Love & other Spices

30 minutes or less

Lentil and Vegetable Soup with Parsley

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We were thrilled when the sun started shining and the temperatures peaked to 25 degree Celsius. Oh! What glorious days they were. I even lamented to my husband that it’s too hot in the house and we should get a fan and wondered out loud about the benefits of an air conditioner like we had back in Dubai (gasp). As you imagined, the good weather didn’t last long and it’s back to the unpredictable weather. The other day we were walking to the town and then the library where we got soaked about 4 times. Bit of rain, then the sun, they played hide and seek and Ammar was sure the rain was targeting us. LOL! Every time we stepped out of a shop to the street, it would start pouring.

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Quinoa, Butternut Squash, Pomegranate Salad with Pumpkin Seeds

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I’m not much into salads. There I said it. The salad played a essential but minor role in meals growing up. It was never, ever considered a main meal. It’s because the type of salads we had nicely complemented the Rice & Curry and gave that extra tang or crunch.
There was the cucumber salad which I love. Sliced cucumbers mixed with chopped onions and green chillies with a bit of fresh coconut milk and lime juice. I would sprinkle the liquid to my rice and the dish is elevated to the next level where I’d easily finsh off two portions.
And the raw grated carrot salad. Same method as the cucumber salad without the coconut milk. Then there’s the Gotukola salad. These are the salad we had mostly on rotation and was never eaten on it’s own. So I could never bring myself to have a salad as a main meal.

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Cinnamon Coconut Granola

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baked cinnamon coconut granola

It feels good to be back in this space after a long hiatus.  I was away from the blog and social media enjoying a much needed break.  I had taken a break from my studies too. ”What did she do? ” you may wonder. I read. Yes, a lot. I would go to my local library and bring as many books as I can carry. Fiction, Non- Fiction, Cookbooks. I read from morning to night. We each have different ways of relaxing,recouping. For me, it’s reading that does it. It’s theurapetic. I may not remember most of what I read now, nor I had the slightest idea to record the books I read. It’s the moments that mattered to me. The feeling that you get when you do what you enjoy, a time well spent.

I didn’t experiment much in the food front. I stuck to my comfy foods, foods that I know won’t cause me any insensitivies. But for some time now, I’ve been coming out of my comfort zone and trying different foods. Like the Hazelnut Bread recipe from ”The Ketogenic Kitchen” by Domini Kemp and Patricia Daly. The recipe for that will be coming soon. And this Granola. I should say that I’ve never been a ganola fan. Even when my husband was gorging on store-bought chocolate granola I stayed away. One reason was I couldn’t stomach the oats in it. And granola with milk didn’t appeal to me.

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Healthy Anzac Biscuits

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healthy anzac biscuits on a tray
It’s hard to satisfy kid’s sweet tooth with wholesome ingredients. Like all kids, mine tend to gravitate towards the large chocolate chip cookies displayed openly in the supermarkets. Their lovely smell is enough to entice even someone who hates cookies.
When you hear “Just one cookie,mama”  repeatedly, you give in. “Ok, Just one cookie each”. And the father joins in with two extra.
I like to have biscuits around in the house for tea time, or for that little hunger pangs which could come at any moment unannounced.

Dairy Free Broccoli Soup

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This is my first Autumn here in Ireland. I am in love with the scenery around me. The shades of trees from,green to the different hues of orange adorning the streets are a thing of beauty. And the falling leaves scattered around made me want to bring some home and photograph it. Which I did.The photo is in my Instagram feed.

The days are short and weather is getting colder. And I crave more warmth and often find myself in front of the heater or making something hot to drink or eat.

Growing up we had bone broth with lots of vegetables every week and that was called soup. A big bowl of rice with copious amounts of bone broth and spicy condiments was the norm for a Sunday lunch. Beads of perspiration would appear on my nose while I scrape down the last bit of the meal with the spicy sambal. That’s how it was supposed to be in the humid climate in Sri Lanka. It’s not that you crave soup in that weather rather it’s a norm, probably passed down from the Colonialists.

