Walter October

Walter’s
Sri Lankan and many more
Home Cooking
LONDON
Collection of Recipes
during LOCKDOWN Walter Singarayer
Walter’s




DEDICATION
This Book is dedicated to my Grandparents.
Jacob Nicholas Chelliah (Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia) and
Sabeena Rasamma Chelliah (Naranthanai, Sri Lanka)
In appreciation of the delicious meals my mamma prepared for me during my time at St Patrick’s College, Jaffna in my childhood years.


First published in Great Britain in 2021
Copyright © 2021 Walter Singarayer
The moral right of Walter Singarayer to be identified as the author of this work has been asserted in accordance with the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act of 1988.
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in
a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without the prior permission of both the copyright owner and the above publisher of this book.
Front cover and page one designed by Anthony Chandi.
All other photographs provided by contributors of recipes to this Recipe Book, have been taken at home.
A CIP catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library.
Printed and bound by F.J. Blissett and Co. Ltd, London


Walter’sCollection of Recipes Sri Lankan and many more
Home Cooking
LONDON
2 ASSETS ASSociation to Empower The Special needs children Kilinochchi. Jaffna. Sri Lanka
3 Saint Teresa’s Home of Care for the needy (Daya Nivasa) Kandy. Sri Lanka
during LOCKDOWN
Donations to
1 Cancer Research UK
V


Foreward
Food exemplifies so much in our lives. One of our basic needs, food also demonstrates the diversity of our cultures around the world with the influence of local produce, climate, readily available facilities and so on.
In the world that we live in so many of us start our lives in one country and end up in another. Many by chance others by circumstances. This movement around the world also cross fertilises our influence in food and the recipes we enjoy and adapt as we travel
So it came about that as this Scot moved to London after 3 years in Japan I met with Walter Singarayer since we both worked for the same pharmaceutical company in London. Walter and his wife Malini started their lives in Sri Lanka and here we were working and raising families in London. That was 44 years ago. Both families had 3 children. Both have always worked in healthcare, public and private, and we have kept in touch, both proud of the achievements of our children.
When Walter asked if I would write a foreword for this book it was a real pleasure to introduce you, dear reader, to celebrate the diversity of this world and to celebrate the wonder of food shared in friendship from around the world. The recipes here started with family recipes from Walter and Malini’s Sri Lankan roots and have been enriched with contributions from friends, during the Corona pandemic lockdown.
As we now adjust to the “new normality” of life with Covid may you find new recipes in this compilation to share with family and friends.
All proceeds raised will be shared with the following worthy causes:
Cancer Research ,UK
ASSETS( Association to empower the special needs of children) Jaffna, Sri Lanka Saint Teresa’s Home of Care for the needy, Kandy, Sri Lanka
Please enjoy and help to celebrate the small world we have the privilege to live in with its diversity of the ingredients that bring us ever more together.
Best regards,
William Burns
Trustee, Institute of Cancer Research, London and Sutton. UK
VI


Preface
The year 2020 was earmarked as a very special year for me and my wife. It was our 55th wedding anniversary. We endured this period through happiness and sorrow. Being together for so long warranted a celebration. We looked forward to celebrate this event at the Galle Face Hotel in Sri Lanka, with family and friends who are still in our midst.
Year 2020 was also the year of my 80th birth anniversary. We planned a good party with our contacts at the West Lodge Park Country Club. No travels hence Sri Lanka was a non starter. No gatherings allowed hence, celebration with friends not permitted. All we were left with was, a life confined to our home. Life became boring. We seemed to be in each other’s way most of the time. Patience was running out too. No visits, no visitors, only walks and shopping for food allowed. No eating out but takeaways available. Tried the latter for some time and became tired of that too.
Then my wife took to serious cooking, referring to her familiar notes. We cooked various dishes that were our favourites. As her notes seemed faded, she decided to type them and get them bound. Watching all this and being involved with cooking, an idea sprung into my mind, an occupation in isolation, to publish a book to include our own recipes. In the past I had numerous friends in all corners of the world, but now some of them are no longer in our midst. Hence I thought of adding recipes from those amongst us.
This was the birth of our book. We became busy enough with our occupation in isolation. It became enjoyable too. We would bring ingredients for recipes we planned to cook. We then tested recipes of home cooking for our book “ Walter’s Collection of Recipes Sri Lankan and many more. ” Recipes are mainly Sri Lankan as that is what we enjoy the most. It enables us to reminisce our days in Sri Lanka with family. My contacts sent various recipes making the book more versatile. All dishes are tried and tested samples of home cooking. Ingredients for Sri Lankan cooking available in Sri Lankan and Asian grocery shops. These grocery shops display ethnic ingredients that shoppers have eaten but not cooked. In our book we have identified ‘don’t know to cook’ ingredients and dealt with them.
VII


Recipes with exotic ingredients are contained in this volume and we hope that the younger generation too benefits from the book.
As we live in a cosmopolitan city, the recipes here reflect that situation. We hope it will appeal to non Sri Lankans too. We aimed here to bring into this book, a sense of tolerance of different ethnic foods. Eating out and trying takeaways is expensive and cannot be enjoyed daily. By following recipes in this book, it is possible to enjoy a simple healthy meal at a low cost.
Enjoy cooking from ‘Walter’s Collection of Recipes, Sri Lankan and many more ’an Occupation in Isolation’. Enjoy the cooking! Enjoy the meals!
Walter Singarayer MCIM
VIII


From Michael Wrottesley
Much loved family recipes handed down over generations can provide a treasure trove of cookery delights. These can easily be lost unless someone takes the trouble to collect and preserve them. Malini and Walter Singarayer, inspired by wonderful dishes from their family and friends around the world, have done just that.
Whatever your tastes, or wherever you are from there will be something to savour in this very personal cookbook. Having worked with Walter over many years and dined with him on many occasions in a variety of places I can say with certainty he appreciates his food and has always been willing to try new and unfamiliar dishes.
Some of the recipes in this book might be ones you have never tasted before, so I would encourage you to be adventurous and explore the menus presented here. This is not a great cookery encyclopaedia but is, above all, a collection of favourite recipes from family and friends who Walter and Malini love and it is written with much love from them to you.
‘There are no great things, only small things with great love. Happy are those.” Mother Teresa of Kolkata
Best wishes,
Mike Wrottesley
Friend and former colleague.
IX


