recipes

sando-style cheese toasties, three ways

Here at it with our food milestones! This week we commemorate #NationalCheeseToastie Day and #NationalSandwichDay all in one go with with a homieats-inspired sando-style cheese toasties.

The flavours are inspired by our very own homies and have us experiment every type of cheese possible, check them out below!

sundried tomato sando

homieats-created

This is our comfort food or really lazy day go to food. Top it with butter and toss it on our grill, with a sunny side-up on top, we can easily get through our day!

spicy prawn & bacon sando

ruth-inspired

Ruth loves a prawn and bacon combo – if she had her way, she’d do it with crayfish but hey, got to do with what we could find in London! And throw in some spice, and we’re goood.

saganaki sando

asiyo-greek-inspired

Asiyo’s got a real sweet tooth and wanted some honey on her toast. So we took inspiration from Greece’s saganaki – a hard cheese appetiser that is pan seared and served with honey, figs and nuts.

sundried tomato sando

the stuff

the filling:
sundried tomatoes
sundried tomato pesto

the cheese:
a slice of gouda or emmental (or both)
edam, grated

the method

On the inner sides of two bread slices, slather some sundried tomato pesto.
Add a slice of gouda.
Drop some sundried tomatoes on top.
Grate that edam.
Slather that butter on top and grill.
Make a sunny side up if you fancy.
BITE INTO THAT CHEESY YOLKINESSS.

spicy prawn and bacon sando

the stuff

the filling:
bacon
prawns
chilli powder
pepper

the cheese:
a slice of red leicester
comté, grated

the method

Cut bacon into little bits.
Fry bacon bits until they are brown and crispy.
Cut prawns into little bits.
Toss them into the bacon mix and fry till they turn pink (add a little butter if it needs a bit of grease).
Add some chilli and pepper and mix.
Now to assemble. Add a slice of red leicester on one side.
Add a spoonful of the spicy prawn and bacon combo.
Grate some comté on top.
Butter the tops, grill and enjoy that cheese pull!

saganaki sando

the stuff

the filling:
pistachios or walnuts, chopped
honey

the cheese:
saganaki or kefalotyri or any greek hard cheese

the method

Cut a slide of saganaki and grill it on a iron cast pan first.
Scoop that onto a bread slice.
Top with some chopped nuts.
Drizzle some honey.
Top with another slice of cheese on top.
Butter the tops, and drop into the grill.
That grilled cheese and honey, HEAVEN.

recipes

bhajji skewers, four ways

Happy Deepavali/Diwali to all our homies celebrating! We went all out with a bhajji skewer, taking inspiration from bhajjis across South Asia.

Bhajji is honestly the go-to tea-time snack and it can be made with basically anything. We enjoyed with friends with some barfi and masala chai.

onion bhajji

south indian-inspired

Everyone loves a onion bhajji, do we need to say anything more! Just find out how to make it and enjoy it with some masala chai.

potato bhajji

amma-inspired

The bhajji we’ve ever known for the longest time is the potato bhajji – because that’s what amma makes as an easy, go-to weekend tea time snack. It’s so nice to have piping hot bhajis just fresh out of the pan.

bread bhajji

south indian-inspired

Apparently, this is a South Indian street food snack – it’s like french toast but Indian version. We only learnt about this when amma said, it’s the easiest bhajji to make. You can spice this up with a potato or a cheese filling, whatever flows.

chilli bhajji

ceylon-inspired

In any Tamil store you’d probably find a chilli bhajji made with pointed peppers or jalapeños. The heat you feel after biting into one just hits differently, and then take a sip of tea, mmm!

onion bhajji

the stuff

the main:
2 large onions
coriander

the batter:
gram flour
chilli powder
cumin powder
garam masala
turmeric
salt
3-4 tbsp water

the method

Slice onions thinly.
Chop the coriander.
In a bowl mix the gram flour with all the spices.
Mix the onions and coriander in and let it sit for an hour.
The juices from the onion should create a batter but if not, add a bit of water until there’s a thick paste holding everything together.
Heat oil in a frying pan on medium flame.
Scoop a bit of the mixture, tap it flat and gently drop into the oil.
Wait till it browns.
Have it with a spicy siracha sauce or coriander-mint chutney!

