Healthy Chicken Soup Noodles.

Soup noodles, it’s very famous among Singaporeans, Malaysians & Philippines. I remember I loved to have this soup noodles from the street shops in Singapore  when I was living there. I was so fond of most of the Singaporean, Malaysian and Chinese food.

Today I’m going to make, healthy soup noodles, which I inspired from Philippines batchoy soup. Originally batchoy soup consists pork fat, but my dish will contain only vegetable & chicken ham fat. 

After a tiring a day, this could be an ideal meal to gain your energy back. 

Let’s make it,

Ingredients:

• One pack of noodles (Boil them separately)
• Chicken ham or chicken pieces (If you are using pieces, tare the pieces if not can may use beef or pork as you prefer)
• Half an onion nicely chopped
• 01 carrots (Finely grated, in medium size)
• 10 beans (Cut into small pieces)
• 04 mushrooms (Cut into 4 pieces)
• 04-05 cauliflower & broccoli brunches (Half boiled them)
• Hand full of spinach 
• Salt & pepper

• Eggs (Pouched them)

How to make it:

• Heat a pan with some butter or margarine.  (I usually do not use oil for soups. I believe it doesn’t give the right consist.)
• Fry onions until it turns into transparent. Then add chicken ham or tiered chicken pieces.
• Then add all the vegetables except for spinach.
• Add 04 cups of water, salt and pepper accordingly and boil for a while. 
• Just before serving, add the spinach and leave to for a few minutes to absorb the flavors. 

And now it’s ready to serve… 

Serving:

• Place some boiled soup noodles in the center of the bowl.
• Then pour the broth in the same bowl. 
• Serve with a poured egg.

Enjoy the lovely meal !!!!

Creamy Salmon Chowder !!

This is an easy peasy healthy soup recipe.  It’s a great family meal, which gives you lots of calcium. I will pick salmon fish to make this soup. I could not replace any other fish with salmon, just because it gives the real feel of having a rich nurtures bowl of soup.  Even you were on a busy day, this could be a proper meal. Apart with the soup I’ll be severing it with some home made garlic bread.

A few things to grab,
Ingredients:

• 400g of salmon fish (Cut into cubes marinated with salt and pepper, then boiled for a few minutes. Will be needing the stock to make the soup)
• A full cup of fresh cream
• Half a cup of water
• One half boiled big size potato
• One half boiled big size carrot 
• Few half boiled mushrooms 
• Nicely chopped one onion & tomato
• Half boiled green peas (For garnishing)

How to make:

• Heat the pain with some butter. And, fry all the onions, until it gets transparent. 
• Then add half boiled potatoes, carrots & mushrooms, fry them with the onions.
• Add fish stock & fresh cream into to the same vegetable mixture. 
• Let the broth get boil and bit thicker. 
• Check salt and pepper. 
• When the broth starts get little lumps, then its time to serve. Just before serving, add the boiled salmon cubes. Just to get well combine with the broth.

        

Now serve the Smoked Salmon chowder with garlic bread. Garnish with some green peas.

It’s a whole meal with full of energy.

You may enjoy the meal !!!


A small tip for making homemade Garlic Spread,

Cornish Pastries (Spicy Sri Lankan Pastries) !!

As soon you heard of pastries, it’s more difficult than eating a pastry for anyone who think of making it. First of all I really didn’t have a simple clue how I’m going to make it.  Have seen pastry dough’s has to roll, fold and again roll to get the  certain thickness and crispiness. 

As I’m going to demonstrate how I made the traditional Cornish pastry dough is simply fast and easy to make.  The traditional Cornish pastries were started making from Cornwall district in Britain. And the genuine Cornish Pastry has a distinctive “D” shape and crisp on one side. Someone may call it, beef patties or pastry. Since traditionally it’s made with beef  (minced or steak) and potatoes. Since I’m going to make my own way of Cornish Pastry, I would rather call it, Spicy Sri Lankan Pastries. 

Preheat the oven to 350` for 12-15 minutes

Ingredients:

For Dough:

• 500g of flour
• 250g of butter or margarine
• Pinch of salt
• ¼ cup of water

• 01 beaten egg to grease pastries to get the nice crisp & shine on of the pastries. 

