my-halflife: a food photo blog

Making Sushi at Home: Yes, at Home!

2011-12-05T11:07:00.001+05:30

Karavala Terrine Maki Rolls; Home Made

Sushi isn’t aboutraw fish; it is really about vinegar infused rice, which is then combined withfish, vegetables and a number of other ingredients. This can be done by placingthe raw fish over a small cake of sushi rice, or wrapping the rice with a sheetof nori, seaweed beaten into a sheet, with the fish or vegetables or othergoodies in the center. This is called maki sushi, and the California roll,invented by a Japanese cook in that sunny state, early in the 20^thcentury, when he was faced with a clientele who didn’t like raw fish, is one ofits famous and distinctive variations.

So what kinds of sushi rolls can you makeat home? Tuna is tempting, but I wouldn’t recommend it, since you just cannotget the flavorful, fatty belly tuna you need for that burst-in-your-mouthtaste. Of raw fish, inexpensive shark works well, but then that’s not everyone’sfavorite. So my recommendations are crab sticks (a processed, flavored fishproduct) you buy off the shelf at Food City, smoked salmon, expensive butbuttery and amazing, like cold, semi cooked fish bacon, and my own little innovationhome made karavala terrine sushi rolls.

Crab Stick Maki Rolls; Home Made

But before we get to the good stuff, you’ll need to dosome ground work to get your sushi roll preparation kit together. The onlyspecial things you need are a bamboo sushi rolling mat, and pressed seaweed(nori) sheets, both available from Brana’s (3^rd floor, KollupitiyaSuper Market, Dharmapala Mawatha, Colombo 3, 011-242-1675). The mat is Rs.375/= and 10 sheets of nori are Rs. 800 or so. Japanese sushi vinegar, andMirin, a sweetish wine is also available and inexpensive, but not essential;I’ve managed to produce great tasting sushi with substitutes.

Next, you need to cook your rice and flavorit. There is a special kind of ‘sushi rice,’ but I’ve not found it yet inColombo; no doubt its available, but I think any long grained rice will do.I’ve made all my sushi rolls with regular Basmathi, so that would be fine for abeginner.

Sushi Rice: Ingredients

Sushi Rice: Method

Cook the rice the usual way, until it’ssoft. The little extra water will make it a little mushy, which is good. Mixthe other ingredients and add it to the rice. Let it cool, mixing well, with afork.

You are ready to roll your sushi. For the simplestfirst attempt, lay out your bamboo mat, place a sheet of plastic wrap on it, orencase it in a large ziploc bag, then place a sheet of Nori on it and smoothena layer of rice over the nori sheet, leaving half an inch free at the far end.Two pre-made crabsticks will work great for the filling or smoked salmon, withfinger cucumbers sliced length ways. Rolling your sushi is a bit of an art, butit’s not hard: I managed fine at my second attempt and I’ve got paws! You’vegot to press in the first edge carefully, make sure it sits well, and roll thewhole thing, and flip it. Check out this clip on youtube (http://youtu.be/swGJ2dIu9XE) first; there aremany uploads there which are very helpful. Now, all this is very regular, andit’s great – but while I was doing this, I had an idea that took me further, helpingme to adapt sushi rolls to Sri Lankan food habits. It seems to me that a sushiroll is rice sandwich, or put another way, it is a bath gulliya. Akneaded mouthful of rice, which for a rice eating Sri Lankan, is as old assolid food, that first meal a baby eats after s/he is weaned. Karavala, Ithought, is an inexpensive, yet intensely flavored substitute for theartificially flavored, expensive crabstick; with a little home processing itworks amazingly well with lunu miris (chillie onion sambol) added as anoptional extra. TasteFusion!

To process the Karavala for your sushirolls, you need to make it into a terrine. No, again, this is not hard, but doesrequire a little bit of work – and an overnight wait.

Karavala Terrine: Ingredients | 100 g Karavala (your favorite kind) | 100 g Coconut milk powder | 100 g unsalted butter | 1 table spoon chillie pieces (optional)

Karavala Terrine: Method

Pressure cook the Karavalain three times the water for 30 mins. Drain, reverse the liquid, and de-bone.The bones will be soft now, and this will be easy. Discard the bones, and addthe coconut milk powder and butter, and grind down to a fine mush with a barmixblender or table top food processor. Taste, and adjust the ingredients. Itshould be quite strong, too strong to simply eat, but not killer salty. Add atiny bit of sugar, chillie pieces, and more butter or coconut if it is toosalty, or some of the reserved Karavala essence if it does not have enoughkick. All this depends on taste, so you’ll get what you like with practice. Andyou should have now roughly, 250 ml or one cup of puree, after whatever isstuck to the mixer is factored out.

Karavala Terrine (Cut Strips)

Add two teaspoons of dissolved gelatin intothis and pour it into a small, square plastic storage box and refrigerate forfour hours, in a cold fridge. Yes, you should be done.

Cut long strips out witha small, sharp knife, and lay it on your sushi rice, which you should remakewithout salt, with a little line of lunu miris. Roll. Cut, and plate itwith little clumps of lunu miris.

Review: Sushi About Town

2011-12-02T14:46:00.000+05:30

Nihonbashi, which means, I believe, a bridge to Japan, has a reputation for quality Japanese food in Colombo. I tried the compact, well serviced outlet at Odel (Alexandra Place), for a quick lunch. Sushi Ashai, an assortment of rolls, 10 in all, three salmon, three cucumber and three tuna, all quite small, with a larger California roll was on my Rs. 880/= platter.The experience of Sushi rolls is about texture as much as taste on the tongue; in a basic roll there are three textures – the outer wrap of seaweed which is like melting paper on the tongue, the soft, mushy rice – which is sweet and sour, and then the filling, say fish or cucumber. If it’s raw fish, then it’s the sushi rice, and the hot and salty wasabi-soy sauce dip you make in the little bowl that brings out the flavor of the fish, because raw fish can be so subtle and delicate in flavor you can miss it altogether. I worked hard at this at the Hilton’s Spices Buffet (Rs. 2,250/=, reservations recommended), where I tasted, and then blind tasted with the help of my lunch partners, repeated helpings of the tuna and modha, which were on offer. The modha on offer had a firmer, much firmer texture than the tuna, which was softer on the tongue, but more tart. They both had a fish flesh taste, which is quite different, being far more delicate than the cooked product. Neither was fatty or buttery; high grade tuna, cut from the belly of the fish will be fattier and have a more robust taste. Certainly as advertised, the tuna in the Nihonbashi rolls was richer and fattier in taste, but it is the salmon in both places, that is really worth your while – which I found a taste treat. The salmon in the Nihonbashi rolls was raw. At the Hilton, they served marinated, raw salmon. The fattiness of raw salmon is a cross between butter and bacon on the tongue, and the sweet-sour marinade just made it extra-ordinary. Something like a slice of bacon fat, lightly cooked, with a sweet sour sauce. You don’t really need wasabi or soy with this; the chef recommended a dill mayonnaise sauce which was soothing, but added little else. Also on offer at the Hilton was smoked seer, with a light touch of chille coriander on it. Seer, actually has a little bit of flavorful fattiness, underlined by the smoking; the coriander highlights were welcome, but the salmon was best.There was also a roll on offer with tuna, cucumber, crab stick, pickled radish and spinach. Again, even though smaller and much more expensive, the rolls at Nihonbashi were better, the tuna was fattier and much richer, and the marinated cucumber was more complex, with a slightly bitter after taste and a more pronounced crunch.

Review: Sushi Bar at Cinnamon Lakeside

2011-11-30T15:08:00.001+05:30

The Sushi Bar at Cinnamon Lakeside (135,Chitt. Gardiner Mawatha) is so modestly and unpretentiously announced, you maymiss it all together, if you’ve weren’t really looking for it. That would be apity: a competitively priced, extensive selection of beautifully plated sushi –of above average quality awaits you at the Sushi Bar.

We opted, as you should, for theChef’s assorted Sushi platter, which promised 5 fish offerings for the Nigiri(Tuna, Modha, Salmon, Cuttlefish, and Prawn) and three for the maki rolls (Tuna,Salmon & Cumber)– quite a good deal for Rs. 800. This with tea, makes agreat lunch. But we added a separate potion Smoked Salmon Nigiri (Rs. 580), waswell as two made to order pure vegetarian options – the Spring rolls and theCalifornia Rolls (Rs. 400).

The star turn was the assortedplatter; the tuna always the variable in different places, had great fattyflavor, and wasn’t sour. The Modha was good as well, the cuttle fish was buttery,the prawn, marinated sweet sour, was a lovely change, the Salmon was soft,fatty and rich. The tuna, it must be said approached Nihonbashi quality, at alower price point, and the presentation was really pretty. The smoked salmonwas also marvelous, with the added melt in your mouth cold bacon flavor, thatcomes with that delicacy. In general, you really can’t go wrong with Salmon,which is air freighted from Norway – with Tuna and Modha, quality willvary—depending on the catch of the day, and the nearness to the belly of thecut, but Lakeside did well.

The vegetarian options thoughoutstandingly plated, didn’t have enough flavor – these maki rolls are reallybuilt around crab sticks, and if you do leave them out – a really intenselyflavored cumber or radish must take its place, I feel. To be fair, these pure vegetarianoptions are not on the menu, and were created for us – perhaps they need morework for vegetarian sushi lovers.

Our dessert was the green tea ice-cream,which was creamer than what we expected, and sweeter – some scoops had anamazing after taste of tea, but that was a little uneven. But the cold Sake(Rs. 800 for 150 ml) , and the hot green tea (Rs. 220) we had with the mealwere great.

The service was amazing, with Sunil Perera (lounge manager)and Nadiyah Akram (marketing) making us feel like we were king and queens ofthe castle. If you’d like to take a visitor out to lunch, you really can’t gowrong at the Sushi Bar at the Cinnamon Lakeside.

Strawberry Tarts

2011-04-04T12:23:00.000+05:30

The strawberries were really sweet, and succulent, so I took a giant step (for me), and tried what I've admired in cookbooks for years. A tart, with my own pastry. Pate Sucre, which is a sweet dough, isn't all that easy to make. I've tried it twice now, and I think I'm getting it. The basic ingredients are easy to find, and proportions are straightforward, what's harder is getting it malleable, which takes a lot of cooling, and what is called 'resting.'

1.5 cups wheat flour | 0.5 unsalted butter | 0.25 cup sugar | 1 egg or 1 egg york and little cold water | two pinches of salt make a difference.

Mix the ingredients, (and I'm not yet clear, if the order matters -- some say add the eggs last, some don't), make it into a ball of dough, and wrap in clingfilm, and let 'rest' in the fridge for an hour or longer. I think this makes it is stringy, and malleable because the gluten in the wheat, get activated. (I have to read up more about this. Then roll it out, under cling wrap, some say -- and lay it in a buttered pan. Now, I have muffin pan, so I used that, the first time, worked better than the second, where the pastry was crumbly. But I figured out a work around, just laying a ball of dough in the little muffin well, and working it into the shape. Yes, that worked!

I used an egg wash, one yolk, with a little water, brushed on the surface of the pastry, and put it in the oven, (pre heated) at 350 for 20 mins.

It has of course, a crumbly, buttery shortbread like texture and taste, and is amazing with strawberries, to which i added a reduction. One time, I did add some cream too!

Kurakkan Roti, with Lunu Miris + Butter

2011-03-28T22:50:00.000+05:30

This is one of my favorite breakfasts, and this photo is from a few of days ago. I didn't make it though -- the kind person who comes in to help did. Chandra is a great cook; and she has her own way of doing things, but this recipe taken from Sri Lankan Recipes -- has the general idea: Kurakkan, which is super good for you, is finger millet, in English.

250g of flour
250g of Kurakkan flour (If you want you can add more kurakkan flour and reduce normal flour - Then it Roti will be little hard)
1/2 a coconut scraped (If you can put a whole coconut it is tastier)
2 teaspoon salt
water
50g margerine/butter
1 egg (not a must)
1 teaspoon baking powder (not a must)

Optional
some curry leaves (Karapincha)
1-2 big onions
2 table spoons chilli pieces (grinded) - kaali miris
1 teaspoon pepper
3-4 green chillis (amu miris)

Put the scraped coconut into a larcge bowl and add flour, Kurakkan flour, salt, baking powder and mix for about a minute.
Then add butter and egg and mix. Then add water little by little and mix well until it makes a whole dough (This takes about 5 minutes)

Optional - to taste better
Chop the big onions and green chillis into small pieces.
Put a pan on heat and put about 2 table spoons of oil and then add the chopped items, pepper, clilli pieces, salt (to taste)and curry leaves on to it and fry for some time until it is brown.

Now pour this mixture into the dough and mix well

Make small balls out of the dough from hand and flat it on a plate or a board (make it thin using hand).
Tip - Make the plate and hands wet, so that the dough won't get stick to your hand or plate (No need to put oil)

Heat a nonstick pan or (Roti thatiya) and and add the roti on to it and burn both sides (for about 2-3 minutes).

Coconut makes all the difference!

Chocolate Coated Meringue, with Ganache & Cream

2011-02-20T15:37:00.007+05:30

It worked! I'm very excited. I made my own meringues. No, I would not say it is as easy as making chocolate coating -- but it worked. The main point, which I took my one failed attempt to get, is to use twice (2x) the weight of sugar to eggwhites. I crushed the sugar in a mixer starting with regular sugar, weighed my eggs whites after separating and straining them, and then added the sugar slowly, after beating them to peaks. Bake at 120-100 C, for 80-90 mins. Make the chocolate coating as before, dip the meringues in, set aside, add some hot cream into the left over chocolate for the ganache, pour into the ramkin, place the coated meringue in, and then pour a little cream around. 10 mins in the fridge sets it all.