From Robert Pollard
Having known Walter (and Malini) as colleague and friend for
more than 40 years, it is an honour and privilege to be invited to
submit a forward for their soon to be published book “Walter’s
Recipes from Sri Lanka and Many Other Lands.” With a large
portion of my life spent traveling internationally, including over 22
years living in Asia, I have consumed some of the most amazing foods and magnificent cuisines available. From Alaska to the Cook Islands. From Tokyo to Sumatra. From sumptuous multi course banquets to snacks in markets or from street side traders. From the unusual (snails, roasted insects, snake) to my personal favourite Gong Bao Ji Ding (Sichuan Kung Pao Chicken). Their lock down cookery book is inspiring and fascinating – something even the most inexperienced but adventurous wannabe chef can create. Collecting recipes from family and friends around the world is an act of both affection and genius. Their decision to donate any profits to charities in the UK and Sri Lanka reflects their generosity, love and concern for their fellow man. My best wishes for their greatest success.
About Robert Pollard
Raised in Chester, England, Robert started teaching (physical education, sport and science) in the mid 1970’s. A change in direction saw him join the healthcare industry in the late 1970’s and following a short time in sales he quickly moved into marketing, training and management working for major multinational companies. Travels to Asia in the 1980’s opened his eyes to the wonder of China and the opportunities available in the coming years. Following an initial placement for eighteen months in the early 90’s he relocated permanently to Beijing with his family in 1995. At this stage, he moved from the healthcare company side to the healthcare agency side and opened one of the first specialised healthcare market research agencies in China heading a small UK company called Isis. Within two years he was hired by Ogilvy to open a specialised healthcare advertising and marketing support agency before returning to Isis in 2001.From 2001 till late 2010 (and including two acquisitions – initially by Synovate in 2003 and latterly by Ipsos in 2010) he built the largest specialist healthcare agency in China working with all of the major medical equipment, diagnostic and pharmaceutical companies. In late 2010 he moved to Shanghai to open a new pan Asia research company for the PSL Group. Robert retired and returned to the UK in April 2015.
Bob Pollard
(Friend and Former colleague)
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Some Useful Measurements
(quoted in this book)
1 teaspoon (tsp) = 5ml
1 tablespoon (tbsp.) = 15ml UK cup = 250ml
Rice cooker cup = 180ml
Dry weight conversions
Metric (grams) 50g
250g
500g
1 kg
Liquid volume conversions
(approx. values)
Universal (pounds and ounces)
= 2 oz
= 8 oz
= 1lb 1 oz = 2 lb 2 oz
(approx. values)
Universal (fluid ounces and pint) = 2 fluid oz
= 5 fluid oz
= 1 pint
= 1 3⁄4 pint
Gas Mark Description
1 Low
4 Medium 7 Hot
Metric (millilitres) 60ml
150ml
600ml
1 litre
Oven Temperatures Centigrade
140C
180C
220C
Farenheit
= 275F = 350F = 425 F
XI


What you will find Inside
1 Beverages
2 Snacks & Salads
3 Soups
4 Tried out Chutneys & Pickles
5 Rice, Noodles, Pasta & others
6 Meat Dishes
7 Sea Food Dishes
8 Vegetable Preparations
Page 1
Page 10
Page 53
Page 65
Page 85
Page 105
Page 147
Page 172
9 Home made Desserts page 228
10 Cakes and Sweets page 245
11 Dishes for Special occasions Page 278
12 Miscellaneous Dishes
page 292
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1. Beverages
1
Beverages


Home Made Iced Coffee
by Walter Singarayer Ingredients
1 Coffee instant Nescafe: 5 tbsp
2 Condensed Milk Tins (400 ml) : 1
3 Cinnamon 6 ”stick :1
4 Vanilla essence 2 tbsp
5 Vanilla Pod Scrape seeds off one pod 6 Brandy: 6 tbsp (optional)
Equipment
Measuring jug, tsp tbsp.; knife to scrape seeds from vanilla pod; saucepan 2 litre; ladle; soup ladle; can opener; wide, fine sieve; four sterile tall 500ml glass bottles,funnel;
Method
Pour condensed milk into a saucepan containing 1200 ml boiling water and continue heating whilst stirring. Dissolve coffee in 200ml hot water and pour it into saucepan. Add cinnamon stick, scrapings from vanilla pod and continue to boil for 10 mins. Now remove cinnamon stick and strain the coffee and return it
to the saucepan. Bring it to the boil again and remove saucepan from heat, add vanilla cover and let it cool.
When cool transfer to sterile bottles. Place lids and allow them to chill in fridge before serving.
Serving (serves 6),
Iced Coffee served as a cool relish in hot weather or as a welcome drink. Popular with Sri Lankans at festive occasions. Can be served with a dash of brandy if preferred, by adding 1 tbsp to each 500ml ice coffee bottle when chilled.
Beverages
2


Crimson Relish with Beetroot for Summer
by Walter Singarayer Ingredients
1 Beet root, peeled, cut into small pieces :1
2 Apple, peeled cored and cut into little pieces : 1 3 Ginger, 1” stem peeled and diced :1
4 Lime, peeled and cut into small pieces: 1
5 Lemon, peeled cut into small pieces :1
6 Muscovado sugar: 50ml
7 Salt : 1⁄2 tsp
8 Ice cubes: 6
9 Fresh mint small sprigs :
2 for garnishing
Equipment
Knife; chopping board; peeler; jug; blender; sieve; 2 glass; table spoon
Method
Dissolve sugar in 200ml water. Now pour this sugar solution into the liquidiser jug. Then add all the ingredients and 200ml of water into blender and blend them until no pieces remain. Next using sieve collect the clear Crimson Relish into jug.
Serving (serves 2),
Serve chilled with ice and garnish with a sprig of mint.
This Crimson Relish is ideal as a cool drink in summer or as a starter.
3
Beverages


Mulled Wine made at Home from Montcalm by Walter Singarayer
Ingredients
1 Red wine : 750ml
2 Lemonade : 750ml
3 Sugar :3 tbsp
4 Cinnamon : 3” quill
5 Cloves :25
6 Orange large and juice :1
Equipment
Wine bottle opener; measuring jug, tbsp.; vision saucepan and ladle; timer.
Method
Nail the cloves all over the orange. Into the vision saucepan add wine, lemonade, sugar, cinnamon stick and the prepared orange.
Cook on a low heat for 15mins until the flavours saturate the wine. Ensure it does not boil over. When done, strain off the particles and keep the clear mulled wine ready to use.
Serving (serves 6),
Enjoy Christmas in a glass
Beverages
4


