Sri Lankan Tea Buns スリランカのティーパン ( レーズンパン）

These traditional sweet tea buns, known as tea banis is one of the most popular bakery product in Sri Lanka. All most everyone would like to have this delicious soft  tea buns with a cup of tea for the tea time . So I decided to share, my method of baking this sweet tea buns for those who were long-awaited to bake them at home . Watch the above well demonstrated video to better understand, how to make this most popular Sri Lankan sweet tea buns at home while reading the written recipe below .

INGREDIENTS :

METHOD :

1)In a small bowl ,combine ,luck warm water ,yeast and 1 tbsp of sugar . Give a good stir and let it sit for about 10 minutes until the yeast is well activated and begins to foam .

2)Crack the egg into a separate bowl and beat vigorously using a spoon or a fork for a minute .

3)Add the beaten egg into the yeast mixture .

***Now, I'm gonna use the traditional Sri Lankan well method for mixing flour with other ingredients to foam a dough for making Sweet tea buns.

4)Place 250 g of flour on a clean ,smooth work surface such as a large board or a marble slab . Make a well in the center .

5)Gradually, add salt and milk powder into the center of the well .

6)Then slowly pour the yeast mixture .

7)Gradually mix the flour and liquid ingredients by hands,drawing the flour from the inside walls of the well. 

8)When the flour mixture becomes little thicker add remaining sugar. ( Used 1 tbsp of sugar earlier to make the yeast mixture ). Continue mixing the ingredients together until everything is well combined .

9)In the next step, add margarine into the flour mixture and continue mixing.

10)When the mixture becomes too sticky to handle, add remaining 50 g of flour and continue mixing everything until the dough becomes into a ball .

11)Dust some flour on the work surface to avoid the dough sticking. Cut a piece of the dough using a scraper and place it on top of the dough . Again ,cut off another piece of dough and place it on top of the dough . Repeat this procedure for about 2 minutes .

12)Sprinkle some flour on the surface again and start kneading the dough by hands for about 10 minutes . After a while of kneading ,the dough will be sticky as it has much sugar and butter than a regular bread dough. But don't add extra flour to the dough or work surface . Just have a dough scraper to scrape up the dough that stick to your hands or to collect the dough together while kneading. ( Watch the above video )

13)After 10 minutes, using the windowpane test ,you can easily determine if the dough has been kneaded long enough .( Keep in mind, as this dough has much sugar and butter ,it can be teared off easily than a regular bread dough . But, still the windowpane test is working well.)

14)Flat the dough with your hands . Add raisins in the middle of the dough and collect the dough into a ball with the help of a dough scraper .

15)Again, knead the dough for a further 3 minutes .

16)Let the dough rest in a lightly-oiled bowl for about 
2 1/2 hours,covered with a piece of cling film in a warm place.

17)Divide the dough into roughly 5 equal pieces . Roll each portion into a smooth ball and Place the buns onto a parchment-lined tray .

18)Keep the tray in a large plastic bag and let it sit for about 2 hours in a warm place.

***To make the egg wash mixture, you need , 1 egg and 30 ml of liquids such as milk or water .

19)In a small bowl, combine egg and milk. Beat it vigorously with the help of a fork or a spoon . Strain the mixture using a fine mesh strainer .

20)Now, gently apply the prepared egg wash all over the buns and bake them in a preheated oven at 350 F  for about 30 minutes until golden brown. The optimum baking time depends on your oven .

21)When the buns are done, take them out of the oven.
Transfer the buns to a cooling rack. Cover with a clean cloth and let cool completely before serving, at least one hour .

ENJOY !!!

A Delicious Italian Pasta Dish With Vegetables ( Spaghetti )野菜たっぷりパスタ

There's no anything better than a hearty bowl of pasta for dinner or a busy lunch . Home made one-pot veggie pasta is absolutely delicious and incredibly easy to make with a handful of ingredients in less than 20 minutes . You can make so many combos and variations of it as well .( Add vegetables of your choice ,prawns ,meat ,fish ,ham ,sausages ... Basically anything you would want in your pasta dish ). If you want to know how to make a tasty one-pot pasta dish , Watch the above detailed video to the end while reading the written recipe below .

INGREDIENTS :

METHOD :

***Let's prepare the vegetable mix ...

1)Soak vegetables in salt water for about 10 minutes . Wash them in several changes of water and drain .

