Nuts, tradition and Brasso.

Sunday 14th April was Sinhala New Year.

In Sri Lanka, people would have been preparing for weeks - cleaning the house, buying gifts and ingredients for food and planning. All to celebrate with loved ones, eating loads of delicious food, exchanging gifts and generally having a good time. 
Everyone follows the auspicious times and traditions liking light lamps, cooking milk rice, wearing the right colours - all great fun even at 3.02am.

In Edinburgh, I too had Sinhala New Year.

I was going to ensure the front of our house looked welcoming and clean. So I was going to paint our front windows and get new window boxes with loads of plants. 
Front windows are rotten and had to be replaced. So this is currently the welcome people get.





Never mind. I polished and cleaned the inside of the house just like my ma did. Brasso was bought as you have to make the brass shine. And I associate Brasso with New Year.

Next - time to make the goodies. Now I can't make all the fancy Sinhala new year delicacies - that needs patience and time. So I cheated and made my favourites. 
Iced Coffee with lots of brandy. Devilled eggs (not traditional but we love them), hoppers (sort of pancakes ususally eaten for breakfast), prawn curry (as I couldn't find crabs) with Deema's Spice, kiribath (coconut rice), pol sambol (coconut sambol) and love cake.

I have never made love cake before but my brother sent me a recipe and it didn't seem too difficult. It tastes bloody good but would have been better if I had used cashew nuts and not peanuts. Should have gone to spec savers said my eldest.

Hoppers

Hoppers need a special pan. I dont have one. They became pancakes. Ho hum. 
Kiribath is meant to be flattened and cut into diamond shapes. Mine was mush.

Kiribath

Pol sambol is made with fresh coconut. Desiccated coconut substitute was just lame.

But I was ready for the New Year: I had food, the brass was polished and the house was clean.

Not sure my ma would have quite approved but I know she would have laughed a lot.

Searching for headspace

The day job is over whelming. Not in the actual duties but in the politics. 
My key new skills are diplomacy and biting my tongue.
It is tedious to spend so long over an email of 3 paragraphs when all you want to say is less than 10 words long - 'F*Off it cannot be done'.
Anyway, this has meant that my lovely 'other job' of selling spices has had to take a backseat whilst I find some headspace. 
Sigh.

We're at the great Henderson's Deli - visit now!

We're incredibly pleased to announce that Deema's Sri Lankan Curry Spices is now at Henderson's Deli, Hanover Street, Edinburgh. It's a great place for vegetarians and everyone else and I recommend a visit to this Edinburgh culinary landmark.

We're going to have a tasting session there too, in the coming months, we'll keep you posted.


http://www.hendersonsofedinburgh.co.uk/deli.php

Topped-Up at Tatties

We didn't know we ran out! But fear no more, Deema's Spice is now back at Tattie Shaws. Call it 'just-behind-time-delivery', or something. Or better still, drop us an email if you can't find any and we'll drop off some more!

http://www.yelp.co.uk/biz/tattie-shaws-edinburgh

Soon to be in Henderson's Deli

In one week's time, Deema's Sri Lankan Curry Spices can be found in another great Edinburgh venue for foodies!  Henderson's Deli, 92 Hanover Street.

See you there.

Karipop! Karipop!

Karipop or Kalipop is curry puff. It is the Singlish way of saying it. Singlish being Singaporean English.

Curry puff is a snack made of dough deep fried with a curry filling. It was sold when I was a child by men on bicycles shouting out as they cycled down your lane  or by old ladies laden with baskets of these yummy delights at the beach. They are not spicy or chillie hot at all. There were chicken curry, potato curry or sardine curry puffs.


They are still sold today in Singapore but in shops and they can be eaten at anytime of the day. Truly scrumptious and awfully bad for you!

I made mine with potato curry with Deemaspice.

I made 12 with 1 sheet of puff pastry. Ok, I cheated but if I was to make the dough I would never bother!

400g chopped potatoes - quite small and par boiled.
1 onion and 2 garlic cloves chopped.
Handful of curry leaves.
2 tsps of Deemaspice.
Chilli - dry or fresh (chopped)

Fry the onion, garlic, and curry leaves.
Put in the half cooked potatoes.
Then Deemaspice and fry till fragrant.
You will need to add salt and then add the chillie to your taste.

I made 12 circles from the puff pastry (you can make more or less whatever you wish).

Put some of the curry into the middle and fold over to form a half moon. Squash the ends with a fork and glaze with egg.

Then deep fry till golden brown. You can also bake them - not sure for how long though.

Lai lai! (come come in Chinese) Karipop! Karipop!

Taste Deema's Spice at Relish Deli, Leith

Relish Deli on Commercial Street, Leith will host a delish Deema's Spice sampling session at lunchtime, 7th March, THursday for those smart enough to turn up.

What better offer for lunch can you get?

See you there.