Potato Stir Fry

Good side dish to have with white rice, or Sri Lankan style yellow rice, or lemon rice.

Ingredients

Serves 2-3

4 medium size potatoes boiled (pressure cook for 10 minutes, or boil water in a pan, add salt and potato let it boil for 30 minutes till potato is soft) – skin peeled and cut into cube sizes

1 sprig curry leaves

1 tsp mustard seeds

1 tsp fennel seeds

1 tsp turmeric powder

1 tbsp curry powder

2 dried red chili chopped

1 large onion thinly sliced

1 tbsp minced garlic & ginger 

2 tbsp vegetable oil

1 tsp lemon juice

Salt to taste

Method

Heat oil in a pan, sauté onion till it’s slightly brown. Add minced garlic and ginger, curry leaves, red chili, mustard seeds, fennel seeds sauté for 1 more minute.

Add potatoes, turmeric powder, curry powder mix them well. Add salt to taste. 

Turn off heat sprinkle with lemon juice.

Thai Yellow Curry with Red Rice

Ingredients

Serves 2-3

½ yellow pepper thinly sliced

1 celery thinly sliced

50g baby corn roughly chopped

1 leek halved and thinly sliced

50g sweet potato chopped

50g zucchini halved sliced

200ml pineapple juice

1 tbsp lime juice

1 tbsp low fat plain yoghurt

Fresh coriander for garnishing

50g red rice washed

200 ml coconut milk

2 tbsp vegetable oil

Spice paste

1 tbsp minced garlic and ginger

1 tsp turmeric powder

1 tsp coriander powder

1 lemon grass finely chopped

1 kaffir lime leaves torn

1 green chilli

1 onion chopped

1 tomato chopped

Method

To make the paste blend all spice paste ingredients into a smooth paste with 100 ml water.

Heat oil in a large pan sauté leeks and garlic ginger for 4 minutes, till leeks are wilted and changes colour.

Add spice paste, yoghurt and coconut milk and simmer for 5 minutes, till spices are combined with milk and oil starts to separate. Add rice mix well till it’s coated with spice paste.

Add 300 ml of water, pineapple juice, and sweet potato, mix well, cover the pan and let it simmer in low heat for 30-40 minutes till rice is cooked.

When rice is cooked add vegetable i.e. yellow pepper, baby corn, celery and zucchini simmer for 5 more minutes till vegetable are tender.

Turn off heat, season with lime juice. Garnish soup with chopped coriander.

Red curry Tofu Soup

This delicious noodle soup has Burmese origins but is now more closely associated with Thailand. It is the Thai equivalent of the Malaysian dish laksa.

Ingredients

Serves 2-3

100g tofu cut into cube sizes

2 tbsp dark soya sauce

1 red chilli chopped

1 onion chopped

1 tbsp minced garlic and ginger

200 ml coconut cream

2 tbsp curry paste (use curry powder mixed with water)

1 tbsp chilli powder

200g noodles

1 tsp turmeric powder

Spring onion & coriander leaves for garnishing

Method 

Stir fry tofu adding soy sauce, until it's brown. In the same pan add red chilli, onion, garlic ginger paste and sauté for a minute or two. Set them aside.

Pour coconut cream, curry paste, chilli powder, turmeric, and stir until colour changes and it forms into a thick paste. Add soy sauce, 1 bowl of water, stir and bring to boil for 5-10 minutes.

Separately cook or microwave noodles and set aside.

When soup is boiling add cooked noodles and fried tofu mixture, salt to taste and stir well.

Turn off the heat serve soup in bowls, garnish with spring onion and coriander leaves.

Cabbage, Capsicum and Leeks Varai

This is a Sri Lankan stir fry dish, with grated coconut. Coconut is one of the main crops in Sri Lanka, hence most of the Sri Lankan curries will be made either with coconut cream or shredded coconut.

You can apply the same method of cooking to prepare similar “varai” dishes, with other vegetables or greens of your choice. Some of them are grated beetroot, carrots, snake gourd, boiled and grated ash plantain, pumpkin, ribbed gourd etc.,

Serves 2-3

Ingredients

100g Cabbage thinly sliced

1 long capsicum sliced diagonally

½ leek stick finely chopped

1 tsp chilli flakes

1 onion chopped

1 dry red chilli chopped

1 green chilli chopped

1 tsp of each mustard and fennel seeds

Pandan / Rampe leaves (Optional)

2 tbsp Grated coconut

2 tbsp vegetable oil

Method

Heat oil in a large pan, sauté onion, green chilli, dry red chilli, mustard seeds, fennel seeds, pandan leaves (optional), and grated coconut for few minutes till coconut is slightly browned.

Then add chopped cabbage, capsicum, and leeks; stir fry for 4-5 minutes till vegetables are cooked.

Season with salt and chilli flakes. Serve with rice.

