Category Archives: Other

Sri Lankan Chickpea Curry

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Sri Lankan Chickpea Curry

chickpea curry

INGREDIENTS

500g chickpeas (from a tin or from dried chickpeas soaked overnight and boiled)
1 big onion (chopped)
2 tomato (chopped)
200g white mushrooms (sliced)
1 inch ginger (chopped)
4 garlic cloves (chopped)
2 green chillis ( chopped)
Curry leaves
Small piece cinnamon
2 tablespoons olive oil
100ml vegetable stock
1 cup coconut milk
2 teaspoons coriander powder
2 teaspoons cumin powder
1 teaspoon mustard seeds
50g toasted almond flakes (optional)
2 tablespoons fresh coriander (roughly chopped)
1 tablespoon lime juice
Salt

(I have used some diced boiled potato in the my recipe – you can include or omit this as you like)

METHOD

  • Heat the oil, add garlic, ginger, onion, green chilli, cinnamon and curry leaves
  • Add dry ingredients and tomato, mushrooms, vegetable stock mix well. Cook for 10 minutes
  • Add chickpea, coconut milk and cook another 10 minutes, check the seasoning
  • Remove from the heat, add lime juice and almonds and garnish with fresh coriander

Serve with boiled rice or flatbread  – enjoy!

Sri Lankan Chicken Vindaloo

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  Sri Lankan Chicken Vindaloo

chicken vindaloo

 

INGREDIENTS
1 kg skinless chicken (boneless if you like)
200g tomato (chopped)
150g onion (chopped)
50g garlic (chopped)
50g ginger (chopped)
handful curry leaves
2 inch lemongrass (chopped)
3 tablespoons olive oil
2 tablespoons lemon juice
1 glass of red wine
1/2 cup water
2 teaspoons cumin (ground)
2 teaspoons mustard seeds (ground)
1 teaspoon coriander seeds (ground)
1 teaspoon black pepper (ground)
1 teaspoon cloves and cardamom (ground)
1 inch cinnamon (ground)
1 teaspoon turmeric powder 
1 tablespoon chilli powder (or to taste)
1 teaspoon sugar
Salt

METHOD

  • Wash and drain chicken
  • Heat a large pan and brown the chicken
  • Add the onion, garlic, ginger, lemongrass, curry leaves and sauté until golden brown
  • Add all the dry ingredients, mix well and cover
  • Simmer for 10 minutes
  • Then add tomato, wine, water and sugar and mix together
  • Cook for about 30 minutes until sauce becomes thick and a nice colour
  • Remove from heat, add lemon juice and check the seasoning
  • Sprinkle with chopped coriander

You can cook this a day ahead, which gives more flavour and helps all the ingredients absorb into the chicken.
Serve with plan boiled rice or my fried rice dish and dhal curry. Trust me, this is a delicious chicken curry, and everyone seems to love it!

Sesame Asparagus with Hollandaise

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Sesame Asparagus with Hollandaise

sesame asparagus

INGREDIENTS

200g baby asparagus spears (washed and dried)
2 tablespoons sesame seeds (toasted)
100g puff pastry sheet
20g grated parmesan

For the hollandaise sauce :
3 egg yolks
4 tarragon sprigs
2 tablespoons white wine vinegar
100g salted butter (melted)
I teaspoon lemon juice
Salt

METHOD

For the Hollandaise sauce:

  • Fill a saucepan two thirds full with water and boil (or use a double boiler).
  • In a separate saucepan heat the vinegar with the tarragon and reduce by half.
  • Mix the egg yolks with the vinegar in a heatproof bowl, then put over the pan of boiling water and whisk until fluffy.
  • Remove the egg mixture from the boiling water and add the melted butter slowly, whisking until the hollandaise thickens into a thin custard-like consistency. (Make sure there are no lumps – if so, add little hot water and mix well)
  • Season with lemon and salt.

***   ***   ***

  • Heat the oven to 180*
  • Roll the pastry on a floured worktop until thin.
  • Sprinkle with the parmesan and cut into 1/2 inch thin strips.
  • Wrap one or two asparagus from top to bottom in a pastry strip.
  • Arrange on an ovenproof tray lined with oiled paper.
  • Sprinkle with toasted sesame seeds and bake in the oven for 20 minutes.
  • Pour over the Hollandaise and serve.

Poached eggs make a good addition to this delightful starter!

Chicken Liver Pâté

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 Chicken Liver Pâté

Chicken Liver Pâté

INGREDIENTS

300g chicken livers
3 cloves of garlic
1 tablespoon chopped ginger
1 tablespoon chopped mint
1 tablespoon chopped parsley
2 bay leaves
3 tablespoons brandy
2 tablespoons olive oil
1/2 teaspoon chilli powder or paprika
1 tablespoon lemon juice
3 tablespoons water
Salt

METHOD

  • Trim and wash the livers then cook in a pan for about 10 minutes with all the ingredients except the parsley, mint, brandy and lemon juice.
  • When cooked, make a fine pâté using a liquidiser, blender or food processor.
  • Check the seasoning and serve with melba toast or biscuits.

Green Apple Curry

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Green Apple Curry

green apple curry

INGREDIENTS
5 green apples (peeled and cored, cut into thick pieces and kept in cold water)
1 onion (chopped)
2 garlic cloves (chopped)
2 green chillis ( chopped)
1/4 cup cold water
1 cup coconut milk
1 teaspoon raw curry powder
1 teaspoon roasted curry powder
1/2 teaspoon chilli powder
1/4 teaspoon turmeric powder
1/2 teaspoon mustard seeds
1 tablespoon olive oil
Curry leaves
1 inch cinnamon stick
Salt

METHOD

  • Mix the curry powders with the apple and leave on one side.
  • Heat the oil in a pan then add garlic, curry leaves, onion, cinnamon, and mustard seed.
  • When mixture becomes soft, add  the apple mixture and water. Mix well, cover and cook for 3 minutes (don’t overcook).
  • Added coconut milk check the seasoning remove from the heat.