For Filling:

• 400g of corn beef (Can be use minced meat too)
• 02 big size potatoes (Cut into small cubes and half boil)
• 02 big size carrots (Cut into small cubes and half boil)
• Half a tin of green peas
• Some spinach & mushrooms
• 1/2 a cup of chopped or diced onions
• Finely chopped garlic
• 01 chopped tomatoes 
• Finely chopped green chilies 
• Salt, pepper & chili powder
• Few tsp of soya sauce

Instructions for making of Dough:

• Pour the flour in a large bowl and season it with a pinch of salt. 
• Add the butter or margarine to flour and make small crumb pieces. Until you make them nice and fine crumbs.
• Now, finally add water little by little make the crumbs into a nice dough. Cut the dough into 6 equal pieces. Leave it for one hour.

Instructions for making of Filling:

• Season the corn beef with spices and soya sauce. Add the diced onions, garlic, tomatoes and green chilies into the same beef mixture.
• Heat the pan with some oil and add the beef mixture and cook them nicely.
• Then add half boiled potatoes, carrots, green peas & rest of the vegetables. 
• Leave the mixture aside to cool.

Making of Pastry:

• Roll each dough ball to the thickness of 2mm.
• Take some filling and place in the middle of the rolled dough. Apply some beaten egg around the  dough, except for the filling area. 
• Fold the pastry, makes the design of your own.
• I’m going to fold it and twist the ends and join the both ends. 
• Finally, drizzle some olive oil on the pastries. Apply some beaten egg too. 
• Keep the pastries on oven until it gets a nice golden color.

Enjoy the meal !!!

Seeni Sambol (Sweet Onion Relish) ..

100% Sri Lankan food anyone would love to taste. As soon as it sounds, “Seeni” mean sugar. It’s a sambol combination of sweet, sour & spicy.  It’s easy to make can keep it for a while. I remember when I was schooling, my mother used to make me seeni sambol sandwiches. Not only that, there are seeni sambol buns or else can serve it with rice or bread. Especially with yellow rice or lump rice.  

The traditional seeni sambol we add dry Maldivian fish. But, if for vegetarians can be used except for dry Maldivian fish. I remember sometimes, my father loves to make this dish with dry cuttlefish or small dry fish (sprats). One more thing he used to say, it’s always good to use small onions (Shallots) for seeni sambol more than big Bombay onions. He believes it has more taste and the flavor. I have tried both,  it truly has quite a different taste.

I will be making this seeni sambol quite differently, since I would love to share the same with you all.  
Let’s start making “Seeni Sambol”

Ingredients:

• Nicely diced 04 Bombay onions or 1kg of shallots
• 1/2 a cup of tamarind juice (if not vinegar)
• 02 tbs of chili flakes
• 02 tsp of chili powder
• 1 tsp of saffron powder
• 01 sticks of cinnamon
• 10 – 15 cloves & cardamoms 
• 02 stings of curry leaves
• 02 tbs of sugar 
• Salt

As I said I love making “Seeni Sambol” with a bit of Maldivian fish or some dry fish. So I’ll be using, Maldivian fish about 300gs, since I couldn’t find any other dried fish this time. 

Also, I’ll be using 200gs of raisins to add a bit of a flavor.

Instructions:

• Add the diced onions in a large bowl and seasoned with tamarind juice, chili flakes, chili powder, saffron & salt.
• Then heat some oil in a deep pan on a very low flame. 
• Then, add cinnamon, cardamoms, cloves & curry leaves. Fry them a little.
• As I'm adding Maldivian fish into my seeni sambol, now it's time to add it. Just before onions. Since it has to fry a little bit. 
• Add the seasoned onion mixture into pan. 
• When the sambol is nicely blended, add raisins and sugar.
• Stir well and cook for a while until the onions turns into a nice dark color. 
• Turn off the flame when the sambol is cooked properly. 
• Leave the seeni sambol aside for a few minutes.
• Then it may contain on the jars (air tight), can be used for a long time. 
• Always keep it in a refrigerator. 

Try some seeni sambol with toasted bread for breakfast. Hope you all will love it !!!

Fluffy Chocolate Butter Cream Cake !!

