The Cottagecore Cook: A Sri Lankan Homestyle Cooking Blog

  Making your own butter chicken and naan is a deliciously rewarding experience. For the naan (yields 3 big naan) 2 cups flour 1/2 tsp salt 2 tsp yeast 1 cup warm milk 2 tsp sugar 2 tbsp yoghurt 2 tbsp oil Combine the sugar, yeast, and warm milk and leave aside to froth. Meanwhile, mix the flour, salt, and yoghurt until the ingredients are evenly distributed. Use 1 tbsp of oil to coat your palms and mix the rest of the oil along with the milk-sugar-yeast mix into the flour mix.  Knead for 10 minutes until a non-sticky dough forms. Put the dough into an oiled bowl, cover with a damp cloth and leave to rest in a warm place for 1 hour. Deflate and break into 3 pieces, shape back into balls and leave to rest for a further 30 minutes. Roll out the naan. Combine butter with garlic paste and a pinch of pepper and spread over the top of the naan. Fry the naan in a well oiled pan until its light and puffed up.  For the butter chicken: 1 chicken breast, diced 1 cup yoghurt or curd 1/2 cup choppe

  This rice dish is a quick and hearty meal or snack solution that feels like you put in a whole lot more effort than you actually did! For the rice: 3 cups of cooked rice, cold 1 cup kimchi (find the recipe here: https://thecottagecorecooksrilanka.blogspot.com/2020/11/homemade-kimchi-with-gochujang-korean.html) 1/2 cup bacon ends, chicken, or diced sausage 3 cloves garlic, diced 1/2 an onion, diced 1 tbsp soy sauce 1 tbsp oyster sauce 1 tsp chillie flakes 1 tbsp soybean oil 1 egg Fry the meat, onion, and garlic in oil until translucent. Add the soy and oyster sauces along with the chillie flakes and mix well.  Stir in the rice and kimchi. Stir until well combined. Serve with an egg, sunny side up.

  Making your own kimchi sounds challenging but it's a lot easier than you think! Gochujang is an essential ingredient for kimchi making and I had to make a few substitutions because some ingredients weren't obtainable so I'll get to that first. For the gochujang: 1 tsp chillie powder 4 fresh red chillies 1 tbsp soy sauce 2 cloves garlic 1/2 inch ginger root 1 tbsp sugar 1 tsp cornflour 1 tbsp vinegar 1 tbsp dried shrimp 1 tbsp red chillie flakes Grind all the ingredients together into a paste. Add half a cup of water and cook on a low flame until thick. For the Kimchi: 1 head Napa cabbage 1 bunch spring onions, chopped 1 large radish, chopped into thin batons 1 large carrot, chopped into thin batons Grated garlic and ginger 3 tbsp salt (without iodine) 3 bsp soy sauce 1 tbsp oyster sauce Wash the cabbage and salt it. Leave it aside for half and hour, then wash and drain well. Slice it into big chunks and mix with the other chopped vegetables.  Combine the soy sauce, oyster

  An easy vegetarian pasta dish that's tasty and satisfying. For the sauce: 1 big squash (batana) peeled and chopped into small cubes 1 tbsp oyster sauce 1 tbsp soy sauce 2 cups vegetable stock 4 cloves garlic, crushed 1 big onion, chopped 1/2 tsp pepper  1/2 tsp chillie powder 1/4 tsp cumin 1 bay leaf 2 tbsp butter 1 cup fresh milk Salt to taste Sautee the squash, onion, and garlic in butter. Add the spices once the onion is translucent and continue to cook for 2 minutes. Once the pan starts to dry up, add the stock and sauces. Cover and cook until the squash is soft.  Blend with fresh milk until it forms a smooth thick sauce. Add salt if needed and return to the pan. For the pasta: 1 pack angel hair pasta (400-500g) Cook the angel hair pasta as instructed, preferably al dente. Stir the pasta into the sauce and bring to the boil. Turn off the heat and serve immediately.

  Dessert can't get any easier than this! Ingredients: 2 cups fresh milk 3 tbsp cornflour 3 tbsp tepid water 1/2 cup sugar 1 tsp vanilla extract Grated nutmeg and cinnamon to taste 1 tsp unsalted butter Mix the cornflour in the tepid water until its smooth and free of lumps. Pour the mixture along with the sugar and vanilla into the milk and whisk well. Sprinkle the spices and stir. Microwave for 2 minutes and stir. Then microwave at 1 minute intervals, stirring the mixture each time until it reaches a thick but smooth pudding consistency. Stir in the butter and mix well. Leave to set and cool, then chill in the fridge.

  This is a decadent chocolatey spin on the classic kimbula banis. For the dough (dry mix): 2 cups flour 3 tbsp butter, cold 3 tbsp cocoa powder  1/2 cup chocolate shavings Mix all the ingredients together well until the butter is completely incorporated into the dough. For the yeast (wet mix): 2 tsp yeast 2 tsp sugar 1 cup lukewarm milk Dissolve the sugar in the milk and then stir in the yeast. Leave aside for 5 minutes in a warm dark place until frothy. Pour the wet mix into the dry mix and combine into a dough. Knead for 15 minutes and leave aside in a warm place in a bowl, covered with a damp cloth. After 1 hour or when the dough has doubled in size, divide the dough into 4 long pieces. Cover again and leave to double once more. Roll each piece into an elongated triangle, fold, and shape into a roll. For the sugar syrup: 2 tbsp sugar 3 tbsp water Boil the water and sugar into a thick syrup  Brush the dough with the sugar syrup. Then sprinkle coarse sugar over the top. Bake at 200C

  Whether you're a casual marmite fan or someone who puts in on everything, this is a recipe you're sure to love! For the chicken marinade: 10 pieces of chicken (breast, wings, drumlets) 1 tbsp soy sauce 1 tbsp ginger garlic paste 1/4 tsp chillie powder 1/4 tsp pepper 1/2 tsp vinegar 1/2 tsp oil Marinate the chicken in the mix for at least 4 hours in the fridge. Coat the chicken generously in cornflour and shallow fry on each side until golden and crispy. For the sauce: 1 tsp Marmite 1 tsp soy sauce 1 tsp tomato sauce 1 tbsp bees honey 1 tsp sugar 1/2 tsp chillie flakes 1 cup water Combine the ingredients and boil it down until a thick sauce forms.  Toss the chicken in the sauce until its coated well. If the mixture is too wet, put the pan back on the heat and toss the chicken until the excess moisture is gone. Serve hot over rice with a little pickled ginger and chopped fresh chillies.