Its just chocolate indulgence, but the crumble of the meringue makes it special.

Please do ask if you have questions about making this at home. Or make suggestions. I did try the Kandos cooking chocolate ( as suggested in a comment)-- and I think I didn't get the really fancy one yet -- but the regular Kandos cooking, isn't really better than the Ritzbury, in my opinion.

Pad Thai

2011-02-18T13:32:00.003+05:30

I thought I knew how to do this, and did. And it was good. But having a blog helps me learn -- when I started trying to write out my method, I thought I should look around the web for how its done by others. And now I feel my way wasn't 'right.' Not that I'm against changing things around, I just feel I've been missing what's what about this dish. So here is a promise to work it out, and write out a proper Pad Thai in Sri Lanka recipe and method soon!

Until then I think Pim's blog, which has a really detailed account, is the best guide.

Chocolate Coated Meringues or Kisses

2011-02-16T15:36:00.000+05:30

Yes, I've dipped my paw in chocolate. I am so pleased! Another first for my little food blog -- since I've never made any thing chocolate before. How did that happen? Well, I've read about it, and it seemed complicated, so I left it to the experts. But its not -- well, some thing may be, but just coating some thing with a googy layer of chocolate, and then letting it set -- well, its almost easier than eating the said thing, I tell you.
The kisses in the picture are supermarket ones (Edmunds, many in a bag! all gone now (:) -- the coating is home made. To do it, you get cooking chocolate (available every where -- I used Ritzbury caterer's superfine (Rs.250 for 400g) here, but Kandos has one also) and you melt it. You can melt it in a bowl over hot water, and I you need a pyrex bowl for this -- but you are also do it the microwave, 1 min at a time 2-3 times at half power, and its melted. My. Then just dip the little critter in -- and it sets. So easy. Gives awhole another dimension of texture, soft, bitter, sweet to the soft, airy crunch of the kiss. And when it all mixes up in your mouth, the chocolate coats each granule. Marvelous.

My sense is that there will be a lot more chocolate in my halflife now.

Chicken Pate

2011-02-14T14:41:00.000+05:30

Again, I had never thought this was some thing to even consider making at home, but hey, its really easy. It was good the first time I made it, and I was so almost shocked it was so easy. Chicken pate is basically pureed chicken liver, cooked, with about half as much of butter or/and cream cheese mixed in. Shallots/Onions and garlic are really good also in the mix, as are cloves, cardamons, and my secret ingredient mace, which is covering of the nutmeg seed.
I'd rather, as you dear readers may have noticed, go recipe free at times-- opting for a intuitive, weighted description of the basics of the method. I think that helps a cook innovate on their own, so here goes:
Start by heating some butter, a large pat or 15g (one table sp), with large diced shallot and 4 cloves of chopped garlic. Add 2-3 cloves, cardamon pods, two pinches of shredded mace, 10 black pepper corns and two pinches of salt. When the shallots are translucent, add 250g of chicken liver. No, it doesn't have to be chopped. Just stir it around, for ten mins or so, and you are done. Puree this, with a hand held blender if you have one, and add more butter and/or cream cheese about half of the liver weight, total -- in this example, that would be 125g of butter. In the batch in the pic, I used about 70g of butter, and may be 75g of cream cheese. You can do it with out cream cheese, it just comes out thicker!
I added a teaspoon of gelatin, and poured it into a butter cake tray, and refrigerated it overnight. This helps set it, so that you can turn it out for a nice photo, but I've refrigerated this with out gelatin also -- and got a very spreadable pate.
Spread on a cracker, this has a rich, meaty taste -- and spices really gives its a very warm, rich flavor -- and goes very well, with the tart, chewy, fragrant, onion marmalade, with its lingering sweet kithul after taste.
I kid you not, you can keep eating this, until you've had too much!

Bombay Onion Marmalade

2011-02-05T14:04:00.002+05:30

I started making pates recently, and surprisingly it went well. Again, its some thing I thought was beyond me, but its not, its way easy. But we finished all the nice pate I made -- so I'll come back to that with some photographs. Today, I just wanted to blog its lovely complement, Onion marmalade which is as easy.

(My recipes is from Kuntz & Kaminsky's Elements of Taste)
I use Bombay onions, which are also called big onions, which are a kind of shallot. They are as everyone knows, super tasty, but this marmalade changes their texture to a softness that's rare. So slice two large onions, and boil it down with two cups of red wine, and half a cup of red wine vinegar. Or cider or a subtle Chinese vinegar. I've never tried this with regular coconut vinegar, I suspect this will be too strong and crude for a complex taste in the end. Just boil it down in a heavy bottomed pan. Keep add little bits of Kithul treacle -- (or maple syrup) -- one table spoon at a time, as it boils down. When the liquid is nearly done -- add salt and pepper, fresh ground is best -- if you have a grinder, white pepper will give it a subtler heat than black--and you are ready to serve this on crackers. Pate or cold vegetables are great with this. It is the aroma of the vinigar that hits you first, and the tartness of the vinegar, on the tongue. Its soft, but there may be tiny crunch, and then the sweetness of onion lingers with the kithul. Yes, you'd want another bit.

Sorbets: Strawberry & Soursop-Passion

2011-02-04T14:08:00.004+05:30

I never thought I could made a sorbet at home. It seemed a fancy restaurant item, that washed away flavors between courses, or was served as a light, refreshing end to a long heavy meal. But no, I’ve just started making sorbets at home, and you can make them with no more than a regular fridge, with a freezer :), and a hand held beater – what is some times called a bar mix. Of course, you can upgrade to more sophisticated machines, but no – for some kinds of sorbets at least, you do not have to.

Sorbets don’t have eggs or cream or butter, and as such you can safely say, they are pretty low fat. Which is a nice break if you like them, and have to worry about good fat and bad, I suppose. I’ve just started making sorbets, and in the photo is my third set really – my guide, as is for most desserts is Le Cordon Bleu Dessert Techniques. But I changed things around a bit.

Now, all I’ve tried so far, are fruit puree sorbets, and I think they may be the easiest to do. And they are inexpensive. For the strawberry sorbet, I started with two cups of washed, diced strawberries (Jagro, available from Food City or Keels, any where, I think), 1/3 cup of plain sugar, and little less water. First, boil the sugar and water in a thick bottomed saucepan. Changing the consistency of the sugar, by boiling it, is the first important process that will thicken your sorbet and get the constancy right. Apart from taste, of course, texture is every thing here – the two extremes to avoid, is a popsicle-like ice, and on the other side, a cold syrup. You want a middle ground. So boil the sugar in little less water than its volume. When its boiled for a min or two, not long (boiling sugar syrups is one of the more complicated things in dessert making -- if you keep boiling, many interesting things will happen, but you may go well beyond your sorbet) add the chopped strawberries. Bring to a boil again, and take it off the fire. Puree. Add some lime juice; this should really highlight and intensify the flavor of the fruit you are using. Add more, if the puree is too sweet for you.

Put this in a plastic bowl, or box, just a freezer proof one – regular from anywhere, and set your freezer to max, and pop it in. (To max out your freezer, you may need to set the fridge to min. You may also have a place in your freezer, that is designed for quick freeze. Use that.) In an hour, maybe longer, a crust will form on the top. But it should be still liquid below. Great, take it out and re-puree it, with a hand mixer, if you have one. This is really quite inexpensive, but a huge help. (Otherwise, use the container of your table top blender to begin with.) I always taste it at this point!
Now, the big secret – add some alcohol. Well, 100 ml would be fine, if you started with two cups. I like vodka because it gives a slightly bitter aftertaste, that leavens the sweetness and tartness of the puree, but not much else of a taste. But of course, I think any thing would do. Process wise, the point here is that alcohol does not freeze at 0˚C. Blending in alcohol will prevent your sorbet from becoming a popsicle. Back in the freezer. It should be all set overnight, and you can puree it one more time. Back in freezer, which you can re-set to normal and it's ready to be eaten at dinner time. This should work with any fruit puree. But it's better to start with a fruit that’s quite tart – strawberries, soursop and passion fruit have all worked well for me. I’ve worked with mango, but you need a not so ripe mango, or it will end up too sweet. Soursop (Annona muricata) is so tart, you can even add store bought passion fruit juice (not cordial!), and it will still be really well balanced at the end.

for another sorbet recipe, see:

Wild Blackberry Sorbet With Garden Mint & Lavender

Kithul Cashewnut Creams

2011-02-01T08:40:00.001+05:30

My half life has been quiet for some time, but not going hungry. Much has been cooked, tested and eaten. Yes paws have been tried at new dishes, new directions and techniques. All will be revealed slowly, and some teasers have been trickling through our tight security.

But here is some thing official that is new; simple and yet elegant I hope.

In my mind it is a triangulation of three deserts: a traditional French crème brule, made of refined unflavored sugar, milk and eggs, a wattalappan – that great Sri Lankan favorite of the Id, a coconut cream palm sugar flan, and then pani caju, the palm sugar peanut brittle you ate outside school as a child. If those desserts, all classics in their traditions, were three corners of a triangle, my kithul cashew cream would be at the center. Its basically cream and roasted cashew nuts in equal quantities (volume wise) blended very fine, with enough kithul haruku (palm sugar/jaggery – you can use kithul treacle also) for the right sweetness on your tongue. Don’t make it too sweet. If your religion and politics allow, please do add some old arrack. It makes it much better. But just 20 ml, to the liter. Pour this mixture into a small bowl, ramekins if you have those, and put in your fringe. Just before serving, sprinkle chopped nuts, grated jaggery, and a few drops of arrack and grill for a couple of minutes. For some reason, this tastes divine. My dinner guests have raved over this for days. I don’t know, it’s a simple thing.

May be its all triangles all the way down.

Kithul Rosemary Beef - For Geethaka

2010-06-21T13:17:00.001+05:30

It was time for beef. It took me awhile to like beef. As a child, i never did -- then i was 12 or 13 and i could not get enough. Puberty, I guess. Of course eating beef is tough (ha ha) in Sri Lanka. Its a taboo for many Buddhists and Hindus. But my mother at the time was in the grip of home science, (she has stopped eating beef now) and my father the physician had no option but to agree. We children were told to never revel the sacrilege to my paternal grandmother, and were then given it for one meal a day. In those days in the seventies, chicken was a luxury, only to be had once a week, if, and that always an if, a 'broiler' could be got. Beef was cheap, but hard to cook. Most often we had it as a curry, but at night, minced beef made up the fillings of rolls, cutlets, and even homemade hamburgers. Then there was Irish stew. That was really good, with bread and butter.
Beef is still hard to cook in Sri Lanka; there a no Sri Lankan steaks to be had of any cut that i know, what ever steaks available are imported. It is still not a preferred meat for many, but one of my close friends, the warm hearted Geetha, shares an interest in Beef. Its more of obsession with him -- I think he'd have beef for every meal if the lovely doctor allowed him to. Ha! He too remembers the meaty days at home, he says his mother had a beef roast for him, nearly every day. Wow. So it was with him in mind that i made this dish, with nearly a kilo of beef, just an ordinary cut is fine, for example 'boneless' from FC or Keels -- but of course, if you have a personal relationship with a butcher, then you are ahead of me. I simmer the beef in a pre-prepared beef stock, made of soup bones, for 2 hours. That's the deal, it comes out really succulent. No, i do not buy ready made cubes. To make Beef stock the easy way, pressure cook a kilo of soup bones in a .75l of water for at least an hour, by lowering the heat so just the steam doesn't escape. The meat that comes off the bones is very eatable, and can be re added to the strained stock, if you clean off the skin and cartilage that hasn't yet dissolved in the stock. And so, simmer the beef in beef stock. You can add red wine to this, it will be even richer. I usually do, this time i didn't. once its simmered, you can boil it down a little, so that any remaining stock is thickened.
You can save this in your fridge for several days. When its time to eat, i saute a potion in a tiny bit of sesame oil, add a capful of kithul treacle (not too much), and, say, two heavy pinches of chopped fresh rosemary (available at Colpetty market, and Keels@LibertyPlaza), and of course salt to taste. Once this is plated, i deglaze the pan real quick, with water or red wine, and toss in some cut, cleaned pokchoy, which will cook in the hot pan, in less that 2 mins. Yes, its that fast, try it, it will be super crunchy, a lovely compliment to the soft, yet still chewy texture of the beef. Kithul Rosemary, in my opinion, is one of the great fusion combination that I've ever tried -- the fragrance and flavor of the mix has real synergy.
The lovely, lovely Geethaka doesn't really cook, and doesn't get into recipes much, i do not think. (Oh but he might now).
But he liked his beef bite.
It was made with much love.

Geethaka Goonawardene contemplates the simple life:
Ruwani, Good Friends, a River Bath and Beef. He didn't mention beer. Strange.
( kumbukan oya, Sri Lanka.)

Passion Fruit Mousse

2010-06-19T12:53:00.003+05:30

This is really one of favorite desserts, in Sri Lanka, and i try it every where i go. I've blogged about it before but i never thought i'd be able to make this at home. Don't know why, but i thought it would be too complicated and beyond me. So the good news is, its not! Thar it is, right there, and it was quite good also. Here is what i did.

