Shirin-Polow

Ingredients: (4 servings)

• basmati or long-grain rice, 500 grams
• chicken, 800 grams
• cooking oil
• butter, 2 spoons
• almonds, 50 grams
• pistachios, 50 grams
• orange peel, 100 grams
• sugar, two spoons
• large onions, two
• sugar, 500 grams
• saffron, 1/2 teaspoon
• salt
• black pepper

Directions:

Soak rice in warm water for 2 hours. Wash chicken. Peel and thinly slice onions. Fry in oil until slightly golden. Add chicken pieces and fry until color changes. Add a glass of hot water, salt and pepper and cook over medium heat for about 20 minutes. Add more hot water during cooking if necessary. About 1/2 glass of water should be left at the end. Romove chicken bones.
Save three spoons of sugar for later use. Add remaining sugar to a glass of hot water and bring to a boil. Add chicken juice, 2-3 spoons of oil and saffron, and mix well.
Thinly slice almonds and pistachios. Soak almonds in cold water for an hour. Thinly slice orange peels. Boil for a few minutes, drain and repeat. Soak in cold water for an hour, drain, and repeat. Finally boil for a few minutes with three spoons of sugar, and drain.
Prepare rice using the recipe for polow. When rice is rinsed, pour a bit of oil and hot water in a pot, and add 1/2 of rice. Spread chicken pieces over the rice, and cover with 1/2 of remaining rice. Spread half of almonds and orange peel over rice and cover with remaining rice. Pour sugar and chicken-juice mix prepared earlier over rice. Cover and cook over low heat for about 30 minutes. Add remainder of almonds, orange peel, and pistachios, and mix well.

Sabzii Polow (Herbs Rice - Herbs & Dill Polow)

Ingredients:

• 4 cups (32 Oz) of white long grain rice.
• 4 table spoons of cooking oil.
• 1/2 cup (4 Oz) chopped Chives/Scallion stems (tarreh/piAzcheh).
• 1-1/2 cups (12 Oz) Parsely (jafaree).
• 1 cup (8 Oz) coriander (gheshneez).
• 1-1/2 cups (12 Oz) fresh Dill Weed (sheveed).
• A few large, outer leaves of lettuce.
• 4 Oz of water.

Directions: For best results, soak the rice for a few hours in hot water and salt before cooking.
Wash and drain the vegetables. Using a cutting board and while repeatedly bunching up the vegetables, finely chop them.
In a medium size pot, half-way filled with water, bring the water to a boil. Add the rice (and the water it was soaking in), and let it cook for a few minutes until it starts boiling. Stir the rice a few times during the boiling process. Occasionally chew on a few of rice grains to see if they have softened.
Near the end of boiling, add the fresh chopped vegetables (if you are using dried vegetables do not add them in yet because they will get washed out). Stir the rice one last time and then take it out and drain it in a kitchen stringer. Run the tab water on it to wash out some of the excess salt.
Pour the oil in the pot, add 4 Oz of water, lay the lettuce leaves in the bottom of the pot and add a bit of extra oil if necessary. If you are using dried vegetables in place of fresh ones, you will have to mix them in as you are adding thin layers of rice in the pot, in the shape of a heap.
With the back of a spoon, make five holes, one in the center and four around it so that the rice can breath in the cooking process.
Spread a little water on top and close the lid. Let it cook for a few minutes on high heat. When steam starts to rise, change the setting to medium heat and let it cook for another 15-20 minutes. Then turn the heat to medium-low, sprinkle some cooking oil to prevent drying, and let it cook for about another 10-15 minutes before serving.
HINTS:

• If you have a choice, use any of the Basmati brands of rice (AftAb, Pari, Gilda, Feel-Neshan, etc.) you can buy from middle eastern or Indian stores. But be careful not to overboil these types. They get pretty sticky if you over cook them. If all else fails, use Mahatma brand (American from supermarket). They take longer to soften, and there is less chance of coming out sticky.
• When putting lettuce leaves in the bottom of the pot for purpose of forming bottom crust (tah deeg), it is best to use a teflon coated or any other non stick pot for this purpose. In most cases, after cooking the rice in such pots, you can put a large round plate over the pot, flip it over and get the rice and the crust to come out in one piece.

