Coconut Sambol (Pol Sambol)

Devilled Chicken

Deviled Chicken is a quick and easy dish to make. It can be used as an accompaniment with rice, noodles, pancakes or even bread. I make devilled chicken specially when I buy bread for dinner as it goes down well with bread.

Ingredients

6-8 pieces chicken
100 gram chopped leek
2 big onions chopped
1 large tomato chopped
2 tablespoon vegetable oil
2 green chilies chopped
1 capsicum chopped
Salt and pepper to taste
2 tablespoon chili powder
1 tablespoon sugar
2 tablespoon tomato ketchup
2 cloves garlic
2 sprigs curry leaves
2 teaspoon corn flour

Recipe
Wash the chicken and put them on a pot cover with water, add 2 teaspoon salt and pepper each and bring to boil. Drain the chicken and keep the stock on a side.
Place a wok on the stove, add the vegetable oil and heat it up. Add chopped garlic, curry leaves and onions. Add the green chilies, leeks and capsicum and keep stirring. Add the tomatoes, chili powder, sugar and the boiled chicken. Add the tomato ketch up and mix well with the chicken. Mix the corn flour with the chicken stock and add to the chicken. Taste and add more salt if necessary.

Fish Patties

Fish Patties is considered as a short-eat food in Sri Lanka. Fish Patties is also a favourite food item during birthday parties and occasions. You can substitute fish and used minced chicken or beef. My hubby and daughter loves patties, so once in a way I try to oblige them, but it takes time so Patties is not a recipe you can try when you are in a hurry. Don’t whine it is actually a delicious treat once you make up your mind to try it.

Ingredients - Patties
½ lb. (250gm) flour
2 ozs. Margarine or pastry margarine
1 teaspoon lime or Lemon juice
2 egg yolks or 1 egg
½ teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon baking powder
4-5 tablespoon cold water

Ingredients – Filling for Patties
½ lb. (250gm) Potatoes
½ lb. (250gm) Fish
1 big onion chopped
2 green chilies chopped
1 capsicum chopped
2 sprigs curry leaves
2 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoon pepper powder
2 tablespoon vegetable oil

Recipe - Patties
Sieve the flour and baking powder together. Add salt and mix well. Mix the margarine using the fingertips until the mixture looks like fine breadcrumbs. Beat the egg and mix in to the flour. Add water and mix well and bind together to shape into a dough. Rest the dough ½ in the refrigerator.


Recipe - Filling for Patties
Boil the potatoes with the skin. When its thoroughly boiled peel off skin and mash them roughly. Boil the fish adding a pinch of salt and pepper. You can use Tuna or Seer Fish. If you are using the pre-cooked canned fish it is not necessary to boil them. Clean the bones of the fish and pound them.

Place a wok on the stove and pour oil. Fry onion, curry leaves, capsicum and green chilies. Add the mashed potato and Fish. Mix in well. Add salt and pepper.
To make the patties roll out the dough and cut rounds.

Keep each round on top of a patties cutter. Place a spoonful of curry and fold in. If you do not have a patties cutter nevertheless cut rounds and place a spoonful of filling fold in and secure the edges using fork. Place the patties on a floured plate. Deep fry in hot oil by turning both sides.

Noodles with Vegetable and Egg

Noodles with Vegetable and Egg is a quick and easy to make dinner recipe. You may substitute Egg with boiled chicken or beef. This dish serves 3 people.

Ingredients
15 oz. (400gm) Noodles
2 eggs
5 oz. (150gm) grated carrots
5 oz. (150gm) chopped leeks
4-5 tablespoon vegetable oil
3 cloves garlic
2 sprigs curry leaves
Salt and pepper to taste

Recipe
Cook the Noodles according to the instructions on the packet. Leave to drain. Mix with a little cold water and drain again.
Place a wok on the stove and pour the oil. Add chopped garlic, curry leaves, carrot and leeks and fry until the carrots are cooked.
Break the eggs into a small bowl. Add a pinch each of salt and pepper. Beat it up. Put some oil on a frying pan and make an omelette. Turn the omelette over the other side. Slide the omelette into a plate and cut strips. Add to the vegetables. Add salt and pepper, mix in the cooked Noodles. Serve immediately with tomato sauce or ketchup.

Vintage Car Embroidery

Vintage Car Embroidery

I have done this Vintage Car design on my little sons’ baby shirt. I think this Vintage Car design is very cute than the modern car patterns and think it came out all right. Let me know what you think.

• Sketch the design onto the cloth and fit the cloth into frame and tighten.
• Stitch the body of the car using red silk thread and satin stitch. The bumper in yellow silk thread and satin stitch. The hood in blue silk thread and satin stitch.
• The railing from the hood is done in yellow silk thread and outline stitch.
• Stitch the seat and steering wheel in black silk thread.
• Stitch the outline of the body of the car and bumper using black silk thread and back stitch.
• Finally stitch the wheels using black silk thread in chain stitch and straight stitch for the rim.


