Yay! Apparently, I am able to upload photos, again! I will start with the tray of treats that neighbor S brought over, last night:
 |
| Banana Cake, Farina Cake with Syrup, and Chocolates |
It's the first time I've had the farina cake and I am a fan! The cakes were made by S's sister-in-law; thank you to S's SIL for making them and thank you to S for sharing!
As for the items I purchased at the Sri Lankan store (for those of you who said you liked seeing what I buy from there):
 |
| Tea and Mung Beans |
 |
| Cookies and Crackers |
I'm very picky when it comes to tea and this is my favorite kind; they don't always have it in stock, so when they do, I buy several boxes! The mung beans, soaked overnight and boiled is a favorite breakfast item! The Karapincha (curry leaves) crackers are new to me; I bought the box to try them and they were nice. Cream crackers are a favorite of mine and the ginger cookies are daughter's favorite.
I also bought a few essential ingredients to make the special cake we call Love Cake, including farina or semolina, jars of pumpkin preserves (made from a squash Benincasa hispida known as ash pumpkin in Sri Lanka, which is also known as winter melon and wax gourd), and small bottles of rose flavor and almond flavor:
 |
| Farina (Semolina) |
 |
| Jars of Biriyani Mix, Pumpkin Preserves, and Sesame Candy |
The sesame candy is a favorite of mine - sesame seeds ground together with jaggery (a type of palm sugar) and formed into rolls.
Plus savory snacks - something called "cocktail mix" which is also known as "murukku mix" (murukku being the small stick-like pieces, made from a batter made with a type of lentil called urad dhal and deep fried) and fried breadfruit chips:
 |
| Cocktail Mix and Fried Breadfruit Chips |
I bought two types of cocktail mix; the one in the smaller jar is spicier than the one in the package.
I also bought some raw cashews for the love cake, but, I didn't take a photo of that.
As I've mentioned before, I'm very thankful that I am able to buy these specialty items. And for neighbors sharing treats! Such a blessing!
In the 1950s&60s the Austin car company in the UK brought out a small car called The Farina. My parents had one. I thought it was a pretty name and looked it up in the encyclopedia in the town library (no Internet then!) I was really amused to find that the name of our car meant "flour"! I'm looking forward to finding out more about Love Cake.
ReplyDeleteFarina does sound like it could be someone's name, doesn't it? :) Love cake is something we make every year at Christmas time. It uses farina/semolina instead of flour, lots of cashews and eggs and spices. My daughter prefers it to traditional Christmas cake/fruit cake.
DeleteNice to see the photos of your treats and Sri Lankan food items. Those cookies and crackers look delicious, I love ginger cookies.
ReplyDeleteGlad you enjoyed seeing the photos, Eileen. Ginger cookies are a favorite in this house! :)
DeleteThank you for showing your Sri Lankan store purchases. You've mentioned that you enjoy the tea you get from there. Are they tea bags? - I can't tell from the picture although I think that's a little tea bag pictured on the left of the box? How much are they if you don't mind my asking. I like really strong tea and I see that is what you've purchased.
ReplyDeleteThe sesame candy sounds very good as do all of the other treats.
I wish I had some of S's farina cake right now with my tea. :) It looks very moist.
You are welcome, Debra. :) Yes, they are tea bags. 100 tea bags for $5.69 (it went up 20 cents!). A bit more expensive than other teas that are also available, but, I really, really, like the flavor of this tea. I've tried other brands and other types made by this particular brand, but, this tea is my favorite. I drink it with milk and sugar.
DeleteI did a search for Armenian farina cake and I am thinking of trying out one of the recipes. Yes, it is nice and moist! You bake the cake then, pour a sugar syrup over it! :)
That looks like fun shopping - plenty of delicious things to enjoy.
ReplyDeleteI wasn't familiar with farina cake, either. I looked it up and found two recipes for it - a Greek version and an Italian version. They were quite different, but both contained farina. Do you know what kind of cake you got?
It was definitely fun shopping! All my favorite foods! Do a search for Armenian farina cake. :)
DeleteI'm looking forward to seeing this year's love cake! Lots of photos please. As I said before, I am planning to make another one. I remember earlier this year when I was reading up about the cake I came across various different recipes so I might tweak it this time. But I am definitely using all your flavourings as they were a big hit!
ReplyDeleteNeighbour S's offerings look good enough to eat!
I will definitely post pictures when we make it. :) I am trying to persuade my daughter to record it!
DeleteS's offerings were definitely good eating! :D
I'm glad to hear that the neighbourhood "Goody-go-round" is still active. Those cakes look yummy. The Karapincha crackers you bought look enticing. We always had cream crackers in England. The sesame candy looks interesting. We have sesame brittle available here.
ReplyDeleteDH is busy taking apart out paper shredder, in the hope of getting the reverse to work. I suggested looking for Youtube videos and that is what he is doing. I don't think there is much that hasn't already been done by someone and videoed on Youtube, whether it is crochet or cutting a tree down!
Oh, I like that term, "neighborhood goody-go-round"! :D Yes, very much active and doing well! LOL. The cakes were delicious! The karapincha crackers were very good and I am tempted to try making my own version of it! I love cream crackers and they used to be served at Christmas with slices of cheese whenever one visited family or friends at Christmas, when I was a child and cheese was still available (it was imported and there was a ban on imported goods at one time).
DeleteGood luck to DH with getting the paper shredder to work! You are right - there's a ton of "how to" videos available online!
Do you add anything to the mung beans when you boil them please, and what do you serve with it? It sounds interesting and will be something else to add to my Cooking With Bless file.😀
ReplyDeleteI just boil them in salted water, then drain off any excess water. They can be eaten plain, without anything else. I like to eat them with a spicy sambol called "lunu miris" (basically, onions ground with dried chili flakes or powder, salt, and lime/lemon juice). My daughter prefers to eat them with sugar! You can eat them with freshly grated coconut, too. Or, mixed with leftover milkrice (my mother used to like that). You can, also, cook the soaked mung beans to make a version of dhal, to eat with rice. :)
DeleteThanks Bless. I will attempt to make the lunu miris. I checked a recipe and it says to also add umbalakada (smoked and dried Maldives fish). Don't you just leave that ingredient out?
DeleteSome people add the Maldives fish, but, it is not essential. I left it out of my earlier description because I figured it was not something that you are likely to have on hand. One of my cousins, who is vegetarian, leaves it out and makes the best lunu miris - my daughter will just eat it with a spoon, by itself! LOL. If you can find bottled lunu miris or katta sambol, then, that will be good, too. :)
DeleteWhat lovely delicious treats!
ReplyDeleteI love buying food that reminds me of home. It can be really expensive over here, but it's a lovely treat!
Food from our childhood homelands are definitely treats, aren't they? It's expensive, here, too, but, I've always maintained that it is cheaper than a trip home! LOL. This store sells quite a bit of British food, too - biscuits, Christmas pudding, jams and relishes, etc. :)
Delete