Sri Lankan’s pride themselves in being culinary experts when it comes to rice and curries. We boast of the most flavourful curries that are a complex blend of spices ingeniously layered to form a fiery explosion of deliciousness. Once you try a typical traditional Sri Lankan curry, you will never turn back – I kid you not!
Rice is the staple diet for most Sri Lankans and is eaten with a variety of curries that are prepared in different methods. Various spicy condiments or ‘sambols’ also accompany any meal, adding that extra bit of punch (in the guts?) to your meal!
If rice does not interest you, do not fret! You can try out other traditional specialties such as string hoppers (a stringy noodle made out of wheat flour), hoppers (a crispy bowl shaped pancake), roti (flat bread) and thosai (a savory pancake).
Additionally Sri Lankan cuisine has been heavily influenced by Western invaders (Dutch and Portuguese), South Indians as well as Arab tradesmen.
Biriyani is an aromatic rice dish. What makes biriyani unique is the fragrant stock that the rice is cooked in. This stock is prepared with a number of various spices and meat that complement the rice perfectly. This delectable dish is extremely popular and enjoyed by all Sri Lankans.
Lamprais is yet another way of preparing rice, influenced by the Dutch. The rice is prepared in a complex mixture spices, turmeric and coconut milk. Once again the stock plays an extremely important role in its preparation, with a combination of meat being added to enhance the flavours. A number of different curries and sambols are added as accomplishments and it is packaged and served in a banana leaf. Among these curries and side dishes is blachang (a ball of finely ground prawns), frikadels (crumb fried meat balls) and brinjal pahi (brinjal fingers fried in traditional spices).
Yes, in case you didn’t believe me the first time, Sri Lanka
In the West, people often crave a warm comforting bowl of hot soup after a hard days work or when sick. Unsurprisingly this is not the case with me. As a Sri Lankan, I crave chicken curry! I yearn for a thick steaming curry comprising of tender chicken, coconut milk, garlic, cinnamon sticks, ginger, chilli powder and a number of other spices.
I believe a chicken curry a day will most definitely keep the doctor away! So forget the soulful chicken soup of yesteryear and try our chicken curry!
Here’s the recipe for those of you who would like to try it out for yourselves.
RECIPE FOR CHICKEN CURRY
Serves 4
Ingredients:-
1 large broiler chicken
1 cup thick coconut milk
2 cups diluted coconut milk
1 sprig curry leaves
1 small stem of lemon grass, chopped
1 large onion, chopped fine
2” piece of ginger, crushed
6 cloves garlic, chopped
4 cardamoms
4 cloves
3” piece of cinnamon, broken up
3 heaped teaspoons roasted curry powder
3 teaspoons chillie powder
½ teaspoon saffron
Salt and pepper
Juice of 2 limes
2 tablespoons oil
Method:-
Remove outer skin of chicken. Cut into 2” cubes or pieces. Season with salt and pepper. Heat oil and then lightly fry onions, garlic and ginger until translucent. Add curry leaves, lemon grass and cook for a minute. Next add pieces of chicken. After a minute, add diluted coconut milk, curry powder, saffron and chillie powder. Allow to simmer until chicken is cooked. Add spices and the thick coconut milk followed by lime juice. Taste and add more salt if required. Simmer on a low fire until the gravy is thick.
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