Serendib Kitchen

The addition of a mojo (fragrant garlic & herb vinegar & lime sauce) as a final step takes it over the top. Pollo A La Brasa Venezolano recipe here: https://mommyshomecooking.com/easy-venezuelan-roasted…/

It’s funny how it really does help me motivate if there’s a new recipe for me to try; I guess that’s part of the ADHD thing. I am super-motivated by novelty. (It’s a good thing Kevin is willing to just make the black beans and rice for me every time, so I don’t have to

Gods, I love when I have a good curry on hand — makes my life so much better. Made Sri Lankan black pork curry this weekend, intensely flavored with vinegar and black pepper, and have been happily eating it paired with red cabbage sambol and a mix of red and white rice (red rice has

Sunday evening, Kavi and I were studying together — I was prepping my syllabi, and she was doing homework. Kevin brought us study snacks. Not visible but also on that cutting board, fresh mozzarella and prosciutto.

I didn’t have a lot of time to cook for the refugees this weekend, so only one experimental new recipe — we’d signed up for breakfast, so I made Venezuelan scrambled eggs, known as perico, cooked with onion, pepper and tomato. Very similar to scrambled eggs I’d make for myself and the family. It was

Spent a little time this weekend making elderberry syrup, which is supposed to be a tonic for colds and such. It’s a little bitter until you sweeten it with honey, but it does taste like it’s good for you. One tip I found said to freeze the berries before trying to remove them from the

Red Cabbage Varai / Muttaikoss Varai (15-20 minutes, serves 8.) Sweet, firm, rich with coconut. 8 oz. cabbage 1 medium onion, minced 2 fresh green chilies, seeded and chopped ¼ rounded tsp. ground turmeric ¼ rounded tsp. freshly ground black pepper 1 rounded tsp. salt 2 T lime juice ½ cup shredded unsweetened coconut 1.

I had some red cabbage leftover from cooking for the Venezuelan refugees (making an entire half-tray of cabbage slaw for 40 only used up half a cabbage!), so I thought it would be a good time to experiment with it a little for Sri Lankan cooking. I’d tried using red cabbage before, in a varai,

Despite my doughy arepas, I did end up fairly pleased with what I dropped off to the refugees on Saturday; I think it’s a pretty classic Venezuelan meal. Clockwise from top left: roasted sweet potatoes, pulled pork topped with cotija cheese, pickled red onions, arepas, cabbage & carrot slaw, chicken & avocado salad, black beans,

So, I was a little anxious about trying to make arepas, and rightly so, I think — it’s not that they’re particularly difficult (if you can make pancakes, you can make arepas), but doing them well? I’m pretty sure mine were more doughy and dense than is ideal — they didn’t puff up the way