10 Passions fruits (from Colpetty market) were juiced -- i use a simple manual juicer. Then i stained the pulp, and got about 150 ml juice. I saved the seeds, for garnish. This fresh juice can be sweetened a little, and i added some vodka also, cos i heard its against the law not to drink in this country, i may be wrong about this -- :) -- and poured spiked juice into my small cognac glasses, just letting it sit at the bottom. Then i whipped 500 ml cream, that's a little more than i needed for 5, so it should do for six, if its a medium size serving, as in the photo. I used anchor UHT whipping cream (of course, that's all that really works in SL, no doubt options abound in other places!), mixed in cordial, yes you need loads, and then would take kilos of fruit if you don't use this short cut (but the taste was fine, that's the thing about passion fruit, it such a distinctive tang, its hard to kill it)-- sigh, i hate using any thing premade - to taste, until the color turned a light yellow. I then beat the whole thing again, it was stiff enough so that i did not use any gelatin, just put it in a zip lock bag, slit a corner and squeezed it out, into the glasses. It lasted a day in the fridge too. (Lower your regulator to normal, after giving it a burst on high for two hours or so -- other wise the cream will go brittle.) Garnish with seeds, and pour some hot cordial over the whole thing, when you serve it.
I made this for a big dinner, and there were other desserts too -- but this went down well.

Roast Chicken, with Braised Potatoes

2010-06-11T15:19:00.006+05:30

This is more about the potatoes, really.
I've blogged about roasting chicken at high heat before, at 500F (260C) -- which keeps the chicken moist, and the skin ultra crisp. This time i did the same, with some improvements. I made a puree of garlic, shallots, salt, white pepper, vinegar and olive oil (yes, 1 whole bulb of garlic, 1 large shallot, and then rest in small quantities :) )..and carefully separated the skin from the chicken, and pressed in the puree, around. This is not hard to do, but you need, short, sharp knife. I'm lucky enough to have a nice one.
While that sitting, i made a real quick stock, with the neck, wings, and giblet/liver of the chicken, which was a prima whole. David Blacker's asked about stocks, recently -- and its a complicated subject, from even the little i know, and a proper one takes 24+ hours -- but you can make a quick stock in your pressure cooker in 40 mins or less. Just add the pieces, may be some vegies and let it cook, trying not to let the steam out at all, after the initial boil, since you want to conserve the liquid. For this dish, i used about 350 ml (1.5 cups, say) of water, in the pressure cooker.
Then i peeled a whole bunch of small potatoes..yes, i did it my self, since Chandra the cooking lady had left for the day, i got a special prize for it, so there! -sauteed them in butter and olive oil in a medium sized oven proof skillet, and when they were nice a coated, adding the strained chicken stock in. When it was simmering, i placed the marinaded chicken right over the potatoes
and transferred it to the oven, pre-warmed to high heat (260C). 15 mins on each side is plenty, some times you can do with less. Once the chicken is done, the juices have dripped into the potatoes, and they are really on their way, to being outa this world. If they are soft, remove from the skillet, and reduce the gravy, if not, let them braise until they are. Right at the end, you can add tarragon, or thyme to the sauce, which has a soft, comforting, real home made flavor. Salt to taste, and pour over the chicken and potatoes.

Not bad at all. This was my first try with potatoes this way, and they were soft, with out being mushy, distinct from the sauce, but really complimentary.
I made this for my niece, who then never showed up. She is sorry now, she says :)

Grilled Garoupa

2010-06-10T11:38:00.007+05:30

This is variation on a previous post, steamed garoupa and i cooked it at night, thinking I wouldn't be blogging it, but it turned out so well, i really thought i must -- just to remember what i did. The photos were taken this morning, and so the fresh grilled texture of the dish, doesn't really come through -- but here is my method.
I got the garoupa at 9.45am at Fresh Fish (FF) and there were lots. It was not expensive, it usually isn't. It was a medium sized fellow, under a kilo, 600 gms fully cleaned (at FF) descaled and washed (at home). I sliced open the belly, and scored the fish, making sharp, deep cuts through out the sides, and then made a marinade. I had thai in mind, but i think a messed around enough, so that it didn't taste that familiar.

For the marinate i mixed a couple table spoons of fish sauce, 1 of soy sauce, 2 teaspoons of rice vinegar, and enough kithul treacle to balance the sourness. i needed one cube of sugar as well. Just get it delicately balanced, and of course it will be salty. I mixed these in the small attachment to the mixer/blender, and then added a whole blub of garlic, peeled, half an inch of ginger, 1 large shallot (bombay onion), and 3 green chillies. I pureed this, into a fine paste, and put the fish back into the FF sarasara (polybag) it came in, and poured the puree into the bag, mixed it well with the fish, expelled the air, and tied it tight. (Bagging is a technique i learnt from TV shows -- my, its great, the marinade really works harder, since it is pressed so close to the meat, you need less of it, and its inexpensive if you reuse a bag).

A few hours later, we were ready to roll, when the critter who lives by the bar top announced she was very hungry. Out of the bag, into the cast iron skillet with a few drops of sesame oil, and layed out the fish to simmer, while the grill heated up. High heat grilling is key to this dish, so i should say, i use the grill element (1950W) of a medium sized oven, and place the pan about 3-4 inches below the grill. Now i use a skillet that can move from stove top to oven. I can't say how valuable this is -- and i really thank the day i got it! After the pan is hot, and fish is simmering, it went under the grill for 6 mins, and again, after turning the fish, for another 3. The bottom is already warm, so it doesn't need as much time on that side. Be careful not to over cook! Once it was done, i removed the fish carefully on a plate, adding fresh diced baby leeks, and sliced green cillies to the sauce in the skillet, let it braise over high heat for a min. Not too long. Finally pouring it over the plated fish.

I thought this was better that the steamed version, even. Now in most restaurants I've tried garoupa -- its very common in east Asian places -- the options are usually steamed or deep fried. I used to prefer the steamed, because the sauce was lighter; the deep fried version is some times cloyingly sweet. But in this version i made, somehow, perhaps because of the dry high heat of the magic grill -- the delicate flavor of the fish - it is a white, well textured, soft fish - was enhanced, but not over powered by the marinade/sauce. The accents of sour (rice vinegar)/sweet(kithul)/hot (ginger & green chilli)/salt (fish & soy sauce), were like notes of music playing on my tongue. Honest. I was not even that hungry, so i think i trust my judgment.

Orange Chicken, with Chille Peanut Sauce

2010-06-09T11:22:00.000+05:30

Readers of my blog know I like to use stocks as a base to secure the solidity of flavors. My lentil soups are an example of this, the idea being that lentils are cooked, reduced in a chicken stock, perhaps with a vegetable like red pepper, and then pureed and creamed. And of course, my basic chicken soup, which i make almost once a week, with stock, fresh or dried noodles and scallions, is another. Some months ago though, i thought i should 'kick this up a notch,' as that TV guy Emiril used to say. But my way.
What about marinating chicken, and then cooking it in the stock, i thought. This works really well, even with boneless chicken breast, a healthy but often flavorless cut. Marinating the sliced breast over night, in a over salted chicken stock, (which is called brine-ing -) does the trick. Even if you wash off the breasts once, lightly, before cooking, it will be super moist and flavorful as you cook it in the rest of the stock, with your favorite greens, because of the osmosis of the salted stock into the chicken.
Now that was good, but then i got ambitious. Yes, i tried to kick it up another little notch. Why not make the brine more complex, i thought, and add a complimentary flavor to the stock. Variations, no doubt abound, but i settled on a orange stock reduction brine (that just sugarless orange juice -- fresh is best, but expensive -- boiled down to a half with chicken stock, with a teaspoon of salt for a cup). I used boned, sliced chicken thighs this time, and let it marinade over night. When it was ready, i got the rest of the stock to a simmer, and added peanut butter, stirring until it was melted, and chillie pieces. Then I browned the marinated chicken, very quicky in a seperate pan, and added it to the stock, letting it simmer for 20 mins. Yes, brineing allows for shortened cooking times, which doesn't dry out the chicken as happens in 'traditional' Sri Lankan chicken dishes. Right at the end, add a sprinkling of fresh, crushed orange. A little cream, or coconut milk power is also a nice addition
I loved the flavor gradients of this dish, from the complimentary orange, to the stay invoking, smooth, nutty, hot on the mouth sauce, and the succulent chicken morsels. The critter who lives near the bar top, who claims to know about food and things said, "its bold!." Ah..well.

Steamed Garoupa

2010-06-04T13:19:00.001+05:30

Steamed Garoupa
Originally uploaded by pradeep jeganathan.

this is the simplest of dishes, if you can find fresh Garoupa. I've found it at fresh fish from time to time, but perhaps readers would know of other markets where its available.

Have it cleaned in the store, or do so at home, (that is: descaled, gutted, well washed) -- marinade it with a delicate vinegar you like, a little sugar, salt or soy sauce, ground ginger and green chilles (in this version, I used the MD sauce, which is really awesome!).

Then i steamed it, less the five mins on each side. I thought it was great, delicate, yet substantial on the mouth, sweet, sour, and hot, with my flavorings.

A great lunch!

In the Sunday Times

2009-10-20T21:04:00.003+05:30

Thanks to the wonderful interest and sensitivity of Smriti Daniel, I had the pleasure of one of the coolest interviews I've ever given; what's more the article in the Sunday Times is succinct, deft and makes me look a lot better than I am.

Thank you Smrithi

Pan Seared Linna

2009-10-20T20:49:00.001+05:30

Ashan de Silva is a flickr buddy, I'm looking forward to meeting. He is a great photographer, and also I think, a cook. he also knows a lot about where to get what, and what's what :) He's been exchanging cooking tips with me for awhile, and some time ago, I asked him if there was a Sri Lankan equivalent of salmon. He suggested I try some Linna, ( Russell's Scad, which I had not even heard of, up until then). And yes, I got it at Fresh Fish; it's a smallish fish, a little bony but manageable. I fixed it several times, and with Ashan and my cooking lady Chandra's help figured out how to take away its rather bitter sheen of taste; lots of washing, and several lime rubs. Once that was done, I marinaded it in olive oil, crushed garlic and salt, scouring the fish on its sides in the usual way. The final touch came from Ashan also, and its really a keeper for any kind of fish. Once the fish is seared on both sides, open it out, and pour boiling hot olive oil, laced with pieces of chillie and perhaps a little more salt. This crisps the insides nicely.
A new dish, that was really a treat.

Thank you, Ashan.

Sausage Rolls

2009-10-02T17:37:00.001+05:30

I wasn't going to photograph this, much less blog it. It wasn't all that very well planed; I was craving sausage rolls though -- and I had half packet of store bought dough, and a few food city garlic sauages. It turned out fine, the sausges were ever so juicy. I've written up the method before, and its simple -- but I think Pusella lingus is much better, really.

High Heat Chicken

2009-09-30T14:13:00.002+05:30

Roasted or braised, or some where in between, I think high heat is the answer to focusing on the moist taste of chicken. Curries are all very well, but in Sri Lanka cooks often smother the taste of chicken out -- which is good in it own way, of course.
But then, its a different dish, not chicken really, its the mixture of spices and oil that is the essence of the dish.

Now if you are craving chickeny chicken; there are but two essential steps, I insist. Marinade the pieces (i love whole legs) in a little vinigar and salt for at least 20 mins (yes, you can add other stuff that you've ground down in blender, also), brown the bottom of the leg(s) in a oven proof skillet (or dutch oven) for 5 mins on a burner, and then roast in the oven, at 500 F for 25 mins. You can add some stock to the skillet, braise or pour a sweet glaze over it at the end. Whichever way --- But the basics are simple and reliable.

Mango Panna Cotta, again!

2009-06-24T19:36:00.003+05:30

Yes, again. This time, I did it in the simplest way possible; but plated it differently, from my previous attempts. Simple, because its just cream and mango cordial, mixed (half and half), a heaped teaspoon of dissolved gelatin added, to each cup's worth of mixture. (Fresh fruit reduction gives a more complex flavor, and takes more time). Usually I pour the mix into shot glasses; this time I wanted to 'turn it out,' so emboldened by extra gelatin, I poured the mix into small coffee cups, and after four hours in the frig., I prized out the gelled cream with a knife, tapped the bottoms of the cups, sliding the gel out.
I added a little more cordial, reduced with a little wine, into the bowls, and garnished every thing with sliced fresh mango. Yes, its that easy.

Fay and Kingston joined us for dessert

Bak Kut Teh

2009-05-20T22:46:00.001+05:30

Bak kut teh (Hokkien: 肉骨茶) is a Chinese soup popularly served in Malaysia, Singapore, China, Taiwan (where there is a predominant Hoklo and Teochew community) and also, cities of neighbouring countries like Batam of Indonesia and Hat Yai of Thailand. The name literally translates as "meat bone tea", and, at its simplest, consists of meaty pork ribs in a complex brothstar anise, cinnamon, cloves, dang gui, fennel seeds and garlic), boiled together with pork bones for hours. However, additional ingredients may include offal, varieties of mushroom, choy sum, and pieces of dried tofu or fried tofu puffs. Additional Chinese herbs may include yu zhu (rhizome of Solomon's Seal) and ju zhi (buckthorn fruit), which give the soup a sweeter, slightly stronger flavor. Light and dark soy sauce are also added to the soup during cooking, with varying amounts depending on the variant. Garnishings include chopped coriander or green onions and a sprinkling of fried shallots.

And this would have been all I would have known, if not for the kindness of my neighbors, Fay and Kingston. Kingston is from Malaysia and Fay is from Shanghai, and is a great cook. I've been learning first hand about the most subtle and delicate Chinese dishes from her, and they've had some of my stuff as well. Recently after Malathi and I devoured a bowl of Bak Kut Teh, Fay offered to fix a fresh batch during the day, so that could photograph it. Her method was close to the description above; the meat was spareribs, and for the base of the 'tea' she used sort of a large 'tea' bag, which is packed with the dried ingredients, that give the soup, its subtle rich flavor.

