We hope you enjoyed your evening at the cookery school, Chef loves to delight guests with their fabulous dishes, if you have any questions for them please ask and we’ll get back to you.
Ghee Rice
Ingredients:
- 400 g basmati rice
- 2 – 3 tbsp. ghee
- 1 large big onion (finely chopped)
- 4 cloves
- 6 cardamom pods
- 1 cinnamon stick
- 4-6 curry leaves
- 3½ cups hot stock (beef, chicken or mutton)
- Salt to taste
Method:
- Wash the rice well and drain in a sieve for 30 minutes.
- Heat the ghee in a heavy bottom pot over medium heat.
- Add the onion and cook gently until golden brown.
- Add the cloves, cardamom, cinnamon, curry leaves and fry all for 1-2minutes.
- Add rice and stirring well for few minutes
- Add the hot stock and bring to the boil and salt; reduce the heat to low,
- Cover pot and cook for 15–20 minutes without lifting the lid.
- Remove from the heat, uncover and rest for 5 minutes to allow steam to escape.
- Gently fluff up the rice with a fork and remove the spices added except curry leaves.
- Serve hot.
Tips: You can accompany the Ghee Rice with a meat curry, fried fish, vegetables, pickles and sambals. To decorate sprinkle with currants, cashews or deep-fried onion pieces.
Moong Dal – Sri Lankan Style
Ingredients: Serves 6-8
- 450g moong dal, cleaned
- 900ml cold water
- 1 tbsp vegetable oil
- 6 fresh curry leaves
- 1-2 tsp black mustard seeds
- 3 large dried red chillies
- 1/2 tsp asafetida powder
- 1 tsp turmeric powder
- 2 tsp salt
Method:
- Thoroughly wash the moong dal in a pan of cold water, using your hands. Carefully empty the water from the pan and repeat a couple of times so that the water runs clear.
- Add 900ml of cold water to the pan holding the moong dal and bring to the boil and then let simmer for around 20-30 minutes. During this time white froth will form at the top of the pan. Using a large spoon skim off the froth that forms and discard. You may find that you require a little more cold water if it has all been soaked up, so just add a little, depending on how soupy you like your dal. When the dal is done it will be slightly lighter in colour and will be soft to touch – be careful not to allow it to become too mushy through overcooking.
- In a small pan heat up the oil on a low heat. When it is hot add the black mustard seeds. These will begin to pop almost immediately so be careful. Add the rest of the ingredients and move around the pan for 30 seconds.
- Take a spoonful of the dal and place in the pan with the spices. Mix together and then pour all the contents of the spice pan into the other pan holding the dal. Place a small bit of water in the spice pan and swirl around so that all the spices are removed from the pan and put into the dal pan.
- Stir in thoroughly to the dal and simmer for a couple of minutes. If it requires more salt then add a little more at this final stage. Leave to cool slightly before serving.
Flat Breads – 2 recipes to choose
Option 1: Ingredients
- 185g plain flour
- 0.5tsp baking powder
- Pinch of salt
- 30ml olive oil
- 80ml warm water
Method:
- Place flour, salt and baking powder in a mixing bowl, make a well in the middle and pour in water and oil. Mix with a fork first, then tip the mix onto a floured surface and knead well until stretchy and formable.
- Rest for 20 minutes.
- Roll into 6 flatbreads, pan-fry on high heat without any oil or cook on bbq.
Option 2: Ingredients
- 70g Self-Raising Flour (plus more for dusting)
70g Natural Yoghurt
Tbsp Oil
Method:
Sieve flour into a mixing bowl.Add natural yoghurt and spoon of oil and mix together until a dough is formed.Flour the worktop and roll dough into desired shape. A thinner dough is best as it takes less time to cook.Heat a little oil in a frying pan till golden brown. They should blister and char.
Moong Dal – Sri Lankan Style
Ingredients: Serves 6-8
- 450g moong dal, cleaned
- 900ml cold water
- 1 tbsp vegetable oil
- 6 fresh curry leaves
- 1-2 tsp black mustard seeds
- 3 large dried red chillies
- 1/2 tsp asafetida powder
- 1 tsp turmeric powder
- 2 tsp salt
Method:
- Thoroughly wash the moong dal in a pan of cold water, using your hands. Carefully empty the water from the pan and repeat a couple of times so that the water runs clear.
