Herft Creations

I always love when I find a brand that does good clean spice mixes that are keto and diabetes friendly.....I.e. no sugar in the mix!

Tried the Chicken bake...the only changes I made was that I replaced the tomato paste with fresh tomatoes or and the cream cheese with fresh cream! Delicious!!!

Now to figure out how to use this mix in some grazing platter delicacies!

Comment ideas below!

Next one to try is their Sri Lankan Curry mix and see how authentic it is! Stay posted!

Wishing all Mums and mother-figures a wonderful day.

Happy Mother's Day

Holiday homes don't get better than this. Everything you could need in a family friendly home! And services, like ours, as well as others, such as massage, etc, who will come to you.

There is a very comprehensive directory at the property, but also on Dido's Place website.

Following on from last night's post, the shop will be closed while we get settled in and make the space our own. We plan to open by Mothers' Day (11/12 May), but will do our best to open earlier. Thanks for your understanding and we look forward to seeing you all!

I first met Anabel & Andrew when I used to do Richmond markets and it has been a privilege to watch their business evolve and thrive over the 6 years that I've known them!

So very grateful for all the opportunities we have had to collaborate over the years. Knowing the high standard of quality food they have provided over the years, I am so excited to see this next chapter unfold!

Congratulations and good luck guys! I can't wait to pop into Pie In The Sky Roadhouse for a coffee and a house-made pie! 💜💜💜

Starting in September 2015, we went from a small trailer to an awesome food truck in 2022. We also changed names three times! We have met so many lovely customers and fellow food truckers, vendors, event and market operators. Last year, an opportunity came up that we ultimately decided was right for us. It's been many months in the making and we can now let you know, that we are officially closed.

While this chapter has sadly come to an end, a new one has begun. We are now the new owners of a little shop on Bells Line of Road. Some of you may have heard of it... Pie In The Sky Roadhouse. And yes, we're making plans to eventually incorporate our food truck menu once we've settled in. Follow to find out when you'll get your Churros, Chorizo and Chimichurri fix!

Thank you for all the support for our small business over the last 8+ years. We really do appreciate it and we'll be forever grateful. We hope to see you in the roadhouse for a pie and coffee in the near future.

Over and Out,
Anabel & Andrew

Happy Sri Lankan New Year to all celebrating.

Sinhala and Tamil New Year is celebrated across Sri Lanka in April by the island's two main ethnic groups. Originally a harvest festival, this event marks the passage of the sun from the constellation Pisces to Aries. The holiday is celebrated with traditional rituals, merrymaking, feasting and fun and games.



Sri Lankan New Year | Aluth Avurudu | Puthandu |Celebrations | Harvest Festival | New Year

(PSI) is a not-for-profit organisation with a mission to lessen the impact of cancer in South Asian/Indian subcontinental communities. PSI provides community members with information and support to improve their knowledge and awareness of certain types of cancer and the benefits of early detection. In 2022, PSI received a grant from the Cancer Institute NSW to deliver tailored support services for people from the Indian sub-continent affected by cancer. This project is being delivered in partnership with Western Sydney and South Western Sydney Local Health District.

I'm excited to find out more about what they are doing!

Homemade pastrami! This came out so good! I will need to make it again!

And of course, & I had to make Reuben Sandwiches with leftovers. Yummmmmm.



Reuben | Pastrami | Leftovers | Easter Lunch | Sandwiches | Food

I hope the Easter Bunny was good to you all! We had a wonderful family reunion for Easter.

And part of my contribution was this layered chocolate mousse dessert. Think chocolate biscuit crumb, raspberry coulis and rich creamy chocolate mousse. It did take a few steps to make this but it was so worth it.

Should I add it to my menu? And should I make a boozy version? Let me know what you think in the comments!



Easter Lunch | Family Reunion | Layered Dessert | Menu Choices | Fresh Fruit | Easter Bunny

Way back on this day in 2017....I received my first order. What a long way we've come since then!



First Order | Back in Time | Meal Packs | Change | My Journey

Maalu Ambul Thiyal....otherwise known as Sour Fish Curry. This delicious dish originated in the South of Sri Lanka.

The fish is marinated in the spice mix and then cooked in a pot lined with banana leaves. It is a dry curry and the fish (generally yellow fine tuna), steeped in these flavours is more-ish and absolutely divine.

Often when I find recipes, I use them as a point of inspiration, and rarely follow a recipe. However, I have been following for a while now and Nagi's style of cooking and range of spices and foods is very similar to my own.

So, when I went looking for a unique recipe for baby Octopus and found this crispy legged baby Octopus recipe....I had to try it!

The only change I made....was that I sous vide my baby Octopus instead of braising them.

This recipe was beyond delicious and I will definitely be making it again!

Thanks Nagi!! 💜💜💜

4 of my absolute favourite spices. The healing properties of these items are off the charts. OK...maybe not as much for the chilli🤣 but it does speed up your metabolism!

Turmeric, ginger, chilli and garlic...fresh is best...but powdered is amazing too. With the addition of a little bit of salt...you could literally cook anything with nothing but these spices.

Try it....let me know how you go!

This what Wikipedia has to say about "soya meat"

"Textured or texturized vegetable protein (TVP), also known as textured soy protein (TSP), soy meat, or soya chunks, is a defatted soy flour product, a by-product of extracting soybean oil. It is often used as a meat analogue or meat extender. It is quick to cook, with a protein content comparable to some meats."

It is a bit of an acquired taste. And for those of us who grew up in Sri Lanka, it was quite a common part of our diet.

I don't eat it as often anymore, but that's because I forget🤣

I love it!

