Fluffy pancakes
Ingredients:
2 tbs sugar
2 eggs
200 ml milk
¼ cup flour
2 tsp vanilla
2tsp baking powder
A few strawberries, a few grapes and a banana
Maple syrup or honey and a small cube of butter
Method
Mix the eggs and sugar well. Add the milk and the flour and whisk the mixture well. Add vanilla and baking powder. Whisk again. Your mixture has to be slightly thick. Grease the pan, pour a small amount of batter into the hot pan. Wait till your pan cakes are golden brown. Finally, it is time to enjoy your pan cakes. So cut some fruits , pour some honey and put a little butter cube on top.
Thaharaa Perera
Year 2S
Colombo International School
Colombo 7
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Nil (blue) katarolu flower pancakes
Ingredients
1 cup of plain flour
1 cup thick coconut milk
¼ tbsp salt
2 tbsp of coconut oil, plus a little extra for frying
For the treacle mixed coconut filling (Penipol)
¾ cups grated coconut
¼ cup coconut treacle
Salt to taste
For colouring
25 Nil katarolu flowers
100 ml of boiling water
Method
Step 1
Katarolu flower extract Put washed, crushed katarolu flowers in to a bowl and add 100 ml of boiling water.
Cover the bowl and keep aside for 10 minutes. After 10 minutes strain the solution.
Step 2
Batter Put 1 cup of plain flour, salt, 300 ml coconut milk and katarolu flower extract into a bowl or large jug, then whisk to a smooth batter. Then strain the mixture and keep it in the fridge for an hour. (It will be easy to spread the batter on a pan)
Step 3
Treacle mixed coconut filling Place the treacle in a saucepan and cook on medium heat, stirring until the mixture boils. Then add the grated coconut stirring until the coconut turns a dark brown colour.
Step 4
Heat a nonstick pan or skillet on a low flame and add a little oil. Add 2 full spoons of batter and swirl it well so that the mixture coats the surface (about 6 inches in diameter)
Once the bottom side is cooked, turn the pancake to the other side for a few seconds and remove from pan or skillet. As soon as you flip it add the sweet coconut filling.
Spread the pan cake on a flat surface. Place one table spoon of sweet coconut mixture in a line towards the end of the circle and fold the pancake from the sides so that the points of the sweet coconut mixture line are facing each other. Now, start the rolling from the sweet coconut side of the pancake.
Repeat the process with the rest of the batter.
Serve warm.
– S.N. Sasrutha Nayanathul Dias
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Nil katarolu
Nil katarolu or the butterfly pea flower is indigenous to South East Asia and is a medicinal shrub. It is also known as nil kadurodu, Its other names include blue pea flower, aparajitha and Asian pigeon wings. Nil katarolu is a common ingredient in many herbal teas, mixed drinks, and cosmetic products.
It is thought to be rich in antioxidants and have several health benefits, including increased weight loss, better blood sugar control, and improvements in hair and skin
The blue colour of the flower can be got by steeping it in hot or warm water. The blue colour is used to add colour to various traditional dishes and also as a dye.
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Kirala Juice
Ingredients
Kirala fruits (9-10)
Cold water (4 cups)
Thick coconut milk (1 cup)
Sugar – to taste
Salt
Method
1. Cut the fruits in half. You should see a whitish flesh flecked with seeds with a brownish part in it. Remove this brown part completely and scoop out the flesh and put it into a container. Don’t put a single bit of the fruit’s skin.
2. Then add some water and squeeze the flesh out so that all the juice is released.
3. Strain the liquid with a strainer, making sure that none of the seeds get into the drink.
4. Add the salt, the sugar and the coconut milk. Mix well until all the sugar has dissolved.
5. Serve ice cold!
– Hiru Wanniarachchi
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Kirala
Kirala, as it is known in Sinhala is a fairly small green fruit.
In English, it is known as apple mangrove and in Tamil it is ucittakarai. Kirala is endemic to Sri Lanka and grows mostly near salt water bodies.
The fruit has a star shaped covering on top and when it is uncovered there is a reddish rim. The flesh is white. The kirala juice is very refreshing.
Kirala is supposed to be cooling and is thought to be good for stomach ailments.