“I shared this recipe with the children at Bassendean Early Learning Centre as it’s such a fun food to eat. It’s a great way for the children to be exposed to more culturally diverse cuisines and expand their palate.
“Every Saturday morning for three to four hours I make a proper Sri Lankan meal, making my own curry powders and spices, marinating, toasting lentils – everything the proper way. It’s a lot of work and time-consuming, but that
way myself, my son and husband can enjoy rice and curry every day of the week.”
Curry Powder
2 tbsp coriander seeds
1 1/2 tbsp cumin seeds
1 tbsp cloves
1 tbsp cardamom seeds
1/2 tbsp fennel seeds
1 tsp cinnamon
Put a pan on low heat. Once the pan is hot, add the spices. Keep mixing the spices with a wooden spoon. The spices will start to get brown and give out a strong fragrance. Immediately take a pan off the heat and transfer the spices into a bowl. Once the spices have cooled down, put it in a grinder to get a fine powder. Store this powder in an airtight container.
Chickpea stir fry
½ tsp curry powder (as above)
2 tins chickpeas – strained and rinsed
1 onion – finely diced
½ tsp minced garlic
6 cherry tomatoes – finely sliced
2 tbsp vegetable or coconut oil
6 curry leaves
3 pieces of pandan leaves (about 5 cm long)
Salt to taste
Method:
- In a hot pan, add the oil, garlic and onions. Stir fry it for about 5 minutes or until mixture becomes slightly brown.
- Add the curry leaves and pandan leaves. Let it fry for a few minutes.
- Add the tomatoes and chickpeas, and ½ teaspoon of curry powder. Keep stirring so the ingredients are mixed well.
- Once the mixture has slightly charred, add salt to taste.
