If I ever open up that cafe / bookstore / flower shop / art gallery / textile arts shop / bar (it’s not going to happen, I have books to write, but y’know, a girl can dream), I’d have to offer this cocktail. I even gave it a fun name. Put a bird on it!
*****
The Flying Hibiscus
2 oz. hibiscus tea (boil a few handfuls of hibiscus flowers in 8 oz. water to make hibiscus tea)
juice of 1/2 a lime
1-2 T rose syrup (to taste), or honey
1 oz. vodka (optional)
1. Make hibiscus tea. Combine 2 oz. tea with lime juice and rose syrup (or honey). You can enjoy it just as it is — a little tangy, a little sweet, beautifully floral.
2. Stir in vodka for the alcoholic version. Garnish with hibiscus flower and enjoy!
I really shouldn’t start on the cocktail party cookbook recipes until I finish up the vegan cookbook ones — but since this cocktail is also vegan, and I can potentially include it, I think it’s okay. (There’s going to have to be a bit of a winnowing, though — I have more recipes than I have room for in the book…) I had just enough blooms on my hibiscus tree to pull this off.
Bopped over to check the Kickstarter (it’s the last two days, so after ignoring it for weeks, I’m now obsessively checking it every hour or so), and we broke $7000, woot! The question is, will we get to the $7500 stretch goal before time runs out?
It’s funny; I used to not like lentils. Everyone always raved about Amma’s paripoo, but it just didn’t work for me.
But boy, I love this Sri Lankan lentil curry. Bryan thought it was the best thing we served at the party, and I think he was right. I have to credit Ethiopian food — falling in love with that cuisine in college led me around to loving lentils.
I’ve just added stretch goal #2 — if we make it to $7500, I’m committing to Serendib Teatime (I may fiddle with the name some), a selection of afternoon tea delights.
One of my favorite things to do when visiting Sri Lanka is enjoy seaside afternoon tea at the Galle Face Hotel — little sandwiches with the crusts cut off, cakes and cookies and scones, fried prawns, and of course, the best Ceylon tea. Yum.
Pledge at the $3 level or higher to get a copy of all funded ebooks — the cocktail party ebook is guaranteed now; the teatime one…well, we’ll see. We’re at $6881 now, so it’s promising, but not definite.
Photo from a tea tasting Karina and I did at a hill country plantation in 2005.
Sigh. I wrote up a perfectly good vegan garlic curry recipe for the vegan cookbook. It was delicious. But then I thought…you know what this would be great as? The base for a chicken curry. So I cut up six chicken thighs and tossed them in, simmered for 15 minutes or so, and oh my god, that’s stunning.
I’m never going to manage to go fully vegan, folks. I just don’t have the willpower. I’ll have to settle for just reducing meat consumption, at least for now. (I still dream of discovering massive reserves of willpower in my old age….)
This one is for all the folks who say there can never be too much garlic in a dish. I’m no expert on Ayurvedic cooking, but from what I’ve read, garlic is used widely in Ayurvedic medicine, with claims that it’s good for the heart, hair, and digestive systems.
On the other hand, some practitioners recommend being sparing when you eat garlic and onions, as they can have a ‘heating’ effect, and some of us may run rather ‘hot’ already… I leave such weighty health decisions up to the cook! I will only vouch for this dish being delicious.
2 T vegetable oil
2 c. peeled garlic cloves
1 c. chopped onion
1-3 green chilies, seeded and sliced thinly
1 t. salt
1/2 t. ground pepper
1/2 t. fennel seeds
1/4 t. mustard seeds
1/4 t. fenugreek / methi seeds
1 stalk curry leaves (about a dozen)
2 c. coconut milk
1 T Sri Lankan roasted curry powder
1 T tamarind paste
1. Heat oil in a saucepan over medium heat. Add garlic, onions, chilies, salt, pepper, fennel, mustard, fenugreek, and curry leaves; sauté, stirring occasionally, until golden-translucent.
2. Add coconut milk, curry powder, and tamarind paste. Bring to a boil, stirring to combine, then reduce the heat and simmer until the gravy has reduced by half. Serve hot with rice or bread.