I was introduced to this recipe at our cooking class in middle school. The teacher had us making these delicious fried dumplings to be eaten during recess. I have loved them since then. They are light, tasty and easy to make.
Ingredients
(Serves 4)
All-purpose flour (maida) 2 cups
Baking powder 1/2 tsp
Milk 250 ml
Egg 1 large
Sugar 3/4 cup
Oil for deep frying
Method
Mix the flour, baking powder and sugar.
Break the egg into the mix.
Add the milk and make a smooth batter.
Heat the oil in a wok and drop a little bit of the batter in. It should form a ball and rise to the top.
Drop the batter into the hot oil, a ladleful at a time and fry till they turn golden brown on either side.
This is a dish you can make if guests surprise you. It takes hardly any time. Ten minutes to assemble the dish on the gas and six minutes in the microwave, and voila, it is ready. It is a balanced meal with rice, spinach, mushrooms, egg and cheese. The flavours of Italian herbs and red chilli flakes give it a gentle boost.
Ingredients
(Serves 3)
Cooked rice 2 cups
Onion 1 large, chopped
Spinach 6 cups, chopped
Mushrooms 1 cup, chopped
Eggs 2
Cheddar cheese 1 cup, grated
Italian herb mix 1 tsp
Chilli flakes 1 tbsp
Pepper powder 2 tsps
Salt to taste
Vegetable oil 1 tbsp
Method
Take cooked rice, basmati or any long-grained variety is best. If it is made the night before and kept in the refrigerator, it is even better. Fluff it up with a fork and keep aside.
Add oil to a wok and fry the onions. Add the mushrooms and sauté for 3-4 minutes.
Add the spinach and continue to sauté for another 4-5 minutes till the leaves are wilted. Add chilli flakes, Italian herbs and pepper.
Add the rice and salt and mix well.
Transfer to a glass microwave dish and spread it evenly.
Break the eggs over the rice, sunny side up.
Sprinkle salt and pepper and spread the cheese over it.
Thanks to Covid-19, all of us have been binge- watching old favourites on Netflix, Amazon Prime and Disney Hotstar. I have recently been immersed in Covert Affairs, something I used to watch in the later part of the last decade. Apart from the thrills and the international destinations, what I love about the show it is the food.
As Annie and Ben race through Sri Lanka, being shot at by almost everyone in the world, they stop at a roadside stall and have Sri Lanka’s favourite street food, Kothu Roti and Chicken. I remember having this with my husband in Colombo on my way to Singapore from India back in 2000.
So I decided to try and make this popular dish. It takes some doing as I had to make Sri Lankan chicken curry and Godambu Roti (wheat bread) separately and then assemble the dish on a hot heavy-bottomed pan.
For the Godambu Roti: Wholewheat flour or atta 1 1/2 cups Oil 1 tbsp Salt 1 tsp
Eggs 2 Onions 2 medium, 1 sliced and 1 chopped Cabbage 1/2, sliced Carrot 1, peeled and grated Spring onions 3 Green chillies 2, chopped Curry leaves few sprigs Salt to taste Masala made for Sri Lankan Chicken Curry 2 tbsp Tomatoes 2, chopped
Method
Shred the chicken and remove any bones.
Add oil and salt to the wheat flour and knead well to make a soft dough using as much water as needed. I followed this recipe for Godamba Roti, but modified the quantities of the ingredients as I did not want to make as many rotis.
Make lemon-sized balls and soak them in oil for seven hours.
Spread on a flat surface using your fingers.
Toast on a hot tawa or griddle. I used Futura’s nonstick tawa. It works best.
Add some of the chopped onions, tomatoes and green chillies to the eggs with salt and whisk briskly. Scramble in a hot frying pan with 1 tsp of oil.
Snip the Roti into ribbons using a pair of kitchen scissors.
In a wide heavy-bottomed pan, take 3 tablespoons of oil. Add the onions, cabbage, carrots, green chillies, curry leaves and spring onions and stir fry on high heat. Add tomatoes and some salt. Be careful not to add too much because the chicken and the scrambled eggs already contain salt.
Add the chicken and the shredded roti. Add the masala that was made for the Sri Lankan Chicken Curry.
Add the scrambled eggs and toss well to mix everything.
Serve hot. This dish needs no accompaniments. It is a highly nutritious and satisfying dish by itself.
Chills & Chillies 