potato, bread and chilli bhajji

the stuff

the main:
potatoes, sliced
bread, sliced
jalapeño or sweet pointed peppers

the batter:
2 cups gram flour
1/2 cup rice flour
2 tbsp plain flour
1/4 tsp baking powder
salt to taste
chilli powder to taste
cumin powder or crushed cumin
ginger-garlic paste
1-1/2 cup water

the method

Mix the dry ingredients – gram flour, rice flour, plain flour, salt and all the spices.
Add water slowly until you get a thick batter – a bit like a pancake mix.
Heat oil in a frying pan – high enough so the bits don’t stick to the pan.
Keep the oil on medium flame to ensure they brown evenly.
Now you just dip the vegetables or bread in the batter and drop into the oil (okay don’t drop or it’ll splatter and it’s a mess).
Turn them around in the oil so every bit becomes real nice and brown and crunchy.
Have it with a yoghurt sauce and a masala chai on the side!

chocolate feast

recipes

choco feast

Feels like there are way too many food “milestone” days. But hey, we ain’t complainin.

This week is #NationalChocolateWeek and we bring you some easy, chocolate recipes we’ve accidentally came up with from our kitchen – through travel, from amma and strangely, at work!

You wouldn’t want to have them all at one go, or would you?

mochaccino

barcelona-inspired

During our holiday in Barcelona, we went by Pans and Company, every morning to have that shot of espresso with whipped cream on top, best way to start a day. We now indulge in at home after a long day at work!

chocolate pudding

jaffna-inspired

The pure milk version is what you’d commonly find in Sri Lanka and other Spanish/Hispanic countries like Philippines (Leche Flan) and Peru (Crema Volteada). We don’t do sweet that much so we always add dark chocolate in it, because we love to indulge in richness. It’s traditionally steamed but amma finds that process tedious so we take her footsteps and bake it in a water bath, heh.

chocolate lava cake

everywhere?

Apparently a French chef invented this in New York (thanks Wiki!) I first learnt how to make this at a work social cooking Masterchef type event. I was surprised at how easy it is to make and tried it at home. It came out perfectly – only for amma to tell me, it’s essentially half-cooked cake, I mean, she ain’t wrong.

mochaccino

the stuff

2 tbsp cocoa powder or 1 tbsp cocoa and 1 tbsp coffee
2 tsp sugar
boiling water
dairy cream

We got our dairy cream at M&S!

the method

In a glass add the cocoa powder (or cocoa + coffee alternative) and sugar.
Add a bit of boiling water just to cover the powder.
Stirrr it till they’re well mixed.
Press on that dairy cream can as much as you like.
INDULGE.

chocolate pudding

the stuff

6-8 eggs
1 tin condensed milk
equal portion whole milk
4-6 tbsp cocoa powder
1 tsp vanilla essence

the method

Pre-heat the oven at 180°C.
Open the can of condensed milk and pour into into a blender / food processor.
In the same can, fill it with milk. Stir it clean so you can get all that condensed milk that didn’t get through the first time.
Pour in the milk.
Crack open all them eggs.
Sieve the cocoa powder in.
Drizzle in that vanilla essence.
BLENDDDD till its a smooth, chocolatey mixture.
Boil a kettle of water.
Place a baking tray into a larger baking tray.
Pour the chocolate mixture into the small baking tray.
Carry the two trays together and put it in the oven.
Pour the boiling water into the larger tray to create a water bath (remember not to spill into the chocolate mixture!).
Bake for about 20-30 minutes, the inner tray would stop jiggling.
Let it cool, leave it in the fridge and cut a slice the next day! Enjoy it with cream, coffee, berries, or on its own.

chocolate lava cake

the stuff

60g butter, cubed
40g chocolate, chopped
1 egg
1 egg yolk
15g flour
15g sugar
1 tsp salt

the method

Butter or oil two ramekins and dust them with flour or cocoa powder.
Mix the flour, sugar and salt in a bowl.
Crack the eggs and whisk until there are no lumps.
Melt the butter and chocolate in a saucepan at low heat until melted and mix together to become this velvety, silky mixture.
Pour that velvety, silky chocolate mix into the mixture of eggs and whisk again.
Pour the mixture into the ramekins, fill them up to 3/4 height.
Put this in the fridge over night or in the freezer for 15 minutes. THIS IS KEY FOR DAT LAVA.
Pre-heat oven to 220°C.
Pop the ramekins from the fridge to the oven for 10 minutes.
Take them out, flip it over with some oven mittens.
CUT RIGHT THROUGH AND DROOL AT THAT MELTING SILKY VELVETY CHOCOLATE.