Orange Relish
with carrot for Summer
by Walter Singarayer Ingredients
1 Carrot, peeled, cut into thin slices :250g
2 Orange peeled and cut into little pieces : 1
3 Papaw peeled de seeded and cut into small pieces 250g 4Orange bell pepper deseeded and diced 1
5 Ginger, 1” stem peeled and diced :1
6 Lemon, peeled cut into small pieces :1
7 Bees honey : 50ml
8 Salt : 1⁄2 tsp
9 Ice cubes: 6
10 Fresh coriander, small sprigs : 2 for garnishing
Equipment
Knife; chopping board; peeler; jug; blender; sieve; 2 glasses; table spoon; measuring jug, tsp; weighing scales.
Method
Add all the ingredients and 400ml of water into blender and blend them until no pieces remain. Next using sieve collect the clear Orange Relish into jug.
Serving (serves 2),
Serve chilled with ice and garnish with a sprig of coriander
This Orange Relish is ideal as a cool drink in summer or as a starter.
5


Fruit Punch for a Party
by Malini Singarayer
Ingredients
1 Lemonade: 500ml frozen
2 Pineapple juice: 500ml frozen
3 Orange juice : 500ml frozen
4 Ginger Ale : 500ml frozen
5 Water 750ml
6 Rum : 1⁄2 cup
7 Sugar: 1 cup
8 Apple, cored and cut into match
stick size with skin intact : 1
9 Pear, cut into thin triangles 1cm thick with skin : 1
10 Kiwi fruit, peeled and cut into thin discs and each cut into 6 sectors: 2 11 Strawberries, each cut into 4 segments : 6
12. Salt to taste
12 Fresh mint leaves : 12
Equipment
Punch Bowl and cups, Punch serving ladle; knife and chopping bowl; measuring jug, cup, tsp, tbsp.,
Method
Dissolve sugar in the water.
Then add the sugar solution into punch bowl.
Now add the four frozen items and rum and allow all to thaw and mix.
Next drop the cut apple, pear, kiwi and mint leaves into punch bowl.
When cool transfer the fruit punch to sterile bottles. Place lids and allow them to chill in fridge before serving.
Serving (serves 12)
Serve with a ladle into glasses each with 3 ice cubes and a strawberry segment.
Beverages
6


Yellow Relish with Banana for Summer
by Walter Singarayer
Ingredients
1 Banana peeled, cut into slices :2
2 Mango peeled and fleshy part cut into pieces 1 3 Cucumber sliced thinly : 1⁄2 fruit
4 Apple peeled, cored and cut into little pieces : 1 5 Yellow bell pepper deseeded and diced: 1
6 Ginger, 1” stem peeled and diced :1
7 Lemon, peeled cut into small pieces :1
8 Bees honey : 50ml
9 Salt : 1⁄2 tsp
10 Ice cubes: 6
11 Fresh basil, small sprigs : 2 for garnishing
Equipment
Knife; chopping board; peeler; jug; blender; sieve; 2 glasses; table spoon; measuring jug, tsp; weighing scales.
Method
Add all the ingredients and 400ml of water into blender and blend them until no pieces remain. Next using sieve collect the clear Yellow Relish into jug.
Serving (serves 2),
Serve chilled with ice and garnish with a sprig of basil
This yellow Relish is ideal as a cool drink in summer or as a starter.
7
Beverages


Chilled Lime and Cucumber Cooler
by Walter Singarayer Ingredients
1 Juice from 4 limes
2 Lime, thinly sliced : 1
3 Lime for 1tbsp zest :1
4 Cucumber cut into slices :1 fruit
5 Icing sugar : 200g
6 Water : 600ml
7 Fresh ginger: 1 inch stem
8 Salt: a pinch
12 Fresh mint : sprig with bud and 2 leaves per glass (garnishing) 13 Ice cubes 3 per glass
Equipment
Lime juicer; knife and chopping board; small saucepan and ladle; measuring jug; blender; sieve; jug; spoon; serving glasses; grater weighing scales;
Method
Add sugar and 200ml water into a small saucepan and heat on low until sugar is dissolved. Now allow it to cool.
Then peel off skin and dice the ginger. Now add ginger, cucumber, lime zest and 400ml water into liquidiser and blend all into a smooth mixture. Using sieve collect juice into a jug.
Now combine the sugar syrup, lime juice and blended mixture in a jug. Keep refrigerated until time to serve.
Serving (serves 4)
Serve the lime and cucumber cooler into tall glasses, add 3 cubes of ice per glass
and place a thin slice of lime on rim of each glass. Garnish with fresh mint sprig per glass.
Beverages
8


Green Mango Juice, a Starter from South India
by Rhona Nunes
Ingredients
1 Hooked beak mangoes, large partly ripe :2 2 Sugar :200g
3 Citric acid :1⁄4 tsp
4 Salt :1⁄4 tsp
5 Water: 200ml
Equipment
Knife and chopping board; weighing scales; measuring jug, tsp; pressure cooker.
Method
Wash and pat dry mangoes
Chop into small pieces with skin. Pressure cook in water for 15 mins and set aside. Heat the sugar until it melts and add citric acid, cooked mango and cook for 2 mins. Let it cool and strain through muslin cloth. Next transfer into sterile bottles and store in refrigerator.
Serving (serves 6)
Green mango juice served as a starter. Dilute the mango syrup with water before serving green mango juice in tall glasses.
9
Beverages


2. Snacks & Salads
10


Sambal Udang
by Lawrence Vendargon
Ingredients
A. 400gm prawns
B. 1 onion sliced
C. 2 inch belacan. 2 tbsp tamarind paste. 1⁄4 cup water
Blended Ingredients:
D. 2 fresh chillies. 20 dried chillies. 5 shallots. 1⁄2 cup water
Method
Heat 1⁄2 cup oil
Add d. saute till oil separates from spices in medium heat.
Add c. stir in to mix well.
then add b. mix well.
add a bit more water if too dry, to moisten the ingredients.
Time to taste. adjust sugar and seasoning to taste.
Lastly add a. cook for about 10 mins or until prawns are done. serve.
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Snacks & Salads