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Fish Curry Recipe

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Looking at this fish curry,evokes the memories back in the day . Specially tuna, it had to be my favorite fish. Because it resembled meat,sturdy and held it’s shape. I despised fish of all sorts except this. I hated the tiny long bones fearing that it would get stuck in my throat and the fish smell . I’ve always been a meat girl. Chicken was very rare those days, you get to eat it only on special occasions. It was always beef and fish on rotation.
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Beef & Rice Conjee/Porridge

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After a long silence in my blog,here I am reviving it again. Come what may,I realized I couldn’t abandon my blog. I sincerely thank all my readers who messaged me,inspiring me to keep the blog alive. Also a shout out to my husband who designed this lovely header. Felt like coming back to a newly decorated, good old home filled with memories. A lot happened during the past year,and I thank the Almighty for giving me courage and keeping me going.

It’s the blessed month of Ramadan. A month of fasting,not feasting. This year,Alhamdulillah,I made a resolution to keep our meals to a bare minimum. Not that we had extravagant meals all these years,but the focus was always been on food rather than more on worship. It’s always been what to cook for Iftar(Breaking fast),what to make for Suhoor(Early Morning meal),how many iftars do I have to organize and so on and so forth. But starting my higher studies on Islam, getting myself bombarded(in a good way) with all the updates about the true essence of Ramadan by the social media and various groups that I’m part of, helped me realize the true spirit of this blessed month.

Now in Srilanka, the staple Iftar meal is the Conjee or the rice porridge.

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Easy Beef and Broccoli Stir Fry

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What you see above is a totally unplanned shot of our lunch last week.
I wasn’t planning to shoot anything that day but when I plated the meal it looked photogenic and I had beautiful early afternoon light streaming through my kitchen windows that was just perfect.I had to click.

It all happened too fast,with this dish. I had almost half an hour to cook lunch before I dash out the door to pick my hungry kids. A quick search online brought me this recipe which I was satisfied with as I had just the right ingredients,beef and broccoli..tada..

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Red Lentils with Coconut Milk – Sri Lankan Parippu

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It’s December already. The end before new beginnings. The weather is very pleasant and I’m loving most of it. The mornings are cold and it’s hard to get the kids up from their cozy beds. Afternoons are bit warmer,though. But the warmth doesn’t come alone,it brings the cold breeze along with it. And you wish you could be that little girl again,playing outside until you’re tired.
In the evenings,we go for walks in the neighborhood, my husband joining us sometimes. I just love these little excursions with all three boys. Having Shawarma’s in the park,savoring every bite of lightly spiced meat and sauce while the cold breeze hits your face,watching the kids run around and chit-chatting with my husband. I couldn’t be any happier.
Back in Sri Lanka,when it comes to meal times,seeing the piping hot bowl of tempered Parippu (Red lentils/Dhal) makes most people happy. It’s a staple in our country. It’s a must when growing up. I have seen a many a kid’s faces wither away when they don’t see Parippu on their plate of Rice and Curry. My cousins refused to eat their food. Period.

Prawns in Mild Coconut Curry

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This month has been hectic so far. My elder son Ammar,one of the twins,came down with the fever. I should have expected this,with the weather change. We were sand blasted for a couple of days. The winds scattered copious amount of sand in to the roads and to our balcony too. A sign that chilly mornings and nights will be changing into warm ones. When that and it’s opposite happens-that is,warm days turn in to chilly ones-kids fall sick. It always catches me off guard.

Sweet and Sour Chicken and Vegetables

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Hoping you all are enjoying the holiday season and spirit.My kids were on winter break and their mornings are spent sleeping till eight or nine.Which gives a much needed me time without the hustle and bustle of waking up in the wee hours of morning cooking and trying to get the kids to school.I’ll be up watching the sunrise with a mug of steaming hot coffee and my favorite bran crackers, savoring every moment of the peace and calmness, looking forward to the day ahead.

Chicken & Wheat Conjee/Porridge

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If there’s one thing that’s staple in our Iftar menu,that has to be the Conjee,the warm and comforting rice porridge that will fill your belly and delight you after those long hours of fasting.I have to have at least a couple of spoonfuls or else I feel as if I haven’t had anything at all.