Kateh

Ingredients: (4 servings)

• Basmati or long-grain rice, 3 cups
• Salt
• Cooking oil

Directions:

Kateh is normally served with kababs or any of the main dishes in this collection, unless rice is already used as one of the ingredients. Kateh is simpler to cook than polow.
Wash three cups of rice with plain water twice and drain the water. Pour rice into a non-stick pan. Add five cups of water, four spoons of oil and two spoons of salt, and mix. Bring the water to a boil over high temperature. Let the water boil until water level sinks to just below rice level. Cover the pan, and cook over low temperature for about half an hour.

Baghali Polow (Lima Bean with Dill Rice - Baghali Shevid Polow)

Ingredients:

• PREPARATION TIME: 20 MINUTES (plus soaking for rice)
• COOKING TIME: 45 MINUTE

• 1 recipe Steamed Rice
• 1 package (10 ounce) frozen baby lima beans, thawed
• 14 tablespoons butter
• 3 cups freshly chopped dill
• 3 medium potatoes, cut into 1/inch slices (optional)
• 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon threads crushed and steeped in 2
• tablespoons hot water
• Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
• Prepare Steamed Rice . Melt 4 tablespoons butter in a non-stick 6-quart saucepan. Arrange potato slices in single layer in saucepan.
• Spread one-third of prepared rice over potatoes. Salt and pepper. Cover with half of lima beans, and half of dill. Cover with half of remaining rice and remainder of lima beans and dill. Top with remaining rice. Keep ingredients mounded high in center so steam can circulate. Sprinkle 4 cup water over rice. Slice remaining butter, place over rice. Cover rice with waxed paper. Wrap cover of pot in kitchen towel and place over saucepan to keep steam inside.
• Cook over medium-high heat 8 minutes, reduce heat to low, and cook 35 minutes or until rice is soft and fluffy.
• Set 1 cup rice aside. Mound remaining rice on serving dish. Remove potatoes from saucepan with spatula and place around rice or in separate dish. Sprinkle reserved cup of rice with saffron and mix well. Spread saffron rice on top of plain rice. Season with salt and pepper.

• VARIATION: When layering rice, add 1 large onion, chopped and sauted in butter, 6 broiled lamb chops or 2 pounds cooked boneless lamb shoulder cubes, or 6 cooked chicken cutlets. Increase cooking time by 15 minutes.

Adas Polow - Saffron Rice, Lentils, Meat, raisins, Dates,..

Ingredients:

• lentils, 400 grams
• long-grain or basmati rice, 500 grams
• ground beef or lamb, 400 grams
• dates (pitted), 100 grams
• raisins, 120 grams
• saffron, 1/2 teaspoon
• onions, 2 large
• cooking oil
• salt
• black pepper

Directions:

Soak rice in water for 3-4 hours, then cook in salted water for 10-15 minutes using a non-stick pot until it just softens. Drain water and empty the pot.
Bring 2-3 cups of water to boil. Wash lentil and add to water with a bit of salt. Cook over medium heat for about 15-20 minutes until tender.
Peel and thinly slice onions. Fry in oil until slightly golden. Add ground beef or lamb, salt and black pepper, and fry over medium heat for about 10 minutes. Add one cup of hot water and cook until water has been mostly absorbed.
Wash raisins and dates. Pour 1/2 cup of water and some oil in the non-stick pot. Pour in half of the rice. Follow with meat, lentil, raisins, dates and raisins. Then add in remainder of rice. Cook over low heat for about 20 minutes. Dissolve saffron in 1/3 cup of hot water and pour over the rice. Mix well before serving.

Blackbread - Surbrød

Makes 5 small or 3 standard loaves

• 2 packages dry yeast
• 1 tablespoon water
• 1 teaspoon sugar
• 4½ cups water
• 2 tablespoons salt
• 10 cups rye flour, dark
• 8 cups white flour
• 1 teaspoon caraway seed

Mix the yeast, 1 tablespoon water and sugar in a large bowl. Add the rest of the ingredients in the order given. Beat well.
Put the dough on a floured board and knead well. Let rise on the board in a warm place until doubled in bulk. Knead well again and shape into loaves. (5 small loaves are better the 3 standard-sized ones if you have pans smaller than 9 × 5 × 3.)
Put into greased pans and return to warm place to rise until again doubled in size.
Bake 10 minutes in a preheated 425º oven, then lower the heat to 325º and bake 1 hour more. Slice very thin.