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Pancakes with Sweet Coconut Filling
by S Singarayer
Ingredients
1 Freshly scraped coconut: 200g 2 Jaggery grated: 200g
3 Cinnamon powder: 1⁄2 tsp
4 Salt: a pinch
5 Plain flour :200g
6 Milk :350ml
7 Eggs :2
8 Coconut oil: 1⁄2 cup
Equipment
Coconut scraper; weighing balance; palette knife; flat dish; kitchen paper; small bowl; egg whisk; small saucepan and ladle; frying pan; measuring jug, cup, tsp.
Method
Preparation of Filling
Heat jaggery and 4 tbsp water in saucepan on medium heat and let it dissolve. When the solution thickens add fresh coconut, cinnamon powder, salt and keep- ing stirring until mixture thickens. Remove from heat and allow the sweet coco- nut filling to cool on a side.
Preparation of Pancake
Take plain flour in bowl and make a well in the centre. Add beaten egg and milk into well and keeping whisking the liquid in centre until a smooth batter is formed. Then keep pan on medium heat, dip kitchen paper in oil and rub on pan. Add a large spoon full of batter to the hot pan. Swivel the pan a few times to spread the batter into a circular shape. Let it cook on side one for 1 minute. Now turn it over and cook for 1 more minute and remove the pancake with palette knife.
Filling Pancake with Sweet Coconut Mixture.
Place pancake on a flat dish and place a cherry size portion of sweet coconut filling on a side of pancake. Spread it in a line. Begin rolling pancake from the end with mixture towards free end of pancake. This will result in a rolled up pan- cake containing the coconut filling in the centre. Store on side with free end of pancake underneath. This recipe will give 8 pancakes with sweet coconut filling.
Serving (serves 4):
Pancakes with sweet coconut filling is served warm at tea time.
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Red Lentil Vaddai from Naranthanai by Walter Singarayer
Ingredients
1 Red lentils: 2 cups
2 Maldive Fish chips : 1⁄2 cup 3 Onion diced :1
4 Chilli flakes :1 tsp
5 Turmeric : 1⁄2 tsp
6 Garam masala 1⁄2 tsp
7 Green chilli: finely sliced 1 8 Curry leaves: shredded 20 9 Salt :1/2tsp
10 Oil for deep frying.
Equipment
Food processor; grinder; knife and chopping board; deep fryer and oil spoon; bowl; measuring cup tsp.
Method
Soak red lentils in water for 4-6 hours. Wash and drain all water. Divide into 3 lots. Keep one lot in bowl aside. Add 2 lots to food processor and grind for 2 mins. Now transfer into the lentil bowl, half partly ground lentil mixture from food processor. Then grind the rest (1/3 which remains in food processor) to a smooth pulp. Now add this lentil pulp too to the lentil bowl and mix together with other ingredients (1-9) in list.
Heat oil in fryer. With golf ball size spheres of mixture make 1 cm thick disks. Fry on medium heat until they go brown. This reci- pe gives 20 red lentil vaddais.
Serving (serves 6)
Red lentil vaddai is a popular Sri Lanka snack served with beverages.
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Stuffed Capsicum Chillies (Maalu Miris)
Favourite Sri Lankan Snack
by Malini Singarayer
Ingredients
1 Capsicum chillies, select smaller chillies with stalk intact, washed, deseeded through small slit: 12
2 Green peas cooked and mashed: 2 tbsp
3 Potato peeled, cut, cooked and mashed : 1
4 Oil for deep frying
5 Mackerel fish from can, crushed: 200g 6 Onion diced : 1
7 Cardamom seed powder: 1⁄2 tsp
8 Cinnamon powder :1⁄2 tsp
9 Fresh green chilli, finely chopped :1 10 Lemon juice to taste
11 Salt as required
12 Pepper as required
13 Gram flour :2 cups
14 Turmeric a pinch,
15 Chilli powder a pinch
16 Bicarbonate of soda : 1⁄2 tsp.
Equipment
Knife and chopping boar; tea spoon; saucepan; potato peeler; potato masher; blender; mortar and pestle; frying pan and ladle; weighing scales; wire rack; can opener; bowls 2; measuring, cup, tsp, tbsp; deep frying pan and slotted ladle.
Method ( Stuffing, Batter, Frying)
Stuffing Chillies:
Make a mixture of Mackerel fish, mashed potato, green peas, green chilli, cinna- mon powder, cardamom powder, pinch of salt, pinch of pepper and few drops of lemon juice and set aside. Heat 2 tbsp of oil in frying pan and fry onions until soft. Now add the fish mixture and toss it for 2 minutes and transfer to a bowl and set aside this filling. Using the handle of teaspoon, through small slit in chilli, stuff the fish mixture into each chilli.
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Batter for Coating:
Make a smooth batter in water with gram flour, turmeric, chilli, salt and bicar- bonate of soda.
Deep Frying:
Heat oil for deep frying in moderate heat. Holding the stuffed chilli by its stalk dip and cover the chilli completely with batter and gently lower it into hot oil. With a slotted spoon turn it around and fry until it is golden. Transfer the fried stuffed chillies on to a wire rack.
Serving (serves 6)
Stuffed Capsicum chillies are served as a snack. It is a party favourite which can be served with or without a dip of either chilli sauce or tomato ketchup.
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Sri Lankan Snack (Kokis)
from Matale
by Malini Singarayer
Ingredients
1 Raw rice flour : 250g
2 Coconut milk from can :200g or more
3 Sugar: 2 tbsp
4 Turmeric : 1⁄4 tsp
5 Egg beaten: 1
6 Salt to taste
7 Roasted cumin: 1⁄4 tsp,
8 Sesame seed white with skin removed : 1 tbsp
9 Salt
10 0il as required
Equipment
Sauce pan and oil spoon.; mixer; large bowl; grease proof paper; weighing scales ; bowl ; kokis mould; straight wire; colander lined with kitchen paper; frying pan; measuring tsp, tbsp.
Method
Using mixer blend in flour and coconut milk into a smooth batter. To this, mix in sugar, turmeric, beaten egg, salt and roasted cumin. The resulting thick batter is used to make the kokis. Heat oil in a pan and hold the kokis mould in the hot oil for 30 seconds. Then dip this hot mould superficially in the kokis batter ensuring that the entire mould is not submerged in the batter. Now dip the kokis mould laden with kokis batter in the hot oil for 1 minute or so. Whilst mould is in the oil, using a straight wire loosen and free the kokis shape off from the mould. Now Let the free kokis float for another 30 secs in the hot oil before removing the completed kokis with an oil spoon.
Serving (makes 10-15 kokis)
Kokis is a festive snack among Sri Lankans. Kokis is made in every Sinhala home for the auspicious Sinhala and Tamil New Year’s Day.
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A rare Sri Lankan Sweet (Aggala) from Matale
by Malini Singarayer
Ingredients
1 Easy cook rice flour, prepared from rice by roasting, finely grinding and sieving : 350g
2 Treacle or brown sugar heated with water to give dark syrup : 150 ml
3 Pepper freshly ground : 5ml
4 Coconut, freshly grated and lightly roasted : 100g 5 Cardamom seed powder: from 10 pods
6 Salt : 1⁄2 tsp
Equipment
Small heavy bottomed saucepan and ladle; grinder; bowl; small saucepan; plat- ter to coat aggala; weighing scales; sieve; measuring jug, tsp, tbsp.
Method
Mix well pepper and coconut with 250g of rice flour and set aside. The remain- ing 100g rice flour is for dusting aggala. Keep this aside in a flat dish ready to use.
