Fried Accompaniments - Ash Plaintain, Pappadam, Chillis

Healthy Sri -Lankan Tamil vegetarian dishes often get eaten with deep fried salty accompaniments like the ones pictured above (I know, so much for healthy right?  I think its our way of feeling less guilty when we pair it oh so good and healthy vegy meals).  

Ash Plaintain Fry (Valakkai Poriyal/Green Banana Fry)
Ingredients:

• 1 Ash Plaintain
• 1/4 tsp Turmeric
• 1/2 tsp Sri Lankan curry powder
• salt to taste  

1.  Cut the ash plaintain into about 1cm thick rounds.  
2. Add turmeric, curry powder and salt to taste.  Mix well.
3. Make sure the mixture is not wet.
4. Heat oil in a pan.  Test by frying one round.  If it burns too quickly your oil is too hot.
5. Fry until golden brown and crisp on the edges but still soft in the middle (if its not crisp on the edges, it will be too soft and if its crisp in the middle it will be too hard!) 

Ash Plaintain/Green Banana

Coated in a spice/turmeric mixture

Fried Ash Plaintains!

 Fried Buttermilk Chillis
These chillis are deep fried and taste spicy and salty!

Simply use the same oil you used to fry your plaintain, make sure its hot and start popping them in.  When they change colour to a dark brown, you know they are done - if they turn black - you've fried them too long and they will be really hard!

 

 Pappadam (Appalam)

These are disc-like wafers that become crispy when deep fried and have a slight salty aftertaste.    To prepare, deep fry them and make sure they are not in too long or they will turn dark and hard.  They should be a nice light golden colour when ready:

 

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Assorted Pickles/Yogurts

Plain Yogurt, Lime Pickle, Malay Pickle

Most Sri Lankan Tamil vegetarian dishes include accompaniments like the ones pictured above.  A dollop of plain yogurt, sour pickles and chutneys does wonders to enhancing the existing flavours.

Besides the yogurt, you can find a wide array of assorted pickles and chutneys at any South Asian grocer.  The Malay Pickle however is a very common accompaniment that can be eaten with meat dishes as well.  This pickle consists of preserved chunky vegetables such as carrots, onions, and hot chillis!

On a side note, my mother in law makes all her pickles and chutneys from scratch.  I have not come to that level but I can't wait till I'm at that point to share those recipes and techniques with my readers :D

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Parappu - Masoor Dhal Curry (Lentils)

My dad told me when in my initial stages of learning to prepare Sri Lankan Tamil curries that making parappu (dhal/lentils) was the most easiest dish of all!

I did agree that it was quite simple but it still did not end up like how my mother would make it.  After a few tweaks, I was able to get it to the same creamy and spicy consistency.

There are a multitude of recipes for dhal but this is my version with a garlicky flavour dashed with cumin:

Ingredients:

• 1/4 cup masoor dhal
• 1/4 tsp mustard seeds
• 1/4 tsp turmeric
• handful finely chopped onions
• few sprigs curry leaves
• 2 green chillies spliced in half
• 1 clove garlic
• 1/4 tsp cumin
• salt/pepper to taste
• spinach to taste (optional)
• milk to taste

Recipe:

1. On medium heat, add 1 tsp of oil.  To that, add the mustard seeds, and curry leaves.
2. Once the mustard seeds start to pop, add in the onions and chillies.  Fry until translucent.
3. Add turmeric and the dhal and mix well for a minute.
4. Fill the pot with water until it covers the dhal well.  Close the lid and let it come to a boil and simmer.
5. Once the dhal is half-cooked, add salt and pepper to taste. 
6. Use the back of your spatula or spoon and mash the lentils so they become creamy.
7. Mash a clove of garlic with the cumin seeds and add this to the pot.
8. Stir well.  At this point you can add some spinach that has been roughly chopped.
9. When the dhal is well cooked, turn off the heat and add milk until it reaches a creamy consistency to your liking. Cover and let it rest.  The internal heat will continue to warm the milk that you added so no need to turn on the stove.

Masoor Dhal

I don't like adding too many onions.  Finely chop them! Don't omit the chillis - they give a nice heat!

Mash garlic with cumin

The finished product!

Enjoy!   

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Banana Fritters A.K.A Vaipan

Vaipan Dough

I had a banana just withering away and needed to put it to use, fast before I had a casualty on my hands. I could have made a banana bread but I was feeling for something more nostalgic, reminding me of my childhood memories. When my mom had overly riped bananas, she recovered them by creating vaipans! I could never remember the name as a kid so I would ask her to make the banana things - yes, I know, very technical. Till this day I still call it banana things. 
 
Ingredients:

• 1 Banana (ripened and mashed)
• 1 cup all-purpose flour (depending on how large your banana, you may have to use more)
• Pinch of Baking Soda
• Sugar (to taste)

Recipe:
Mash the banana in a bowl and add 1 cup flour as a starting point. Add more to reduce the 'wetness' of the banana as needed.
Add a pinch of baking soda. Add sugar to taste.
You want this to taste sweet so don't skimp on this - use at least 2 tbsp.
Once combined, heat oil in a pot. Be careful not to have the oil too hot or it will fry the fritters too quickly leaving the inside undone.
Pinch off somewhat round balls and drop in the heat. When it changes into a golden colour, spoon off onto a paper towel to absorb excess oil. Enjoy!

Vaipan

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