As I was experimenting some cake recipes last few months, finally I came up with a mini version of a cake. It's the same chocolate cake, but slightly differs from how it presents; with some chocolate frosting and roasted nuts. As I would say this chocolate cake has more flavors other than a chocolate cake. Since I have used espresso & bit of Rum to keep the cake more alive. For my Fluffy Chocolate Butter Cream cake I'll be arranging in a shot glass, but it would work on a small cookie jar too. 

Ingredients:
For Chocolate Cake:

• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 2 cups sugar
• ¾ cup cocoa
• 2 eggs
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1½ teaspoons baking soda
• 1 teaspoon espresso powder
• ½ cup milk
• ½ cup (vodka/rum or brandy) 
• ½ cup butter or margarine
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract

For Chocolate Frosting:

• 1½ cup of butter 
• 1 cup cocoa 
• 5 cups icing sugar
• 1/4 cup milk or heavy cream
• 1/4 cup (vodka/rum or brandy) 
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• ½ teaspoon espresso powder
  
  Instructions: Preheat the oven to 275C.

Making the Chocolate Cake:

• Add flour, sugar, cocoa, baking powder, baking soda, salt and espresso powder in a large    bowl or the bowl of a stand mixer. Whisk through to combine flour mixture.
• Add butter or margarine, eggs, and vanilla to flour mixture and mix together on medium speed until well combined. Beat well. 
• Then add heavy cream for just to get the batter creamy. Add vodka/rum or brandy too. 
• Bake the cake for 10 minutes. (Check the oven time to time, it may differ).

(Once you take out keep it cool for half and hour or maybe one hour, to start decorating.)

Making the Chocolate Frosting:

• Add cocoa to a large bowl. Whisk through to remove any lumps.
• Melt butter and pour into bowl with cocoa powder. Whisk together until well-combined.
• Add sugar and milk to cocoa mixture by adding 1 cup of sugar followed by about a tablespoon of milk. After each addition has been combined, turn mixer into a high speed for about a minute. Repeat until all sugar and milk have been added. 
• Add vanilla extract and espresso powder and combine well.
• If frosting appears too dry, add more milk, a tablespoon at a time until it reaches the right consistency. If it appears too wet and does not hold its form, add more icing sugar, a tablespoon at a time until it reaches the right consistency. 
• Finally, add vodka/rum or brandy. Don't make the frosting too wet balance it properly.  

Decorating the Fluffy Chocolate Cake:

• I would like to take a shot glass to arrange the cake. 
• Gather some nuts as you prefer. (I have arranged almonds & walnuts, before using make sure, to roast them in a pan, just to season it and cut into small pieces.)

Let's start laying the cake...

• As I'm going to use a shot glass for cake. 1st I have to cut the cake into small circles using a cutter. 
• Then start with cake layer, some roasted nut layer, some chocolate frosting layer, repeats the same again and again until you fill the whole shot glass. 
• For the finishing, you may use same chocolate frosting icing or if not some whipped cream.

• If you are planning to layer the cake use the same method as in shot glass, in between every layer use frosting first then covered with roasted nuts. Then again the cake layer, frosting & nuts ....

Now you may serve the guests !!!!

 

Hope you all will like it !!!

Home made Pizza with a Sri Lankan twist!!!

I have tried several pizza recipes, but I couldn’t find a proper pizza dough recipe for a long time. Some recipes dough gets so hard, if not some may very chewy or sticky. After hunting for so many pizza dough recipes I did come up with my own, which I started practicing for a long time. I made pizza with the same dough several times. My husband seems to be so fond of my home made pizza. Not just because, I made them, I think he loves the thin crust and pizza filling I’m using. May be a little bit of LOVE I add to make it … ;)

I usually do not follow any standard guides to make food. I have my own way of doing it. Therefore, I won't use the same Italian pizza filling for my pizza, it may look more Asian twisted pizza. 

I’m a instagram freak. I have shared a few images of home made pizza in my profile. After awhile I started getting calls and comments asking for the dough recipe. So finally I thought of sharing in public, as you all may would like to share what I experienced. Here we go, let’s starts rolling … :)

Ingredients:

For dough: (Makes two large pizza's)

• 600g (4 cups) plain flour
• 375ml (1 1/2 cups) warm water
• 2 tsp of dried yeast
• Pinch of sugar
• Salt
• 60ml (1/4 cup) olive oil, plus extra for brushing

For filling: (In my Asian twisted way)

• Any meat. (Chicken, Beef, Fish or Sausages)
• 1/2 a cup of chopped or diced onions
• Finely chopped garlics
• 01 chopped tomatoes 
• Finely chopped green chilies 
• Salt, pepper & chili powder (If necessary saffron powder)
• Few tsp of soya sauce

For dressing:

• 1/2 a cup of tomato puree
• 250g of mushrooms (Cut the mushrooms side ways and half boiled them)
• Olives & grated cheese 

Instructions: 
Preheat the oven for 275c.