kare pan, two ways

recipes

kare pan, two ways

It was #NationalCurryWeek in the UK… (#nocomment but more thoughts coming later). But anyways, in commemoration we decided to make Japanese kare pan or curry bread two ways. (side note: both Japan and Sri Lanka refer to bread as pan (no) thanks to the Portuguese!)

For the dough, we more or less followed Just One Cookbook‘s recipe so be sure to check it out!

vegetarian katsu

japanese-inspired

According to Just One Cookbook, this Japanese curry bread is the star of pastries at Japanese bakeries. And what’s better, it has katsu curry as a filling, comfort and luxury really! We’ve had it for lunch, tea, dinner… mmmm.

vegetarian curry

amma-inspired

amma used to make this all the time at home. she called it curry donuts because yeah, we don’t do the sweet tings in our house but we never knew it was an actual thing in Japan! amma would also make a plain version, back when I was way too picky an eater (who knew I’d be jumping on the food startup wagon) because these crunchy fluff balls are way too hard to resist.

vegetarian katsu

the stuff

the roux:
1 tbsp butter
2-3 tsp flour
chilli powder
curry powder
masala powder

the vegetables:
1-inch ginger, minced
3 garlic cloves, minced
1 onion
any and all vegetables in your fridge

the seasoning:
1 tsp honey
1 tsp soy sauce
salt, to taste

the method

First, make the roux.
Add some butter to a pan on medium-low heat.
When it starts to sizzle, add the flour.
Keep stirring (and stirring) until you get a slightly brown colour.
Add your chilli, curry, and masala powder and again keep stirring.
When you reach a paste-like consistency, turn off the heat and set aside.
In a large pot, heat some oil.
Sauté ginger and garlic, then onions until translucent.
Dump all the other chopped vegetables you have at hand, one by one.
Season with salt and add about a cup of water and bring to a boil.
When the vegetables are cooked through, add your roux.
Stir until well incorporated and it forms a thick curry.
Drip in some honey and turn off the heat.
Add your soy sauce and stir – and voila!

vegetarian curry

the stuff

the vegetables:
1-inch ginger, minced
3 garlic, minced
1 onion, diced
1 tomato, chopped
any and all vegetables in your fridge

the spices:
chilli powder
curry powder
masala powder
salt, to taste

the method

In a large pot, heat some oil.
Sauté ginger and garlic, then onions until translucent.
Dump all the other chopped vegetables you have at hand, one by one.
Season with salt and add about a cup of water and bring to a boil.
When the vegetables are cooked through, add your tomatoes.
Simmer until tomatoes break down.
Then, add all your spices and stir until well incorporated.
If it’s looking a bit dry, add some more water.
Bring to a simmer until you reach a semi-thick consistency, and it’s done!

good eggs come in threes

recipes

good eggs come in threes

It’s World Egg Day so we had to make a whole eggy feast for you!

We’ve been obsessed by Korean style EggDrop / EggStop sandos since watching Hospital Playlist, so we had to give a spin on that with some Sri Lankan/Indian and Nigerian flavours. We even made our own brioche bread (recipe coming soon!) to recreate this EggDrop Sando, that’s how excited we were.

Plus we also bring you the good ‘ol shashuka that’s got us drooling!