You can see what's in there; nothing familiar to me at all. The bag boils in a claypot, with dried tofu, mushrooms, dried red dates, and other stuff, and of course the pork spare ribs. Meatiness of the ribs, is soft in the mouth and tea/soup -- its not sweet, its not sour, its not chilli hot -- its such a complex blend of new flavors, that finds places on your tounge, you didn't know you had!

Morning in the Island

2009-05-20T16:22:00.000+05:30

my-halflife as been quiet, as I was ill for a little while, and then was too upset by the war to do food posts. i've been posting on my other blog on that stuff though.
i think we are well over the worst of it now, and i hope we can start again, and get it right, this time.

new food posts will be coming up soon..:)

Prawn Soup

2009-04-16T06:00:00.001+05:30

This was an experiment that worked.
(If I give the impression that all my cooking experiments work -- I'm misleading you, lots turn out bad; but I don't blog about them! :))

I just imagined this dish, when I was watching TV. It subtle, kinda chinese/thai like, but at the subtle end of things.
Start with 20-5 super fresh prawns, and separate the heads, and shells from the bodies, deveining the bodies. Boil the heads/shells, in a 1 liter of water, reducing the heat so that its just simmer after you see the first bubbles appear. Add a few cloves of garlic, cleaned, and two or three bombay onions (shallots), cubed. Some whole black pepper corns would be nice.
Marinate the prawns in fish sauce & green chili sauce, adding enough for to coat each one. About a tablespoon of fish sauce and perhaps 1.5 of green chili sauce, and 50ml of sweet vermouth. Taste the marinate. Are the tastes balanced? Add a more sugar and/or salt, if needed.

After about 30 mins (of marinating/simmering), add a little vinegar and fish sauce into the simmer prawn shells/heads. Just a splash. Taste. The sour/salt should be a faint mixure in the background, the foreground being a stronger prawn flavor. Puree the whole liquid thing. Yes, the heads, shells and every thing. It will not trouble your mixure/liquidizer/belnder at all. Strain this, into pan, and bring to a simmer. Add the marinated prawns, for 4 mins.
Take off the heat; you are done.

Published in Print : Lentil Soup

2009-04-15T13:13:00.000+05:30

Published in Spectrum, vol1(4), April, 2009, in my regular Achcharu column; based on a previous blog post.

Happy New Year!

2009-04-13T12:06:00.000+05:30

Leeks Cumber Salad

2009-04-10T06:00:00.002+05:30

This salad, which turned out quite nice, is for Sharn i, who told me recently that she was waiting for more vegan recipes on my blog!
I enjoyed this for lunch, recently and it was really simple to make. Then I realized it may be vegan. :)
Slice a cumber (i like finger cumbers, because they look super cute, but any cumber would do) into small length wise strips, after washing, peeling and cleaning it. Dress it with a tiny bit of good sesame oil, an inch of wasabi paste, a teaspoon of sugar, a capful of vinegar (i used cider vinegar, this time), and two pinches of salt. Taste it and adjusts the balance of the flavors. The sugar brings out the heat of the wasabi beautifully, I think.

Wash and slice the leeks finely (i didn't have the end of the root in vegetable drawer, just the top part), and blanch for 2 mins. (let it sit in fresh boiled water for 2 mins). drain well, even patting drying with kitchen paper, and plate in a doughnut shape, adding drops of sesame oil and sprinkling salt over it. Spoon the cumber in the center. Sprinkle every thing with fresh black pepper.

The flavorings are subtle here, the highlights are the crunch of the leeks and smooth moisture of cumber, which have there own, lovely taste. As you bite in though, there are hints of heat (wasabi) and sweetness/tartness, blended with the nuttiness of the sesame.

I feel very virtuousness having had a vegan lunch, and I hope Sharni likes this!

Leeks Lentil Soup

2009-04-05T06:00:00.002+05:30

Good stocks -- flavorful and thick -- are the foundation of my cooking. Not hard to make, they keep well in freezer, saving time later. I should do just a post on stocks, and guess I will, but its so simple -- its hardly worth that. Take 800 g of chicken necks, 200 g gizzards, and 200 g of wings, and pressure cook for 30 mins with 1.25 l of water. Strain and your done. Add a few crushed cloves of garlic, some black pepper and teaspoon of tomato paste if you have it handy, before you pressure cook, to up the flavor.
Or don't use a pressure cooker at all, and start with the bones of the roasted bird to really do it right. Okay, so there is a more complicated way to do every thing -- but the simple way also works. Anyway you do it, the point is get your stock going, and your all set for awhile.

I made stock yesterday, before i went out with friends in evening, and ended up having the rump of Wagyu beef! That was nice, but then in morning, after all that heavy eating and drinking it was time for soup. So I boiled a small cup of Mysore dhal, in four cups of water and then added a chopped leeks root, boiled it down a little more, and added a little less than half a cup chicken stock. Add more, as it boils down, if you have it. After about 30 mins, I pureed the whole thing, added salt, slowly, tasting each time, and then a teaspoon of sugar, and voila, it was ready. Sprinkled chille pieces on top, and dribbled cream in circles, as it lay in the bowl.

Wow it was good. Eat, sleep and repeat, with another Vegetable; this is easy and looks really cool.

Candied Orange Peel, Cours Saleya, Nice

2009-04-04T18:18:00.002+05:30

Candied Orange Peel, Cours Saleya, Nice
Originally uploaded by pradeep jeganathan.

This photo is being considered for the Schmap guide to Nice, France!

Nice!

Whale Watching off Mirissa + Lunch!

2009-03-30T06:00:00.002+05:30

About a 150 km from Colombo, Mirissa is a very small town, on the southern coast. But from its habour, one can for a goodly fee (Rs. 6000/=) sign up for a boat ride of several hours, to the deep waters some 15 miles out and with luck, see both the blue whale, the largest animal on earth, and the dolphin, bottle nosed and other variates, who are of course, cuter than cute.
And so we went, stayed at the Giragalla Inn, which overlooks the lovely Giragalla (Parrot Rock), and woke up early, took the boat at 7, were very lucky with our sightings!

(Dolphin breaks the water -- above -- Whale dives, below)

Then, hungry after the long ride, which took 5 hours, and having postponed breakfast fearing seasickness (we had all dosed up on avomine), we fell upon a simple, classic 'rice curry' lunch at the old and famous Weligama Bay Rest house.

the most interesting dish, a karavila curry, which I'd never had before, wasn't the most popular, since true to its name (bitter gourd), it remained bitter :). Still since I've been fixing Karavila salads, I tried quite a bit of it. It wasn't very good; perhaps more lime would have helped, with more initial de-bitterizing!?

Bacon Bandakka Pastries

2009-03-28T17:56:00.002+05:30

this was an unusual fight of fancy, that's worked out, in words of the critter who lazes around near the bartop of the elibank road apartment, to be a 'winner.' dunno what other will think, though. opinion of those who haven't tasted it, seems more negative than positive though, since many people say they hate bandakka (lady's fingers or okra). I love it really -- I can't think why its so unloved.

The inspiration came from a ham wrapped roasted fennel root, I had in De Kas, Amsterdam, last year, but I don't know if you get fennel root in Sri Lanka and you certainly don't get that stunning italian ham, prosciutto, here in your local food city. So, I went my own way.

To make this, get a fist full of tender bandakka, slices off the ends so that you have three inches peices or so ( a little longer is fine), score the edges set aside. take as many strips of back bacon (I tried this with streaky, and it wasn't as good), as you have bandakka peices, 6, say, and soak with a bit of kithul treacle, enough to cover them, sprinkling with fresh black pepper.

take wad of store bought flaky pastry, (in every super market freezer, for rs. 100/=), and roll it out, following the instructions. basically, you need to sprinkle it with flour, and get it really thin. wrap a peice of bandakka in the treacle infused bacon, then wrap in pastry. you need a beaten egg in a separate dish, to seal the edges of the pastry wrap, and the coat the whole wrap. (that's a standard thing with pastry.) just roll the wrap around, in the egg, and place it on baking tray, on a oiled foil insert or a mesh shelf. I'm so behind in my baking, I don't even have a mesh thing! I understand that silicon sheets are the way to go now, and I shall be looking for them.

(a raw okra end & a stalk, roasted with bacon wrap, with out pastry)

Bake the wraps for 20-5 mins, turning once, in the top 1/3 of the oven at 400F.
Let it cool, for it will be super hot.
There are three textures as you bite in -- (cut the wraps, cross ways into 2 or 3 for a quicker, easier bite) -- the soft, crusty, buttery pastry, the smoking, salty bacon, and then the soft, stringy, super moist bandakka, which is slightly sweet and sharp from the kithul & blackpepper.

i've tried it plain, and with my very own tomato cream sauce, which I've blogged about before. Its super awesome, party because if you grew up craving chicken pies, like I did, this recalls it in the first bite, but then is completely different.

Kithul Creams: Published in Print!

2009-03-27T14:28:00.006+05:30

The March issue of Spectrum: A Review of the Social Landscape is out; and another achcharu column is in print! This time, it is Kithul Creams, which I blogged about, a while back...

Malinda Seneviratne edits Spectrum

Pan Roasted Pork Loin

2009-03-25T06:00:00.001+05:30

this can be a really simple dish, which can also be plated impressively.
ask at the meat counter for the pork loin to be sliced into 3/4 inch slices. once this is done, its as easy as falling of a chair really! either marinate the loin medallion in balsamic vinegar, salt and pepper or brine it over night in chicken/spare-rib stock, with your favorite fruit juice added in. (now, okay, you are thinking this is getting complicated, but you don't have to do this -- but it will make the pan roast more succulent and moist, is all. quite good with out!).

pan roast, middle heat on a heavy skillet (i used cast iron) for 7 mins, 3.5 on each side, and your done! i tried a new cream chille sauce with this, which came out well: heavy cream, tomato paste, and chille pices, mixed in to taste, with some salt, and a tiny bit of sugar. heat this up a little in the microwave, or small heavy bottomed sauce pan. this reminds me of my other variation on tomato sauce, which i called, tomato nosauce! (which I paired with grilled fish).

i scalled some pok choy, to go with this, because i can't do with out its crunch for more than two weeks, if i can help it.

A Visit to Bentota Beach

2009-03-23T21:31:00.017+05:30

Bentota Beach Hotel (BBH), now managed by John Keels, is one of Bawa's oldest hotels, designed as the first wave resort hotels were built in Sri Lanka, with international tourism in mind in the mid 1970s. When I visited recently with my mother, and stayed over night, I was reminded of what were to become classic Bawa signature elements, in his later buildings; resorts -- like Lighthouse Hotel and Kandalama, but also, the new Parliament. But not so much of Lunuganga, which is a thing unto itself.
The combination of water, rock (natural and sculptured) and foliage in the buildings and landscape that Bawa works with, draws inspiration from ancient and medieval Sri Lankan royal or pleasure gardens, but retains the undulations of the land, that I can not recall in ancient gardens. Perhaps that's derived from the Italian gardens that the Bawa brothers spent time in during a European sojourn.

(rock fringed pool)-------------------------- (water court yard; foliage islands)

As in the 7th floor pool in Kandalama, the main swimming pool at BBH, blends in with a large natural rock formation, recalling rock pools on the upper surface of Sigiriya. The Water courtyard recalls built stone pools, like the kuttam pokuna, but the foliage islands within are an innovation; at a stretch, one can imagine the parliament complex, as an elaboration of this water courtyard.
Another fascinating element in BBH, which I had not really appreciated before, is its mirroring of the old colonial forts that dot the southwest of Lanka. Lighthouse is of course the most complete elaboration of this; but the interior halls ways and some exterior windows in BBH, are clear echos of battlements.
Then of course I come to the food!
It was, unfortunately buffets all around, and as these things go, there was variety and quantity, but not really top end quality.But the mousses were wonderful; a big hand to the pastry chef, there, who ever he is. The strawberry mousse which I had after dinner the first night, was rich, spicy in a subtle way, with stewed strawberries mixed in. I've dabbled in strawberry desserts myself, and this was a fine one.
The Kiwi mousse was beautiful, but the star of the show was the passion fruit mousse that was tangy but also super creamy and light, topped with a delightful and pretty glaze. It was better than the same dish at Gallery Cafe, which I've blogged about before. It was a fitting highlight to a short trip south.