2) Cut zucchini using a sharp knife into two equal vertical halves. Place each halve flat on the chopping board and slice them thinly. Cut carrot into long thin strips and slice the rest of vegetables into edible sizes .

3)Heat 1 1/2 tbsp of olive oil in a wok or saucepan over medium high heat . Add sliced mushrooms and  sauté for few seconds till the aroma emanates .

4)Add 1 tsp of salt and a pinch of black pepper . Give a good stir.

5)Add carrot strips and sauté until the carrots are nicely coated in oil for about 30 seconds . Gradually add sliced celery and thinly sliced onions . Stir fry for few seconds .

6)Add sliced zucchini and mix all the vegetables well . 

7)Gradually add a pinch of dried parsley ,oregano and white pepper . Stir fry the vegetable mixture until half cooked .( Until the raw smell goes off and yet crunchy. )

8)Set aside .

***Now ,let's cook pasta ...

1) Heat 1 tbsp of olive oil in a deep bottom saucepan on  low heat . Add minced garlic and stir fry until lightly browned . ( Make sure not to burn the garlic, as it tends to get very bitter and changes the taste of pasta .)

2)Add 1/2 cup of water to prevent the lightly-browned garlic from burning . 

3)Gradually add a dash of white pepper, cubed tomatoes, butter, pasta, 3 cups of more water, 1 tsp of salt, a pinch of chili flakes ( optional ) and black pepper . Bring it to boil on medium heat without the lid.

4)Then cook covered until the pasta is tender and most of the water has been absorbed . ( Watch the above video )

5)Add the earlier prepared vegetable mixture and gently mix everything well . Continue cooking, covered for further minutes until all the water is absorbed .

6)When the pasta is done,immediately transfer to a serving plate using tongs .

7)Serve this delicious pasta dish topped with Parmesan cheese and Tabasco sauce.( Optional ) 

ENJOY !!!

Bitter Gourd Curry ( Karivila Curry ) කරවිල කරිය  スリランカのゴーヤカレー

Bitter gourd is full of vitamins and minerals ,including vitamin A,C,Fe,Ca and beta carotene. This amazing powerful herbal vegetable has so many health benefits. Specially people use this vegetable to treat disease such as diabetics ,cholesterol , stomach and intestinal problems . Today I'm going to share with you, how i apply this Ayurvedic vegetable to my home cooking . Watch the above demonstrated video to better understand how to make a delicious Srilankan Style bitter melon curry while reading the written recipe below. 

INGREDIENTS:

METHOD :

1)Cut bitter melon into 3 pieces .Keep the pieces in salted water for about 10 minutes. (I usually add 3-4 tsp of salt )

2)Wash the bitter gourd several times in clean water .

3)Cut each piece in halves. Run the knife from top to bottom to remove the white pith. Keep aside.

4)In a small bowl ,soak tamarind in 3/4 cup of hot water until softened for few minutes .

5)Slice the pitted bitter gourd into length-wise strips .

6)In a large bowl, mix together bitter gourd strips ,chili powder ,a pinch of salt ,black pepper powder , Sri Lankan unroasted curry powder,a hint of turmeric ,clove ,cinnamon ,cardamom ,Indian tamarind (goraka) ,fenugreek seeds ,curry leaves and squeezed tamarind water .

7)Heat 2 tbsp of olive oil or another cooking oil of your choice in a sauce pan on high heat . Temper black mustard seeds until they start popping or bring out the nutty flavour. 

8)Gradually add crushed garlic ,thinly sliced onions ,pandan leaves and green chilies. Stir-fry until slightly browned .

9)Slowly add the earlier prepared bitter gourd mixture into it . Cook covered on medium heat until all the water has been evaporated .

10)Add thick coconut milk and bring it to boil on medium heat . 

11)Then increase the heat to high. Sprinkle salt to taste and continue cooking uncovered until the gravy becomes slightly thick .

12)Transfer the cooked curry to a serving bowl and allow it to cool . 

13)Serve this tasty bitter melon curry over a bed of the brown or white rice of your choice.

ENJOY !!!

Now ,if you are interested ,let's learn the ingredient list in Japanese .

***To prepare the unroasted curry powder, you need only these ingredients. Add all the ingredients into a spice grinder and grind into a fine powder.  It's done .