Split Pea and Pumpkin Soup

Yummy soup for a tasty vegetarian dinner

Ingredients

Serves 2-3

100g yellow split peas, washed

2 tbsp vegetable oil

1 onion chopped

1 tbsp minced ginger and garlic

400g pumpkin chopped

2 tomatoes chopped

Chopped coriander for garnishing

2 tsp cumin powder

1 vegetable stock cube

1 tsp chilli powder

1 tsp curry powder

1 tsp turmeric powder

Method

Heat oil in a large pan, sauté onion and ginger garlic paste for a minute. Add yellow split peas, bowl of water, turmeric powder, curry powder, chilli powder, stock cube, tomatoes, pumpkin and bring to boil in low heat for about 30 min’s till split peas and pumpkin is soft.

Season the with salt and pepper.

Ladle soup into bowls, garnish with coriander leaves.

Sri Lankan Lunch

Traditional Sri Lankan lunch is a colorful spread; main course is samba rice/red raw/ red parboiled rice, served with colourful curries, such as yellow curry – Dhal, Red curry – thick meat or vegetable gravy, green curry – leafy vegetable stir fry called mallum / keerai varai, and another stir fried vegetable curry. Lunch will be served with delicate wafers called papadums, and salty fried mor milagai (yoghurt chilis). This meal tastes good as it looks!

Above picture - Lemon rice, fried bringal curry, stir fried potato curry and cucumber tomato salad.

Red Parboiled Rice, served with Kangkung stir fry(green), cabbage potato curry(yellow), tofu and peppers stir fry, & potato gravy. Accompanied by crispy Pappadam and yoghurt chili (Mor milagai).

White rice served with Drumstick gravy(Brown), cabbage stir fry(yellow), fried egg plant, and Manathakkali keerai varai (Black Nightshade leaves stir fry). Of course meal is not complete without pappadam and yoghurt chili.

Green Pea and Spinach Soup

Spinach is rich in iron, calcium, folic acid, vitamin A & C. They are an inexpensive way of supplying necessary nutrition to our body.

Serves 2-3

Ingredients

2 tbsp vegetable oil

1 onion chopped

1 tbsp minced garlic & ginger

50g de-frozen green peas

50g de-frozen sweet corn

1 vegetable stock cube

Handful of fresh mint leaves

 300g spinach leaves roughly chopped

50g macaroni pasta

1 tbsp cream / yoghurt / milk

Salt and pepper to taste

Method

Heat oil in a large pan, fry onion and minced garlic and ginger for 2 minutes. Add stock cube one bowl of water, macaroni pasta and bring to boil.

Separately boil water in a sauce pan, when it’s boiling add ½ tsp salt, add spinach leaves, green peas and sweet corn. Leave it for a minute and drain water, set aside.

When macaroni is soft, add water, cream, salt and pepper to your taste. Turn off the heat add blanched spinach, sweet corn, green peas

Serve in soup bowls, garnish with mint leaves

Chunky Bean with Vegetable Soup

This is a classic rustic Italian Soup flavoured with rosemary, delicious served with chunks of garlic bread

Serves 2-3

Ingredients

100g cowpea (black eyed pea) – boiled

2 tbsp vegetable oil

1 onion chopped

1 tbsp minced garlic and ginger

1 celery stick finely chopped

1 carrot finely diced

1 tbsp tomato puree

½ tsp dry rosemary

1 bay leaf

200g tomatoes chopped

1 vegetable soup cube

Salt and pepper to taste

Spring onion chopped

Method

Heal oil in a pan, add onion, garlic ginger and tomatoes sauté for 3 minutes. Add soup cube, 1 bowl of water, rosemary, bay leaf, tomato puree and celery bring to boil for about 5 minutes.

Add carrots and cook till it's soft. Lower the heat, add black eyed peas, and salt to taste.

Serve in soup bowls and garnish with spring onion.

Fennel & Cannellini Bean Stew

Cannellini beans are popular in Central and Southern Italy, particularly in Tuscany. An excellent source of protein, iron, magnesium and folate; vegetarians can substitute this for fish or chicken. 

Serves 2-3

Ingredients

100g boiled cannellini beans

2 tbsp vegetable oil

1 tbsp minced garlic & ginger

1 onion finely sliced

1 leek finely sliced

400g tin tomatoes chopped

1 bay leaf

1 large fennel bulb, halved, and sliced

Salt and pepper to taste

1 vegetable soup cube

For garnishing

Mint leaves

Fennel leaves

Method

Heat oil in a large pan sauté onion, garlic ginger, leeks for 3 minutes, until it changes to golden brown colour.

Add fennel, tomatoes, vegetable cube, bay leaf stir for 2 minutes. Add 1 bowl of water and simmer the soup for 5-10 minutes.

When soup is simmering add boiled cannellini beans, salt and pepper, mix well.

Ladle soup into bowls garnish with mint leaves and fennel leaves.

Tofu and Chilli Soup

Ginger and lemon grass adds an aromatic note to this tasty, refreshing soup, simmered vegetables served over delicious noodle soup. The soft vermicelli rice noodles are the perfect foil to the crunch of the cooked vegetables, and soak up the flavoursome liquid of this soup wonderfully well.

