Here’s a what I have been up to lately with my #CookEatInspire post. Thanks for reading all!
Suji x
COOK
During the summertime I tend to cook food that involves less time by the hob and more easy, light and refreshing dishes that suit the milder weather. Although vegetable pulao is mostly cooked on the hob, I have used a good selection of veg here that can be pre-cooked in the microwave/steamer before adding to the pan, to make cooking time even quicker. You can also use a Pressure Cooker, and I have mentioned the cooking times for that method below.
The first veg pulao was named ‘Rainbow Rice’ by niece and I have decided to name it this in honour of her and let’s face it, it sounds much more fun! The ‘Rainbow Rice’ recipe was one made for my niece and nephew so has little spice, but the other ‘Bulgar Pulao’ was made for adults and you will find a more typical Pulao recipe but replacing the traditional rice with Bulgar. The cracked Bulgar wheat I find gives the dish different nutrients and more diabetic-friendly and I have tried this with other millets and quinoa too, which all give different textures.
Rainbow Rice (veg pulao for children)
Serves 2
- Basmati Rice – 1 cup
- Mixed Vegetables – 2 cups (I used a of beans, green bell peppers, red bell peppers, carrots and sweetcorn) – you need to use veg with different bright colours 🙂
- Onion- 1 medium sized, chopped finely (I sometimes use spring onions instead, for a milder flavour)
- Chickpeas – a handful from a can (or you can use ones that you have cooked from dried)
- Ginger – 1 inch piece
- Garlic – 1 clove
- Cinnamon – 1 inch piece
- Cardamom – 1
- Clove – 2
- Bay leaf – 1
- Cumin (Jeera) – 1 teaspoon
- OIl- 1 tablespoon
- Butter – 1 tablespoon (or veg oil if you want to keep it vegan)
- Salt – as needed
- Soak the Basmati rice for at least an hour to ensure you get the correct texture. Peel and grind ginger, garlic, cinnamon with little water to fine paste. At this point, if you prefer to steam your mixed veg, you can do so now in the microwave or steamer.
- In a saucepan, heat the oil and then add the Cumin seeds, Cardamom, Clove and bay leaf. Then add the chopped onions and sautee until transparent. Add the ground ginger cinnamon garlic past, mix well and don’t let it burn.
- Add the vegetables and cook everything together on medium flame for about 5 mins. Then drain the rice and add to the pan and mix until well combined.
- Add salt, water and bring to a boil. Cook for about 12 – 14 mins until the rice and veg are cooked through. If using a pressure cooker you can cook for 2 whistles instead.
- Use a fork to fluff the pulao carefully and then finally add the butter (if using). You could garnish with purple cabbage (cooked and chopped) for a further flurry of colour!
Enjoy seeing the faces on the children when you announce this as “Rainbow Rice”! 🙂 Ok, so maybe the older children won’t be that excited… haa haa! It will perfect to take away for picnics or other day outs and you won’t have to worry that your little ones haven’t had a good meal.
Try adding some cococnut milk when cooking the rice to give extra flavour and richness to the Pulao 🙂
Bulgar Wheat Pulao
I don’t use the pressure cooker for bulgar wheat as it can easily be overcooked so I find it easier to keep an eye on it
Serves 2
- Bulgar wheat – 1 cup (I used the coarsely cracked bulgar wheat )
- Mixed Vegetables – 2 cups (I usecoarse cracked bulgar wheatd a mixture of beans, green bell peppers, red bell peppers, carrots and sweetcorn
- Onion- 1 medium sized, chopped finely
- Chickpeas – a handful from a can (or you can use ones that you have cooked from dried)- I also add roasted tofu/seitan instead of chickpeas
- Ginger – 1 inch piece
- Garlic – 1 clove
- Cinnamon – 1 inch piece
- Green chillies – 2
- Cardamom – 1
- Clove – 2
- Bay leaf – 1
- Cumin (Jeera) – 1 teaspoon
- OIl- 1 tablespoon
- Butter – 1 tablespoon (or veg oil if you want to keep it vegan)
- Salt – as needed
- Peel and grind ginger, garlic, green chillies, cinnamon with little water to fine paste. At this point, if you prefer to steam your mixed veg, you can do so now in the microwave or steamer.
- In a saucepan, heat the oil and then add the Cumin seeds, Cardamom, Clove and bay leaf. Then add the chopped onions and sautee until transparent. Add the ground ginger cinnamon garlic past, mix well and don’t let it burn.
- Add the vegetables and cook everything together on medium flame for about 5 mins. Then add the Bulgar wheat and mix until well combined.
- Add salt, water and bring to a boil. Cook for about 12 – 14 mins until the Bulgar and veg are cooked through.
- Use a fork to fluff the pulao carefully and then finally add the butter (if using) and you can also garnish with chopped coriander leaves and spring onions.
