Anita's (Sri Lankan Tamil) Cookbook & Culinary Adventures

Rally's Sportsbar + Smokehouse Restaurant Review

2012-11-05T12:33:00.002-08:00

It was my husband's birthday a while back and he really didn't feel like driving too far so I did some research and found out that Rally's Sportsbar + Smokehouse (1660 O'Connor Drive, Toronto) had some pretty good reviews and they did ribs - perfect, since my hubby loves ribs!

So for Saturday lunch we decided to check out the food and space at the bar. It was definitely easily identifiable as the venue looks brand smacking new and colourful amongst the strip plazas and housing nearby.

Inside, they had large lcd screen tvs so regardless of where you are sitting, there was always a good view. It also had a large private party space with a giant screen TV. I immediately thought if this place is ends up being good, it would be a great venue to come back with my bro-in-law who is always looking for a space to watch the big game - I need to stop being so optimistic, remember looks aren't everything!

We started off with the wings platter in hot. First it wasn't hot (I do recognize as South Asians, our version of hot is quite on a different scale but even Frank's or Tabasco hot sauce was hotter than this!) and secondly it was served lukewarm. They lost major points here.

Since we went on a Saturday, they were serving brunch and I tried the pulled pork bennies - these were very good but served lukewarm. The tossed greens were in dire need of dressing and the home fries were nothing to talk about.

We came for the ribs but found out they don't have that during their lunch menu (I don't recall them posting a lunch menu online so I was really disappointed but kind of glad we ended up not sampling the ribs given our disappointment with the wings.). My husband had the burger instead. Again, it was nothing to talk about.

Overall, would we come back here again? Definitely not for the food but it really is a nice venue so if you wanted to catch the game and get a few drinks at the bar- this is a good alternative to the packed bars elsewhere. But don't go there hungry as you will be disappointed.

Verdict: 2.5/5

Mini Cinnabon(Cinnamon) Buns

2012-11-05T11:44:00.001-08:00

My husband loves cinnamon buns (actually he loves all things laden with sugar and fat but isn't that all men?) I came across this wonderful recipe and the first time I tried it, we both loved it but I couldn't digest all the fat that it was involved (I choked at the one stick of butter for 8 mini buns that we finished in one sitting - eek!). So, the next time I attempted the recipe (and I made sure it was many moons after the initial time), I decided to tweak it with some lower-fat alternatives and I found it made no difference on the taste - yippee!

Ingredients:

Pillsbury Crescent Dough - Reduced Fat
1/4 cup of butter (1/2 a stick), softened at room temperature, divided.
1/8th cup of brown sugar (I found I used even less than this amount for both types of sugar but its a good starting point)
1/8th cup of white sugar
1/2 tsp cinnamon

Recipe:

Preheat oven at 350F
Roll out your crescent dough and pinch the seams so it becomes one sheet.
Use one half of your divided butter mixture and spread all over your dough, particularly the edges. If you find you don't need all that butter, then don't use all of it!
In a bowl, mix white sugar, and cinnamon. Apply this mixture onto the butter which acts as a glue. After I spread it, I shook off any excess on the dough.
Roll up the dough into a log and cut into 8 even rounds.
Meanwhile, in a bowl microwave the butter and brown sugar until they are nicely melted. Cover your baking dish with this mixture.
Place your cinnamon rounds on top of this mixture. If you have any sugar/cinnamon mix leftover, you can sprinkle it on top of the rounds.
Bake uncovered at 20 minutes.

Glaze

Microwave 1 tablespoon milk with 1 tablespoon butter
Add this to 1/2 cup powdered sugar - mix well
Add 1/2 tsp of vanilla

Add any extra sugar/cinnamon mixture to sprinkle on top

In the oven, rising up

Trying to glaze the buns!

Fried Accompaniments - Ash Plaintain, Pappadam, Chillis

2012-11-05T11:18:00.002-08:00

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

Cut the ash plaintain into about 1cm thick rounds.
Add turmeric, curry powder and salt to taste. Mix well.
Make sure the mixture is not wet.
Heat oil in a pan. Test by frying one round. If it burns too quickly your oil is too hot.
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:

Assorted Pickles/Yogurts

2012-11-05T10:43:00.002-08:00

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

Parappu - Masoor Dhal Curry (Lentils)

2012-10-27T12:41:00.004-07:00

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:

On medium heat, add 1 tsp of oil. To that, add the mustard seeds, and curry leaves.
Once the mustard seeds start to pop, add in the onions and chillies. Fry until translucent.
Add turmeric and the dhal and mix well for a minute.
Fill the pot with water until it covers the dhal well. Close the lid and let it come to a boil and simmer.
Once the dhal is half-cooked, add salt and pepper to taste.
Use the back of your spatula or spoon and mash the lentils so they become creamy.
Mash a clove of garlic with the cumin seeds and add this to the pot.
Stir well. At this point you can add some spinach that has been roughly chopped.
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!

Banana Fritters A.K.A Vaipan

2012-10-22T13:08:00.005-07:00

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