Rava Idly Etc.,

2009-03-20T01:59:00.000+05:30

Nivi and Aditya took me to Sargar for South Indian food, on Sunday the 1st of March. Iddy/Dosa says Nivi has colonized all India from the south, like in the sphere of women's dress the salwar has done the same, from the North. I thought that was insightful. She is a smart person! No insight there :)
In Sagar, I discovered a whole lot of food that was new to me; as I always do -- there is so much variety in every kind of indian food! There were many things to try, so apart from my obligatory ghee dosa, which i simply had to have-- i had rava idly.
rava idly, as it turns out, is made of semolina and coconut, and only really shares a method of preparation from the regular kind I'm used to.

first off, i loved the slice of tomato that had been steamed in. i thought that was really smart and made the dish look so beautiful. the texture of the idly was grainier than the regular one, and it broke more easily in my fingers, the taste also being different. i guess there are many ways to make this: here is a variation i found on the web, with photographs lovelier than mine.

after breakfast, i was dropped off, by request at the National Gallery of Modern Art. I had been there before, but now the gallery has been expanded to a large new wing in two interconnected sections, that is separate from the old Jaipur House. It is, I thought, an extraordinary collection, especially the very contemporary work, which was nearly all new to me. Much of the work, I thought was incredibly good. I spent nearly fours hours wondering around, the only draw backs being the crazy, unmoderated ambient light, the misdirected spot lights and the lack of drinking water inside the gallery.
Actually a cafe with coffee would have been even better! Still just drinking from the ad hoc water bottle thing outside, and returning to wonder around more, was a good way to get over the excessive eating of the dosa and idly.

when i was done i walked through the old sculpture garden, which i had never photographed before.

then i some art work of my own, until Nivi and Aditya picked me up:

Lunch at Blanco's (Khan Market, Delhi)

2009-03-15T07:30:00.011+05:30

Nivi, Adithya and their son Niru took me out to lunch at this lovely restaurant in Delhi, after the conference. Since I was all done with work as such, and it was the weekend to boot, we started with drinks. I had my favorite vodka martini, but nivi's drink looked tempting also :).

then we had appetizers.
in india, my friends never order the mains with the appetizers. they eat what comes, wait, decide if they want more appetizers, and then if they want more drinks, and then order the entree. its like my school friends here in colombo, when they have bites before dinner. but then they like to go to another place for dinner. i like the delhi system, you don't have to move, after you sit down. :)
the appetizers here were great. the asparagus and wasabi mash wraps were a subtle, yet tangy treat, and the shrimp and pork wraps (a new combo for me), with hot sweet sauce went down very well.

note to self: i should try asparagus wraps at home!

my main dish was grilled salmon, with orange sauce. it was very nice, but not as prefect at the appetizers; mainly the orange sauce being slightly too sweet, and not that citrussy. I prefer the orange reductions I've been working on, that mix sweet, citrus and bitter in a balanced way. But still it was a treat to have salmon.

Then in helpless over indulgence, I had the triple chocolate mousse for dessert. I think it hard to make softer mousse, and have them keep, but I do I prefer this. I must work on chocolate mousses, and see what I can do.

what a lovely lunch it was!

More on Tuile, with Coffee

2009-03-11T17:21:00.007+05:30

In June, 2008, in one of cooking fits -- which are good things, I suppose, I had egg whites left over from making jaggery creams, and I made tuiles, the recipe I got from my big book of french recipes. this is what I wrote then:

"I like coffee, but i hadn't had it with tuiles before. i made these melt in your mouth crisps, which turn out in between a cookie and cracker, with egg whites i had left over from making kithul cream pots, with added sugar and flour. they are oven baked for 8 mins. really changes that ten mins with coffee.
also possible with added crushed almonds, which i didn't get around to yet."

(these are my ones, june 2008)

So there it was; until I stopped by at Monis (at Maggona, and famous for its rusks, of course) on the way back from Bentota the other day. I think it was Malathi who had said, when I first made tuiles 'Oh Monis does this' (like i was old hat for looking it up in a recipe book)-- but when we stopped before, at the New Monis, not the old, we are unable to find them. Well, at Old Monis, (and really can't they merge?) -- they have it, but its called Tuilips. Now don't cackle -- I don't know the history of this creation, its name or the confection, but it is melt in your mouth good, and at 6 for Rs. 45/=, very good value. Would be at least 450 at the Hilton, wouldn't it?

(the Monis variety)

Try some with Coffee, and say thank you to Monis!

Orange Shrimp, again in Delhi!

2009-03-10T06:00:00.003+05:30

Appu, a young friend who lives in Delhi, has been interested in my cooking adventures for some time. Ages ago, he asked me write up a prawn recipe for him; but I didn't get around to it for ever. then, as the food blog got going, i did blog my favorite prawn recipe, which i worked on and tried to improve -- my most recent effort being a new variation with orange sauce and blanched peel. When I posted this link on Appu's facebook wall, he said he'd like me to cook it at his place, when i visited.

And so, it worked out! Appu's mother Mary got the ingredients, (peeled jumbo prawns, and oranges) and did all the preparation, with help from him (Appu was right that the peel had to heavily salted to draw out the bitterness) -- then we cooked it. It took a few hours of intensive work ( we were cooking for 10-12, and I'd never made the dish to this scale before), and reduction of the prawn sauce and organge juice was a challenge but the results were pretty good. The major error I made was blanching to peel to long, (it should be 30 secs., not 3 mins) so it didn't have its super citrus burst, but then that was a good lesson for me!
also i learnt about a new kitchen aid utensil while cooking, with Mary and Appu -- a steel grip, which comes in very handy, with hot dishes and pans, that eliminates the need for bulky paw pads! A few days later, Mary and Satish gifted me a beautifully wrapped one of my own.

Thank you!

food after a conference

2009-03-05T11:36:00.001+05:30

i was in delhi from the 24th Feb., to the 4th of March, first for a conference to celebrate to golden jubilee of the department of sociology, at the delhi school of economics, and then to visit with old friends.
many valued colleagues, were involved in organizing the event which was on 'location' and anthropological and sociological traditions; I presented a re-working of a set of older articles on 'violence' and 'anthropology,' which i managed to do okay. It was well received, and this made me happy.

(some of the people who were on the organizing committee: rajni is missing).

each day, we had lovely lunches on the lawn of the sociology department; on the last day, a interesting set of sweets and savories were served before a late lunch, so that the conference could keeping going with out a break. the students, who were working very hard, plated the food, with the help of the caterers.

note the green chille and chips, with the cake! marvelous!

then, we had lunch! some thing special on the last day, was the pan fried, stuffed vegetable platter, which is called a thana (i think, i may have got this wrong). anyway, it was a new experience. There were green peppers, eggplant, okra and bitter gourd!

then every one enjoyed their food. its a place i've visited before, and one of great memories.

Steamed Spare-Ribs, with Sweet Turmeric Cream + Cumber, with Wasabi/Vermouth Dressing.

2009-02-24T07:30:00.007+05:30

i love spare ribs! usually, i grill them, but this time, i tried steaming after awhile. the preparation is the same; marinated in vinegar, salt, crushed garlic, and black bean sauce (or soy, if there isn't any BBS), and sugar. then i steamed it for 10 mins. the karavila salad, has been described in another post, but i thought up a sweet turmeric sauce (1/4 cup cream, heated with two pinches of tumeric, one of salt and a tiny bit of sugar), which was very warm and comferting, a good counter point to the bitterness of the gourd.
On the side is sliced cumber, dressed with cap full of dry vermouth, into which one squeeze of wasabi paste as been mixed.
all spur of the moment ideas, which seemed to work well.

Orange Mousse

2009-02-21T17:56:00.006+05:30

I've been working with oranges :).
this time, i tried an orange mousse -- trying to simplify the rather complex way its usually done. I didn't use any eggs at all, I think that does work.
I beat half a cup of whipping cream (now available from anchor, 125 ml@Rs. 160, which I think is very good value), and folded in 1/4 cup of orange cordial, 1/8 cup (that 30 ml, very little) of Grand Mainer, which has been added to the kitchen cabinet following a suggestion of Deshan's (hey, thanks!), and a teaspoon of gelatin, dissolved in two tablespoons of water. Yes that was it.

At the bottom of the serving glass, (I picked small cognac glasses -- but shot glasses might have better), I added more of the cordial/liquor mixture, and fresh pieces of orange, sliced up thin. Spooned in the beaten cream. Garnished the top with more fresh orange, and refrigerated it.

The mousse held up with out egg, I thought -- so that was fine, but the cream layer was too deep for my taste; it should be shallower, with another layer on top. But working through the very lightly flavored, and lightly textured cream was a pleasure, to reach the sharp, sweet liqour bellow.

I shall try this again, some time, I hope. Adding blanched peel, which I have described elsewhere would be great, I think.

Orange Shrimp, with blanched peel

2009-02-18T16:08:00.011+05:30

it struck me, some months ago, when i got my basic grilled shrimp right to my satisfaction, that i might want to figure out another way to make shrimp or prawns. so i've been working on an orange variation, which has progressed quite well. i start with a shrimp/prawn sauce, that i've described in a previous post, linked up above. when its plain grilled shrimp i'm making, i some times add some thai fish sauce, or anchovies into the shrimp stock, which is basically made of the shells and tails (either boiled down in water/wine or pressure cooked, pureed, and strained). for the orange variation, i hold the fish sauce/anchovies and add an equal amount of orange juice (sugarless; fresh squeezed would be best, of course), as it reduces. reduce this until its thick. marinate the shrimp in that, with crushed garlic, and chilli pieces for a few hours or over night, in a cold fridge.

slice the peel of an orange -- and its best to pull off the flesh with your hands in a smooth motion, one quarter at time (i prized it out with a knife this time, and it was too thick, but i have done this right before) -- into the thinnest silvers you can manage and adds loads of table salt, (yes loads), and keep it in a separate dish as the shrimp marinades.
when you are ready to cook, grilled the shrimp, still in the marinade, for about 6 mins under a very hot grill, adding olive oil and butter before you start. wash out the salted peel several times, and blanch, (that is boil in water) for 3 mins or so. add fresh squeeze of orange over the shrimp, and then add drained peel as garnish on top.
i didn't even do it right this, and it was still very very good. the value added is worth it; the strong, burst in your mouth citrus of the blanched peel, with the slightly sweet, very savory shrimps, inflected with two flavors of orange, fresh and reduced. I had this is with toasted bread, and a bottle of beer, and I am feeling very good, thankee!

And I fixed this again, in Delhi at the end of Feb, 2009, with Appu & Mary's help.

My Jar of Cassava Chips

2009-02-14T18:26:00.002+05:30

My Jar of Casava Chips
Originally uploaded by pradeep jeganathan.

in the afternoon sun, crisp with coffee

A New Salad

2009-02-11T13:02:00.006+05:30

it was sharmini pereira who suggested the basics of this to me, many months ago. she'd had a bitter gourd salad a sri lankan restaurant in japan, if i remember that right. this is my variation: debitterized karavila (bitter gourd), with onions and tomatoes.
healthful, and unusually tasty.

to make this, cut the gourd into thin slices, wash it well, letting most of the seeds wash out. Let the silces rest in lots of table salt for 2 hours or more-- that's heaps of salt, by the way. then wash it out, in a colander, several times until the salt is gone, and blanch it in a boiling water for 30 - 60 secs to debitterize it more. This is the +/- on the debitterizing; you'll have to work on it, to get it just right for your tongue.
The dressing is just fresh lime, you could add chili pieces if you like, with the sliced tomatoes and onions.

Mango Orange Panna Cotta

2009-02-04T20:43:00.002+05:30

Mango Orange Panna Cotta
Originally uploaded by pradeep jeganathan.

i guess wanted to go back to orange after red as red strawberries.

i've done coconut panna cotta's before, and blogged about them, but this one is a new variation. its a layer of mango coconut cream jelled on a base of fresh squeezed orange juice, orange liquor and blanched, sliced orange peel.

it needs work:

Deshan and Jehan, who came over to taste it, thought it was okay, with Deshan suggesting I try Grand Marnier instead of Cointreau, since it has, he said, a more 'burnt' taste, which might blend better with the orange peel which after blanching has a slight bitter taste, and a huge citric kick.
Jehan liked the cream top a lot he said, but thought the dish might be inverted. (Mango at the bottom). Well, I think the whole thing should be in orange, that is loose the mango, and the juice should be reduced for a thicker base and more concentrated flavor.
Deshan also liked the idea of a thicker base.

I shall try this again for Monday lunch.

Strawberry Ginger Creams

2009-02-02T17:03:00.002+05:30

Strawberry Ginger Creams
Originally uploaded by pradeep jeganathan.

i've been working on different iterations of strawberries and cream. once with curd, then a straightforward mousse, another time a jelly and cream, i called a bomb, and then the ultimate layering of reduction, panna cotta and cream, which had to be called strawberry orgasm.

this one is yet a little different, because i grated fresh ginger into the reduction. boiled it way down, added a little more ginger paste, then did a bottom layer with fresh strawberry slivers, sweet vermouth (a new idea) and the reduction. then i squirted cream on top and stuffed in more fresh strawberry slivers. i needed more, didn't have enough.

its a new taste for sure. if the ginger cooks, its reminds me of what we call 'christmas cake' in sri lanka. fruity and spicy, sota, but deep in its sweetness. if the ginger doesn't boil in the reduction, its a sharper inflection.

the play between the soft comfort of the cream, and tartness of the strawberries, is of course the basis of all of this - and in this dish, its the layer that draws you in.

Cumber Relish

2009-01-30T08:00:00.003+05:30

i owe the idea for this dish to murakami's norwegian wood, where the narrator eats cumbers dipped in soy sauce, wrapped in nori, while waiting on his girl friend's father, who is dieing. the old man, who isn't eating any thing up until that point, sees Taro enjoying the cumbers so much, he starts eating.

i like nori, seaweed sheets, but i can't find them in colombo (:. so I upped the flavor, by mixing tomato paste, wasabi and soy sauce, using it as a garnish for the sliced baby cumbers. with sweetened tomato slivers on top. salt, sweet and nahaya dana (as in kata dana, mouth burn/ nose burn) from the wasabi.

it was a great appetizer.

Achcharu in Spectrum

2009-01-27T14:09:00.027+05:30

Spectrum is a new magazine, published by Nexus Research, and edited by Malinda Seneviratne. It has a range of opinions on social and political questions.

But also, a food column -- Achcharu --with my fuision recipies.

It will be launched today, 4 pm, at the SLFI, Colombo.
Check it out!

Roast Seer Fish, in Sweet Turmeric Cream

2008-12-23T17:37:00.001+05:30

Roast Seer Fish, in Sweet Turmeric Cream
Originally uploaded by pradeep jeganathan.

I just had lovely fish dish, which I thought to share.
I took a slice of seer, marinated it in a little vinegar, with a sprinkling of salt, lots of crushed (pressed) garlic, and roasted at 500 F for 12 mins, with sliced Bombay onion and a capsicum.
Its served with a thick sweet turmeric sauce; (two heaped spoons of coconut milk power, to 1/4 cup of hot water, two pinches of turmeric, one pinch of salt, a big teaspoon of sugar, and chille pieces) with pickled olives on the side.