I am hoping to post the design patterns as a tutorial in future posts. In the meantime if you do have any question, please leave a comment.

Chili Potato Tempered

Chili Potato Tempered is a quick easy dish. It can be used as an accompaniment with rice, noodles, pancakes or even roti. This potato recipe is a hot and spicy Sri Lankan dish. If you would like to tone it down, reduce the amount of chili powder or add a bit of pepper powder instead of chili.

Ingredients

4 large potatoes
2 big onions chopped
1 large tomato chopped
2 tablespoon vegetable oil
2 green chilies chopped
1 capsicum chopped
1 tablespoon chopped Maldive fish
Salt and pepper to taste
1 tablespoon chili powder
2 cloves garlic
2 sprigs curry leaves

Recipe

Wash the potatoes put them on a pot and cover with water, add 1 teaspoon salt and bring to boil.
Peel the potatoes cut them into pieces and place aside.

Place a wok on the stove, add the vegetable oil and heat it up. Add chopped garlic, curry leaves and onions. Add the green chilies, capsicum and Maldive fish and keep stirring. Add the tomatoes, chili powder and finally the potatoes. Mix well and coat the potatoes with the tempered onions.

Hand Embroidered Baby Elephant

I have used this baby elephant motif on my little sons’ baby shirt. It is very easy to sew and does not take much time.

• Stitch the outline of the elephant using dark brown silk thread and outline stitch.
• Sew the eyes using the same thread and make French knots.
• Sew the tusk using off white silk thread on satin stitch.
• Sew the foot marks using black thread.
• Fill the elephant body using random cross stitch.

Do let me know whether this information is helpful. I will post on how to do specific stitches and the pattern later.

Spicy Chicken Pizza with Button Mushrooms

Spicy chicken pizza with button mushrooms is a hot version for someone who loves spicy food. My family loves homemade pizza as I am very generous with the topping.

Ingredients - Pizza

1 lb. (450gm) flour
1 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon olive oil
10oz. lukewarm water
3 teaspoons yeast
2 teaspoons sugar

Ingredients – Chicken and Button Mushroom topping

1 lb. (450gram) chicken breast
4 cloves garlic chopped
1 big onion chopped
1 big tomato cubed
3 capsicums chopped
1 tablespoon chili powder
1 tablespoon curry powder
Pinch saffron
½ lb (200gram) button mushroom sliced
2 sprigs curry leaves
1 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoon tomato sauce
1 tablespoon soya sauce
1 teaspoon pepper powder
2 tablespoon olive oil
8 oz.(200gram)mozzarella or processed cheese

Recipe - Pizza

Mix flour and salt in a basin. Make a hollow and add sugar and then yeast add the lukewarm water. Let the yeast dissolve in the water. Mix to a soft dough. Make a hollow and pour the oil and knead the dough for about 10 minutes. To test whether it is properly kneaded, press gently with a floured finger. If it rises quickly it is enough.Shape into a ball and leave it to rise until double the size or 1 hour.

Recipe - Chicken and Mushroom topping

Season the chicken, boil and shred it.
Place a wok on the stove and pour oil. Fry garlic, onion, curry leaves and capsicum. Add chicken and button mushrooms and mix well. Add tomato, curry powder, chili powder, saffron, pepper, and salt. Add the tomato sauce and soya sauce.
To make the pizza, punch the dough and take out the air. Roll out and cut rounds. Grease a baking tray and keep the pizza dough round leaving room to rise. Spread filling and flatten it. Sprinkle with grated cheese and bake in a pre-heated oven at 220C for 20 minutes.

White Sauce

White Sauce is the base sauce used as a component in the preparation of several casseroles, soups, gravies and sauces. It can also be used to thicken stews and gravies.

Ingredients

4oz. (100gm) flour
4oz. (100gm) butter or margarine
1 pint (500ml) milk
Salt and pepper to taste

Recipe

Place a pan on the stove and add the butter and keep on low heat. When the butter is melted add the flour and mix well. Let the flour cook well. Add the milk little by little and mix with a whisk to avoid clumps. Add salt and pepper.

Pasta with Sausage

Pasta with sausage is a quick and easy to make dinner recipe which will be a favourite among kids. You may substitute sausage with boiled chicken or beef.

Ingredients

15 oz. (400gm) pasta
5-6 sausages sliced
3 cloves garlic
2 sprigs curry leaves
1 large tomato cubed
1 big onion chopped
A piece of rampe
2 tablespoons oil (vegetable, corn or olive oil)
Salt to taste

Recipe

Cook the pasta al dente according to the instructions on the packet. Leave to drain.

Place a wok on the stove and pour the oil. Add chopped garlic, curry leaves, rampe, and onions and fry until the onions are browned. Add the sausages and tomato. Close with a lid and keep on low heat for 5 minutes until the sausages are cooked. Add salt and mix in the cooked pasta. Serve immediately with white sauce.