Who remembers when I also owned a Farmer's Market???? Yeah I sold that business at the end of 2021! But....when I did...I also had a stall there.

And I had one stallholders who could not eat gluten, in addition to a whole bunch of other intolerances and she was vegetarian. I came up with the Zucchini "Toast" recipe for her.

I had forgotten how delicious it was! And so quick and simple to make.

Why did I make it tonight? Well that would be telling🤣🤣🤣

Kitchen with a view. Roasting spices to make a very special curry powder.

The balcony makes a nice cool kitchen today!

It's been a hot minute since I made these masala mussels!

I often forget....until FB memories remind me...that the 14th February is actually the official birthday of the name Herft Creations....essentially ...it's our Name Day!

17 years ago, I registered a business in Sri Lanka doing copywriting, design and printing. Basically a one-woman ad-agency.

The name itself was one I came up with in my teens, at the time thinking I'd be an interior decorator. Well.....life had other plans. 😂

In the coming weeks you will be hearing more from me as I introduce the re-vamped Herft Creations.

But for today .....may you be surrounded by love, laughter and lots of good food!

Happy Valentine's Day 💞💜

I love doing themed dinners.....but I also have a gypsy soul so I tend to throw in a few favourites of my own.

I tried Mexican themed for dinner.....loosely speaking. Cold entrèe, fresh oysters...no prep needed. 😂 Followed by a hot entrèe of baked jalapeño poppers stuffers with bacon bits and cream cheese flavoured with garlic and a hint of lime and coriander.

Mexican meat and beans, pork, bacon, beef with beans and corn, simmered in Mexican spice mix, coriander and fresh birds eye chillie and simmered in a tomato purse with a large splash of beer.

Served with guacamole, Salsa, sour cream and tortillas.

Baked prawns..my own Mexican type recipe. The prawns were marinated in lime juice, fresh garlic, taco seasoning. Then baked and drizzled with coriander butter.

And for dessert a mix fruit cake from .lidcombe ! That cake is to die for.

Also included.....a traditional Sri Lankan birthday breakfast.



I

Are you thinking about the silly season and all the entertaining it entails?

We are! We tried out something new that we think you would love! Available for Private Chef catering events, the calamari is pre_marinated, then stuffed with the delicious veggie mix We use to stuff Pur famous veg rotis, wrapped in a banana leaf and baked.

Delicious as an appetiser or side!

Contact us via our website to book your Private Chef or catered event!

leaf

Dhal with Spinach.....made with red lentils and cooked in delicious coconut gravy. This creamy dish is infused with aromatic spices and turmeric.

I used Malabar Spinach or Ceylon Spinach, thicker leaf Spinach that grows on a vine. Definitely one of my absolute favourite dishes...this is delicious served with rice or to dip rotis or bread in.

It is just naturally vegan friendly.

This mildly sweet, slightly tangy leaf is one of my favourites of all the leaves we make "mallung" out of.

Gotu kola has long been used in Ayurvedic, as well as ancient Chinese medicine.

It contains chemicals that reduce swelling and blood pressure, increases collagen production.

It is also said to improve memory, reduce anxiety and improve overall brain health.

Gotukola is also used by yogis for meditation and said to develop the crown chakra.

This fresh coconut and gotu kola mallung is delicious with rice and curries.

Growing up in Zambia my parents had a close friend who visited us everyday after work, sitting in our kitchen chatting with my Mum while her knitting needles clicked.....she was as much an Aunty as any....spoiling all 3 of us.

Aunty Merl used to make this amazing Tomato Chutney that we all associate with our childhood and there is no internet recipe that can beat it. This is Aunty Merl's Tomato Chutney from her recipe. Literally childhood memories in a bottle.

Lots of chilli in this one.

Thanks Aunty Merl😘💜

Scroll through to see what these became.

Thanks to for this delicious and simple Vietnamese Cabbage Rolls recipe!

I'll definitely be making these again!

It's a wonderful thing to become a part of a family's birthday traditions.....this is the third consecutive year that I've made this dish for this particular birthday.

Butter chicken made from scratch.

Do you have an event you need catered?

birthdaydinner

When it's just a "casual" catch-up but the caterer in you doesn't understand "casual"😂

A quick grazing platter to go with some wine.

💚💛

Whilst in Jaffna we simply had to sample this dish known as Odiyal Kool, which is a signature dish of the region. This broth was something neither of us had tried before and was a great experience.

Odiyal Kool is a sweet and sour broth made with seafood, spices and an assortment of vegetables, and thickened with Odiyal, which is a flour made from the Palmyrah tuber.

Ours was served with pittu (Sinhala) or puttu (Tamil), which is a dish made from layers of rice flour and coconut steamed in columns.

Chilli heaven right here!

This is how pineapple should be eat😂 With salt and chilli....this one could have used a little more salt though.

Local Kotmale cheese wedges....chilli flavour. The chilli is just subtle enough to taste but not enough to over power the creaminess of the cheese. Highly recommend this one!

Rancrisp Cassava wedges. Kocchi is a type of Sri Lankan habanero that has both heat and a unique and robust flavour. These chips have become a firm favourite on our holiday ....because they capture the flavour and only a portion of the heat so they can be enjoyed by all. ...if it were for me alone ..I'd want more heat😂 But I still enjoyed these nevertheless.

Fresh tropical fruits and a glass of fresh papaya juice to start the day.

Sri Lankan takeaway breakfast.....yup...that's take-away masala tea-in-a-bag😎 (see what I did there?😂)

Uppuma with sambar and chutney ....those came in bags too ...but I forgot to take pics.

About a week into our holiday and I'm finding inspiration for future products and services.

Can you guess what these food inspired me to do?