Beer Bread - Øllebrød

Makes 3 loaves

• 2 cups water
• 1½ cups beer
• 2/3 cup molasses
• 1 package dry yeast
• 1 tablespoon warm water
• 2 teaspoons salt
• 5 cups rye flour
• 5 cups white flour

Mix the water, beer and molasses. Add the yeast, softened in the 1 tablespoon of warm water. Add the rest of the ingredients, mixing well. Let rise in a warm place until doubled in bulk.
Knead on a floured board. If necessary, use more white flour to make a good stiff dough.
This recipe can be made into 1 loaf or into 3 smaller ones. If you prefer one, place the dough in a floured cloth in a large bowl and let rise again until doubled in bulk. For 3 loaves, divide the dough into 3 equal parts and put each portion into its own floured cloth to rise.
Turn the dough upside down into a well-greased 11×7×2 pan, or 3 pans measuring 7¾×3 5/8×2½.
Bake the single loaf in a preheated 400º oven for 10 minutes, then reduce the temperature to 325º and bake for 50 minutes more. If you are making 3 small loaves, bake them for 10 minutes at 400º, reduce the heat to 325º and bake for an additional 35 to 40 minutes.

Anise Loaf - Anisbrød

Makes 1 loaf

• 2¼ cups flour -- sifted
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• ½ teaspoon salt
• ½ cup soft butter
• 1 cup sugar
• 1 teaspoon anise seed
• ½ teaspoon almond extract
• 5 eggs
• ¾ cup almonds, toasted -- ground or chopped

Sift together twice the flour, baking powder and salt.
Cream the butter and sugar together until soft. Add the anise seed and the almond extract and blend well. Add the unbeaten eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Add the sifted dry ingredients, mixing thoroughly. Fold in the ground or chopped almonds.
Bake in a preheated 350º oven for 1 hour, in a greased and lightly floured loaf pan (9×5×3).

Almond Rusks - Mandelskorpor

• 2 eggs
• 1 cup brown sugar
• 7 tablespoons soft butter -- creamed
• 3 tablespoons almonds -- slivered
• 3 cups flour
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• Salt

Beat eggs and sugar together until light. Add the creamed butter and the almonds.
Sift dry ingredients and add a little at a time to first mixture, beating well after each addition.
Spread the dough 1½ inches thick on a lightly buttered baking sheet. Bake in a preheated 375º oven 15 minutes.
Remove from baking sheet and cut rusk diagonally into pieces ¾ inch thick. Cool.

Almond Bread - Mandelbrød

Makes 1 loaf

• 3 eggs -- beaten
• ½ cup sugar
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1½ cups flour -- sifted
• ½ cup blanched almonds -- chopped

Add sugar to the beaten eggs and beat until very thick. Add sifted flour with the baking powder. Blend in the chopped almonds and mix well.
Place in a greased loaf pan and bake 45 minutes in a preheated moderate oven (375º). Frost with a powdered-sugar glaze if so desired.

SAU DODOL (WELI THALAPA)

• 2 lbs Rice flour
• 4 cups thick Coconut milk
• 4 cups Kithul or Coconut trealce
• 2 tsp Salt

METHOD : In a large bowl, mix the flour and salt thoroughly. Add a little coconut milk to the flour and mix until the flour forms into small balls like beads. Do not add water. Cover and steam the flour beads for abourt 30 minutes or until cooked. Remove from the steamer and separate the flour beads and set aside. Boil the treacle and coconut milk in a large saucepan and add the flour beads while stirring. Keep stirring the mixture until oil starts to separate. Remove from heat. Transfer into a greased dish and shape into a block. Cut into pieces of any shape.

RULANG ALUWA

• 1 lb Semolina (Wheatlets)
• 2 lbs Sugar
• 1/2 tsp powdered Cardamom
• 1/4 tsp powdered Cloves
• 50 Raw Cashews, chopped

METHOD : Roast the Semolina and set aside. Prepare a cutting board by sprinkling some roasted semlina and have it ready. In a saucepan add 1 cup of water to the sugar and heat. When the syrup thickens and starts to form a crust like layer on the sides of the saucepan, add the semolina and the spices. Mix thoroughly. Add the chopped cashews and mix thoroughly. Remove from heat before the mix thickens and transfer onto the cutting board. Flatten and form into a block (about 1-1/2" thick). Cut into pieces.

