புளிக்கஞ்சி or puLi kanchi or Hot and Sour Rice Porridge

I am sorry I have been silent for a long time. Happy New Year! I started writing the following post on new year's eve. But, never got around to posting it.


Did I tell you that I was sick most of December?  I made puli kanchi(புளிக்கஞ்சி) when I was sick. In Sri Lanka it is one of the comfort foods to eat when you are sick. I came up with the translation Hot and Sour Rice Porridge. Let me know if you can think of a better translation. I made a big pot of  it and it was heavenly if I can say so myself.

Here is my version of the recipe.

Ingredients:

1 cup brown raw rice. Can use brown parboiled or white parboiled if you don't have brown raw rice.

5 or 6 shallots or 1/2 onion
5 or 6 cloves of garlic
5  green chillies. You can use more or less based on your tolerance for hot food
1/2  cup coconut milk
1/2 tsp turmeric powder 
1/2 tsp ground cumin - skip if you don't have it
1 cup peeled and deveined shrimp
lime juice from 1/2 lime.
1 cup murungai/Moringa/drum stick leaves - optional
salt to taste

I have to warn that all amounts are very approximate. I usually don't measure anything.

Method :

Ground paste

Boil the rice in 5 or 6 cups of water. Add more water if needed. While the rice is cooking, chop onion, garlic, and chillies  and grind them to a coarse paste. I used the magic bullet to grind them into paste. When the rice is cooked and soft and mushy add the ground paste, shrimp, coconut milk, turmeric powder, cumin powder and salt. Mix every thing. Cook for 10 mins.

Add the murungai leves if using. Alternatively you can add 1 cup of spinach, kale or any other green leafy vegetable.Cook for 2 mins.

Turn off the heat. Wait for 5 min for the porridge cool down a bit. Add the lime juice. A lot of people use tamarind juice instead of lime juice. But my mother has always used lime juice. So I used lime juice. In fact I called her when I was making it to confirm.

Serve hot. Yum.

Quinoa pittu

Quinoa Pittu or  Healthy pittu for lazy people or Gluten free pittu

Pittu(பிட்டு  or புட்டு ) is a staple food among Sri Lankans, especially among Tamils. It is also eaten by the people from Kerala, South India. But I don't think it is as popular. Usually it is  made from rice+wheat flour mixture. But it can also be made from other types of flour such as atta or kurakkan (குரக்கன் ) flour.

I don't usually make pittu at home because my kids won't eat it.  It is not worth the trouble to make pittu when both kids don't like pittu. Besides, it is easy to buy pittu when R or I feel like eating pittu.

When we visited London last summer, my cousin made couscous pittu for us. I thought it was a great idea because couscous pittu was easier to make, tasted the same as the traditional pittu and looked prettier( all tiny pittu beads will be the same size when you make pittu from couscous )

Since we have been eating quinoa a lot, I thought I'll try making quinoa pittu the same way as couscous pittu.  (Thanks to my cousin Ramani for the inspiration)

So I made quinoa pittu couple of night ago. It was very easy to make and tasted great.  I am sure it is also more nutritious than traditional pittu. Also it is gluten free. I have been trying to eat less wheat since hearing about the book wheat belly ( I never read the book, so I shouldn't comment )  I only used half the of the packet of quinoa for pittu since I was trying it out and didn't want to waste it in case the pittu was not edible, not that I have made inedible food ever before :-) I used the other half to make quinoa with mixed vegetables for kids.

Ingredients
1 packet of quinoa - I used PC brand 225 g  package.
Roasted rice flour - This is where I am going to get into trouble because I forgot to measure how much I used it. But I'll guestimate and say 1/2 to 1 cup for 1 packet of  quinoa.
Salt to taste
Coconut flakes - Shhh! Don't tell anyone I used desiccated coconut flakes. You can use fresh coconut flakes if you have them.

If you live in GTA, you can buy roasted rice flour in any Sri Lankan grocery store. If you live in a place where there are no Sri Lankan grocery stores, you can order them online. Or if you are like my brother you can stock up when you visit GTA.   Don't ask me how to make your own roasted rice flour. It is way too complicated for my cooking skills!

 Method

•  Cook quinoa according to package directions. 
• After you turn off the heat, let it stand only for couple of min. Then open the lid and fluff the quinoa with  a spoon. Add salt. Quickly add the roasted rice flour, little at a time, while mixing the mixture with a spoon. You want to add just enough flour to coat the quinoa. If you add too much you will have loose rice flour in the mixture. If the quinoa has cooled down and the rice flour is not sticking to quinoa, then you can add a few drops of hot water.
   
• If you are using desiccated  coconut add couple of tea spoons of hot water to the desiccated  coconut . 
• If you have a pittu steamer ( பிட்டு குழல் ) then you already know what to do next.  Pack the Pittu steamer with 1/2 tablespoon of coconut flakes then 1/2 cup Pittu mix, repeat until the steamer is full. Steam for 5 to 7 minutes, until the steam comes out the top of the steamer. Push the Pittu out of the steamer onto a platter using the back of a wooden spoon 

Pittu steamer

• If you don't have a pittu steamer, and you probably won't have it if you don't have Sri Lankan relatives, mix the pittu mixture and coconut flakes together.                       

• Steam the pittu  in a steamer approximately 7-9 mins until the pittu is cooked. If the holes of the steamer are too large, line the steamer with layers of cheese cloth.   
• Voila! You have made pittu. 
•  You can eat pittu with any type of curry or coconut sambal. 

Quinoa Anyone?

With all the hype about Quinoa, I assumed everyone know about it. So, I was surprised when one of my friends told me she didn't know what it is.  Even though I heard about a long time ago, I started cooking it only recently. It was a hit. Actually that is not true. 75% of the family loves it. N will eat it grudgingly, but she doesn't really love it.

