Homemade Marshmallows Recipe

Ingredients
15 g gelatin, unflavored
225 g sugar
200 ml water hot
Powdered sugar for final touch up

Method
Soften the gelatin with 50ml of hot water (keep the bowl warm in the double boiler if necessary).
Melt the sugar in the rest of the hot water.
Pour the sugar water into the gelatin and mix them with an electric mixer for about 5 minutes.
The mixture will start to set once it cools, so quickly pour the mixture into the container.
Let cool for 6 hours.

Cloves

Extracted from ParadiseLanka

Dried Cloves

Cloves are the rich, brown, dried, unopened flower buds of Syzygium Aromaticum, an evergreen tree in the myrtle family. The name comes from the French "clou" meaning nail. Cloves have a strong, pungent aroma and tastes rather sweet. Traditionally, cloves have been used in spice cookies and cakes.

Cardamom

Extracted from ParadiseLanka

Cardamom

Cardamom is the seed of a tropical fruit in the ginger family known as Elettaria Cardamomum. The seeds are found in oval shaped fruit pods that are between 1/4 and 1 inch long. Cardamom has an intense, pungent, sweet flavor. A small amount of Cardamom will add a tempting flavor to coffee cake, Danish pastry, specialty breads and apple pie. Try Cardamom the Arabic way and add a little to your ground coffee before brewing, then sweeten and top with cream.

Cinnamon

Extracted from ParadiseLanka

Cinnamon Powder and sticks

Cinnamon is the dried bark of various laurel trees in the cinnamomun family. Cinnamon sticks are made from long pieces of bark that are rolled, pressed and dried. True Cinnamon is native to Sri Lanka. It has a strong, sweet and woody fragrance. Cinnamon is used in cakes, cookies, and desserts throughout the world. It is also used in savory chicken and lamb dishes from the Middle East. In American cooking, Cinnamon is often paired with apples and used in other fruit and cereal dishes. Stick Cinnamon is used in pickling and for flavouring hot beverages.

Sri Lankan Spices

Extracted from ParadiseLanka

In the 16th century Ceylon, as it was then known, was discovered by Portuguese who soon began trading in cinnamon and other spices like Cardamom and Cloves. The Dutch and British followed bringing with them their own history and influences, forming a strong Western presence which created a history of food expressed with spices which can be tasted in the dishes today.

Is it any wonder that the Spices which are a vital part of Sri Lankan food are used by her people with such ease, creating food that is unique and interesting, adding subtle flavours and aromas. It is an Ayurvedic belief that spices have healing properties that can enhance well being. The ordinary Sinhalese curry contains up to thirteen herbs and spices:

Chillies, coriander, cumin, curry leaves, fennel, fenugreek, garlic, ginger, lemon grass, lime, onion, and rampe and turmeric. Used in main meals to desserts and cakes, the islands food is expressed through vibrant colours and fragrant aromas of fresh spices. Roasting of spices such as cumin seeds, coriander and fennel to bring out their flavour is a method used to make a black curry, and the smell of a good curry powder being roasted can excite the senses to great heights.

To food lovers, Sri Lankan food is an expression of a colourful history and delightful surprise, just like the island.

How to make a cup of tea

All credit goes to www.cruftbox.com

First, you need fresh water. Pour out the water in the kettle from the day before. Pour in some fresh water from your preferred source. I use filtered tap water and am please with the result. Place the kettle on the stove get the heat going. Do not watch it.  A watched kettle will not boil. While the water is boiling, prepare the rest of the gear. You will need a teapot, a cup, a strainer, a teaspoon, and your favorite tea. Note my excellent teapot.  It's Japanese and I got it for a steal on eBay. Good tea does not come in tea bags. Good tea is loose and keep in a sealed container tin. I get my tea from Golden Moon Tea.  They have the good stuff. Now here is the tricky part. You need to measure out a heaping teaspoon of tea and put it in the strainer holder. Isn't it amazing that the teaspoon holds exactly the right amount of tea for a cup of tea. If you are making more than one cup of tea, then you should put in one teaspoon per cup. Some mention adding another teaspoon of tea 'for the pot', but I haven't found it necessary. Some people like to use teabags to skip all this, but that would be wrong. This poor woman is briefly dipping her crappy teabag Next, you need to warm up your teapot.  You want to make sure that the hot water used to brew your tea stays hot.  To ensure this, you want to warm up  the teapot with a little hot water before you begin to brew. Just swish it around the teapot for a few seconds and then dump it out. The teapot should feel warm. Now you are ready to put the tea in the pot. Just dump it in. Now pour in the hot water.  About a cup more that you are going to drink. The tea is now steeping in the pot. I let mine steep for about a minute. Too long, and the tea will be quite bitter. A few crazy types enjoy their tea with the leaves in the cup. These people are, of course, crazy. Use a small strainer to catch the tea leaves before they enter your cup. The cooking is complete. You have successful made a cup of tea.

DHAL(PARIPPU) VADAI

View original article from www.srilankanrecipes.info

Ingredients

3 cups dry chana Dhal
2 green chillies, chopped
2 tbsn red chillie powder
2 tbsn salt
curry leaves, chopped
1 tbsn Maldive fish(optional)

Method

Soak Dhal in water for 6 hours or more.Take 1/2 cup of it separately. Grind the remaining portion coarsely without adding water. Mix the ground dough with the remaining dhal.Then add chillie powder, chopped green chillies, curry leaves, salt, Maldive fish and mix it well. Heat oil in a pan , make small round balls out of the dough and fry until golden and crispy.