Bruschetta

2008-12-10T12:55:00.001+05:30

That's bread, brushed with olive oil and grilled.

Cheeses, olives, tomatoes and meats can be added.
I had this in Nice, at a very regular cafe on the main strip. With the great Sri Lankan Kade Paan, this just is asking to be a national staple, and I will fuse a few together soon!

Provencal Fish Stew

2008-12-04T19:30:00.000+05:30

The fish stews of southern France are legendary. And in a short trip, I am quite certain I didn't have the 'real' one. Still, the basic idea, simmering a variety of fish and shell fish, in stock, herbs, saffron and tomato isn't that complicated. In fact, this was what a fisherman's wife did, with left overs from the catch -- that's way back when, wives cooked. :)
I had one in the old city of Nice, and it was good, with the rouille and croutons. The gravy was thick, thicker than i thought it would be perhaps since it was un strained. And tasted more of a tinge of tomato than saffron. Perhaps it was inauthentic.
I've been trying fish stews myself -- and now I think I shall branch out into a french inspired version with seer, shark, shrimp, and cuttle fish -- simmered in fish head stock, inflected with karavala (dried fish), ginger and green chille, balanced with vinegar and a little sugar. Watch out for it.
Until then...

Omelette aux Lardon in Antibes

2008-12-01T18:40:00.002+05:30

I owe my visit to Antibes to Uday, wonderful new friend and colleague I met in Bellagio. He had visited there while a student, and recalled its beauty. Its a fantastic place, with a old fortress and city, going back again like Nice, to the Greeks. It was then taken over in the fourteenth century by the Girimaldi's of Genoa and still of Monaco & Monte Carlo. In the 1920s the old castle was turned in the museum, and part of it was being used as a workshop in 1946, when Picasso was invited to live and paint there for an year. The castle is now a Picasso Museum, with a collection of his painting and other artists. The court yard that over looks the Mediterranean is a sculpture garden, making it by far the most stunningly beautiful modern art museum I've been to.

Yes, that was wonderful. Then I walked down to old city and happened upon a small cafe that served only crepes and omelettes. So since I was not feeling like any thing sugarly opted for the Omelette Aux Lardon, which means, with bacon. Huh! I was very hungry and this was really teriffic. To die for, in more ways than one, of course.

To make this, and I had chat with the chef, you simply let your chopped bacon cook in a pan, until its sizzling, and then add the well beaten eggs. "How did you beat it," I asked him. "Whisk?"
"No," he said, holding up a knife." I looked suprised. "How do you say.." He went on, "knife and, kinfe and..." which he repeated until he found a fork. "Fork?" I said. And that was that.
You don't need salt or any other kind of fat, since the bacon has both. Amazingly good.

Sunday Extra

2008-11-30T16:40:00.001+05:30

My posts on my short trip to the south of france, are being auto-posted by blogger, using the scheduling thing they have, but i couldn't resist a little some thing in between. its sunday. i didn't cook any thing special, but just reheated some roast chicken i had in the fridge.
now it was okay, but what was wonderful, was the fresh tomatoes and green chillies i added on top.
that's some thing to treasure about living in sri lanka: fresh green chillies, on any thing!

Cours Saleya

2008-11-29T13:26:00.002+05:30

I didn't even know it, when I stumbled upon it, just as I crossed the road by the edge of the beach, walked through the arches, and there it was. I was behind on my guidebook, just stumbling around, when I was upon it, Market Street in Nice, Cours Saleya, thought to be the most exciting farmer's market in the whole of the South of France.

Wow.
Things they had there to look at, photograph, and even dip a paw into! Paw went dip dip.
Candied fruit was my favorite, and I even bought little bags of the orange peel, and ate it before breakfast. They were really quite wonderful, slightly bitter, tangy and very sweet, exploding in the mouth like the colour I've tried to capture in the photograph.
There were lots of herbs from provence, and regular vegetable as well, but also preserved stuff, like sun dried tomatoes. And whole stalls of fish, shrimp, lobster -- the works.

The Côte d'Azur

2008-11-25T13:11:00.000+05:30

Nice sits on one end of Côte d'Azur, the coast of blue -- a bright blue, that mixes with the sky and sun, in ways that have drawn great painters to its shores, and a whole international glitterati of sun and fun seekers in season. It is the stuff legend, and the city, that was founded by the Greeks has a long history. I spent a few days there, taking day trips to Antibes and Cannes. Remarkable for autumn it was amazingly sunny, and on my first day I tried a few photographs.

It was very hot, really, and there is no sand on the beach.
But this cafe, where I had an espresso, looked very inviting, as I looked down.

Tasting the South of France

2008-11-21T12:35:00.001+05:30

Then, after a week long Bellagio Conference, on Masculinities from the 3rd to 7th Nov., at the beautiful centre there, to which I was last invited to in May 2006, I took off to the south of France. Its really close by and train runs from Milan to Nice, with no fuss about boder controls at all, in 5+ hours.

I had checked the weather, and was thrilled when it kept to forcast! While it drizzled all the time we were on the banks of Lake Como, conferencing, it turned sunny the day I left Italy. Wow. In the next few blog posts I'm going to document my little adventures, mostly culinary on this short trip, interspersed with with a few sideways glances at other things.
I traveled for the most part, by train.
F. Scott Fitzgerald, describes a train ride from Antibes to Cannes, along the coast, in Tender is the Night (1934) : "...the vivid advertizing cards of the railroad companies... were fresher than the still motionless sea outside. Unlike American rains that were absorbed in an intense destiny of their own, scornful of people in another world less swift and breathless, this train was part of country through which it passed. Its breath stirred the dust from the palm leaves, the cinders mixed with the dry dung in the gardens. Rosemary was sure she could lean from the window and pull flowers with her hands."
Alas, that was the 1920s. Now trains are super fast, air conditioned, sealed and as aloof as those American trains he didn't like. But I love trains that work, and these were a joy to travel in, even though they were often late!

Lentils and Rice or a New Kichari

2008-11-19T23:25:00.001+05:30

Kichari is an Indian way making rice and dhal (lentils) together; its considered very basic, some times eaten like a porridge in the mornings, or through out the day, as a nourishing but inexpensive snack.

I tried a variation the other day, keeping of course with the basic idea, but changing the seasonings around so that its a fusion of difference. It worked, for me at least.

To make this, first boil the equal potions of rice and mysoor dhal (the bright orange kind is what I mean), until soft. This is easy to do, and quick in a microwave. In mine, with a covered micro-proof dish I have, it takes 20 mins or less. I use three times of water, as the rice dhal compound.

Then I sauteed the rice dhal mixture in shallots, garlic and olive oil, adding salt gradually and when it was well mixed and simmering, added the fresh sliced red tomatoes.
Yes, it was pretty good!

Stock Braised Chicken, with Green Chillie

2008-11-17T07:30:00.000+05:30

I'm kinda behind on my blog.
Not because I haven't been cooking; in fact I've been trying my hand at a few new dishes, giant orange shrimp (with a oranage reduction and blanched peel)-- which turned out a winner, is one. But I made it at night for a dear friend, and I don't really take food pictures with artificial light.
So a full account of that will have to wait.
I have also been working on various ways of braising chicken; which can keep the chicken moist yet flavorful. Which Sri Lankan chicken curry which I eat all the time, remains a great favorite of mine -- there is a way that the power of cumin, coriander and other stuff overwhelms the chickiness of the dish.
Brining, (which means marinating in a high salt solution, over night or so) is a way to infuse what ever meat you are cooking with flavor, keeping it is extra moist in the process. This is because osmosis allows for the flavors of the marinade to enter the chicken as it sits in the high concentration salt.

Some times, you have to wash the meat before you cook it, since the salt coating can be too strong, but still the soaked in flavors can work wonderfully.
Earlier, I was brining slices of pork loin, which I was pan roasting.
Rcently, it was chicken, brinined in broth and then braised in the oven.
Once you've got your stock ready, this is a easy, 20 min quick, inexpensive but resteraunt quality dish.

Lentil Soup, with Red Pepper & Ginger

2008-09-29T12:13:00.005+05:30

I like having parripu from time to time. Its very smooth and soothing, really, if its made right. Typically, I don't like the traditional Sri Lankan way of doing dhal; I like a garlic sauteed dhal with added butter.
But recently I wanted some thing soupier, so I turned my mind to lentil soup. After a couple of attempts this is what I came up with -- and it was very very good!

To fix this -- for one person -- boil 1/4 cup of mysoor dhal in a cup of water, with a large, chopped, red pepper added, and three cloves of cleaned chopped garlic, a pinch of tumaric for colour and some salt. The dhal should be cooked in 20 mins or so, and then I add about half the amount of home made chicken stock, and reduce it down a little. (If you want this totally vegitarian, consider some celery/cabage stock.) Anyway, then grate in an inch of ginger into it, and puree the whole thing. Right at the end, fold in two large spoons of coconut milk power, for a nice creamy texure.
Or fresh cream, if you have it, and prefer that.
Garnish with red pepper slivers, and have it hot!

Ginger hightlights and a red pepper after taste, sandwiches the comforting taste of coconut creamed dhal, that we all grew up with.

And this time, with a difference!

Update: This recipe was published in print, in Spectrum vol1(4), April 2009.

Fish Stew

2008-09-19T15:24:00.001+05:30

Shark isn't the most popular fish in Sri Lanka, I don't think. And in times of trouble, its totally avoided, that I know.
But hey, its has a fleshy taste and chunky texture that I like -- and its half the price of seer. I've trying to work out a really great shark stew, and I've made some progress. Well its basic, but that's what's nice about shark you don't have to do much to it, for the dish to announce its flavor.
What I've been doing -- with modifications -- is stewing fresh shark in a little bit of vinegar and sugar, with quarters of Bombay onions, tomatoes and crushed garlic. Seasoned to taste, of course.

Then I bake this in a closed, heavy, oven proof dish for about 30-40 mins., or 20 in the microwave, which also works well.
This is a low hassle, one dish meal -- let me know if you try it.

Breakfast Porridge with Topping

2008-08-29T07:00:00.001+05:30

Kola Kanda, and don't even know if that's the best way to spell it -- is a kind of Sri Lankan (Sinhala) breakfast porridge. Its made of some kind of green leaf that's good for you, (krapincha, gotukola, valpenalla etc.,) red rice and coconut milk, all boiled down and smoothened. I don't even make this, but its an all time 'traditional' favorite and Chandra the kind person who cook in the apartment now brings in some kola (leaves) and makes it ever so often; she uses a blender, not sure of the more traditional steps!

My twist however, was to add fried gram (badapu kadala), which is salted and crisp, as a topping. I didn't know they would float, but the did, like croutons! The crunchiness was a wonderful contrast to the comforting liquid and soft chewy rice base.

Try it some time!

Stolen! (A follow up)

2008-08-09T11:40:00.003+05:30

First off, thanks to every one who commented and commiserated, some anonymously on my stolen photograph. Much good advice and help was also offered so let me update those of you who stopped by:
FASTAds emailed to me, given the intervention of a helpful fellow blogger and told me, that they got the photograph from another website, and didn't know it was mine, and that they are sorry. Okay, good on them to do that much.
Now I hope FASTAds got a release from www.srilankaexpeditions.com to use my photograph -- if they didn't, they still do violate the principle involved and if they did -- then however did Sri Lanka Expeditions use a photograph of mine with out permission or even citation. Yes, but its up there -- and I haven't heard any thing from the owners of that site. (I have now, and its been cited. See the apology below in the comments section)

Then, making it all the amazing was a post this morning from N -- showing me that yet another tourism website (goofy foot holidays) was using my picture, with out acknowledgement of course! How many more are out there? I can not even track this! Jeez.

Okay guys, its time to acknowledge the source of the photograph.

Stolen!

2008-08-03T23:53:00.001+05:30

Surf On
Originally uploaded by pradeep jeganathan.

Yes, copied and reproduced without permission or citation, in a large advertisement in the Sunday Times Plus section, page 4-5, of the 3rd of Aug.
Very uncool.
The agency, seems to be "FASTads"
Who are you, who did this?

Dutch Pancakes

2008-07-22T07:30:00.000+05:30

My last taste of food in Netherlands was a special delicacy, which I've had several times before. Some consider it, quintessentially dutch.

In fact, one time in Amsterdam, during an anthropology conference, I asked our hosts what typical, traditional dutch 'food' would be, and they couldn't agree. Usually, after a conference, if there are visitors involved, Dutch scholars take you to an Indonesian place -- since this was a colonial possession, its becomes the domesticated exotic, like Indian food in England. But when I insisted that Indonesian be left out -- what every one agreed in the end was that pancakes were typically Dutch! Now there are many verities of pancakes to be had, but what's very common in so many cafe, are these small round ones, served with butter and sugar. Yes, its beyond sinful.

One thing to notice about these little disks, is how thick they are. Very soft centered. They are not crepes at all; which is what we had as 'pancakes' growing up in Sri Lanka -- which is also English, I would think. Going back to the Netherlands and having pancakes made me remember again my surprise at the American variety when I first had it years ago, and realized afresh that they must have been Dutch inspired for sure. Neuiw Amsterdam; New York.

For Mo(z) Arts

2008-07-13T21:29:00.001+05:30

For Mo(z) Arts
Originally uploaded by pradeep jeganathan.

Now on at Barefoot, an photo exhibition to support Mo, of Barefoot in his battle with cancer.
These pictures of mine, and much much better ones, by real photographers, all selected by Dominic Sansoni.

