Recipes from Sri Lanka
by Chandra Wimalasiri
e-mail: chandra@chandrage.com	Let us know your comments questions

Introduction

From ancient times other cultures have been in contact with Sri Lanka to obtain the spices that grow there. The best cinnamon, cloves and other spices are indigenous to Sri Lanka. People arrived to trade in spices and also left some of their culinary practices as well. Sri Lankan cooking has evolved by combining culinary practices of many of these cultures. The most noticeable impacts have been the Portuguese, Dutch, Moor and Malay influences.

In this small booklet the most popular dishes have been described. Some notes on substituting ingredients, cooking methods and addresses of where to purchase ingredients are given below. Sri Lanka being a tropical country has to beware of food spoiling fast. Hence most foods are cooked in liquids which is a fast method of ensuring that all ingredients are cooked thoroughly. No dish described here takes more than 30 minutes to prepare, with average times ranging from 15-20 minutes.

Curry Powder

Sri Lankans use two different curry powders. One is referred to as plain curry powder and very similar to the Indian yellow curry powder obtainable from a Oriental or Indian grocery store. The other curry powder is referred to as black (black-dark brown in color) or roasted curry powder and is used for meats. The yellow curry powder can be used as the base to make the black curry powder. This method is given in the beginning of the booklet.

Coconut Milk

Coconut milk ( the milk obtained from squeezing the meat of the coconut) is a central to Sri Lankan cooking. However as milk is made every day, this process of obtaining the milk is quite tedious. Nestle have been manufacturing powdered coconut milk in Sri Lanka for over a decade and as such has made it much easier to cook Sri Lankan style.

Dairy milk can be substituted at times. However occasions where lime or lemon juice is used there is a good possibility of dairy milk curdling.

Stores

Roasted Curry Powder

Start with 100 gms raw yellow curry powder. Add about a 1 tablespoon fennel seed, 1 tablespoon garlic powder , 2 pieces lemon grass , 2 cloves, 3 cardamoms , 2 pieces cinnamon and 1 tablespoon mustard seed and roast in a frying pan at low heat for about 3 minutes or until dark brown in color. Then remove and grind to a powder. note: The smell will be very strong, enough to get rid of any vermin that you have in the house. Definetely not the operation for the faint hearted. Unless you are a real afianciado we sugget you buy the finished product from the store.

Tips

The easiest of the dishes to be made are the wattalapan, and Mallun. Start with these if you are beginner. We think that the Sri lankan Rolls and Egg Plant are the most difficult.

Unlike most other food, most sri lankan foods taste better if kept for some time. If the weather is warm, refigerate and reheat. Meat, Fried rice are the best. The malluns and Noodles do not fare that well when kept.