P.S. special shout out to Burford Brown Large Eggs, honestly them orange yolks, mmmm.

masala omelette

amma-inspired

Let’s be honest, there will be an amma inspired version every week. This is one of amma’s go-to weekday dishes because it’s easy to make, and easy to dump all the nutrition in for us fussy eaters, but so good! We can have this with rice, puttu, bread, anything really.

mackerel egg stew

nigerian-inspired

One of our homies from Nigeria couldn’t stop talking about this mackerel egg stew from home, so we had to give this a go, with our homemade brioche bread! We adapted the recipe from Dobby’s Signature.

shashuka

mediterranean-inspired

When you think eggs, shashuka is almost a must-have. Here’s a version of the Mediterranean classic with a mix of amma’s spices!

masala omelette

the stuff

2-3 large eggs
a mix of peppers, chopped
cherry tomatoes, chopped
1 green chili, chopped
1 carrot, grated
1/2 onion, chopped
1-2 slices of Leerdammer cheese
amma’s curry thool (or garam masala)
turmeric
salt & pepper
olive oil

the sando:
two thick slices of soft bread

the drizzle:
ketchup

P.S. You can add whatever veggies you fancy really

the method

Chop all the vegetables.
Crack the two eggs in a bowl and whisk.
Drop them veggies in.
Add a dash of salt, pepper and turmeric.
Add the spice mix in (as per what suits you) and whisk till they are all well mixed.
Heat a frying pan with a bit of oil.
Pour the egg mix in and swirl with a fork or chopsticks to evenly spread out the egg.
Once it’s semi-cooked, put in a slice or two of Leerdammer cheese in.¹
We’re bad at flipping so fold the omelette in half from either ends and let it cook and the cheese melt. You can cover the pan to let it cook faster.
Transfer onto a plate, and cut them into squared pieces.
Butter your bread and toast in a pan until it browns.
Put the cut omelette pieces in between them thicc buttered bread.2
Drizzle some ketchup, and INDULGE!

1 You can add any cheese really but Leerdammer just hits different, especially the stretch you get when you have a bite after, mmmm!

2 Again, you can use any bread you fancy but we made a version of soft brioche bread for this sando. Soft, thick, buttery, just adds to the spice and kick from the omelette.

mackerel egg stew

the stuff

2-3 large eggs
1 medium sized mackerel or sea bass
2 tomatoes, chopped
1 onion, chopped
salt
cooking oil
1 tbsp of amma’s curry thool

the sando:
two thick slices of soft bread

the drizzle:
yoghurt
lemon
spring onions

the method

Rub the fish with salt and pepper and grill it on a pan or oven. We used the boneless sea bass fillets for ease.
Crack the eggs in a bowl and whisk.
Heat up a pan with oil.
Add chopped onion and stir fry for 2 minutes.
Add the chopped tomatoes and wait until it breaks down.
Stir in the fish and season with salt and spices and leave to cook.
Gently stir in the whisked eggs until you get your desired consistency. We kept it quite creamy.
Again, butter them sliced breads and brown them on a grill.
Scoop the egg stew mixture into the bread slices.
Mix yoghurt, a bit of lemon and chopped spring onions and drizzle this mixture on top!

shashuka

the stuff

1 large egg
2 tomatoes
1/2 onion, chopped
1/2 green pepper, chopped
1 garlic clove, chopped
1 tsp cumin
1 tsp coriander powder
1 tsp chilli powder
salt & pepper
olive oil

the sando:
two thick slices of soft bread

the drizzle:
coriander / parsley / spring onions (whatever you like!)

the method

Heat oil in a pan.
Add the chopped onions, peppers and garlic.
Season with salt, pepper and spices.
Stir until the vegetables soften.
Add the tomatoes and let it simmer until the tomatoes break down into a thick sauce.
Using a wooden spoon, make a “well” in the tomato mixture.
Gently crack the egg into the well.
Reduce heat and cover the pan and cook on low until the egg whites are set.
Uncover and add the fresh herbs on top.
Serve it with buttered bread like we did or with pita (as they do across the ocean!).

tacos, three ways

recipes

tacos, three ways

It’s #NationalTacoDay in the UK, so here’s a little spin on this Mexican favourite. Using Earth & Wheat’s chilli tortillas, we reconstruct tacos taking you from from Mexico to Sri Lanka, Thailand and India, with bits of amma’s kitchen in all three of them.