Now heat treacle in a saucepan. Add salt and cardamom powder and cook on a medium heat until it gets stringy. Then remove pan from heat. Now pour this treacle into bowl of flour mixture. Next mix briskly and make spheres the size of a plum. Transfer the aggala into dish with plain flour and dust them. The aggala will harden no sooner they are dusted.
Serving (will make 10-12 aggala )
Aggala is a traditional snack served at tea time.
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Squid Rings with a Hint of Spice for a Snack
by S Singarayer
Ingredients
1 Squid fresh, remove all inside the squid leaving a hollow tube : 500g 2 Chilli powder:1/2 tsp
3 Tamarind paste: 1 tbsp
4 Salt: 1 tsp
5 Freshly ground pepper : 1⁄2 tsp 6 Corn flour as required
7 Egg :1
8 Oil for deep frying
Equipment
Knife and chopping board; weighing scales; 2 bowls; saucepan and oil spoon; colander lined with kitchen paper; measuring tsp, tbsp.
Method
Make a spicy mixture of salt, chili powder, pepper powder and tamarind paste. Cut the squid tubes into thin rings. Mix the squid rings with spicy mixture. Dip each squid ring in beaten egg and coat with cornflour. Heat oil for deep frying and drop each squid ring into hot oil ensuring that the rings do not stick to each. Now pick up the golden squid rings with slotted oil spoon and transfer them to colander to drain oil. Spicy, crisp, squid rings are now ready to serve.
Serving ( serves 4)
Crispy fried squid rings served as snack and enjoyed better, whilst hot.
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Battered Prawns for a Snack
by Walter Singarayer
Ingredients
1 Fresh King Prawns, shelled, gutted and washed : 20
2 Plain flour : 2 tbsp
3 Gram flour: 50 g
4 Rice flour: 50g
5 Corn flour 50g
6 Ginger paste :1 tsp
7 Garlic paste :1 tsp
8 Chilli powder : 1 tbsp
9 Egg : 1
10 Oil for deep frying
11 Salt as required
12 Soya sauce : 2 tbsp
13 Coriander powder: 1 tsp
15 Tamarind water, a marble size pellet soaked in 100ml hot water :20ml
Equipment
Knife; deep frying pan and oil spoon; frying pan; colander and kitchen paper; weighing scales;
Method
Marinate the prawns in a mixture of ginger, garlic, chilli powder, tamarind water and salt and set aside for 30 mins or longer. Add 2 tbsp oil into frying pan and fry in medium heat the marinated prawns until they turn pink. Beat egg and set aside. Mix plain flour, corn flour, gram flour, rice flour, coriander powder, tur- meric, salt and soya sauce and set aside in a bowl.
Heat oil for deep frying prawns. Pick up a prawn with marinate, dip it in beaten egg, coat it in the flour mixture and drop it in the hot oil with care. Repeat this with all 20 prawns. Add them to the lined colander to allow oil to drain, before serving the golden battered prawns for a snack.
Serving (serves 5)
Battered prawns are ideal as a snack.
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Chicken Tikka a Tasty Snack
by Walter Singarayer
Ingredients
1 Breast of Chicken, cut into finger size pieces: 400g 2 Garlic paste :1 tbsp
3 Ginger paste :1 tbsp
4 Garam masala :1 tbsp
5 Chilli powder : 2 tbsp 6 Turmeric :1/2tsp
7 Paprika powder :1⁄4 tsp 8 Mustard paste :1⁄2 tsp
9 Tomato puree :2 tbsp
10 Tomato fresh red sliced :2
11 Tamarind, marble size pellet soaked in 100 ml hot water: as required 12 Coriander fresh leaf : 6 sprigs
13 Yoghurt natural :100 ml
14 Iceberg lettuce 100g
(optional)
15 Lemon juice as required.
16 Salt and
17 Pepper as required
Equipment
Knife and chopping board; wok and ladle; greased tray; tongs; blender; bowls ; weighing scales; measuring jug, tsp, tbsp..
Method
Blend mixture of the following ingredients together, garlic, ginger, garam masala, chilli powder turmeric, paprika powder, mustard paste, tomato puree, yoghurt and tamarind water. Marinate in fridge, the spicy chicken for 6 hours or overnight.
Transfer to wok and cook the marinade on medium heat for 15 mins. Pick them up with tongs and ar- range them in a greased tray. Grill for 5 mins on each side. The chicken tikka tasty snack is ready to serve.
Serving (serves 4)
Tasty Chicken tikka is served with salad made with iceberg lettuce shredded small; tomato cubed; 20ml yoghurt; pepper; salt and lemon sprinkled as required.
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Fish Cutlets from London by Walter Singarayer
Ingredients
1 Mackerel fish, from ‘in brine can’ :200g 2 Potatoes, boiled and mashed: 500g
3 Onions, finely diced : 2
4 English mustard : 1 tsp
5 Salt as required
6 Lemon as required
7 Garam masala :1 tbsp
8 Fresh green chillies, finely sliced :4 9 Curry leaves, finely chopped : 10 10 Pepper
11 Eggs beaten :2
12 Golden bread crumbs:200g
13 Oil for deep frying
Equipment
Can opener; measuring tsp, tbsp.; weighing machine; veg peeler; potato masher; saucepan and ladle; knife and chopping board; large bowl; 4 small bowls; 3 flat dishes for making cutlets; fork; deep fryer; colander lined with kitchen paper.
Method
Mix together ingredients 1-10 from list. Make balls the size of a plum with fish mixture and flatten them to 1cm thickness. Dip them one at a time in egg and ensure the whole fish cutlet is covered with egg. Coat each completely with bread crumbs. Heat oil in deep fryer and drop the
cutlets coated in crumbs into hot oil. Move it about to fry evenly. When browned, transfer the fish cut- lets into a colander lined with kitchen paper. Serve when freshly made.
Serving (makes 20)
Fish cutlets served hot as a snack.
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Spicy Fish in Patties
by Walter Singarayer
Ingredients
Dough Filling
1 Plain Flour : 500g 5 Fish from ‘in brine’ can: 350g
2 Butter : 100g 6 Potato, boiled and cut into small 3 Salt :1 tbsp pieces :350g
4 Cold water: 250ml 7 Onion diced :200g
Equipment
Board and flour; rolling pin; knife and chopping board; bowl; frying pan and ladle; can opener; timer; fork; deep fryer and oil spoon; colander lined with kitchen paper; pastry brush; pas- try cutter (6cm diameter); weighing scales; measuring jug, tsp, tbsp.
Method
8 Green chilli, finely cut :50g 9 Garlic paste :1⁄2 tsp
10 Ginger paste 1⁄2 tsp
11 Curry leaves finely cut : 10 12 Lemon juice as required 13 Water 100ml
14 Mustard seed : 1⁄2 tsp 15 Turmeric : 1⁄4 tsp
16 Chilli powder 1⁄2 tsp 17 Salt as required
18 Egg beaten :1
19 Oil for frying curry and deep frying
Into a bowl add flour butter and salt. Add water a little at a time and knead for 10mins. Rest for 1 hour. Heat oil in a frying pan and add mustard when it splut- ters add onion, fry until onions go soft. Then add ingredients 5 -17 from list and cook on medium heat for 3 mins with lid on. Roll the pastry into 1cm thickness. Using pastry cutter cut shapes for the patties. Transfer 1 tablespoon fish filling onto the cut pastry shape. Apply egg wash on rim and fold pastry in half with filling within. Seal the free curved end of patty by
pressing a fork along edge. Repeat this until all fill- ing is used up.
Heat oil in deep fryer and gently drop the patties in. Move them around to ensure they are fried evenly. Next remove the cooked patties from oil and trans- fer patties on to a colander lined with kitchen paper.
Serving (makes 20 patties):
Spicy fish in patties served as a snack.