Back at home we have it all year around,specially for breakfast,made with red rice or herbs.An easy one pot meal that keeps you fully satisfied.And in Ramadan,it’s made in all the Muslim households for Iftar,mostly with some kind of meat and veggies.I still remember taking the warm conjee made by mom and aunt,to neighbors as it is a sign of good gesture.And we would taste the different varieties of Conjee and snacks received from our neighbors and relatives.All this porridge talk conjures up vivid memories of past that makes me want to live them again….hmmmm.I still make it here on weekends,specially on friday mornings and my DH and sons love it..

 

Conjee,aka rice porridge,aka jook is a staple in most rice based cultures specially in China,Malaysia,HongKong,SriLanka to name a few.Wikipedia has more info on this here.It’s one of the first weaning foods given to a baby.Even though it’s made with water or stock in other cuisines,back at home we add coconut milk for grownups.

Unfortunately ,I couldn’t find the white raw rice we use, here in Dubai.But luckily I found another alternative,which is Bulgur Wheat,easy and cooks in much less time than the rice cause it’s already parboiled and broken.

And now this is what I make everyday..till the end of Ramadan..Do I get bored eating the samething everyday? No,I use different meats and sometimes only fried onions.

Here’s the recipe
Ingredients:
1/2 cup white bulgur wheat small
2 cups water
1 chicken breast,cut into small pieces
1/2 onion finely chopped
1 medium sized tomato finely chopped
3 tbsp grated carrot
few green stalks of spring onions or leeks chopped
5-6 curry leaves
2” inch cinnamon stick
3 cloves
3 cardomoms
3 cloves of garlic finely minced
1” inch ginger
1/2 tsp turmeric powder
l/4 tsp kashmiri chilli powder
1/2 tsp cumin powder
1/2 tsp cumin seeds
1/2 tsp pepper corns
2 1/2 cups coconut milk
salt to taste
Method:
  • Soak the wheat in water for about 30 minutes.Wash and drain.
  • In a pot,add the wheat and all the other ingredients except for coconut milk,cumin seeds and pepper corns.Add salt.
  • Boil until the meat is cooked and water has evaporated.Don’t make it very dry.
  • Add the coconut milk and crushed cumin seeds and pepper corns.Simmer for about 5 minutes.
  • Adjust seasoning.
  • Serve it warm.
Notes:
* You can garnish it with fried onion and chopped coriander leaves or spring onions.
* I used 1 cup of thick milk and the rest thin milk.1 cup of freshly grated coconut blended with 1 cup water yields 1 cup thick milk in the first extraction.Second and third extraction will give you thin milk.

* You can spoon out the curry leaves,ginger and whole spices before serving.You sure don’t want to bite into a cardomom or clove!

Enjoy the yummy goodness…!!!

Chicken curry

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I love cooking chicken this way.This is how the chicken curry is made in our household as far as I can remember.The spices that are crushed and added in final stages of cooking brings out such a nice flavor and aroma which I defenitely look forward to enjoying.
Ingredients
1 whole chicken cleaned and cut into pieces
2 ” cinnamon pieces
1 bay leaf
2 cardomom and clove pods each
curry leaves
1 green chilli chopped
1 large onion chopped
1 large tomato chopped
1 tbsp tomato paste
3 pods of garlic and 1′ inch ginger crushed
1/4 tsp turmeric
2 tsp coriander powder
1 tsp cumin powder
1/2 tsp kashmiri chili powder
some cumin seeds,fennel seeds and pepper corns crushed(save for last)
1/4 cup of thick coconut milk
oil
Method
  • Heat 2 tbsp oil in a pan and add cinnamon,bay leaf, cardamom,clove and curry leaves.
  • Add the onions,a pinch of salt and cook till the onions turn soft and add in the crushed ginger garlic paste.
  • Fry for a while till it turns light brown in color and add the chopped tomatoes and the spices.
  • Add a little bit a of water and cover and cook for till the tomatoes are soft.Add in the tomato paste,chicken,a cup of water,salt and cook till the chicken is done.
  • Stir the coconut milk in and heat it through.
  • Two to three minutes before you switch off the fire add the crushed spices.Adjust seasoning.

 

*Notes:

 

  • I have reduced the amount of chili powder because i feed this to my kids and added tomato paste to retain the reddish color.You can add more chilli powder if you want to fire things up a bit.
  • When I’m too lazy or pressed for time to extract the coconut milk I use about 2 tbsp plain yogurt.