This was particularly exciting because tacos are one of the most versatile foods that allows you to mix and match different flavours, truly living up to our flowing concept. And so, if you have a taco flavour you’d like us to try, comment below!

pulled roast chicken & eggplant sambal

jaffna-inspired

Eggplant sambal and chicken curry is a common feature during a Sunday lunch at our home. What Amma would usually feed us with rice, we decided to put this on a taco.

crispy battered cod & "papaya" salad

thai-inspired

We couldn’t find raw, green papayas so here’s a twist with green apples. And those spicy sweet sour taste could only go well with some battered fish!

pan-fried paneer masala & coriander chutney

indian-inspired

We take some quintessentially Indian flavours in this third twist – paneer masala and coriander chuntey with some good ‘ol fresh red cabbage salad.

pulled roast chicken & eggplant sambal

the stuff

the main:
chicken breast (or jackfruit)
chilli powder
cumin powder
coriander powder
turmeric
salt & pepper
oil

the salad:
1 eggplant
1 onion
turmeric
oil
2 tsp cumin
3 tsp mustard
ginger-garlic paste
4-5 dried chillies
apple cider vinegar

the dressing:
yoghurt
lemon
chives
salt & pepper

the method

Pre-heat the oven to 200^oC.
Rub the chicken breast with all the spices and pop them into the oven for about 30-40 min.^{1 2}
While the chicken cooks, slice them eggplant and onion into thin strips.
Stir fry with a pinch of salt and turmeric.
While they cook, grind the cumin, mustard, ginger-garlic paste in a food processor.
You know the eggplants and onions are well-cooked when they are in a nice brown shade. It’s now time to turn off the flame and mix the ground spices in with some vinegar.
Prepare your sauce by squeezing some lemon into a scoop of yoghurt.
Once the chicken is done, pull it apart into shreds with two forks (sounds like our lives but hey!).
Time to assemble: scoop some pulled chicken onto a tortilla, top it with a bit of the eggplant sambal, and drizzle that yoghurt sauce!

1 You can prepare this in advance, it always tastes better the day after when the chicken’s soaked in all the juices and spices!

² If you’re using jackfruit instead, pull the jackfruit, shredding into pieces and fry it in a pan with the different spices.

crispy battered cod & "papaya" salad

the stuff

the main:
3 pieces of cod
75g plain flour
100ml chilled water
salt & pepper

the salad:
3 green apples (or a raw green papaya), cut into matchsticks
1 dried red chilli
1 clove garlic
1 1/2 tbsp sugar
1 1/2 tbsp lime juice
1/2 tbsp tamarind paste
1/3 cup cherry tomatoes
4 green beans, sliced
1 carrot, chopped into matchsticks
2 tbsp chopped salted peanuts

the dressing:
honey
dijon mustard
olive oil
salt & pepper

the method

Toast the peanuts over a medium heat until golden brown and set aside.
Pound the chilli and garlic coarsely.
Add in sugar, tamarind and lime juice and mix.¹
Toss in the beans and tomatoes and lightly pound.
Drop in the carrots and apples and mix. Set aside.
Whisk the chilled water with some flour, salt and pepper to make the batter. Coat the cod slices in the batter.
In a pan, heat some oil at high heat to shallow fry the cod. Lower the heat if it starts splattering!
Flip sides and cook until they’re all golden brown!
Time for the dressing: mix equal amounts of honey, dijon mustard, and olive oil. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
Assemble it the same way – the main stuff goes first, followed by that apple/papaya salad, and finally drizzle over some sweet-tangy sauce.

¹ If you can’t find any tamarind, fish sauce works just as well. If you can’t find that either, well just pump up the lime juice quantity to match.

pan-fried paneer masala & coriander chutney

the stuff

the main:
paneer, cubed
chilli powder
cumin and coriander powder
masala powder
turmeric
yoghurt
salt & pepper

the salad:
red cabbage
vinegar
salt & pepper

the dressing:
fresh coriander
fresh mint
2-3 green chillies, chopped
1-inch ginger, chopped
lemon juice
salt & pepper

the method

Rub the paneer cubes with all the spices mixed in yogurt. Set aside.
Shred red cabbage, season with some salt and pepper.
In a pan, heat some oil on medium-low heat. Fry the paneer cubes until golden brown on all sides.
In a food processor, blend all the ingredients for the chutney.¹
It’s eating time! Crumble the fried paneer onto a tortilla, drop some fresh red cabbage salad, and top with the coriander chutney.