Green Chilli and Sweetcorn Muffins by S Singarayer
Ingredients
Dry Ingredients
1 Self raising flour 250g
2 Baking powder : 1tsp
3 Salt : 1tsp
4 Grated Cheese (mature cheddar is best) :150g
5 Sweetcorn well drained from can : 160g
6 Green Chillies, fresh, deseeded, chopped finely: 2 Wet Ingredients
7 Eggs beaten : 2
8 Vegetable oil :100ml
9 Semi skimmed/whole milk :250ml
And 1 tbsp oil to brush tin.
Method ( Metric - Imperial
Instructions)
Pre heat oven to 200C. Brush well with oil the inside of muffin tin. Mix all dry ingredients in a bowl. Mix well all wet ingredients in a bowl or jug.
Add the wet mixture into dry mixture and mix thoroughly. Do not over mix. Ensure all ingredients are well combined. Scoop into the 12 muffin holes and bake for 20- 25 mins or until golden brown.
Serving (serves 4)
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Spicy Fish Buns for Lunch
by Walter Singarayer Ingredients (dough, filling mixture,)
Dough
1 Flour 500g
2 Butter : 50g
3 Sugar : 2 tsp 4Yeast: 3tsp
5 Salt :1 tsp
6 Veg oil :1 tbsp
7 Milk: 50 ml
8 Egg, beaten:1
9 Water tepid : 320ml
Filling Mixture
10 Fish from ‘in brine’ can, crushed :250g
11 Potatoes, boiled and roughly mashed :350g
12 Cinnamon powder :1/2 tsp
13 Cardamom seed powder : from 4 pods
14 Garlic :1/2 tsp
15 Green chilli finely sliced :2
16 Chilli powder:1/2 tsp
17 Turmeric :1/4 tsp
18 Curry powder :1/2 tsp
19 Salt to taste
20 Pepper :1/2 tsp
21 Tamarind, soak a marble size pellet in hot water :3 tbsp 22 Onion, diced : 1
23 Oil as required
Equipment
Bowl; cling film; 2 trays; knife and chopping board; pastry board; pastry brush; timer; measuring tsp, jug, tbsp; weighing scales.
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Method (dough, filling mixture)
Dough:
Keep aside 100g flour to be used if needed for dough and for dusting pastry board whilst kneading dough. Now add ingredients 1-7 for dough making into a bowl.
Firstly mix the ingredients well and then add the egg and mix again. Now mix in water a little at a time until the consistency is correct. Knead it for about 10 mins until soft. Dust bowl with flour and place the ball of dough in it. Cover with cling film and allow dough rise for 1-2 hours when it will become double its size.
Then rub a little oil on palm and break up the ball of dough into 8 pieces. Knead each piece into a soft ball and place the dough balls on an oiled tray. Apply a little oil on the balls, cover the tray with cling film and allow them to rest for 1 hour.
The dough balls would be double their size now. Flatten each dough ball to a round shape about 1cm thick.
Filling mixture:
Heat oil in frying pan and add onions and cook until soft. Now add and stir fry ingredients 10-21. for 5 mins and remove from heat and set aside.
Place a table spoon full of filling mixture in the centre. Fold the pas- try over the filling in a spherical or triangular shape. Keep all buns on an oiled tray, apply egg wash on the buns, cover tray and let buns rest for 45 mins. Then bake them for 15mins at 180C. Now transfer the spicy fish buns onto a cooling rack.
Serving (makes 8 buns)
Spicy fish buns served at lunch.
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My Grandmother’s Drop Scones (Bannocks)
Andrei’s favourite by Irene Malic
Ingredients
1 Flour:1lb
2 Bicarbonate of Soda :1tsp 3 Cream of Tartar : 1tsp
4 Salt :1/2 tsp
5 Caster Sugar : 2oz
6 Eggs : 2
7 Milk to mix.
Equipment
Scales; mixing bowl; knife and chopping board; wooden spoon; griddle (or large frying pan); wire cooling tray...or similar
Method
Combine all the dry ingredients. Beat the eggs and add to a well in the centre of the mixture. Mix together with as much milk as required to make a smooth, thick, creamy batter.
Grease a hot griddle and drop on small rounds of the mixture (around a table- spoonful). When the surface rises and bubbles , turn the scones over with a knife and brown the other side. Leave to cool on a wire tray then sere with butter... and your favourite jam.
Serving (10 servings)
My Scottish Grandmother used to make these for Andrei....
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Prawn Fritters from Malaysia
by Assunta Albert Nicholas
Ingredients
Big prawns :10
Medium sized Cucumber : 1 Tomatoes : 2
Vegetable oil for frying
Batter
All purpose flour : 1 Rice flour : 1 tbsp Salt 1⁄4 tsp
Sugar : 1⁄4 tsp
Method
Shell the prawns but leave the tail on
Slit open each prawn as wide as possible and remove the vein inside.
Wash the prawns and season with salt and a little sugar.
Make a thick batter
Sieve the flour and rice flour and the salt into a bowl.
Add enough cold water to make a coating batter.
Beat the batter for 10 minutes and leave aside for 20-30 minutes before using it.
Heat up the oil for deep frying.
Hold each prawn by the tail, dip it into the batter and put it into the hot oil till brown.
Drain the prawns well and serve the prawn fritters with cucumber and tomato slices and chilli sauce.
Servings (serves 2)
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Dhokla (Indian dish )
from Jayshree Gandhi’s Recipes, Colindale
by Malini Singarayer
Ingredients
For Batter
1 Gram (chickpea) flour :1 cup
2 Semolina :1 tbsp
3 Plain flour:1 cup
4 Baking soda : 1⁄2 tsp
5Lemon juice: 1 tbsp
6 Salt: 1/2 tsp
7 Ginger paste : 1⁄2 tsp
8 Green chilli paste : 1⁄2 tsp
9 ENOS fruit salt (leavening agent) : 1 tsp 10 Citric acid (activating agent) : 1 tsp
11 Water : 3⁄4 cup
12 Natural yoghurt :1⁄4 cup
13 Oil for greasing dish
14 Sugar :1tsp
For Tempering
15 Mustard seeds 1⁄2 tsp
16 Cumin seeds: 1⁄2 tsp
17 Sesame seeds (optional)
18 Curry leaves 10
19 Green chillies, cut into halves 4
20 Coriander leaves, fresh, chopped : 1⁄2 cup 21 Oil, for tempering as required
Equipment
Knife and chopping board; timer; mixing bowl; whisk; steamer with rack for dokhla dish and vented lid; rectangular greased dish for dhokla ; tray; skewer; frying pan and ladle; jug; whisk; measuring cup, tsp, tbsp.,
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Method (Batter, cooking tempering)
Preparation of batter
Into a jug add, green chilli paste, sugar, lemon juice, ginger, salt, oil and 1⁄2 cup water and stir until sugar dissolves. Now into mixing bowl mix in gram flour, turmeric, lemon juice, yoghurt and semolina. Next transfer the spicy mixture from jug together with 5 tbsp water into mixing bowl and whisk all ingredients to form a smooth batter.
Cooking
Add enough water (4 cups) to steamer to last 20 mins of steaming. Keep check- ing throughout. Grease dish before adding batter.
When water is about to boil in steamer, add ENOS fruit salt and 1 tbsp water to the batter and mix. Now pour this smooth batter into greased dish and make pastry surface smooth. Now place batter dish in steamer and cover steamer.
Allow water to boil for 5 mins. and reduce heat and continue steaming. Use skewer to check if dhokla is cooked. When skewer comes clean turn off heat but keep lid on steamer for another 5 mins. Now remove dhokla dish from steamer and cut the dhokla into 2” squares.
Tempering
Heat oil in frying pan and add mustard seeds, cumin seeds, sesame seeds, curry leaves, green chillies, salt and fry for 2 mins. Add 1/2 cup of water to the tem- pered spices and allow it to boil
for 1 minute.
Now pour this spicy water on the cooled dhokla pieces. Garnish with coriander leaf and fresh co- conut and serve.
Serving(serves 4)
Dhokla served as a snack or meal with green chutney
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Scones from Wirral
by Lushanthi Edirisooriya
Ingredients
500g plain flour
2 x rounded tsp baking powder
2 x heaped tsp of caster sugar
1 x tsp salt
110g chopped cold unsalted butter 300ml whole milk
1 x egg
Garnishing options
Clotted cream
Jam
Butter
Equipment
1 x oven tray
1 x wooden spoon 1 x large bowl
1 x fork/whisk
1 x rolling pin
1 x sieve
Method
Sieve plain flour into a bowl and add baking powder, salt and caster sugar into the mix. Add cold chopped butter and rub the mixture through with cold hands until the mixture turns into a fine bread crumb. Make a well in the middle of the bowl and add the milk into the middle. Use a fork to bring the mixture together roughly. Gather the mixture with your hands, flour the surface and dump the mix onto the working surface. Bring together into a combined dome and use a rolling pin to roll the dough until it is 3cm thick.
Use a cookie cutter to get the shape you want for the scones. Place onto the baking tray lined with a greaseproof baking paper.
Use egg wash to brush over the top of the scones to gloss before baking. Place tray into the over at 190°C and bake for 15-20 minutes or until golden brown.
Serve scones with clotted cream and jam and enjoy!