Drop by and buy one.

An Afternoon in Haarlem

2008-07-11T17:24:00.002+05:30

Johannes Vermeer's The Little Street, which hangs in the Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam, which is on the left, was on my mind after I had looked at it at the museum. So when I spent the afternoon of my last day in the Netherlands in Haarlem, which is 15 mins away from Amsterdam by train, and I stopped outside an ice cream palour, I remembered it. I resisted the icecreams, considered asking the girl behind the counter for a portait, decided the light was against me and then settled on this photograph of elder and younger, mother and son perhaps, eating fresh bought ices in the sun. There is perhaps some thing Dutch about this, a simple quiet street or it is just an illusion, but I enjoyed the momentary comparision between a great master's eye, and my own messing around.

Enlarge it, by clicking on it, and see it large on flickr -- there lots of interesting details.

An Amazing Snack

2008-07-09T00:08:00.003+05:30

I had missed this the last several times I was here in the Netherlands, nobody told me about it, and this omission is going to be inquired into!
I discovered it by myself as it, only to be told by others and find also, that its very much part of local fare, (available on several menues) -- and I must say, quite a treat.

What is it? Warm goat cheese, heated so that is soft, moist, half melted, with crust which sits around it, floating almost, drizzled with honey and topped with thyme. It is served with bread rolls, and butter.
And Oh boy, is it beyond tasty! I had it twice.

Lunch in Amsterdam

2008-07-06T15:30:00.007+05:30

A few days ago, I had a lovely lunch at Amsterdam restaurant made possible by a colleague here, Markha. Since I had told her I was keen on food, she went into a lot of trouble to find a place in the Netherlands ‘which takes cooking seriously,’ – as she put it. There are good restaurants here, but also, its true a lot of mediocre ones. De Kas, founded by a Michelin star chef, is an exceptional place, which grows the many vegetables and greens, used in its dishes in an in a old municipal green house, right in the city. In every dish I had there, the greens were so fresh you could smell each one, just would if you were walking in a green house. That was remarkable sensation.

We had the fixed menu, there is only one -- for lunch a least, but it did not leave one wanting more.

there were three starters -- with the roasted fennel bulb, wrapped in ham, and the succulent roasted lobster claws, with the faint bitter after taste with a fleshy sweet sour beetroot accompaniments being quite exceptional its the subtle balance of their flavors. I'm resolved to try this, wrapping and roasting, with banddakka or green beens.

The main course was baked plaice, with a saffron cream sauce that highlighted the deep, mellow taste of the carefully cooked fish.

Marinated Strawberries were central to the trifle inspired dessert, that was topped with a yoghurt ice cream.

If you've been following my blog, you know I've been a little strawberry obsessed, recently. What I got from this De Kas dessert is how well delicate strawberries took to a subtle marinate. I'm going to try that at home.
But it didn't beat what I think of as two of my specials, strawberry curd and strawberry orgasm.

Dutch Beauty

2008-07-05T13:46:00.001+05:30

Dutch Beauty
Originally uploaded by pradeep jeganathan.

the lovely view from a cafe.

Smoked Eel & Cherry Tomatoes

2008-07-03T23:47:00.005+05:30

This is a favorite of mine when in Holland, which it must be said, is not known for its great culinary traditions. But all around Amsterdam, where I am now, various kinds of raw and cured fish can be had, at little stalls. Usually smoked eel is eaten plain -- it is like cold, lightly cooked bacon on the tonge, until you bite in for completely different fishy, eeliness of the thing. its quite terrific plain. (the japanese have it sushi, but i think its cooked or well soaked in soya sauce).
but still there is a film of oil that coats the tonge, and I thought the tart, sweetness of cherry tomatoes might well cut into the oiliness of the eel.

so this time, i went to a super market, and got eel and tomatoes -- and yes, i was right. the juxterposition of tastes and flavors worked as i had thought they might, but also crisp, yet juicy texture of tomatoes contrasted well, with the meatiness of the eel.

i had seconds; and then i slept.

Strawberry Orgasm

2008-06-20T18:05:00.005+05:30

Her head was back, blonde hair fluttering in the breeze that swept in from the sea, high above the roads and trees, over the little dotted lights of his city, banishing the heat from the balcony and the bed room. She sat on the metal box of the air conditioner that was fixed to the concrete of the balcony; smoke drifted softly from her open mouth, and the cigarette glowed in her fingers.

Krishna walked to her, nude as she was, and pressing his thigh to her shoulder blade, his hand dropping to her hair, asked “Hungry, my dear?”

“Not any more,” she said, with an amused tangle in her voice, head turning up, cheeks creamy, touched with pink.

“I’m ravenous. I don’t think I ate much dinner.”

“Oh!? And what about the crab?” she was laughing now.

“I was so focused on showing you how to eat it right, and that I just barely ate one.” He nodded, stopping from saying more.

“So that was a demo one then?”

“The crab or the eating?” He kept his voice light, but now it was getting harder to do that.
She got up and kissed him, full and on his mouth. He tasted the arid, acid taste of used tobacco on her lips.

“I’m going to have dessert. Its in the fridge; I made it yesterday.”

“Oooh. What is it?”

“It’s a strawberry cream thing. I call it strawberry orgasm.” He’d called it that, way back when, after he had first made it after experimenting for weeks, and got it right, because he had thought it was cute at the time, and it had just rolled off the tip of his tonge, when he was cooking for friends, and laughing with them, but now he felt embarrassed as he said it.
His eyes dropped.

It was later, when she had shared his one, and scraped the delicate glass clean with the tiny spoon, that she asked with a sigh, “So how do you make that?”

He started off, glad for the simple question. “You wash your strawberries, and then slice them up really thin. Drop a forkful at the bottom of each shot glass, and then reduce about one, well one and half, cups of strawberries with a cup of vodka.”

She listened, still and quiet. Out side, the breeze dropped, and he could hear the roar of the sea, deep and strong and bitter.

“Add a little icing sugar as it thickens, and when it does, strain it, it should be very thick, but you can reduce it a little more in the micro wave…” He waved at the silver box on the black granite counter, as if to say, ‘there it is’ - like it mattered. “And when it is syrupy, add a little more vodka, mix it though and pour into the shot glasses, so that the strawberry slivers are just covered.

“You did all that? I should write this down.” Her voice trailed off.

“Yes, it’s a bit of work. Then you take the pulpy strawberry mess, that didn’t strain through, and you puree it, as fine as you can, straining it with a coarse mesh thingy again, at the end, not a fine one that is - and then I like to add cream or coconut milk, and gell it, like a panna cotta, over the vodka syrup at the bottom.”

“Wow,” she said. “Yeah, those layers are really some thing.”

“Then when its set, a few hours later – or the next day, add fresh whipped cream, and more slivers of strawberries on top.

“It was soo good!” she said, but already he wasn’t listening.

In the distance, but louder every moment, he could hear Siddha’s voice, high, lilting, lips red with strawberry syrup, saying after he had made it for her and Iqbal, of course, for the very first time,“It's tasty Krishna, but next time, you should put more sugar, no?– and don’t call it this funny name. How can I make it and tell?”

Iqbal had roared with laughter. “Just make it and tell darling!” He guffawed on, slapping Siddha’s back like she was a guy.

Excerpted from the unwritten chapter,
“Strawberries After Crab,” from my novel (in progress)
Plains Like a Calm Sea.
Publisher inquires are welcome.

Tuile, Coffee, Cream

2008-06-16T10:53:00.001+05:30

Tuile, Coffee, Cream
Originally uploaded by pradeep jeganathan.

i like coffee, but i hadn't had it with tuiles before. i made these melt in your mouth crisps, which turn out in between a cookie and cracker, with egg whites i had left over from making kithul cream pots, with added sugar and flour. they are oven baked for 8 mins.
really changes that ten mins with coffee.

also possible with added crushed almonds, which i didn't get around to yet.

Kithul Ginger Creams

2008-06-06T10:42:00.006+05:30

A couple of weeks ago, I started working on pots of cream. That's basically 1 cup milk, sugar and 4 egg yolks and 1 white -- if you follow the classic french recipe.
( A small cream pot, has less than one egg in it, so its not that horrendous if you are on a low egg diet, really -- but it is egg yolk!)
Previously I substituted kitul treacle for sugar, and that was quite good --

but with this batch I got more ambitious. I boiled down a cup of brandy, with 2/3 cup of kitul treacle to sharpen the flavor, with lot of fresh ginger, peeled and sliced (1.5 inches of a slim root), until it was a 2/3 cup or so.
(I'm still working on these propotions, so I'm putting them down as set in cream, yet.)
Then I baked the creams, let them cool in the fridge.
Then finally I added some of kitul encrusted ginger stalks on the top, with grated kitul jaggery topping, which I grilled before serving.
The ginger stalks are chewy, the super sweet crust balanced by its sharp, slightly bitter taste, and then when your spoon dives into the cream, the ginger tastes softer in that rich, sweet, yet mellow base, recalling the initial sharpness.

I think, when I get this just right, I will consider it a small milestone.

Morning again

2008-06-03T08:18:00.001+05:30

its another morning, less rainy it seems so i could go for a walk, so that i can be less bear like in my girth, and get the paper, and then have coffee. then i have work on my three over due papers.
but i stopped for a picture, cos when the light hits the porcelain, there isn't any thing like it.

Paddington

2008-05-31T23:22:00.001+05:30

Lost
Originally uploaded by pradeep jeganathan.

Needs a hug.

Jehan's Beef

2008-05-30T11:25:00.001+05:30

Jehan's Beef
Originally uploaded by pradeep jeganathan.

Last Sunday, Jehan asked me to lunch at his cool apartment on Amarasekere Mawatha (Dawson Rd).
The house specialty which is beef curry, was on offer -- its a sirloin cut, so it doesn't have to be cooked long to be as soft and succulent as it was. The special ingredient is MD ambarella chutney, which gives it a lovely tang.
He served it with a cumber yorghert ritha, and and biriyani rice!

A great afternoon, with his wonderful friends.

Fish and Tomato Nosauce

2008-05-29T09:45:00.001+05:30

This is a dish in progress again. That’s a lot of stuff in progress, but it doesn’t mean its all heading for a big hurrah. Ha, ha.

Well there the main experimental part of this dish is to try to use mousses to transform/supliment flavors that we Sri Lankans, know well – so that they are recalled but not repeated in a dish. Is that a mouthful? Hopefully it’s a tasty one.

When I was a child, growing up in Colombo, we always had issahara kame (dinner eaten in the front of the house/ anglicized food) for dinner (which I guess is/was kind of common, among the middle classes) – and my sister and I would always fight over the tomato sauce. It was MD, cos that was the only one there was, I think, and you had to jam the bottle top in the door, tighten carefully, just in case you crushed the neck, holding the bottle with a kitchen towel before you got it open, and then of course, it would not want to pour out, until it was beaten soundly on its hard glass bottom, for a long time. But it was good, and we would finish our ration of a bottle a week, our mother had us on – well, for she said, its not really food, and you shouldn’t have too much of it – some times by mid week. Oh! Well, I dunno about every one else, I still love tomato sauce. Now that MD just a brand, and there are tons more, they have a ‘traditional’ line. Which is the old fashioned stuff, for people like me, who were raised in the tasty cusp of colonialism and socialism.

In this dish, which like I said before, is part of an effort to recall taste with out repeating it (Why? Why not just repeat? Well, for some thing different, is all!) I use tomato mousse to replace MD tomato sauce. The main dish is grilled seer, with garlic and olive oil, with a sweet sour tomato onion garish, with a side of pickled cumber. That much is straightforward, the tomato mousse is new. I have been working through mousses recently, with straightforward ones in the bag now. But my tomato mouse is complicate cos its got invoke the right taste, with out well, mirroring it. I opted to use tomato paste (that’s very pure, usually, taste wise, just tomatoes and salt) and chili pieces, almost in a 2:1 ratio, but it could have been hotter. I also added ½ teaspoon of geletine to ½ tablespoon of hotwater mixed well, into the paste. It was fine, taste wise, folded into cream that already sweetened (I couldn’t get the other one), but the graininess was annoying. Next time, I will try it with chili power and finally, break down and simply use a sauce.

The rest of the dish was simple; I will post a how-to on the grilled fish stuff later.

PS: In the evening, I re did the tomato mousse; with some left over sauce, tomato paste and chili powder. about a 1/3 each, and added a little less cream, about another 1/3 may be little more. Kept the geletine at the same level. It was stunning, absolutely stunning.

Dosa or Dosai or Thosai

2008-05-28T14:01:00.003+05:30

Dosa, Fish Head and Pol Sambol
Originally uploaded by pradeep jeganathan.

SC, the kind critter who cooks my lunch and does other house keeping things in the apartment, made dosai for lunch today. Which I had with fish head curry, and coconut sambol. I was very hungry, but I stopped long enough for a photograph.

when she makes it, and generally, when Dosa is made at home in Sri Lanka, at least in the south, which includes my mother's kitchen, and she is from the north, originally, as they say -- the thing is a soft, thick pancake.

but that's quite different, in size, texture and taste, from the south Indian variety, which I love even more -- crisp, paper thin, rolled up, and eaten with a wet coconut chutney.

Here is one I got from Shanthi Vihar, the restaurant at Thunmulla, in Colombo, served on a banana leaf, with red and green coconut chutney.

Bombs and Cream

2008-05-27T18:55:00.001+05:30

Sand and drift wood
Originally uploaded by pradeep jeganathan.

