WHAT'S COOKING

SUNDAY

If you are steaming yesterday’s rice in the microwave remember to sprinkle a few drops of water over it, so that steam will make the rice fluffy. The same applies when re- steaming pittu, stringhoppers etc. Never stand in front of the microwave when it is on.

MONDAY

Do you know the following facts: What is Khus khus? It is poppy seeds. Goraka is Malabar tamarind or gamboge, Ajwain is Caraway Seeds, Amchoor is Mango Powder, Chakripool is Star Anise, Shah Jeera is Black Cummin, Dhania is Coriander, Soursap is Katu Anoda, Mishri is Sugar Candy.

TUESDAY

Have you tried buttered bread with pol sambol for breakfast? It is one of my favourites.

WEDNESDAY

Tamarind and Date Dipping Sauce.

Soak quarter cup Tamarind in one and a half tea cups hot water for ten minutes. Add onethird cup chopped dates. Cover. Simmer 15 minutes over low heat. Add 2 Tblsp Sugar, 6 Garlic cloves, minced, 2 tsp Lime Juice, 2 tsp Fish Sauce, (10ml), stir till sugar dissolves. Cool, store in fridge.

THURSDAY

Beetroot helps lower Cholesterol, preventing Heart disease. Karavila, (Bitter Gourd), in addition to containing a high amount of vitamins, has an effect of reducing blood sugar levels

FRIDAY

Do you know why scraped coconut is always added to a Mallung? It is because grated coconut helps to make the vitamins in the leaves more absorbable to the body. A protein like Maldive Fish is also always added to make the nutrients more absorbable too.

SATURDAY

“Our lives begin to end the day we become silent about things that matter” Martin Luther King Jr.

I am now 95. I will be 96 in June. I do not know how long more I can continue to write “What’s Cooking”. I thank all those who have contacted me, either on the phone or in a letter, telling me they have enjoyed reading my articles and the Daily Mirror for publishing my articles. I started this column in October 2005. This is my 488th installment. As I put down these words on the computer, I thank God for giving me the ability to continue with my writing. My first book titled “Of Cabbages and Things”, Volume One, was published in March 2001, and the second one, with the same title, in January 2012. These books contain all the articles I wrote for the “Lanka Woman.”