- Add 900ml of cold water to the pan holding the moong dal and bring to the boil and then let simmer for around 20-30 minutes. During this time white froth will form at the top of the pan. Using a large spoon skim off the froth that forms and discard. You may find that you require a little more cold water if it has all been soaked up, so just add a little, depending on how soupy you like your dal. When the dal is done it will be slightly lighter in colour and will be soft to touch – be careful not to allow it to become too mushy through overcooking.
- In a small pan heat up the oil on a low heat. When it is hot add the black mustard seeds. These will begin to pop almost immediately so be careful. Add the rest of the ingredients and move around the pan for 30 seconds.
- Take a spoonful of the dal and place in the pan with the spices. Mix together and then pour all the contents of the spice pan into the other pan holding the dal. Place a small bit of water in the spice pan and swirl around so that all the spices are removed from the pan and put into the dal pan.
- Stir in thoroughly to the dal and simmer for a couple of minutes. If it requires more salt then add a little more at this final stage. Leave to cool slightly before serving.
Galle Kirata Curry Sauce
Make with fish or chicken, or if you prefer to eat vegetarian, how about cauliflower. We think this will become a favorite in your house! It is very easily adaptable, add chilli or not, coconut milk or not. You could of course buy a curry powder but we think that making your own makes all the difference. Pop it into a jar and it will keep for several months.
Spice mix:
- 4 tbsp coriander seeds
- 3 tbsp cumin seeds
- 2 tbsp black peppercorns and 2 tbsp uncooked rice
- 1 tbsp black mustard seeds
- 3 tspn cloves
- 2 tspn green cardamom (seeds from the pods)
- 1 tspn fennel seeds
Method:
- Toast all in a pan, taking care not to burn. Grind in a food processor or nutri-bullet – alternatively use a pestle & mortar and crush!
Ingredients:
- 2 tbsp coconut oil
- ½ onion
- 4 garlic cloves
- 1-inch grated ginger
- 6 curry leaves
- 2 ½ tbsp Sri Lankan curry powder (see above)
- 1 cinnamon stick
- ½ tsp salt
- 1 tsp cayenne or chilli powder (more if you like it hot)
- 1 tbsp paprika (not sweet or smoked)
- 2 green chillis (sliced in half length ways)
- 2 medium tomatoes
- 2 tspn brown sugar
- 2 tspn apple cider vinegar
- ½ tin of coconut milk
- 200 ml water
Method:
- Heat the oil and onion, garlic and ginger until softened.
- Add curry powder, cayenne powder, paprika, cinnamon and curry leaves. Continue cooking for 2 or 3 minutes gently.
- Add chillis, salt, tomatoes, 1 tspn sugar and mix.
- Cook for 10 minutes on a medium heat, stir frequently as you don’t want the spices to burn
- Add the coconut milk, water and vinegar. Let this simmer with a lid for 15 – 20 minutes.
- You need to do some adjustments at this point. Taste the curry, you may need to add the rest of the sugar, more vinegar and more salt. This is really personal taste.
- You could carry on cooking to make the sauce thicker or indeed add more water if you want more sauce.
Cooking your fish, chicken or cauliflower
One option is to cook in the sauce, but we like to roast in the oven and portion to serve with the sauce – retains a little elegance. Marinade your protein in the spice mix, then roast in the oven at 180C for approx 20-25 minutes if using chicken thigh or cauliflower, longer if a breast or with a bone. Fish – you can pan fry.
Notes:
Just a few notes to make this easy and stress free at home.
- Always make the spice mixes in advance. This will make the cooking on the day much easier.
- Marinade the fish and pop back in the fridge, this can be cooked just before serving
- When you start making the chicken curry, put the lentils on to cook for the dhal. Once they are soft you can make the dhal whenever you want.
- You can put the rice on to cook and then complete the ghee rice just before serving.
Lemongrass Posset
This is an Italian classic, and is great for a dinner party – as it can be made in the morning. A touch of the Far East comes from the lemongrass.
You could crush up biscuits of your choice and put in the bottom of the glass. A classic Italian version would be an amaretti and serve a glass of amaretto on the side!
Ingredients: Serves 2-4
- 300ml of double cream60g c
- Caster sugar
- 1 stick of lemongrass
Method:
- Chop the lemongrass
- Bring the cream and sugar to the boil (careful it should just boil but not boil over). Once you see it boil – stay there and boil for exactly 3 minutes.
- Take the pan off the heat and stir in the lemongrass
- Strain this into a jug and leave to cool for 20minutes
- If you wish to put a crumbled biscuit in the bottom of the receptacle – this is the time to do it. If not gently pour the cream into the glasses.
- Refrigerate for 6 hours minimum.
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