¹ You can add some water and/or yoghurt depending on the consistency you like, to get a smoother texture.

stuffed vegetables, two ways

recipes

stuffed veggies, two ways

In this third instalment we bring you staple weekend side dishes from home, stuffed vegetables two ways: long skinny green peppers stuffed with spicy prawn paste and fat little baby eggplants stuffed with a spiced mixture of coconut and peanuts.

Amma used to make these at home all the time that we always thought these were quintessentially Tamil / Sri Lankan. But when we were older and ventured out from amma’s kitchen to the outside world, we found out that these flavours can be found across the ocean in other Asian cuisines. The prawn filling is a beloved flavour in Southeast Asia, belachan. The eggplant dish is in fact Gujarati. Who knew!

iral cutlet; stuffed peppers with prawns

amma-inspired

Amma makes these with snake gourd back home, but it’s so hard to find it in London so we swapped it for these long green peppers. The prawn filling can be cooked on its own as mini prawn cutlets/cakes! We’ve had these almost every week at home and it wasn’t until I started eating out as an adult that I realised this prawn filling is the same as the famous belachan in parts of Southeast Asia.

ravaiya; stuffed aubergine

gujarati-inspired

Amma used to make this at home and because it had coconut, we always assumed it was a Sri Lankan thing, duh. We realised it’s actually an iconic Gujarati dish when we made it for a Gujarati friend. Here’s a Tamil twist!

iral cutlet

the stuff

the vegetable:
5 pointed green peppers

the stuffing:
500g prawns, deshelled and deveined
3-4 dried red chillies
1 onion
8 garlic cloves
1 egg
grated coconut, as you like
salt, to taste

the method

Deshell and devein prawns.¹
In a stockpot, dump the prawns and dried red chillies in cold water. Add salt and let it boil until pink.
Meanwhile, dice the onions and garlic. You can also prep the peppers by cutting a slit down the middle and arranging them onto a baking tray.
Once the prawns are pink, drain the water.
Drop them prawns, dried chillies, onions, garlic, coconut and egg into a food processor or blender and hit that button until it turns into a smooth paste.2
Pre-heat the oven at 200°C.3
Stuff each pepper with a generous amount of filling and drizzle some olive oil over them.4
Bake it for about 20 minutes, until the top coat turns a little brown.
Once it cools down, it’s time to take a bite, or have it with some rice!

¹ You can skip this step by buying deshelled raw prawns from the supermarket but we are our amma’s children so we needed to do this from scratch.

2 Have a taste and adjust salt or spice as needed. If it’s too spicy, add more coconut.

3 Do this when you start the stuffing to save electricity and the environment.

4 If you have leftover filling, you can pat them into a flat cake and cook them in a pan with a little bit of oil.

ravaiya

the stuff

the vegetable:
4-5 baby aubergines

the stuffing:
1 cup peanuts
1 cup shredded coconut
coriander seeds
cumin seeds
4-5 garlic cloves, minced
1/2 inch ginger, minced
1-2 dried chillies
1 tomato, chopped
1 tsp salt
2 tsp sugar
3 tbsp oil

the method

Deshell the peanuts.¹
On a medium flame, toast the peanuts, coconut, coriander and cumin seeds until the coconut turns into a beautiful, earthy brown.
In a food processor, add the toasted mixture. Dump everything else in – garlic, ginger, dried chillies, tomatoes, salt, sugar, and oil.
Blend into a smooth paste.
Pre-heat the oven to 200°C.2
Now cut these baby aubergines into a little flower. Slit the aubergines crosswise from the bottom, almost all the way through, leaving the stalk area uncut.3
Stuff each aubergine generously and place them on a baking tray lined with parchment paper.4
Drizzle olive oil over the aubergines. Bake them for about 30-40 minutes until the aubergines are fully cooked.
Take them out, have it on their own or couple it with a chapati, roti or any flatbread. MMMMM!

¹ Again, you can just get roasted peanuts off the shelf but you know us, amma always says everything from scratch.

2 Do this when you start the stuffing to save electricity and the environment.

3 Check out our Instagram / TikTok for the video tutorial if you’re still not sure.

4 Any leftover stuffing can be sprinkled on the tray (them crispy bits are so good to eat after baking).

patatas bravas, three ways

recipes

patatas bravas, three ways

Who doesn’t love potatoes! It’s probably the easiest to make, hardest to mess up and the best crowd pleaser.