Ingredients

Serves 2-3

100g firm tofu cut into cube sizes

1 tbsp minced garlic & ginger

1 lemon grass stalk, crushed to release flavour

2 fresh red chillis chopped

4 baby corns roughly chopped

1 carrot cut into thin sticks

1 vegetable soup cube

2 spring onions finely chopped

6 shitake mushrooms sliced

1 tomato chopped

1 tbsp tomyam paste

100g vermicelli noodles

2 tbsp soy sauce

2 tbsp sesame oil

Salt and pepper to taste

Method

Heat oil in a large pan; add tofu, mushrooms and soy sauce, sauté for 4-5 minutes. When tofu changes to golden colour, add minced garlic ginger, soup cube, lemon grass, tomato, tomyam paste stir well for 2 more minutes.

Add one bowl of water, baby corn and let the soup simmer for 5 minutes.

To cook the noodles, pour boiling water over vermicelli noodles, leave it for 5 minutes. When noodles are cooked drain water and set them aside.

When soup is simmering, add carrots and salt mix well.

Serve noodles in bowls, ladle soup on top, garnish with chopped red chilli and spring onion.

Red Lentil Tofu Soup

This attractive tofu and vegetable soup, made with cinnamon, is ideal for cold and hungry days, especially after energetic activities and long country walks in fresh frosty air.

Serves 2-3

Method

2 tbsp vegetable oil
50g firm tofu cut into cubes
1 onion chopped

1 tbsp soya sauce

1 tbsp minced garlic and ginger
200g tomatoes chopped
1/2 tsp ground turmeric
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon

1 tbsp tomato puree

1 tbsp curry powder
50g red lentils washed
50g boiled chickpeas  / can

1 vegetable soup cube
250g noodles
salt & pepper to taste
Coriander leaves for garnishing

Method
Heat oil in a pan sauté cubed tofu, with 1 tbsp soy sauce until they are brown and set aside

In a pan stir fry onion and garlic, ginger for 2 minutes. Add vegetable stock cube, 1 bowl of water, chopped tomatoes, tomato puree, curry powder, red lentils, turmeric and ground cinnamon. Stir well and cook for around 25 minutes, till lentils are soft.

When soup is simmering add chickpeas, salt, pepper and stir well.

Separately boil noodles and set aside. Serve noodles in soup bowls, ladle soup on top and garnish with coriander leaves and lemon slices.

Michael Smith’s Red bean & Rice Stew

This is a spicy stew, made with chili, red beans and rice, makes it a filling meal. Red beans are a good source of cholesterol-lowering fiber, when combined with whole grains such as rice, red beans provides virtually fat-free high quality protein.

Ingredients

Serves 2-3

50g red / white Rice washed

100g brown cowpea / kidney beans (boiled or canned)

2 capsicums finely chopped

2 Fresh red chillis finely chopped

1 tbsp curry powder

1 tbsp chilli powder

1 tbsp sugar

2 tbsp tomato puree

1 vegetable soup cube

1 tbsp garlic ginger paste

1 onion chopped

2 spring onions chopped

2 tbsp vegetable oil

Salt and pepper to taste

Coriander leaves chopped

Method

Heat oil in a large sauce pan, sauté onion, garlic ginger for 2 minutes. Stir tomato puree, curry powder, chilli powder, sugar, soup cube, capsicum and red chilli, stir well for 2 more minutes.

Add washed rice; mix well till rice is coated with all the spices. Add 2 bowls of water, lower the heat, stir well and boil for 30-40 minutes closing the lid.

When rice is cooked, add salt and pepper to taste, boiled cowpea / kidney beans mix well.

Serve stew in bowls garnish with chopped spring onion, coriander and fresh chilli.

Cowpea (black eyed pea) & Capsicum Stew

 

Cowpea (black eyed pea) combined with peppers, makes this soup rich in colour and nutrients. The protein in cowpea is rich in amino acids. Therefore, cowpea seed is valued as a nutritional supplement to cereals and an extender of animal proteins.

Ingredients

Serves 2-3

100g boiled cowpea (soak them overnight, boil in salted water for 45 minutes till they are tender, or use canned cowpea)

2 tbsp vegetable oil

1 tbsp garlic ginger paste

¼ of each red, yellow and green pepper thinly sliced

200g chopped tomatoes

1 tbsp tomato puree

1 vegetable soup cube

1 tsp dried basil

50g pitted black olives chopped

1 tbsp brown sugar

Salt and pepper to taste

Method

Heat oil in a large pan, sauté onion, garlic ginger, soup cube for 2 minutes. Stir tomatoes, tomato puree, red, yellow and green peppers stir well for 3 more minutes.

Add 1 bowl of water, basil, and sugar stir well; simmer for 10-15 minutes. Add seasonings and boiled cowpea, mix well and turn off heat. 

Ladle soup into bowls, sprinkle black olives and serve with crusty bread.