SRILANKAN TRADITIONAL FOODS

RASA BOJUN

Foods in Sri Lanka can be hot or very mild or can be combination being very much a question of individual preference. Sri Lankan food is unique for their Culture. Many Sinhala food items are derived from Chena cultivation.Sri Lankan cuisine plays a vital role in the islanders’ life from the most auspicious Sinhala/ Hindu New Year to normal day-to-day practices. They make milk rice and special sweets with coconut milk, floor and Honey at cultural festivals. It is recognized as one of the sixty- four types of art, “Siu Seta kalawa”. The curries come in many verities of colors and flavors blended in Sri Lankan Hot Spices has a great ayurvedic value when used in curries.

Most of the Sri Lankans eat vegetables. With a large community of farmers the Rice and curry is the main food in Sri Lanka. Sri Lanka curries are known for their fiery hot spicy flavors and coconut milk is very distinct feature of Sri Lankan cuisine that different regions of country specialize in different types of dishes. The specialty in Sri Lankan food is that same food is differently made in different regions. Dishes from the North region of Sri Lanka have distinct south Indian flavors.Dishes from the South region of Sri Lanka can be Spicy, Hot or Mild. The meals of the southern region of Sri Lanka are known for their variety and fishing village though the coastal strip. Ambulthiyal a unique spicy fish preparation with thick gamboges “Goraka” paste. 

                  Certain types of fish Balaya , Kelawalla are native to Southern seas. “Lunu dehi” (lime pickle) and jaadi (Pikled fish) are food items made from methods of preserving since they could dry them in sun during rainless days. Western region of Sri Lanka has foreign influence much more than other regions. Many items made using wheat flour always had made Sri Lankan dishes foreign. Since upper western coastal region is dry, fish is dried with salt as a preservative. This is called “Karawala” (dry fish). Spices such as Cloves, Cardamoms, nutmeg and pepper are found in abundance throughout Kandy and Matale District in Central region of Sri Lanka. Eastern province constitutes three major ethnic groups. Sinhala, Muslim and Tamil, Chena cultivation, Game meat from nearby forests and dry Weather have influenced many food items. Staple diet of Sri Lanka is ‘Rice and curry’ the word ‘curry’ convering a multitude of dishes which are made according to different methods of cooking from Soups, meat, Sea food, Lentils, Vegetables, Sambols, Mallums, Phies to Achcharus. Curd and Treacle and Sweetmeats made from Rice flour and palm treacle, jiggery along with various types of fruits are additions to the meal as the dessert. The Palm, Coconut, Kithul, Palmyra from which the treacle is made will vary accordingly. Sri Lankans also like several juicy sweetmeats like Kavum, kokis, Halape, Thalaguli and Wattalapam etc. Sri Lankans also like to have drinks like tea and coffee.

                                                      Pol Sambol
ingredients

 1 fresh coconut
1/2 red onion finely diced
2 limes
1 tbsp of chili powder

Method

1. Crack the coconut in half and pour the juice into a glass.

You'll want to sip on the juice while you scrape the coconut;
its tough work if you're not used to it.
2. Shave both halves of the coconut into your bowl.
3. Make sure your red onion is finely diced and add it to
the coconut.
4. Add the chili powder.
5. Add the juice of 1 of the limes into the bowl.
6. Mix well. The sambol should be moist and reddish (from the
chili powder).
7. Add another half-limes worth of juice.
8. Mix a little more.
9. Serve!

Pol Sambol could be served with every Lankan meal. It goes really
well with a little parripu and string hoppers. Make some up
and serve it to your american friends as a dip with potato
chips for a party. It's great stuff!

           

                                            Gotu kola sambol

Ingredients

3 cups Gotu kola cleaned
3 tbsp fresh grated coconut*
1 green chillie
3-4 red pearl onions (ratu lunu)1 tsp powdered Maldivian fish (optional)
1/2 lime

Method

Salt to taste

Shred the gotu-kola finely. Chop the green chillie and onions finely. Mix all the ingredients and add lime juice and salt to taste. Serve immediately.
* If fresh coconut is not available, you can use desiccated unsweetened coconut. Add about 1 tbsp of water to it and microwave for few seconds before using.
 If red pearl onions are not available, use about a quarter of a regular onion.

                                           Katta sambol(lunumiris)

ingredients

2 tbsp of chillie powder
1/2 tsp of salt
1/2 onion (finely chopped)
1 tbsp maldive fish (optional)
1/2 lime

Grind the all the ingredients above except lime in a motar and pestle (wangediya). Squeeze the lime juice, mix and serve.

                                             Milk Rice

ingredients

4 cups of white rice
Cream of 1 coconut (or one 13 oz can)
salt to taste

Method

Clean and wash the rice. Put the rice in a pan, stick in the
index finger on surface of rice and fill water upto slightly above
the 2nd joint of the index finger. Cover and cook the the rice
under low heat.

When the rice is almost done, mix the salt with the coconut
milk and add to the rice stir and cook for a few more minutes.

Serve the hot rice on to a platter and flatten it using flat spoon
or spatula. Cut it into squares and serve with Seeni sambol,
cutta sambol or juggery.

      

                                                     Malu Ambulthiyal

Ingredients

1 lb firm fish like tuna, cut into 1" pieces
1 tbs Goraka paste
2 tsp salt
2-3 tsp black pepper
1 1/2 cups water (just to cover the layer of fish)

Method

Arrange fish pieces evenly in a saucepan (preferably a clay pot).
Mix the rest of the ingredients and pour over fish.
Keep for about 15-30 mins to marinade.
Bring the fish to a boil.
Shake (DO NOT STIR) the pot carefully immediately after water starts boil. (This is done to avoid pieces from adhering to each other)
Repeat shaking one or two times more during a next couple of minutes.

Reduce heat and simmer uncovered until fish is cooked and gravy is thick                                                                                       

                                                       Lime Pickle

Ingredients

25 Limes 
150 g Sugar 
75 g Salt 
1/4 bottle (2 cups approx.) Vinegar 

Method                                                                                     Pierce the limes using a fork. 
Mix vinegar, salt and sugar (preferably in a clay pot) and heat on a stove while stirring. 
When mixture begins to boil, add the limes (including any juice left behind). 
Continue to heat, turning the limes from time to time. 
Heat until the lime rinds discolor and shrink. 
Remove from heat and let it cool for awhile. 
Pour the mix into a preserve jar (fill it to the top), close lid tightly and leave it in a cupboard for about six months. 

1 Chicken (about 1kg 300g weight)
2 tsp Unroasted Chilli Powder
2 tsp Unroasted Curry Powder
1 tsp Roasted Curry Powder1/2 tsp Pepper Powder
2 Cloves Garlic
1 tsp Dill Seeds
1 Medium Sized Big Onion 1/4 Cup Coconut Vinegar or Tamarind
500ml or less water
1 tsp sugar
Curry Leaves
A little Cooking Oil

Method                                                                                                 Slice the Big Onion and mash the Garlic Cloves. Cut the Chicken into suitable sizes.
Heat the cooking oil and add the Big Onion, Curry Leaves, Dill Seeds, Garlic Cloves and temper until the Onions become transparent.
Add the cut Chicken pieces, the Water, and the rest of the ingredients and cook until the Chicken is done.You have the option of adding a little Coconut Mils or 2 tsp Milk Powder dissolved in a little Water to the Curry. But you may find that the Curry is as tasty without the addition of any Milk.

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