And so this week, we bring you patatas bravas, spanish fried potatoes, in three new flavours inspired by our amma’s kitchen, Lebanon and Nigeria. Toss them all up at the end so them flavours be flowing and guess which flavour with every bite!

The easy thing is the steps are mostly the same for any of these because… the secret is always spice.

kilangu poriyal; potato fry

jaffna-inspired

Now we say Jaffna, but really it’s just how Amma makes it. She typically fries them in hot vegetable oil. But we can’t deal with oil splatters and washing it all up, so we throw them in the oven. It tastes the same (Amma might disagree but) and it’s healthier baking anyway!

batata harra; spicy potatoes

lebanese-inspired

We asked our Iranian homie what’s a signature potato dish, because really every cuisine SHOULD have some sort of fried potatoes. She told us Iranians very rarely eat potatoes and shared this Lebanese recipe.

coconut & tumeric roast potatoes

nigerian-inspired

We managed to get our hands on some fresh grated coconut and were convinced we’d find a potato-coconut concoction. Coconut and turmeric is often used in Nigerian cuisine, especially when making rice. We found a spin on potatoes on The Vegan Nigerian and decided to try it!

the main steps

the stuff

3 potatoes
water
salt

the method

Wash, peel and cut potatoes, cut the into pieces, however you like them.¹
Drop the potatoes in a saucepan and fill with cold water until fully covered. Add salt and parboil.²
Line a roasting tray with baking sheet. When potatoes are “half-cooked”, drain them and throw them all onto the roasting tray.
Pre-heat the oven to 200°C.
While the oven get’s heated, we do the fun bit, spicing them potatoes up three ways! Scroll for all 3 marinades!
Once spiced, roast in the oven for about 40-45 minutes until they are golden and crispy.
Toss them all up and MUNCH!

¹ Wedges, cubes, strips, whatever floats your boat.

2 Now we don’t want these to be super soft, we want to par boil them, so they’re still a little hard, about 15 minutes if they’re medium sized potatoes. Use a fork to check.

kilangu poriyal

the stuff

the spice blend:
chilli powder (amma’s)
masala powder (amma’s)
salt & pepper
olive oil

Side note: proportions are up to taste / spice tolerance

the method

Follow steps 1-4 under ‘the main steps’.
Add olive oil to a small bowl.
Dump the spices in and mix into a little paste.
Drizzle the paste over a third of the potatoes and coat evenly.

batata harra

the stuff

the spice blend:
2 tbsp olive oil
2 garlic cloves, minced
salt, to taste
fresh coriander, chopped
4 dried red chillies, crushed (or red pepper flakes)
juice of 1 lime (or 1/2 lemon)

the method

Follow steps 1-4 under ‘the main steps’.
Drizzle olive oil, salt, and pepper over a third of the potatoes.
Squeeze lime juice into a small bowl.
Mix all the spices in.
Reserve the mix for when after the potatoes are roasted.
Once the potatoes are roasted, coat in the spice mix while still hot so those lemony garlicky juices can be absorbed.

coconut + turmeric roast potatoes

the stuff

the spice blend:
2 tbsp olive oil
salt, to taste
1 tsp turmeric powder
1/2 cup grated coconut (or coconut flour)

Side note: Tomi uses coconut flour but we decided to try with grated coconut, in true Jaffna fashion.

the method

Follow steps 1-4 under ‘the main steps’.
Add olive oil to a small bowl.
Dump the spices in and mix into a paste.
Rub them all over a third of the potatoes.

bruschetta, three ways

recipes

bruschetta, three ways

It’s #SourdoughSeptember so we thought we’d have a go at deconstructing Italy’s famed bruschetta (pronounced: broos-keta not broo-shetta… yes we didn’t know either).