My Mum used to cook raw mango using this method. In Sri Lanka mango is as popular as apple in England with lots of varieties too. Now that I am in the UK, I created my own version of this recipe using green apples. It tastes better if you can make it a day in advance. Try with plain boiled rice, my chicken curry, and gotukola. I’m sure you will love it!

Potato Curry

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Potato Curry

potato curry

This is a typical Sri Lankan dish – young and old and everybody loves it!

INGREDIENTS

250g potato (peeled and diced)
1/2 onion (chopped)
1 clove garlic (chopped)
2 stems curry leaves
1 inch cinnamon
1 teaspoon curry powder
1/2 teaspoon mustard powder
1/4 teaspoon turmeric powder
1 cup water
1 cup coconut milk
Salt

METHOD

  • Mix all the ingredients together with the potato, except for the coconut milk
  • Boil until the potatoes are cooked
  • Add the coconut milk and check the seasoning

You can enjoy this with plain rice (or yellow rice, or my fried rice) and chicken curry, or my Sri Lankan noodle dish. Let me know!

Grilled Aubergine with Satay Sauce

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Grilled Aubergine with Satay Sauce

Grilled Aubergine with Satay Sauce

INGREDIENTS

1 big aubergine or a few small ones (cut lengthwise)
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 tablespoon sesame oil
1 tablespoon sesame seeds
1 tablespoon chopped chives
1 tablespoon chopped basil
2 tablespoons peanut butter
Salt and pepper

METHOD

  • Heat the oven to 180 degrees
  • Arrange the aubergine on an oven tray, sprinkle some olive oil over and season
  • Grill for about 15 minutes
  • Mix all other ingredients together (keep some chopped herb for garnish)
  • When the aubergine is ready, pour the mixture over and spread out
  • Sprinkle with sesame seeds, return to the oven and grill for another 10 minutes
  • Garnish with chopped basil

Serve with a rocket salad as a starter – enjoy!

Courgette and Sweetcorn Curry

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Courgette and Sweetcorn Curry

courgette and sweetcorn

INGREDIENTS

200g courgettes (cut into thick slices)
100g fresh sweetcorn
3 small red onions (chopped)
Curry leaves
1/2 cup water
1/2 cup coconut milk
1 teaspoon raw curry  power
1 teaspoon mustard powder or English mustard
1 green chilli (chopped)

METHOD

  • Mix courgettes and curry ingredients with the water, boil about 5 minutes
  • Then add coconut milk and sweetcorn, simmer another 5 minutes then remove from the heat check the seasoning. Make sure to keep the green colour.

A tasty and healthy dish – enjoy with boiled rice!

Cashew Pea Curry

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Cashew Pea Curry

 

cashew pea curry

This is one of my Mum’s specialities, she never forgot to make this dish on special occasions. In Sri Lanka we can buy fresh cashew nuts so we don’t have to soak them – they are tastier than dry ones. I first made this dish with dry cashews when I was in Dubai because there were lots of dry nuts available, and I now make it this way in London. It always comes out nicely!

INGREDIENTS

150g cashew nuts (soaked over night)
75g carrot (diced)
75g frozen peas
1 cup thick coconut milk
1 cup cold water
1 teaspoon curry powder
1/2 teaspoons turmeric powder
1 teaspoon mustard powder or English mustard
Curry leaves
1 inch cinnamon stick
1 green chilli (chopped)
3 small red onions (chopped)
Salt

METHOD

  • Wash the cashew nuts twice
  • Mix cashews with all the curry ingredients and cold water then boil until soft (about 15 minutes)
  • Add carrots and peas, mix well, cover and cook another 10 minutes
  • Lastly, mix in the coconut milk and check the seasoning and simmer about 5 minutes


Serve with yellow rice or biriyani…

Chicken Biriyani

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Chicken Biriyani

biryani

INGREDIENTS

500g basmati rice
500g chicken (cut into big pieces)
100g red onion (chopped)
50g ginger (chopped)
8 garlic cloves (chopped)
50g coriander leaves (chopped)
200g plain yogurt
50g pine nuts or cashew nuts (roasted)
25g mint (chopped)
10g cardamom and cloves
2 inch cinnamon stick
4 bay leaves
3 tablespoons olive oil
1 tablespoons raw curry powder
1 teaspoons coriander powder
1 teaspoons garam masala
1/2 teaspoons turmeric powder
1/2 teaspoon saffron (optional)
2 tablespoons lemon juice
Salt

METHOD

  • Marinade the chicken with with the spices and salt, lemon juice , yogurt (for best results leave overnight in the refrigerator)
  • Heat the oil, saute the garlic, ginger, onion, cardamom, cloves, and cinnamon
  • Add the chicken, mix well and add one cup of water and the coriander leaves. Cover with a lid and cook for about 15 to 20 minutes.
  • In a separate saucepan boil the rice until half cooked, the drain off  the water
  • Mix the chicken well then top with the half boiled rice.
  • Sprinkle some saffron or turmeric in 1 tablespoon of water, and pour through a few holes you have poked in the rice (the result will be a colourful white and yellow appearance to the dish)
  • Cover with a lid and cook on a low flame until rice is completely cooked (add some boiling water if necessary)
  • When the biriyani is cooked, give it a good mix and  garnish with chopped mint, pine nuts and deep-fried onion
  • Serve with raita and lime pickle

This my own recipe which always goes down well with my friends. I hope you enjoy it too!