Quorn Rolls
by Anesh Nanayakkara
Ingredients – for the filling
300g Quorn mince
2 large potatoes and carrots cubed
1 large Onion chopped
2 garlic cloves chopped
2 green chillies chopped
Small sprig of curry leave
1⁄4 teaspoon fenugreek
Medium cinnamon stick
1⁄2 teaspoon each turmeric, chilli powder, raw curry powder, paprika
Salt and pepper to taste
1⁄2 cup stock with 2 Oxo cubes
Ingredients – for frying
25 filo pastry
2 Eggs
200g breadcrumbs
1⁄2 bottle vegetable oil
Equipment
Large pan to cook the filling Frying pan
Skimmer
Colander
Method
Thaw the Quorn mince and place in a large pan with all the ingredients for the filling. Cover and slow cook regularly mixing for approximately 30 minutes until the mixture is dry.
Rest the curry for another 30 minutes.
Stretch the filo pastry on a board or a plate and place 1 tablespoon of filling diagonally in the middle of the sheet. Fold 3 sides of the pasty inwards, and roll the centre toward the remaining end. Once all the pastries are rolled beat the eggs in a medium sized bowl, egg wash the rolls and cover in breadcrumbs
Heat the oil in a pan and fry the rolls
Removed from the skimmer and rest to drain the extra oil in a colander
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Devilled Beef
from Thankarajah Arulampalam’s Recipes, Mansfield by his daughter Lohini Wilson in Melbourne
Ingredients
1 Beef : 1 lb
2 Bombay onion, large sliced : 1⁄2
3 Ginger, Chopped or grated : 1⁄2 large
4 Garlic, sliced or grated : 2 cloves
5 Chilli powder :, 2 heaped 2tsp
6 Turmeric : 1⁄4 tsp
7 Garlic powder : 1⁄4 tsp
8 Garam masala : 1⁄4 tsp
9 Cooking salt : 1 tsp
10 Vinegar ; 1 tsp
11 Worcestershire sauce : 2 tbsp
12 Soya sauce : 2 tbsp
13 Lard or equivalent of oil: 1⁄2 oz
14 Green pepper (1) or 4 large green chillies (4)
Method
Slice the beef into thin longitudinal strips in the direction of the muscle fibre, add the grated garlic + ginger, chilli powder, turmeric, garlic powder, garam masala, cooking salt and marinate this vinegar, Worcestershire sauce and soya sauce for about 30 or 45 minutes.
Temper the sliced onion in the lard or vegetable oil for a few minutes, till the onion become golden brown, add the marinated beef to this and fry on a low flame with the frying pan covered with the lid till the beef is cooked. Slice the green peppers or large green chillies, add to the cooked
beef and serve as an appetizer with pre dinner drinks.
If the dish is very spicy hot, you could serve some sliced French stick to cool down the tongue.
Serving
Devilled beef is served as an appetiser.
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ROAST BEEF
by Hemantha Edirisooriya
Ingredients
Beef roasting join
1 large onion chopped
A few green finger chillies sliced Curry leaves/Rampa
1 tsp crushed ginger
1 tsp crushed garlic
2 tsp cracked pepper
1 tsp sea salt
1 tsp chilli powder
1 tsp chilli flakes
1 cinnamon stick
2 tsp malt vinegar
2 tsp soy sauce
2 tsp oil
Equipment
Large pan to roast the beef Wok or non-stick pan Wooden spoon
Method
Place the beef in a large pan, add salt, pepper, vinegar and pour water to cover the joint. Place the lid and slow cook for 1 hour, occasionally turning the joint. When the water is completely reduced, rest the beef joint.
Thinly slice the joint and mix soy sauce and chilli powder.
Heat the oil in a Wok or a non-stick pan. Add Onions, ginger, garlic, cinnamon stick and cook until the onions are golden brown. Add curry leaves, Rampa and chilli flakes, mix well and add beef slices and let it fry until it’s dry. Garnish with sliced finger chillies.