SEENI SAMBOL

• 5 large Onoins peeled and finely chopped
• 1/4 cup Maldive Fish
• 1 1/2 inch Ginger root (crushed)
• 8 cloves garlic (crushed)
• 3 tbs crushed red Chilies
• 5-6 cardamoms
• 3-4 cloves
• 1 small sprig Curry leaves
• 1-2 pieces Rampe
• 1 piece Sera
• 1 piece Cinnamon
• Salt to taste
• 1 tsp Tamarind paste
• 2 tbs Sugar
• 4-6 tbs Vegetable oil

METHOD: Mix the first 12 ingredients well. Heat the oil in a shallow pan. Add the mixed onions and keep stiring. When the onions are well fried and dry, add the tamerind paste and keep stiring until well mixed. Allow to fry a few minutes longer. The mix will turn dark brown when well fried. Add the sugar and keep stiring for a little while longer. Taste and adjust salt if required.

MOAJU

• 4 ozs Maldive fish
• 1 lb Egg plant
• 1/2 lb Capsicums
• 1 oz Ginger
• 1/4 cup Mustard
• 1/2 Bottle Coconut oil
• 1/4 Bot. vinegar
• 1 oz Dry chilies
• 2 ozs Pepper
• 1 tsp Cummin
• 1 tsp Coriander
• 2-3 Pieces Cinnamon
• 1 1/4 lb Sugar

METHOD: Grind the mustard with a little vinegar and salt. Grind chilies, Cummin, pepper and coriander in salt and vinegar + mustard. Wash the egg plant, cut lengthwise and then across. Deep fry and drain on paper. Wash the capcicums and cut lengthwise and fry in oil until golden brown and drain on paper. Fry the coarsly cut cloves of garlic with pieces of maldive fish and pieces of ginger in oil and keep separate. Mix the fried ingredients with the mustard mixture. Slice an onion finely and fry it in hot oil. When it is brown add all the fried stuff and the sugar and stirr on a low fire until the mixture thickens. When dry take off the fire, cool and bottle. This makes one bottle.

SINHALA ACHCHARU

• 15-20 small Onions (pearl or red onions)
• 10-15 small green Chilies (each split into two halves)
• 2 large Carrots (cut into thin strips)
• 1 small Turnip (cut into thin trianguler shaped pieces)
• 15-20 small Cauliflower florets (optional)
• 2 cups Vinegar (Coconut vinegar if available would be ideal)
• 1 inch piece Ginger root (crushed)
• 6 cloves Garlic (crushed)
• 2 tbs black ground Mustard seed
• 1 tbs black ground Pepper
• pich of Turmeric
• Salt to taste

METHOD: Heat 1 cup vinegar in a saucepan. Add onions and simmer for few minutes. Drain the onions and set aside in a large mixing bowl. Add green chilies to hot vinegar and simmer for few minutes. Drain the chilies and add to the onions. Repeat same process with carrots & cauliflower and add to the onions and chillie. Do not heat the turnip but add to the onion mix once cut into pieces. Mix all the vegetables well. To the heated vinegar in the saucepan, add the remaining 1 cup of vinegar and all other ingredients and boil for few minutes. Pour the hot vinegar mix over the onions and vegetables and mix well. Pack into a bottle and leave for a day or two to mature.

MALU ABULTHIYAL

• 2 lbs Fish (Halibet, Salmon or Tuna)
• 10-15 pieces Goraka
• 1 1/2 tbs Salt
• 1 1/2 tbs ground black Pepper
• 1/4 tsp Turmeric powder
• 1 sprig Curry Leaves
• 1-2 pieces Rampe
• 2 pieces Cinnamon
• 2 cloves Garlic (crushed)
• 1/2 tsp roasted Curry powder
• 1 cup water

METHOD: Wash and cut the fish into 15-20 pieces. Place the goraka pieces in a saucsepan, add a little water to cover and simmer for about 5-10 minutes (until the goraka is soft). Add salt, pepper, chili powder, tumeric, curry powder to the fish pieces and mix well (until all the pieces are well coated). Drain the goraka pieces and crush into a coarse paste. Mix the paste with the drained water and add to the fish, mix well. Arrange the fish in a shallow pan and pour the liquid over the pices. Wash the mixing bowl with 1 cup water and pour over the fish. Swirl the pan to coat the pieces with the liquid. Add the curry leaves, rampe, cinnamon & crushed garlic. Cook over slow heat until the fish is done. For a completely dry dish, transfer the fish and thick gravy into an oven proof container and leave it in a warm oven until completly dry.