Bruschetta is an antipasto or appetiser typically consisting of grilled bread rubbed with garlic and olive oil and topped with chopped tomatoes, cheese and fresh basil. Taking inspiration from Sri Lanka, Afghanistan and Iran, here’re this week’s flavour profiles spicing up the bruschetta…

P.S. Weird realisation after we pulled this together and took a bite – they all have a hint of sweetness with a tangy aftertaste. Try it for yourselves and let us know what you think!

cheeni sambal; caramelised onion relish

sri lankan-inspired

A staple side dish in Sri Lanka – you can have this with bread, roti, crackers, hoppers, literally anything! It has a slight heat to it but is balanced by the sweetness of the onions and the tangyness of the tamarind.

borani kadoo; pumpkin salad

afghan-inspired

We thought we’d bring a bit of home to our homies from Afghanistan as we welcome them into our communities. Sweet and savoury, the best of both worlds, every bite feels like a warm hug on a cold day. The biggest job here is chopping the pumpkin or butternut squash – a sharp knife and arm strength is key. It’s all smooth from then on.

panir’o-hendonneh; cheese & watermelon

persian-inspired

An Iranian favourite, usually served for breakfast or lunch with flatbread. This is the easiest to assemble and with the freshness of watermelon and the saltiness of feta, it is a real burst of flavours in your mouth!

cheeni sambal

the stuff

the main:
2 onions, thinly sliced
1 tbsp tamarind
1 cup of water
1-2 tsp sugar
1-2 tbsp vegetable oil

the spice blend:
1 cinnamon stick
2 dried chillies
3 cardamom pods
4-5 curry leaves

to serve:
sourdough
goat’s cheese

the method

Heat oil in a pan on medium-low heat. Drop the finely sliced onions and salt. Cook until brown.¹
To make the spice blend, grind the cinnamon, dried chillies, cardamom pods and curry leaves, into a fine powder.²
Mix the tamarind in water.³
By now, the onions would have turned brown. Add in the ground spice blend, tamarind juice, and sugar. Let it simmer until all the juices are absorbed.
You know its done when you start to see a brownish, silky mixture!⁴
Slather the cheeni sambal over buttered and grilled sourdough. We topped it with goat’s cheese, because why not.

¹ These take a while so prep the other bits in the meantime.

² You can get fancy and use a mortar and pestle, but be efficient and use a grinder if you have one. We used a hand blender – works fine but be warned of inhaling some of that spice!

³ You can use the paste in a jar that you get in the supermarkets (we used this) or the slab you can get from any Asian store (of course amma uses this). Or if you can’t find either, mix the juice of 1 lemon with half a cup of water.

⁴ Have a taste and adjust salt, sugar or spice as needed.

borani kadoo

the stuff

the main:
1 butternut squash, chopped
1 onion, diced
1 tomato, chopped
1-2 tbsp vegetable oil
1 tbsp tomato paste
water

the spice blend:
3 garlic cloves, minced
1/2 inch ginger, minced
1/2 tsp turmeric
1 tsp cumin seeds
1 tsp coriander powder
salt & pepper, to taste

to serve:
sourdough
garlic yogurt

the method

Heat oil in a saucepan on medium-low heat. Drop the diced onions and sauté.
As the onions start to brown, add the tomatoes, ginger, and garlic. Cook until the tomatoes start to break down.
Add the tomato paste and the remaining spices. Stir well.¹
Add 1 cup of water to the saucepan. Cover and let it simmer for about 15 minutes.
As the sauce starts to thicken, add the pumpkin or squash and stir until it is covered in the sauce.
Add another 1/2 to 1 cup of water. Cover and cook for about 25 minutes. You know it’s done when the squash is fork-tender but not mushy!²
Scoop a spoonful of borani kadoo onto buttered and grilled sourdough. Top with some yogurt mixed with minced garlic! Mmmmmmmmm.

¹ The spices are really up to your taste, so you’re free to get creative here. We cheated and used our mum’s ‘secret’ masala blend.

² The water ensures that your squash cooks thoroughly. Be sure to check on it frequently – you don’t want it to dry out, neither do you want it to turn mushy.

panir’o-hendonneh

the stuff

the main:
watermelon,
cubed

to serve:
sourdough
feta cheese
balsamic vinegar, optional

the method

Scoop some of the watermelon cubes onto buttered and grilled sourdough.
Crumble over some feta cheese.
Drizzle on the balsamic vinegar. And you’re done!