By Tania Kelaart
I moved from Sri Lanka to Melbourne in 1988 to get married to my high school sweetheart who had migrated here just 6 months before me. Being a new migrant, I faced the usual struggles they confront; leaving behind families, friends and way of life.
Things in Australia were a bit different back then, with fewer migrants from the sub-continent. With study and perseverance, I managed to get into my line of work and my husband and I saved to buy a home in Hoppers Crossing.
Soon after this, we started our family. It was only then that I really felt the lack of connection as I took time off work to look after my young children.
In 2015 I got together with another lady to start the Wyndham Women’s Support Group bringing women from diverse backgrounds together and to offer a ‘Safe Space’ to build friendships and connections, learn from others, share their gifts and talents and be supported to feel empowered.
We have been able to incorporate a variety of activities including a veggie garden, a sewing group, a kitchen, a journal (with stories of the diverse voices of women) and a cookbook featuring cultural recipes from our group.
As a group we like to experience the outdoors and take a walk by the Werribee River or have a picnic at the Werribee Rose Gardens when we can. An annual overnight stay and day trips are also something that we do as a group.
We usually meet on a Friday during the school term for our Support Group and on other days for our sewing class and kitchen.
Over the next few months we hope to share with you some of the amazing recipes from women in the group, starting off with one of my personal favourites, Kotthu Rotti.
And if you’d like more information about the group please email wyndwomens.sg18@gmail.com
Kotthu Rotti
Enjoy this wonderful Sri Lankan dish with vegetables, eggs, meat and a great flavour.
Ingredients
2kg carrots cut or grated into fine pieces
3 packets of godamba roti (flat bread) cut up roughly into 3–4cm squares
2 large leeks cut finely
½kg cabbage cut finely
3–4 green chillies sliced
3 sprigs curry leaves
2 rampe (pandan) leaves chopped into small pieces.
3–4 tablespoons olive oil
Salt to taste
10 eggs
2 large onions sliced
2.5kg chicken, beef, or a meat curry of your choice (that has already been prepared)
Method
- Make sure you have a curry of your choice already cooked, before you attempt making the Kotthu Roti dish.
- Into a large pan (non-stick is preferable), pour in the olive oil and heat over a medium flame. When hot, put in the sliced onions and saute for a few minutes.
- Add curry leaves, green chillies, and chopped pandan leaves, and fry together for a further two minutes.
- Add the carrots, cabbage, and leeks, and cook until well sautéed.
- Add the cut godamba roti to it, and mix well together.
- Then break the eggs into it, stirring all the time so that the egg will combine well with the roti mixture.
- Finally, add the prepared (cooked) curry to the roti mixture and mix in well, whilst stirring throughout, so that the tase and flavours are well combined. Add salt to taste as desired.
It is now ready to eat.
