The Sri Lankan Menu

Rach and I fell in love with Sri Lankan food on a trip through Asia in 2010. We had worked our way overland from Tibet to the Southern tip of India and had suffered with 'stomach problems' since Nepal which had culminated in us spending 2 weeks recovering in Udaipur - for anyone visiting you simply have to stay where we stayed - The Mahendra Prakash.

 

Fast forward another few weeks and we arrived in Kandy our first stop in Sri Lanka, our appetites had fully recovered and we were primed for some re energising feasting. We were like 2 bears stirring out of hibernation and just like a grizzly coming across a river filled with stupid salmon swimming up stream we had arrived at The Pink House in Kandy and hit the food jackpot!

The Sri Lankan cuisine consists of a variety of different curries served with chutney, sambol, rice and parathas/chapati. Our first Sri Lankan meal was made up of a daunting number of vegetable curries along with a fish curry plus the rice, parathas and sambol. Sambol is simply freshly grated coconut mixed with finely chopped shallot/red onion and chilli, although a number of other ingredients are often added. Sambol is believed to increase appetite (i am a believer!). We were also served a mango curry which added another intense flavour to the mix!

After being presented with the many, many dishes we were taught the traditional way of eating with our hands, picking small amounts of different curries and combining rice and sambol into a bite sized ball before using the finger tips to gently place this into the mouth. The owner and Rachel laughed at me for literally throwing food at my face but it was the quickest way i could find to get the deliciousness into my body...

And so we spent a few days pottering around Kandy with the guesthouse owners dog, seeing the sites and regularly returning for another banquet and a nap until with heavy hearts it was time to move on. We had to force ourselves to  pack our bags and leave the comforts, nay love, that the Pink House and it's incredibly hospitable owners were providing but there was so much more of this incredible island that we still had to see.

Even now, getting on for 2 years later i find myself day dreaming back to those few days and a smile comes across my face, and a little saliva runs down my chin as i recall one of the greatest experiences of my life!

The only negative of our stay was the reversal of the good work that the stomach bug in India had done to my waist line... 

 

 

I went from the slender figure you see standing on a pier in Kerala in photo 1 to the bloated man you see in photo 2 within just a few days... It is not that the food is unhealthy, because it really is, but the quality and amount of flavours can lead to overeating...

 

Upon arriving back to the UK we quickly tried to replicate the food but were less than satisfied with the first couple of attempts. It wasn't until i received a Sri Lankan cook book as a present and happened to start working with a Sri Lankan girl that i was able to fill in the missing pieces of the jigsaw and add to the knowledge taught by the lovely owner of Pink House. The cook book filled out the minimal notes Rach had taken in the kitchen, her short hand left us trying to guess the exact steps needed to put together each dish (I had warned her) and my new colleague pointed me in the direction of the nearest Sri Lankan supplied grocers/mini market  where i could pick up the necessary ingredients to add the distinct flavours that had been missing from the earlier attempts. 

 

You cannot underestimate the difference it makes getting fresh curry leaves and the Sri Lankan mix of curry powder also adds to the distinct flavour of the dishes, if you use normal curry powder then check that it includes fennel if it does not then add some some seeds in.

Don't worry about doing everything just pick out a couple to try with some sambol and rice / bread. You can always freeze portions and then bring out a bigger selection for a dinner party or for when you need a real treat! I'd also strongly recommend purchasing this cook book, Serendip by Peter Kuruvita, which has a great selection of Sri Lankan goodies and has been an invaluable aid to me recreating the food i enjoyed in central Sri Lanka, it'll also give you exact recipes for making your own Sri Lankan curry powders.

I'll add more dishes to the list as and when i perfect them and will also update the existing recipes if i improve them further!

RECIPES -

Pol Sambol (THE most important bit!)

Ingredients - 

One Shallot finely chopped
Approx 1 cup of Freshly Grated Coconut (you can use frozen or dessicated with a little hot water added)
Dried Chilli Flakes
A good squeeze of Lime Juice
A good pinch of Salt and a little freshly ground Black Pepper

Maldive Fish Flakes (optional)

• Add the shallot and chilli flakes to a large mortar and use a pestle to grind together, add salt and pepper and fish flakes if using.
• Continue to grind together and slowly add in the coconut until the mixture is an orangey colour.
• Squeeze in the lime juice and mix.
• Check the taste, add extra chilli or salt if needed.