CUTLETS

View original article from www.srilankanrecipes.info

Ingredients
1 can Salmon or 1 lb ground beef /turkey
1 large onion chopped
2 or 3 green chillies finely chopped
2 cloves garlic chopped
Black pepper powder
Crushed red chillies
unroasted curry powder
1 tspn turmeric powder
Salt to taste
3 large potatoes
Bread crumbs
curry leaves chopped
Tamarind juice or vinegar
Cooking oil for deep frying

For the Batter
1 large egg
1 tbsn flour
Water

Method

If you are using Salmon drain the water and remove the bones and set aside. Heat a large non-stick pan and add a little oil.When it's heated add the chopped onions.When it turns golden brown add the chopped garlic, curry leaves, green chillies and stir well.Now add the Salmon or ground beef/turkey. Now add black pepper powder, curry powder, turmeric powder, Salt, crushed red chillies and stir well.If using salmon crush it well.Then add tamarind juice or vinegar and a little bit of lime juice and let it cook for a while. If using ground beef/turkey when it's cooked drain the excess oil.Let the mixture cool down.

Boil the potatoes well.Peel the skin and mash it well.Now add it to the meat or fish mixture and mix well.

Now make small balls out of the mixture and set a side.

For the batter, break one egg into a bowl and whisk it well.Now add flour and a little water and make a thick batter.

Drop the balls one at a time using a fork.Drain the excess batter and drop it into the bread crumbs and coat it on all sides.When everything is done heat a frying pan and deep fry the cutlets until it turns golden brown and serve.

TIP:When you are making cutlets for a party and if you want to make them ahead of time , make them and freeze them without deep frying. when it's time take them out of the freezer and deep fry them immediately. If not they might start to crack.

CHINESE ROLLS

View original article from www.srilankanrecipes.info

Ingredients

(1)Pancake batter
(2)Filling
(3)Rolls


(1) Pancake batter Ingredients
1 egg
1 cups flour
1 cups milk
1/2 tspn baking soda
1/2 tspn baking powder
pinch of salt

Method

Whisk the egg and add the rest of the ingredients and mix well. If the batter is too thick add a little water.

(2) Filling ingredients
1 lb minced beef or 1 can salmon
1 tbsp vinegar
salt to taste
1 tspn pepper powder
1 tspn red chillie powder
2-3 green chillies chopped
2 potatoes boiled and mashed
2 Bombay onions chopped
2 tspn soya sauce
2 bulbs garlic chopped
1 small ginger piece chopped

Method

Season the beef/Salmon with vinegar, salt and pepper powder and set aside. Heat a pan and add alittle cooking oil and add the beef mix. Then add the chopped garlic and ginger, cover and cook until well done. Now add the onions and stir fry until they are done. Finally spread the soy sauce and ketchup if desired and remove from stove. Add the mashed potatoes and mix well.

Add chillie and pepper powder according to your taste

(3) Rolls ingredients
1 egg
bread crumbs
Margarine
cooking oil for deep frying

Method

Heat very little margarine in a flat frying pan and add 2 table spoons of prepared batter and make a pancake. Toss on to a board and place a table spoon of the filling in the center. 

First bend the two sides and then roll up folding the two sides. Continue making the pancakes and rolls. It is important that you make the rolls while the pancake is warm so it would seal well. Now dip the rolls in whisked egg and toss in bread crumbs. Heat the cooking oil and deep fry the rolls. Serve with tomato sauce.

INDIAN PICKLE RECIPE

Spicy pickles are very important item in Indian meal. Pickles enhances the tastes of the meal and increases the satisfaction after every meal. Pickles are easy to prepare with right ingredients and can be preserved for months. Here you can find mouth watering homemade pickle recipes which have to be consumed with a few days and pickles that can be preserved for months.

INDIAN CHUTNEY RECIPE

Chutnies are important not only for snacks but they are an integral part of the main course too. Chutnies are generally spicy they can also be made sweet. In their absence an Indian meal remains incomplete. Find here different kinds of chutnies such as mango chutney, hari chutney, mint chutney or pineapple chutney. These chutnies can be served with kababs or aloo tikkis or with the vegetable pulao alike. Here we have collected few chutney recipies.

Indian Cabbage Recipes

View original article from Indian Foods Forever

Cabbage is known as "band gobhi" in India. It is used all over India to cook salad, soups, pickles, rolls & various vegetables etc. It is a rich source of Vitamin K, C & Riboflavin. Cabbage cleans the waste from the stomach and upper bowels which improves digestion and reduces constipation. It has been said that cabbage has been cultivated for more than 4,000 years and domesticated for over 2,500 years. Although it is often connected to the Irish, the Celts brought cabbage to Europe from Asia around 600 B.C. In India cabbage is used to cook aloo patta gobhi, matar patta gobhi, salad or the popular patta gobi parantha etc.

BACHELOR INDIAN RECIPES

View original article from Indian Foods Forever

If you are a bachelor, stuck up in an isolated place and missing your mom's cooking like anything, browse through this section for some quick and easy recipes. Yes, contrary to popular belief, plenty of bachelors around the world can whip up lovely delicacies in a jiffy, with whatever's available in the house. Conversely, many a married guy makes for the worst cook. However, bachelor culinary expertise is fast becoming an artifact these. days, thanks to frozen and take-away foods. Whatever be the ambience, check out these quick delights and have a rolling time 

No more ‘Top Ramen’ and ‘Sandwich’ days. Cooking yourself is not really tough. All you need is a few basic ingredients, without which Indian cooking is almost impossible, and we have the rest for you. 
Make sure to have the following in the kitchen: 
Red chilli powder 
Turmeric powder 
Coriander powder
Garam masala powder
Whole garam masala (peppercorns, cloves, cinnamon, cumin seeds, cardamom) 
Dried mango powder 
Pav bhaji masala 
Sambhar powder 

These ready-made powders are very convenient. Just add a teaspoon of sambhar powder to your dal and see the difference in taste it brings about.