Quinoa with mixed vegetables.

This is how I usually make it. It is pretty quick and we usually eat with fish ( Salmon). It is one of M's favourite dinners and he usually takes the leftover for school lunch the next day.

1 packet of Quinoa - I usually buy PC organic brand. You can use any brand.
1 cup of chopped vegetables - I use whatever I have at home. I have used carrots, broccoli,green onion, leaks, green peppers, swiss chard, and kale.
1 Tbsp of chopped onions ( optional ) I don't normally use it because N doesn't like it. I use green onions as part of other chopped vegetables instead
1/4 tsp - turmeric  -  (optional ) Gives quinoa beautiful colour.
1/4 tsp - cumin seeds (optional) - I use it because I am south Asian!
 1 Tbsp - oil
salt to taste
Cook quinoa according to package directions.  Heat oil. Add the cumin seeds and wait for them to pop. Add turmeric and mix with wooden spoon. Add the vegetables and let it cook for a few mins until the vegetables are soft. Add the cooked quinoa and salt. Turn off the heat. Mix everything together. You are done!

I also make Cous cous similar way. 

Quinoa and Tofu

Cous Cous , Salmon, Tofu and Kale chips

Yesterday I also tried making pittu with Quinoa. . I'll post the recipe for Quinoa Pittu tomorrow.

Easy peezy wattalapam(Coconut Custard) receipe

I am tired of posting about my Kitchenaid woes. If you really want to read about it, the posts are here and here.

I want a "feel good" post.  I think sharing a tasty dessert recipe is a sure way to feel good. This super easy recipe for wattalapam is from my sister-in-law. I am sure she won't mind my sharing the recipe with my 4.3 readers!

First of all, let me explain what wattalapam or coconut custard is.  This is a truly Sri Lankan dessert. It is made of Kitul(a type of palm sugar), coconut milk, egg, and spices. The Kitul and spices make it a unique tasting dessert. The traditional way of making it takes hours. You have to scrape coconuts, squeeze the milk from the scraped coconuts, break the Kitul jaggery into small pieces (traditionally it is sold as solids in the shape of half spheres)  and boil the pieces to make the syrup.

This recipe for wattalapam only takes about 15-20 mins. 

So, without further ado :

Ingredients
1 565 ml tin Kitul : I used MD Brand. If you are in GTA you can buy it at any Sri Lankan store. If you live in a place without any Sri Lankan stores  you can order it online. You can try substituting with maple syrup. But you will lose the yummy Kitul taste. If you are using maple syrup, you should use less than 565 ml, perhaps a cup and a half

2 tins (400 ml each ) of coconut milk

9 to 10 eggs

2 tsp ground cardamom

1 tsp vanilla

2 tsp ground cinnamon

Cashew Nuts : I usually use Cashew nuts. You can use other nuts if you want.

Method : Throw everything in a large dish  and beat really well. Pour the mixture into couple of 8x8 baking dishes or one large baking dish. Bake at 350 deg in water bath for 50 mins to an hour. Check by inserting a tooth pick or knife. If the custard doesn't stick to the tooth pick, then it is done.  The wattalapam has the consistency of caramel pudding.

Chop the cashew. Roast the cashew nuts in bit of butter. Sprinkle them over wattalapam before serving.

Unfortunately I never took a photo of wattalapam. I promise to take pictures the next time I make it. So you just have to use your imagination for now.  

You can half the recipe if you think it is too much. In my opinion, there is never too much of wattalapam! You can keep it in the fridge for 4-5 days or share the rest with friends, family or me.

If you are going to half the recipe and need a way to use the left over Kitul syrup. Top 1/2 cup of plain yogurt with couple of spoons full of kitul syrup. Voila! You have made another Sri Lankan dessert.

Recipe for wattalapam

Update : Here is an easier recipe for  wattalapam.

When I was invited to a party at my friend J's house last December, I told J that I would bring dessert. The morning of the party, I called my sister little sister to get her recipe for wattalapam.
When little sister found out that I had neither jaggrey nor fresh coconut milk she was horrified. In my defense, I was planning to use brown sugar and coconut milk from a can. Little sister told me if I am making the recipe for non-Sri Lankans who have never had wattalapamI should make it the proper way, NO SHORT CUTS!. So, I borrowed a coconut from her and jaggrey from my other sister, big sister and made the wattalapam. This is the advantage when you and your sisters live on the same street. You can just pop-by to borrow stuff!

It was a big hit at J's house. I typed up the recipe for J.

So, here is the recipe to make proper wattalapam

wattalapam

4 eggs
250g Jaggery 
2 cups thick coconut milk (from 1 fresh coconut, or if you don't know how to make the milk from fresh coconut, you can use the milk from a can, just don't tell my sister )
½ teaspoon cardamom
Pinch of clove
Pinch of cinnamon
Vanilla (optional)
Cachew nuts optional



1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees
2. Break the Jaggery into small pieces. I use a knife and scrape the Jaggery.
3. Put the Jaggery in a small pan pour ¼ cup of milk over it and heat on low to melt the Jaggery.
4. After the Jaggery is melted cool it down for few mins ( I skip this step when I don’t have time)
5. Beat the eggs.
6. Add the Jaggery mixture to the eggs mixture slowly and continue to beat. Be careful not to cook the eggs!
7. Add the milk, spices and vanilla and beat.
8. Pour the mix into a shallow baking dishes or several small (single serving) baking dishes
9. You can add some cashew nuts if you like.
10. Put the baking dish in a warm bath and bake and bake for 50 mins to one hour. Do the tooth pick test to make sure the wattalapam is cooked.
11. You can decorate it with roasted cashews or almonds. I roast the cachews in a tiny bit of butter and sprinkle on top.
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