Swedish Cinnamon Buns (Kanelbullar)
by Maria Beradovic
Ingredients
Dough:
50g fresh yeast : 50g
150g butter (room temperature): 150g 2 cups milk (cold) : 2cups
2 eggs : 2
0.6 cups caster sugar : .6 cup
1 tbs cardamom (coarse): 1 tbsp
0.5 tsp salt : .5 tsp
780g plain flour (non-rising) :780g
Fill:
300g butter (room temperature) :300g 0.8 cups caster sugar :.8 cup
2 tbs cinnamon : 2tbsp
Syrup:
0.2 cups water : .2 cup 0.2 cups sugar: .2 cup
Garnish:
Pearl sugar Shaved almonds
Equipment
Baking machine (optional); Measuring equipment; Wooden spoon; Bowls (large and small); Oven trays; Parchment paper; Rolling pin; Rubber spatula ; Knife; Pot; Brush
Method
Pour the cold milk in a bowl. Crumb the yeast into the milk and stir until the yeast has dissolved (NB. If you use dried yeast, you should warm the milk to 37 degrees to start it). Add in eggs, sugar, salt and cardamom. Measure the flour, but don’t shake to ensure it doesn’t get packed as this would dry the buns out. Add
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the flour, a little at the time. Add the butter, a little at the time, while working the dough until smooth and it releases the sides of the bowl. This will take about 5 minutes using a baking machine, and about 10-15 mins by hand. Be careful with the flour, less is more in order to have juicy and not dry buns. Blend together the ingredients for the filling to a cream.
Move the dough to a floured surface and knead it lightly. Add flour as needed to ensure it doesn’t stick to the surface. Divide into 4 equally-sized pieces and roll out to rectangle shapes, each about 1 x 2 ft (30 x 60 cm). Spread a quarter of the mix evenly on each rectangle, and make sure you cover it all the way out to the ends. Fold one half over the other.
Cut the dough in to about 2 cm-wide strips (slightly less than an inch). You should get about 8-10 strips from each rectangle. Cut each strip in the middle, but not all the way to the folded back – you should leave the last centimetre. Carefully pull on the strips to make them longer, and lightly twist each of them. Twirl both strips around three of your fingers and fold the end under the bun. Don’t worry if it looks a bit messy, it’s hard to get them consistent even for the best of us (and they will look and taste amazingly regardless)
Put the buns on a tray covered by parchment paper. Don’t put them too closely to one another as they will rise. Loosely cover with cling film and leave to rise – the longer, the better but 1.5-2 hours is recommended. To make the syrup, combine water and sugar in a pot and bring to a boil. Warm the oven to 180 degrees (fan), 225 degrees normal. Bake for about
7-10 minutes or until golden brown.
Brush each bun with the syrup as soon as they are out of the oven, and sprinkle with pearl sugar and shaved almonds. The syrup will encapsulate the buns and ensure that the moisture is kept inside the bun. Let them cool on an oven grid under a cloth.
Serving (Makes 35-40 buns)
Best enjoyed warm with a glass of cold milk. Freeze well
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Ulundhu Wada from Ridgeview
By Emmo Savundranayagam
Ingredients
1 Urid dhal : soaked for at least 4 hours : 1 cup 2 Small red onions (4-6) or one medium Bombay onion, chopped.
3 Fresh green chillies : 2-3
4 Peeled ginger : 1” piece
5 Curry leaves : 5
6 Black pepper corns, bruised : 10-15 7 Salt
8 Vegetable oil for frying
9 Water
Method
Rinse the soaked urid dahl and grind into a paste adding a little amount of wa- ter. Do not add too much of water while grinding. Add less at the beginning, if required more can be added. The paste should be fairly thick and not runny. Transfer into a big bowl
Shred the chillies , onions, ginger, and curry leaves finely. Mix all the ingredients together with enough salt to taste. Beat it nicely to incorporate air into the batter. It helps in aeration and keeps the vadai fluffy and light. If you feel that the batter is a not thick enough add 1tbsp of rice flour. Do not add too much of rice flour it makes the vada hard. With practice you will get the right consistency every time!
Check by dropping a small portion of the batter in small bowl of water, it should float on the top without sinking to the bottom.
Heat the oil in a deep frying pan ( it should be on medium heat/moderately hot). Take a tbsp. of the mixture at a time, pat it on a wet flat surface, preferably a banana leaf, and shape it into a ring (Vadai).
Drop each Vadai into the hot oil and deep-fry it, slowly turning it over half way through till it is brown and well cooked. Drain well and serve
Serving(served as a snack
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Fresh Yoghurt Spicy Salad (Raita)
by S Singarayer
Ingredients
1 Yoghurt natural:200 ml
2 Cucumber, deseeded cubed :1⁄2 cup
3 Spring onions, finely sliced :2 shoots
4 Red tomatoes, deseeded :4
5 Red onion, medium, cubes : tsp1⁄2 cup
6 Ground cumin seed :1/2 tsp
7 Ground coriander seed :1⁄2 tsp
8 Coriander leaves, chopped from : 6 sprigs
9 Green and yellow bell peppers diced: half of each 10 Pepper: pinch
11 Salt to taste
Equipment
Veg knife and chopping board; table fork; Measuring jug, tsp, cup
Bowls
Method
Beat yoghurt briskly with fork.
Mix all ingredients together and serve raita.
Serving (serves 6 )
Raita is served with Lumprais, Buriyani or rice and curry.
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