Beef Curry

Ingredients - 

500g top rump / silverside / topside, cut into bite sized pieces.

Spices: tsp ground cumin, tsp chilli powder, tsp of ground coriander, 4 cloves, cinammon stick, 1/2 tsp tumeric, 2 bruised cardamom pods, 3 tsp meat Sri Lankan meat curry powder, tsp roasted fenugreek seeds, salt and pepper.

2 Tbsp Veg Oil

1 Onion, finely chopped

3 Garlic Cloves, crushed

5cm piece of Pandanus Leaf

3cm piece of fresh Ginger, finely chopped

Approx 15 fresh Curry Leaves

Tbsp Tomato Puree

1 Litre Beef Stock

• Add the chopped meat to a bowl with the spices and marinate for a few hours or over night.
• Heat the oil in a large saucepan and add the onion, garlic, ginger, pandanus leaf and curry leaves and cook on a medium heat until the onions are softened.
• turn the heat up to high and add the meat and spices to the pan, cook quickly until the meat is browned.
• Add the stock and tomato puree, bring to the boil then simmer for at least an hour until the sauce is thickened and the beef is really tender. This may take a while longer.

Mackerel Curry

Ingredients - 

500g Mackerel Fillets, skin on, chopped into 3cm pieces

2 Heaped Tbsps Goraka Paste (this is essential but may be hard to find... It adds a lovely sour taste to the dish)

250ml Coconut Milk and 50ml Water

2 Tsp Roasted Curry Powder

1/2 Cinnamon Stick

1/2 Tsp Tumeric

Tsp Fenugreek Seeds, lightly roasted

1/2 Tsp Dill Seeds

1 Onion, finely chopped

3 Green Chillis, sliced

2 Garlic Cloves, crushed

Approx 15 Fresh Curry Leaves

Freshly Ground Black Pepper

Salt

A good squeeze of Lime Juice

• Rinse the fish and then put in a bowl and cover with the Goraka paste and leave to marinade for a while.
• Put the coconut milk, water, spices, onion, chillis, garlic and curry leaves in a saucepan, bring to the boil and then simmer until the onions are soft.
• Add the fish and goraka, gently stir in well and let it all simmer for 8 mins.
• Take off the heat and cover for ten minutes.
• Check the fish is cooked through and then add salt and lime juice to taste.

Dhal

Ingredients -

250g Red Lentils

1.25 Litres Water

Heaped Tsp of Tumeric

4 Dried Red Chillis, left whole

Red Onion, finely chopped

A good quality Tomato, chopped

2 Garlic Cloves, chopped

5cm Piece of Ginger, chopped

2 tsp Cumin Seeds

50g Ghee or Butter

Approx 10 Fresh Curry Leaves

2 tsp black mustard seeds

• Add the lentils, tumeric, chillis, onion, tomato and water to a saucepan, bring to the boil and then simmer until the lentils are soft and starting to break up to thicken the sauce.
• At the same time grind the garlic, ginger and cumin seeds in a pestle and mortar until combined into a paste.
• Heat the Ghee/Butter in a frying pan, add the curry leaves, spice paste and mustard seeds. Cook until the seeds start to pop and the mixture is beginning to brown, be careful not to burn the butter though.
• Add the spicey butter mix into the lentils and give it a really good stir then simmer for another ten minutes. Season with salt to taste.

Breadfruit Curry (substitute pumpkin if you can't find, i could only get ready chopped frozen breadfruit from an Asian supermarket)

Ingredients - 

1 Breadfruit, peeled and cut into 3cm pieces, approx 450g.
Tsp Ground Cumin
Tsp Ground Coriander
Tsp Curry Powder
Red Onion, finely chopped
2 Green Chillis, sliced
Approx 12 Fresh Curry Leaves
1/2 Tsp Tumeric
Cinammon Stick
400ml can of Coconut Milk
A little Freshly Ground Black Pepper

• Add the cumin, coriander and curry powder to a dry frying pan and dry roast over a low heat until dark brown.
• Add all the ingredients to a saucepan and simmer for 10-15 mins, until the breadfruit is softened.
• Add salt and pepper to taste.