EAT
Want to try authentic Sri Lankan home cooked food? Then you NEED to follow Virundhu Supperclub! I was fortunate to finally make it to their third supperclub and I sure am glad I didn’t miss it this time! It was held in the very trendy, easily commutable, Docklands area and the venue had a gorgeous view of the Thames.
The Supperclub is curated by the effervescent Ashanti Omkar who has done such an amazing job at coordinating the event and is a well known in the London Foodie circles ! The very talented Suhanya is the Chef who hails from such an interesting family of Keralan and Srilankan heritage and her passion for food definitely showed in the dishes she cooked for us! Her husband also helps behind the scenes and Suhanya’s sister, Veena, was the Host and Mixologist for the evening and is also a passionate foodie herself.
There were about 10 guests in total and all were fabulous company, including the wonderful Chef Kanthi and his business partner from The Curry Leaf Cafe in Brighton (one of the next stops on my Food Bucket List!). It was a hot day and the Cocktails (and the mocktail version) served by Veena were such a welcome refreshment! The passionfruit really stood out and frankly, I could have drunk a bucketful. Sluuuuurp!
To start off the Supperclub we were served some very moorish ‘Gundu Dosa’s’ which are just like the South Indian ‘Kuzhi Paniyaaram’. It was impressive to eat these with homemade tomato ketchup and Sambal (a typical Srilankan coconut chutney). There were also some yummy cutlets which reminded me of one of my Aunties from Sri Lanka who often bought these to picnics when we were younger. You will definitely find cutlets of some sort in a Sri Lankan Picnic Basket!
Gundu Thosai !!!!!
I am not sure where to start with the main meal, as it was a typical Sri Lankan feast with so many curries to accompany the rice, as opposed to the rice being the star of the show. Sri Lanka has amazing produce and Chef Suhanya had gone to great lengths to ensure the Virundhu Supperclub menu had fresh, good quality ingredients in all the dishes. Being a vegetarian, I cannot comment on the meat dishes that were served but the other guests definitely ‘ooed’ and ‘aaahed’ at all the non veg items and especially the fresh fish that Suhanya had sourced. The highlights of our vegetarian feast were the Batu Moju (fried Aubergine) , the Mallung (Sri Lankan Kale, which is also known a ‘Ponnaangkaani Keerai’ in Tamil) and not forgetting the Del (Breadfruit) curry which in Tamil is ‘Eerapilaakkai’ and which I haven’t tasted in years! It’s not easy to buy really fresh Breadfruit in the Sri Lankan shops near me, so it was such a treat to taste this vegetable and Suhanya has prepared in such a delicate way so as not to overcook it and lose the amazing texture it has. You can tell when the food is so delicious, when all of the guests become silent all of a sudden and you can just sense the pleasure that this food gives 🙂
I’m drooling as type this and revisit the photos, as I just want to have this meal all over again! There were SO many items on the menu and my photos and descriptions do not do them justice. Some tastes you just have to find out for yourself. You can tell the food is made from the heart and for me it was such a warm experience and I felt transported to one of our family homes in Sri Lanka. The beautiful music collection chosen by Ashanti added to the lovely ambiance and my husband and I couldn’t help singing along to some of the classic Illayaraja tracks during the evening 🙂 If you do get a chance to taste the food at Virundhu Supperclub , then I can tell you that you won’t be disappointed. It will be a ‘Virundhu’ (feast) for ALL your senses!
Gundu Thosai !!!!!
INSPIRE
I am very excited to write about a very very talented person who is a continual inspiration to me both as a great food photographer and as a beautiful human being. She is the lovely Nessy Samuel.
For over a year her photography has dazzled me and continues to do so. As a food photographer and stylist Nessy has a great eye for beauty and can capture a view that you or I could have also seen, but not really focused on and so missed it’s highlight. She definitely doesn’t miss the highlights and as a wonderful cook herself, she uses her own dishes as well as simple ingredients or lovely props in her shots. Her website holds pictures of Still Life, Floral as well as Food. Simplicity in it’s most elegant form, is what I like to think of her style but in order to really see Nessy’s awesome work check out her stunning portfolio: www. nessysamuelphotography.com/index.html
Nessy’s use of light, angles and composition of the photo’s are really awe-inspiring and it really brings out the best in what she is trying to capture. This photo below of Romanesco cauliflower is just stunning and you can get a great feel for the textures and colours with the background she’s chosen.
Her talent does not stop here! She also has a great eye for the sights she experiences on her travels and her passion for natural beauty is what I admire most. Nessy’s frames often look like famous paintings and I often feel like I am right there in the shot as well. Nessy’s travel photography can be viewed here: https://www.instagram.com/wanderingoyster/ You will see what I mean and I hope she inspires you as much as she does me 🙂
This is a snapshot of Nessy’s inspiring Travel Instagram profile: Wandering Oyster
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My Kitchen Adventures 