat before the gravy completely dries up.
  6. Note: Avoid dipping spoons which have been used for other curries, in polos embulla curry, to keep the stuff fresh for many days.

(b) Kos Melluma

Time taken    45 minutes

Serves             05

Kos INGREDIENTS

  • Pieces of jack                        250 gm
  • Coriander                              02 teaspoon
  • Cumin Seeds                        01 teaspoon
  • Sweet Cumin/ star anise  01 teaspoon
  • Green chillies                        03 – 04
  • Coconut                                ½ nut, scraped
  • Coconut oil                          04 teaspoon
  • Mustard                               01 teaspoon
  • Turmeric powder              as per required
  • Curry leaves                        as per required

METHOD

  1. Remove the core/ seeds from the jack-fruit pieces nut and cut them in to small pieces.
  2. Crush about 10 seeds and remove the peel covering the seed.
  3. Place the chopped jack-fruit and crushed seeds in a pan and add turmeric & water as required.
  4. Cover the pan and cook the jack-fruit.
  5. After the jack-fruit is cooked, add curry powder, curry leaves, scraped coconut and kochchi or green chilies and let it simmer together.
  6. Heat some coconut oil in another pan and fry some mustard seeds.
  7. Transfer the cooked jack-fruit with all its seasonings to the pan with the mustard seeds and temper it for a few minutes.
  8. Serve hot with rice.

Recipe source: Maheesa Dayananda.

Vaalakkai Varuval

Back home after an amazing two weeks of travelling around Yunnan province, it was comforting to be greeted by the familiar. So, my first post for this month will be to share my mother’s recipe for her regular fried ash plantain which I really enjoy.

Vaalakkai varuval/ Ash plantain fry

Time taken: 40 mins

Serves 3

Ash plantain fryIngredients:

  • Ash plantain/ Vaalakkai – 2
  • Malu miris or red capsicum – 1
  • Turmeric – ½ tsp
  • Salt – ½ tsp
  • Onion – 1
  • Garlic – 4 or 5 cloves
  • Curry leaves – 1 sprig
  • Fennel seeds – 1 tsp
  • Crushed chillies – 1 tsp or pepper – 1 tsp
  • Gingelly oil – 2 tbsp

Method:

  1. Boil the ash plantain with skin for 15 minutes.
  2. Set aside the ash plantain to cool. After it has sufficiently cooled, remove skin and chop the boiled fruit into small pieces.
  3. Chop up the malu miris, onion and garlic.
  4. Mix the chopped ash plantain, malu miris and ½ tsp turmeric and ½ tsp salt and let the flavours soak in.
  5. Heat 2 tbsp oil of sesame oil in a pan and add the fennel seeds and the chopped onion and garlic.
  6. When the aroma of the onion and garlic wafts about, add the turmeric and salt coated chopped ash plantain and malu miris and the curry leaves. Cook until they are sufficiently fried which will take around 10 mins.
  7. Just before removing the pan, add 1 tsp crushed chillies and mix well for a minute.
  8. Serve hot with rice.

Recipe source: Raji Thillainathan.

Mutton fry

The second recipe I will share today is also a non-vegetarian recipe that my mother recalls a relative in Vavuniya had cooked decades ago. As I am yet to receive recipes from the district of Vavuniya, I am happy to share this recipe based on my mother’s recollection of watching the dish being prepared.

Mutton fry

Time taken: 30 – 45 mins

Serves 4 – 6 persons

Ingredients:

  • Mutton – 2 cups, chopped
  • Onion – 1, chopped
  • Crushed ginger and garlic – 2 tbsp
  • Curry powder – 2 tbsp
  • Mixed 3C (Cinnamon, cardamom, clove) spice powder – 1 tsp
  • Lime juice – 1 tbsp
  • Pepper – ½ tsp
  • Salt, to taste
  • Oil – 3 tbsp

Method:

  1. Clean and chop the mutton into pieces.
  2. In a mixing bowl, add the chopped onion, crushed ginger-garlic, mixed 3C spice powder, curry powder, lime juice, salt and pepper. Add the mutton pieces to the bowl and ensure that they are well coated in the marinating mixture.
  3. Heat 3 tbsp oil in a pan and transfer the contents of the bowl, the mutton pieces together with the chopped onion and spices, to the pan.
  4. Cover the pan and let the mutton cook on low heat. Every 5 to 10 mins, uncover the pan and flip the pieces to the other side.
  5. Continue to cook until the mutton is well cooked and lightly browned throughout. The roasting takes about 30 to 40 mins.
  6. Serve with rice.

