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!

Gotukola Sambolaya

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Gotukola Sambolaya

gotu kola sambolaya

INGREDIENTS

1 bunch of gotukola (from any Asian shop)
50g small red onion( chopped)
2 green chilli (chopped)
2 tablespoons lemon or lime juice
2 tablespoons Maldives fish powder
Salt and pepper
3 tablespoons grated coconut  (if using desiccated coconut, mix with 2 tablespoons of cold water, put in the microwave for 3 minutes and let it cool before using)

METHOD

  • Wash and finely chop the gotukola
  • Mix all the ingredients together and season

This is a very healthy and nutritious dish, the most famous green salad in Sri Lanka and my favourite one! Prepare at the last minute to stop the leaves discolouring. Serve with rice and curry – enjoy!

 

Saudodol (Walithalapa)

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Auspicious April!

Sinhala and Tamil celebrate this month as they usher in the traditional New Year. The sun moves out of the house of Meena (Pisces) making the end of astrological cycle, and enters the house of Mesha (Aries).

Wishing all my friends and family a Happy and Prosperous New Year!
Suba Aluth Auruddak Wewa!
This is a very festive sweetmeat in Sri Lanka and one of my favourites too. I remember my Mum used to make this for me using the traditional process –  soaking the rice overnight and grinding it in a pestle and mortar, then making a mixture and steaming the balls then adding to a sugar syrup…
This is a quick and easy way to make same thing. It is my own creation, and I guarantee you won’t be able to taste the difference. I hope you all love it – enjoy!
Saudodol

 Saudodol (Walithalapa)

INGREDIENTS
1 cup couscous (1 1/2 cups boiling mix well cover and  keep it on a side)

1 1/2 cups sugar

1 cup hot water
50g chopped almonds or cashew nuts
1 teaspoon chopped cardamom
2 tablespoons vanilla essence
Pinch of salt
METHOD
Mix the couscous with 1 ½ cups of boiling water. After 10 minutes, fluff up with a fork.
Make a caramel by adding the sugar into a hot sauceepan. When the sugar starts to boil, add the hot water.
Bring up to a rolling boil and then add the couscous and all the other ingredients. Mix well then remove from the heat.
Arrange a board or worktop to lay out the mixture.
Let it cool down for about 30 minutes then cut them in to squares.
Try and let me know!

Sri Lankan Chicken Curry

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Sri Lankan Chicken Curry

Chicken curry can be made in so many different ways, even in Sri Lankan cuisine. It all depends on what sort of herbs and spices we use. This is my own simple recipe, without onion and coconut milk. I hope you all enjoy it!

chicken curry

INGREDIENTS
500g chicken (skinless)
1 teaspoon raw curry powder
1 teaspoon roasted curry power
1 teaspoon mustard cream
1 teaspoon crushed chillies
2 tablespoons lemon juice
2 tablespoons ginger (chopped)
4 garlic cloves (chopped)
1 tablespoon soya sauce
1 tablespoon rosemary or mix dry herbs
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 cup water
Salt

METHOD

  • Wash the chicken and drain off the water
  • Mix all the ingredients together except for the water, put to one side for a few minutes
  • Heat the oil in a saucepan then add the chicken
  • Cook for about 10 minutes making sure you do not burn the chicken
  • Add the water, then the remaining ingredientS, mixing well together
  • Cover and cook until gravy becomes thick
  • Check the seasoning and serve