Fruit Sandwich Bento / පළතුරු සැන්ඩ්විච් ලන්ච් බොක්ස්

Fruit sandwich is very popular amid Japanese .  it's super easy to make at home in no time .  All you need is few slices of white bread ,whipped cream and fruits . If you haven't tasted it yet ,give this simple and delicious recipe a try . Check out the above video to better understand how to make it as an open fruit sandwich while reading the written recipe below .

INGREDIENTS :

METHOD :

1)Remove the edges of bread slices and keep aside .

2)Cut the fruits into pieces or you can use cookie cutters to make shapes .

3)Lay a piece of wax paper the same size as the bread slice on a cutting board .

4)Place a piece of cling film on top of the wax paper .

5)Spread the whipped cream on the bread slices and set aside. (Add 15 g of granulated sugar per 200 ml of cream )

6)Arrange the fruits to your liking on the cling film to the size of the wax paper .

7) Place the bread slice with the cream side down on top of the fruits .

8)Trim off any excess fruits around the bread slice using a sharp knife and turn upside down .

9)Now it's ready to serve .  But if you want to make the sandwich more elegant and sweet ,decorate the top with jam or melted chocolate like the way I do in the video .

10)This sandwich perfectly goes well with tea or coffee . As well as you can add it to your children's lunch boxes with some veggies ,snack and salad of your choice to make it more healthier .

Enjoy !!!

Now ,if you are interested let's learn the ingredient list in Japanese ...

Sri Lankan Dhal Curry තෙල් නොදා හින්දපු පරිප්පු කරිය...

Dhal curry is a traditional Sri Lankan dish that everybody love to have with their meals. This's the very first recipe i learned from my mother and really happy to get an opportunity to share with you all today .  Watch the above video to know the steps of making this delicious and nutritious curry while reading the written recipe below .

INGREDIENTS :

METHOD :

1)Wash the lentils in several changes of water until water is clear . Usually it takes 3-4 washes.

2)Discard the water well .

3)Transfer the washed dhal into a little bit larger saucepan .

4)Add Fenugreek seeds ,thinly sliced onions ,sliced green chilies ,Maldive fish ,curry leaves ,pandan leaves , crushed garlic ,chili powder and turmeric .Mix well while adding 2 cups of water until all the ingredients are well combined.

5)Place the saucepan on high heat and cook the dhal closing the lid until all the water has been evaporated .

6)Add thick coconut milk and a pinch of salt . Give a good stir with the help of a spoon .

7)Cook again on high heat without the lid , until the liquid dries off . ( Bear in mind to check the taste of salt and add more, if required before the curry becomes dry. )

8)Transfer the curry to a serving bowl and allow it to cool . Serve this delicious dhal curry with the white or brown rice.


*** Now if you are interested ,let's learn the ingredient list in Japanese too ...

Healthy and Easy Japanese Potato Pancake / රසගුණ පිරි ජපන් අල රොටී..

I guess many of you are concerned about healthy eating like me right ? But,if you're not already on the health train it's time to get aboard ,just giving this simple ,healthy ,quick and easy Japanese potato pancake  recipe a try.  Which has no gluten flour at all . Check out the above detailed video to know the steps of making this super easy pancake,while reading the written recipe below .

INGREDIENTS :

METHOD : 


**Let's prepare the dipping sauce first ..

1)in a small bowl, combine soy sauce ,vinegar ,sesame oil,chopped leeks and a dash of sesame seeds .

2)set aside until ready to serve with the pancake .

**Now ,let's make the potato pancake ...

1)Grate the potatoes on the small holes of a grater.(Don't apply much pressure as we want fairly thin shavings.)

2)Combine grated potatoes ,chili flakes ,salt ,chopped onions ,thinly sliced green chilies and corn starch in a large bowl .

3)Heat 2 tbsp of olive oil or another cooking oil of your choice in a larger frying pan. Slowly add the prepared potato pancake mixture and spread it out evenly .

4)Cook on medium heat until the mixture sets and golden on the bottom for about 5 minutes or more .

5)Flip upside down and cook for another 5-10 minutes until it reaches a golden brown color too .

6)When the pancake is ready,Serve it with the dipping sauce made earlier on the side .

Enjoy !!!


**Now ,if you are interested ,let's learn the ingredient list in Japanese too ...