Recipe source: Raji Thillainathan.

Butter chicken

Today’s guest blogger is Mohamed Muzain. A staff of UNDP, one of his hidden talents became known to colleagues after he cooked a delicious dish for a potluck. I requested Muzain to share one of his famous recipes and he shared his recipe for butter chicken.

Butter chicken

Time taken: 45 mins

Serves 8

Ingredients:

  • Chicken – 1 Kg
  • Turmeric powder – 1 tsp
  • Onion – 4, medium-sized, for puree + ½ , for frying
  • Tomato – 4
  • Ginger-garlic paste – 2 tbsp
  • Yoghurt – 1 cup
  • Chilli powder – 2 tsp, for marinating sauce + small tsp, at the end
  • Chillies – 5
  • Curry leaves – 1 or 2 sprigs
  • Rampe leaf
  • Cumin seeds/ Nacheeraham – ½ tsp
  • Cinnamon – 1 ½ “
  • Cardamom – 8 or 10
  • Butter – 125 g

Method:

  1. First, wash and clean the chicken and chop it up into smaller pieces. Rub some turmeric powder over the chicken pieces and keep aside.
  2. Next, prepare the marinating sauce.
  3. Peel the onions and tomatoes. Chop them up and blend them together. Transfer the puree to a mixing bowl.
  4. Add the yoghurt, 1 tbsp of the ginger-garlic paste and 2 tsp chilli powder to the puree. Mix the marinating sauce well.
  5. Transfer the turmeric powder coated chicken pieces to the marinating sauce bowl.
  6. Ensure that the chicken pieces are well coated. Let the chicken pieces soak in the marinating sauce for at least 30 minutes.
  7. Chop up ½ the onion and slit the green chillies in the middle.
  8. Heat some butter in a pan and fry the chopped onion, curry leaves, rampe and the slit chillies.
  9. When the onions turn golden, add the remaining ginger-garlic paste.
  10. Add the cumin seeds, cinnamon and cardamom to the pan. Mix the spices well.
  11. Transfer the contents of the mixing bowl, the chicken pieces together with the marinating sauce, to the pan and let the chicken cook on low to medium heat for about 30 mins.
  12. When the chicken is well cooked, add a small tsp of chilli powder and the remaining butter.
  13. Mix well before removing the pan from heat.
  14. Serve hot with rice or rotis.

Recipe source: Mohamed Muzain.

Veggie omelette

This is my mother’s version of a veggie omelette. It is spicy, crunchy and very filling.

Veggie omelette

Veggie omelette

Time taken: 8 – 10 mins

Serves 2

Slice of veg omelette

Ingredients:

  • Egg – 1
  • Green peas – 2 tbsp
  • Chopped carrot – 2 tbsp
  • Chopped beans – 2 tbsp
  • Chopped potatoes – 2 tbsp
  • Chopped onion – 2 tbsp
  • Green chillies – 2, chopped
  • Salt – ½ tsp
  • Pepper – ½ tsp
  • Low fat oil – 1 tbsp

Method:

  1. Whisk the egg in a small bowl and add the chopped veggies and seasoning.
  2. Heat 1 tbsp oil in a pan and pour the egg and vegetable mixture onto the pan.
  3. Fry the omelette for a couple of minutes each side.
  4. Serve hot.

Recipe source: Raji Thillainathan.

Omelette and Omelette Curry

This omelette and omelette curry are recipes of my grandmother’s, as remembered by my mother.

(a) Omelette

Time taken: 6 – 7 mins

Serves 2

Omelette

Ingredients:

  • Eggs – 2
  • Onion – ¼
  • Green chilli – 1
  • Salt and pepper, to taste
  • Sesame oil (gingelly oil) – 1 tbsp

Method:

  1. Finely chop the onion and chillies.
  2. Whisk the two eggs. Add the salt and pepper and the chopped onion and chillies and whisk them together.
  3. Heat 1 tbsp of sesame oil in a pan on low heat. Pour the egg mix in the pan and fry for about 2-3 minutes. Flip to the other side and cook for another 2 -3 minutes so that both sides are well-cooked and browned.
  4. Remove from heat and serve as is or use in omelette curry.