CHICKEN CURRY

• 3 lb Chicken or Chicken pieces
• 3-4 tbs. lemon juice
• 6 cloves Garlic & 1 inch Ginger root - crushed together
• 2 tsps Salt
• 1 tbs. Powdered black pepper
• 1 tbs. Roasted Curry powder 
• 1/2 tbs. dry red chili powder
• 4 Cardamoms
• 2 Cloves
• 8 Curry leaves
• 4 pieces Rampe
• 1 inch piece Cinnamon
• 1 medium Onion (sliced)
• 3 tbs Vegetable oil
• 2 tbs Tomato paste or sauce
• 1 cup thick Coconut milk or fresh milk

METHOD:

• Wash chicken pieces and drain water thoroughly.
• Add lemon juice, crushed garlic, ginger, salt, black pepper, curry powder and red chili.
• Coat the chicken pieces well with the spices and set aside for about 1/2 hour.
• Heat the oil in a saucepan.
• Fry curry leaves and rampe.
• Add onions and fry until soft.
• Add the chicken pieces and stir for sometime.
• Add cinnamon, lemon grass, cardamom, cloves and stir until well mixed.
• Add tomato paste (or sauce) and stir until all pieces are well coated (If the curry is too dry and tend to stick to the saucepan, add 1-2 cups water & stir).
• Close with a lid and allow the chicken to cook on slow heat.
• Add the thick coconut milk (or fresh milk) and bring to a boil without covering.
• Taste and adjust salt.

GODHAMBA ROTI

• 2 cups all purpose Flour
• 1 tsp table salt
• 1-2 cups warm water
• Vegetable oil

METHOD:

• Mix the salt & flour well in a mixing bowl.
• Add 3-4 tbs vegetable oil. Mix well.
• Add warm water gradually while mixing the flour to form a dough that does not stick to the sides of the bowl.
• Knead the dough for a few minutes until soft.
• Make into four separate balls.
• Slightly flatten the balls and generously coat with vegetable oil, leaving it in the mixing bowl.
• Cover the bowl and let it stand for 4-5 hours.
• Grease a frying pan with a little oil and heat.
• Meanwhile, take each ball of flour and flatten it to a thin circle or square.
• Put it on to the hot frying pan and cook, turning on both sides.
• Serve with hot curry.

ALA DOSI

• 1 1/2 cups Sugar
• 1 1/2 cups Milk
• 1 x 410g can sweetened condensed Milk
• 125g butter
• 1 cup cooked mashed Potato
• 1 cup finely chopped Cashew nuts
• 2 tbs. rose water
• 1 tsp. ground Cardamom

METHOD: Put sugar, milk, condensed milk and butter into a large heavy saucepan. Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly until mixture reaches soft-ball stage (To test for soft-ball stage, drop a little into a cup of ice cold water. If it is firm enough to be molded into a soft ball then it has reached the required temp. of 116 degrees Celsius). Remove from heat, add smoothly mashed potato and beat with a rotary beater until all lumps are beaten out. Return to heat and cook to soft-ball stage once more. Remove from heat, stir in nuts, rose water and cardamom & mix well. Pour into a well buttered shallow dish or baking tin. Press lightly with a piece of buttered banana leaf or aluminum foil to smoothen and flatten the surface. Allow to cool and set, then cut into diamond shape.

MUNG KAVUM INGREDIENTS

• 1 lb Rice flour
• 2 lb Mung flour
• 3 cups Coconut or Kithul Treacle (available in Sri Lankan Grocery Stores)
• 1 tbs. Ghee or Butter
• 1 tsp. Salt
• Vegetable oil for deep frying

Ingredients for the BATTER

• 1/2 lb Rice flour
• 1 cup Coconut milk
• 1 egg
• pinch of Tumeric
• 1/2 tsp. Salt

METHOD: Mix the rice and mung flour to get an even mixture. Boil the treacle in a saucepan. Add the flour mix. When the mixture starts to thicken add butter and salt. Transfer the thickend mixtue into an aluminum tray (cookie tray) and allow to cool. Add about 1/2 cup water into the saucepan, leave on the hot plate and stir until thick syrup like consistency. Remove from heat. Add small amounts of this syrup to the flour mix in the aluminum tray and spread into 1/2 -1/4" thick block. Cut into shapes. Prepare the batter by mixing the ingredients well. Dip the above pieces in the batter and deep fry in vegetable oil.