Making the dough:

• In a small cup, add yeast & sugar finally, add 2tbs of warm water, mix it and leave it to active the yeast. 
• Add the flour, salt in a large bowl, make a small hole in the middle, then add the yeast mixture, olive oil & rest of the warm water. Mix it until it makes a nice dough. 
• Cover the dough with a clean white cloth, leave aside for 1 hour. 

Making the filling:

• Heat the pan with some oil or butter. 
• Add all the ingredients under filling mixture. Finally add salt, pepper and the rest of the spices as you prefer. 

• After one hour, roll up the dough and divided the dough into two separate portions. 
• Roll the dough, in a pizza tray and keep in the oven for 3 Sec until dough gets bit bake. (Should bake half way).
• Once the dough is done half way, turn the dough upside down and grease the dough with tomato puree or some other sauce or topping you prefer. 
• Then add the filling on top of it,  then half boiled mushrooms and olives, finally covered with cheese. 
• Again, put the pizza into the oven for a few minutes, until the cheese gets melted.  

Serve yourself with a glass of coke!!

Stuffed cabbage rolls in the Sri Lankan way.

Being a Sri Lankan, I have seen my mother and grandmother making stuffed chilies.  Some people make it as a curry, and some may do it as a snack. I love the both way’s; it’s just mouth watering !!!
As the same way we can use stuffed brinjals. And also cabbage.

My dish has been inspired from a traditional Eastern European dish from Poland. It’s called Golabki. I have made a few changes as I would like to add some authentic Asian flavors to my recipe.  Traditionally, there have been used minced pork to make this dish. But, I will leave it for you all to decide which minced would make your dish best.

Definitely this dish is going to be a family dish. I have seen mother’s keep worrying how they are worried about feeding their kids. I think this recipe might help them a lot. It has loads of nutrients at the same time kids will love it too.

Ingredients:
A big cabbage

For filling:

• Any minced meat about 500 g (I have used minced beef)
• 01 cups of cooked rice
• 01 cups of nicely chopped onion
• Chopped garlic cloves
• Chopped green chilies
• Nicely diced half a tomato
• Chopped few curry leaves 
• 01 egg
• Salt, pepper & chili powder

For sauce:

• 02 cups of tomato puree 
• 01 cups of nicely chopped onion
• 01 cups of water
• 01 cups of heavy cream
• 2 tbs of vinegar
• ½ a cup of boiled chickpeas
• Finely chopped parsley
• 01 sticks of cinnamon 
• Salt, pepper and chili powder

Instructions:

• Half boiled the cabbage leaves leave it aside.
• Beat the egg and keep it separately.

• Mix all the ingredients under filling. Add salt, pepper and chili powder as prefer. Finally, add beaten egg into the filling. 
• Try to mix all of them as a dough. 
• Use 2 tbs of filling to make small cutlets like round and flat. (Depends on how big are the cabbage leaves)
• Place the cutlet in the middle of the cabbage leaf, 1^st close the bottoms, then sides, then roll the rest and use a tooth pick to hold them properly. 
• Leave the stuffed cabbage rolls aside. 

• Heat a pan with some oil, then add the onions. Fry them until it turns into a nice golden color. 
• Then add tomato puree, water, heavy cream, vinegar, salt, pepper & chili powder. 
• Stir all together. 
• Add the cinnamon stick.
• Dip all the stuffed cabbage rolls on the sauce. Make it boil for a while. 

• When you feel the meat is cooked inside the cabbage leaves, then add the Chickpeas. Leave for a while to absorb the flavors into chick peas. 
• When the sauce gets thicker, leave the pan from heat.  Finally, add some finely chopped parsley to get the nice smell. 
• Before serving, throw the cinnamon stick. 
• Now you may serve stuffed cabbage rolls with rice or pasta. 

Enjoy the meal !!!