(b) Omelette curry

Time taken: 20 mins

Serves 2

Omelette curry

Ingredients:

  • Omelette
  • Fenugreek seeds – 1 tsp
  • Onion – ½ , chopped
  • Curry leaves – 1 sprig
  • Tamarind extract – ¼  cup
  • Coconut milk – ½ cup
  • Curry powder – 2 tsp
  • Sesame oil – 1 tbsp

Method:

  1. Cut the omelette into pieces and keep aside.
  2. Heat a tbsp oil in a pan and sauté the fenugreek seeds, chopped onion and curry leaves.
  3. Add the tamarind juice and cook for a few mins.
  4. Then add the coconut milk and curry powder and salt, to taste.
  5. Cook for about 6- 7 minutes till the curry comes together and gravy thickens and then add the omelette pieces. Cook for a minute or two before removing from heat.
  6. Serve with rice or pittu.

Recipe source: Raji Thillainathan.

Ash plantain curry

The second recipe that I would like to share today is one of my mother’s ash plantain recipes.

Ash plantain curry

Time taken: 35 mins

Serves 4

Ash plantain curryIngredients:

  • Ash plantain – 1
  • Tomato – 1
  • Onion – ½
  • Green chilli or capsicum – 1
  • Ginger – 1”
  • Garlic cloves – 2
  • Fenugreek seeds – 1 tsp
  • Crushed chillies – 1 tsp, or as per taste
  • Turmeric powder – ¼ tsp
  • Salt, to taste
  • Low fat oil – 1 tsp

Method:

  1. First, cook the ash plantain, with skin, in water for 15 minutes. Leaving the skin on during boiling will prevent the plantain from turning from white to ash.
  2. Once cooked, remove the plantain from the water and peel. Chop up the plaintain into small pieces and sprinkle some salt over them and keep aside.
  3. Chop up the tomato, onion and green chilli.
  4. Heat a tsp oil in a pan and sauté the chopped onion, ginger, garlic and green chilli with the fenugreek seeds.
  5. Add the chopped tomato pieces to the pan and continue to sauté for a few more minutes before adding the salted, chopped up pieces of ash plantain.
  6. Add ½ cup of water to the pan and adjust salt. Add 1 tsp crushed chillies and ¼ tsp turmeric powder.
  7. Cook the curry till it comes together and the liquid nearly dries up.
  8. Serve with rice.

Recipe source: Raji Thillainathan.

Vegetable coconut curry

Today’s recipe is a curry recipe of my mother that I really like. It is a simple and delicious curry.

Vegetable coconut curry or Vellai curry, as it is known in Tamil

Time taken: 20 – 25 mins

Serves 4

Vegetable curryIngredients:

  • Cauliflower – ½ cup, chopped
  • Potato – ½ cup, chopped
  • Green peas – ¼ cup
  • Carrot – ½ cup, chopped
  • Onion – ¼, chopped
  • Chilli – 1, chopped
  • Coconut milk – ¼ cup
  • Pepper – ½ tsp
  • Lime juice – 1 tsp, or more as per taste

Method:

  1. Heat 1 tsp oil and sauté the chopped onion and chilli for a minute in a pan.
  2. Then, add all the chopped vegetables to the pan along with 1 cup of water and cook the vegetables for 10 mins.
  3. Add the coconut milk to the pan and cook the curry for another 5 mins.
  4. Add the pepper and cook for a couple of minutes before removing from heat.
  5. Squeeze some fresh lime/ lemon juice over the vegetable curry and serve with rice.

Recipe source: Raji Thillainathan.

Ambarella chutney

Update (02/07/2014): As I wished to send in a dish to the first virtual vegan linky party initiated by Annie, Poppy and Angela, I decided to send in an old recipe that I had shared on my blog in its early days. So, I am sharing this chutney under the side dish category for the potluck.

The chutney recipe for today is ambarella (spondias dulcis) chutney. Ambarella is said to be good for people with diabetes.

raw ambarella

Ambarella chutney

Time taken: 15 – 20 mins

Serves 4

Ambarella chutney

Ingredients:

  • Ambarella – 3
  • Cinnamon – 1” piece
  • Crushed chillies – 1 tsp
  • Sugar – 1 tbsp
  • Salt, to taste

Method:

  1. Peel the three ambarellas. Chop up the ambarella into 5 or 6 pieces each and put them in a pan. The middle portion is difficult to remove or chop up so it can be left as it is and included in the pan.
  2. Add 1 cup of water or just enough to cover the ambarella pieces.
  3. Add a piece of cinnamon and some salt, to taste, to the pan. Cover and cook for about 10 mins.
  4. If the water has completely dried up, add ½ cup of water.
  5. Add 1 tbsp sugar and 1 tsp crushed chillies to the pan.
  6. Increase heat and cook for some minutes till the chutney comes together and it is no longer watery but rather a thick sauce-like consistency.
  7. Remove from heat and transfer to serving bowl.

Recipe source: Raji Thillainathan.