Gourmet tips news

? ? Before Frying Masala Vadai/Parippu Vadai is considered as one of the popular street food in Sri- Lanka. This dish always brings back the happy childhood memories for me.  As a kid growing up in Sri-Lanka, My mom would always take me to Wallewatte beach for our evening walks and getting piping hot Masala Vadai and coconut chick pea mix from street cart vendor was my favorite things to do.(besides screaming and jumping over the waves).  I don't know if it was the salty air, coconut oil or the additives in the food, it always tasted better than any fancy restaurants I had dine in Colombo. I tried to mimic the taste in my head with this recipe, it came out pretty darn good, really crispy and spicy with lots of green chilies inside. Cooking time: 20 minutes Preparation time: 2 hours Ingredients: 1 cup of split peas dal (Channa Dal) 2-3 dry red chilies, crushed (1 tsp red chilli flakes or 2 green chillies) 1 piece of ginger, minced 1 small onion, finely chopped 1 strand of c

  I love  eating a toasted English muffin with a marmalade/apricot  jam  for breakfast and finishing up with  a freshly brewed cup of coffee. I usually buy Thomas English muffins  from the store and was looking for a recipe to make it at home.  This recipe is very easy to make and by adding some dried raisins and cranberries gives you more flavors.  It turned out so moist and delicious, hope you all try it at home. Here's the recipe with the modification. Ingredients : 1 lb All-purpose or bread flour  1 tsp salt  1 1/2 tbsp dry yeast  1 tsp sugar  1 cup Warm milk  2 oz butter, melted 1 cup of  dried fruits (raisins/cranberries) Directions: 1.Sift the flour and salt into a bowl , add dried fruits . Dissolve the yeast and sugar in warm (105� F) Let froth, then mix in the butter. 2.Stir all the liquid into the flour and beat well until smooth and elastic. 3.Cover and proof in a warm place for 50 minutes or until doubled in bulk. 4.Turn onto a well-floured board and knead, working a li

Paella is one of the most famous seafood dish in any Spanish cuisine.   It does not matter if you come from North, south or center of Spain, everyone has their favorite paella recipe. Below recipe is adopted from a southern region of Spain, hopefully you will like it as much as I enjoyed cooking it. This is a fairly quick paella with minimal pre-cooking. It will take about 30 minutes to prepare and 20 to 30 minutes to cook.   Ingredients: �6 oz. shrimp, peeled (reserve the shells for broth) and patted dry �1 small bottle clam juice �Pinch saffron threads �Kosher salt �1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil �6 oz. dry scallops, patted dry �4 oz. calamari, cut in rings (optional), patted dry �1/2 onion, grated on the largest holes of a box grater �6 garlic cloves, peeled �1 tomato, halved and grated on a box grater (discard the skin) �1 1/2 cups medium grain rice �8 small clams or mussels (or both), scrubbed �2 lemons, cut in wedges Yield: 4   Direction: 1. In a medium saucepan, bring 4 1/2 cups