Nissanka who drives my car was turning into liberty plaza car park, when gold fm annouced the train bomb. inside, at the stationary store counter, i just said to the girl while she ran my credit card, 'another bomb, huh' (thava bombayak gihilla ne?) and she said, 'yeah, you'd be scared to just walk on the roads now.'
in keels, they didn't have the unsweetened cream and i needed for my mousse, and i had to get the pre-sweetened red man again. i asked a manager, and he was very helpful but they were out. then when i was signing my card slip, i saw news first, with footage of the blast. iasked the keels girl, 'how many have died? cos I couldn't hear the sound of the TV, and she said, 'its 7 now, isn't it?'

the guy took my stuff to the car which was two levels up, and when he was doing that, i just wanted to sit in the car park, and throw all that stuff i bought away, and just cry for this messed up country.
i but i didn't, i just went home.

today, ms. philomina, the kind, nice lady who cleans our building, she works for abans, really, but she is a regular, didn't come for work, and every one says she took that train every day, and she must have been on it.

i'm really hoping she is actually okay, and may be just took the day off?

Dinner at Elibank

2008-05-18T06:11:00.006+05:30

On Thursday, in pursuit food critique, I had a small dinner party - just two people, Jehan and Radhika— who thought they might enjoy my cooking, and comment on the new dishes I’ve been working on.

We started with grilled prawns, which I’ve been working on for awhile.
This time, I marinated the prawns in a prawns sauce, that I made with prawn shells and prawns, boiled for 20 mins, then pureed strained, boiled down again, until it halved, then blended, with a little olive oil, quite a lot of chili pieces and Thai fish sauce. I let the prawns sit in the marinate overnight, adding fresh pressed garlic, a tiny bit more oil, and pats of unsalted butter, right before grilling for 6 mins. (1.30 + 4.30, combo1 + grill) I think they were good; I may just declare this dish done!

The main course was pan roasted pork medallions, with a pineapple/wasabi glaze. Now, this is part of my pork roast extravaganza, that has been going on all month and I think just in time for Vesak, it may well have come to an end! Pan roasting the pork, works better in a way that oven roasting the whole cut, even though of course, nicely done dry roast has its own flavor, which is not what pan roasted gets you to. But its so much easier to manage in a way. I marinated the sliced (3/4 inch) pork in salted ( 2 teaspoons to 0.75 l --that's 3 cups) unsweetened pineapple juice over night. Then, I used a cup of the marinade, with a cup of fresh juice, and another of diced pineapples, for the base of the reduction, boiling that down, until the pineapple was soft, then pureeing it, and reducing until thick. That’s 30 odd mins of boring, hot work — but this time, I didn’t burn it! Adding wasabi to taste is easy, right at the end, once the pork has been pan roasted in medium heat for about 7 mins., total. Since I use cast iron pans, I just popped it in the oven ( at 5) for about 10 mins also, to giving it that dry roast tinge. May be that worked; but the pork was soft, succulent even, and glaze was done right. My guests suggested that I add a little unmixed wasabi on the side, which I agreed I should have. I should remember next time! The medallions were served over mashed potatoes with pepper, and iceberg lettuce, undressed, scalded spring onion shoots and pineapple slivers. Jehan suggested that the spring onions be slit, some thing Ritu also suggested, some months ago when I made a soup — but in the main, both my guests thought the glazed worked well the pork, and was well blended. I had the dish earlier in the day, when I did a trail run, and yes, I was pleased!

For desserts, and yes there was dessert; we had what called a Strawberry Bomb, soon, when its worked out to perfection to be called, Strawberry Orgasm. I’ve been on a strawberry trend for a few weeks now, so no surprises there, I guess. The base of this, is a strawberry vodka jelly, made with sweetened pureed strawberries, reduced to a cup, blended with a 1/3 cup of vodka, and jelled. On top is sweetened whipped cream, Red Man, again, and Strawberries one of which I embedded in the cream, and the others served on a small side dish. This is a dish you have to work on, dipping your strawberries in cream, waiting for zingy—tangy melt in your mouth vodka jelly below.

Strawberry Mousse

2008-05-14T10:27:00.007+05:30

made in the ordinary way, with 'red man' cream, which can be got in 1 liter cartons in the supermarkets. its a sweetened cream, which i do not like —but it whips very well. sri lankan, ‘sun grown’ (fresh from jagro) strawberries from radella, pureed, and folded it, with a little bit of geletin.

(i think the trick to a light mousse is to use less than they tell you to; that is if it is a fruit mousse.)

with strawberry vodka liquor and silvers of fruit on top - it was light and good.

Grilled Garlic Shrimp

2008-05-12T11:49:00.001+05:30

Grilled Garlic Shrimp
Originally uploaded by pradeep jeganathan.

i've been working on this dish for ever. at least four years. the classic way of doing it gives a sharp, strong flavor that lots of sri lankans like -- (that's garlic, chilli pieces, olive oil and butter) -- but i've been trying to improve on that.
in this variation, i marinated the shrimp in a puree of shrimp (2 to a cup of dry vermouth) boiled down with anchovies (4 small ones to the cup). after letting it sit in the marinade, i added the chilli, butter and for the olive oil, i used what was in the anchovy can.

it was good, but i am not sure its right. (:

Kithul Creams

2008-05-10T13:45:00.006+05:30

These little dishes are based on what's called 'small pots of cream' in French cooking, except of course, I used kithul treacle instead of sugar, and grated kithul jaggery as a topping, with a dollop of sweetened whipped cream to set it all off.
(recipe note: 1 cup of milk, 3 yolks, no whites, 1/3 cup of treacle, 6 mins@ 360)

its was quite good, but I'm still working on this variation.

Update: This recipe and photograph was published in print, in Spectrum: A Review of the Social Landscape, (March 2009).

Roast pork, with fruit relish

2008-05-07T16:22:00.004+05:30

Me? I've been roasting a lot of pork lately.
Trying to really understand how to do it well -- and make a memorable dish of it. Can't say I've got there yet, but hey its fun to try.
-- this loin was marinated in red wine vinegar, pineapple juice, over night, then stuffed with fresh pineapple and roasted. The meat was subtly flavored, I wonder if I could make that stronger.
Since not even I can eat a whole loin of roast pork at a sitting, I've been having this in sliced helpings over a few days.
When I warm it, I add a little sesame oil, and that really gives it fine, nutty overlay.
The relish is diced pineapple and mango with red chilli pieces -- some thing I've done with black bean beef earlier, on the blog.

Would you like try some? Seriously, if you are into food, and like the kind of stuff I cook (meats predominate right now) -- I'd like to hear from you -- if you can offer thoughtful comments on what you taste.
Really.
Leave a note on the blog or let me know on facebook, and I'll get back to you.

Happy New Year!

2008-04-14T20:59:00.001+05:30

New Year!
Originally uploaded by pradeep jeganathan.

Men Eating in Kolkata

2008-04-09T17:01:00.001+05:30

MenEating
Originally uploaded by pradeep jeganathan.

After awhile, some work and some travel -- a food picture again.

Cushions on a Sofa

2007-09-12T11:28:00.001+05:30

Cushions on a Sofa
Originally uploaded by pradeep jeganathan.

A lovely little restaurant and with a few cabanas, just over looking the water, at Pottuvil Point, way out in the east.

Fish (head) Soup, again

2007-08-31T11:25:00.000+05:30

Fish head soup, is a great favorite of mine. Perhaps its a gross out for some, but don’t avoid it, until you’ve tried it! I make by boiling the fish head to break it up, then browning it and simmering it for hours, with garlic, a few tomatoes, and black pepper. I add a little karavala (dried fish), washed out first in boiling water, quite early. This gives the soup a really special taste.

I’ve blogged about this before, but this time, after the soup was done, I strained it, and creamed it with coconut milk power, topping it off with blanched pokchoy; so it looked a lot more 'sophisticated.' Ha ha.
No, its not a karavala hodda, but it recalls that – a favorite thing of mine with rice – but is subtler, richer and crunchy on the touch with the greens.

Strawberries & Curd

2007-08-28T14:48:00.004+05:30

I’m back, after a break – for field work in the east, and other random office stuff.
But lots of new dishes are being planned, made and tasted, even as you read this, by the little and not so little critters who live on, and near the bar-counter top, in the Elibank Road apartment.

Today, I had fun with Strawberries.

Well Strawberries and Cream is a well known favorite, right – so I thought to try it with fresh buffalo curd, instead.

I diced 1 cup of strawberries, added ¾ cup of vodka, a pinch of salt and reduced it, until it was thick, adding about 2 table-spoons of sugar, and a few drops of white vinegar while it bubbled. I poured this into the bottom of the wine glasses, then liquidized the curd in a blender, adding that over the strawberry reduction, which was pulpy, since it was not strained, by not googy, and then let it cool in the fridge. After lunch, I topped it off with thinly sliced fresh strawberries dipped in the reduction.
The curd turns out well formed, and divides up the differently textured strawberries with its slightly sour, creamy froth. Yummy poo!

Update: Published in Spectrum, Feb., 2009:

Tomato soup & idly, with red chili, tomato chutney

2007-07-22T10:31:00.000+05:30

It turned out very complimentary – and so, I’ve declared them fused!

The tomato soup, started with a chicken stock foundation, a good amount of tomatoes, flavored with lots of ginger and garlic, spiced with white pepper and black, and highlighted at the end, with a little tomato puree, and sugar. So much for that.

Soup is always good with bread of course. And I love, kade paan. But then I had a thought: well soup is to bread, as idly is to sambar, right? So why not cross fertilized. And so, I tried the Tomato soup with idly. Now idlies, which I love, can be quite bland. What makes them go is the particular coconut chutney that goes with it. And if it’s a tomato, red chili chutney, you’ve really got things singing along.
The rich, yet clean taste of tomato soup was well complimented by the hot, spicy taste and soft texture of the chutney inflected idly.

Its a tribute to the taste of tomatoes, really.

Sandwiches

2007-07-18T14:41:00.000+05:30

Sliced roast pork, lettuce and tomatoes, with mayonnaise and butter, on toasted kade paan. Simple and tasty.

Tamarind

2007-07-13T11:29:00.001+05:30

Tamarind(i)
Originally uploaded by pradeep jeganathan.

Chicken Soup

2007-07-10T08:48:00.000+05:30

A simple soup.
I made this with chicken stock (chicken parts -- wings, necks, gizzards -- and a carrot, and onion stalks, simmered, skimmed and strained) and added rice noodles, and the small spring onions, which I let boil for a few minutes.

Jehan Mendis

2007-07-07T03:09:00.001+05:30

Jehan (iii)
Originally uploaded by pradeep jeganathan.

Jehan, in thought; discussing Tony Blair's legacy with Malathi de Alwis.

It was Shemani, Jehan & Malathi for dinner. I made roast chicken, with a kithul chili glaze, garlic butter potatoes, a red pepper, lettice salad and kithul ginger cream for desert. It was a so so meal I thought -- at least the chicken was decently roasted. There wasn't enough of the glaze, and perhaps the salad was soggy. Kothmale cream does not stand up, in its consistency, also.

But Jehan liked the chicken, Malathi the potatoes, and Shemani said the kithul cream was better that the arrack kithul panna cotta, she had the day before.

Tough critics, the lot of them -- But I enjoyed the evening a great deal!

A Girl Reading

2007-07-05T20:21:00.001+05:30

A Girl Reading
Originally uploaded by pradeep jeganathan.

Malathi's neice, Shemani, will be having dinner with us tomorrow.
I was thinking of roast chicken, with a kitul/red chili glaze, and butter potatoes, with jaggery cream, for dessert.
Lets hope it turns out well,
I think she might be hungry.

Mango Panna Cotta & Liquor.

2007-07-01T13:56:00.002+05:30

This is really similar to the Pineapple Coconut Panna Cotta I did a couple of weeks ago; except I used cream (Kotmale), instead of thick coconut milk, so it is more traditional as it were.
The mango substituted for pineapple, and I reduced it in white wine, pureed one half, adding cream and dissolved gelatin to this half, and a little vodka and sugar to the other half.
That’s what I call the liquor, and this goes in the bottom of the shot glass, with some small, dainty pieces of mango, from the reduction. If you don't have little pieces sticking up a tiny bit out of the surface of the liquor, you will have trouble keeping the two layers separate.
That's physics.
You can add a few more bits of mango, if you like – and then pour the creamed puree over it. Let it sit over night in the fridge, and then garnish with more slivers of mango.

Eat it when its cool, and savor the creamy mango layer, before swooping down with a eager spoon into the sweet, thick, mango-vodka nectar down bellow.
If only I had a longer tongue...!

And an update: Published in Zero77, Oct., 2007.

Rambuttans in Grape Jelly

2007-06-28T17:41:00.001+05:30

I’ve gone rambuttan mad, I admit. Since there are about every where now, I went off on a flight of fancy. I’ve never seen this done anywhere, so I don’t have a guide. Its just off the top of my head, or put another way, I’m off my head.

Stew, in a heavy bottomed pan, one cup grapes, two cups grape juice, one half cup vodka, and as many rambuttans, as you like. When the mixture thickens, remove the now slightly pink rambuttans. And puree the rest, and add a tea spoon of gelatin.
Drop a stewed rambuttan into a shot glass, then add another or two so that the thick white flesh just peeks out, and then pour the hot puree into to the gaps.
Let it sit in the fridge for a few hours, even overnight.
You have work at eating this, sucking the rambuttan, peeling the flesh off with your teeth, and wallowing in a some rambuttan grape jelly, before sucking on the grape flavored rambuttan at the bottom.
Or, arrange them like this.

There you are!

And now featured in lakbima. How about that!

Rambuttans

2007-06-27T17:15:00.001+05:30

Rambuttans
Originally uploaded by pradeep jeganathan.

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