Sri Lankan Vegetarian Dishes

Curries are made from ash plantain, banana flower, jackfruit and even pineapple. Small onions (or `sambar' onions) with their sharp bite are preferred to the large `Bombay' onions in curries. Mallung or stir-fried greens, garnished with coconut and parippu or dhal, is the accompaniment to rice.

The curries are cooked in chutties or clay pots flavoured with aromatic spices and chillies leaving the faint hearted with sweating brows but craving for more. Coconut is the main ingredient in most curries.

2 cups dried red chillies
?2 tablespoon cumin seeds
?1 tablespoon peppercorn
?3 tablespoon coriander seeds
?2.5 cm cinnamon
?1 tablespoon turmeric powder

Roast all ingredients except turmeric powder. When cool, add turmeric powder and grind to a fine powder. Store in an airtight jar.

This is a simple, traditional Sinhalese dish without which no auspicious menu is complete even in the humblest of homes. It is a must on Sinhalese new year?s day and is served for breakfast on the first day of every month. This could be served with a meal of fish curry or a sambol, like the seeni sambol. It is even delicious with grate jaggery and ripe bananas .

2 cups ( 400 g ) rice ( either the red variety or the regular white rice )
3 cups ( 720 ml ) water
2 cups ( 480 ml ) thick coconut milk ( extracted from ½ a grated coconut )
Salt to taste

Wash the rice well . In a pan, put the rice, water and salt . Bring it to a boil. Lower the heat. Cover and cook till the rice is soft and the water is absorbed. Stir in the coconut milk. Simmer till the coconut milk is absorbed and the rice is very soft and creamy, Level the sides and top with a knife. When cold, cut kiribath into diamond shapes. Can be served as the main course.

6 ( 300 g ) onions, chopped fine
4 tablespoon oil ( 60 ml )
6 flakes garlic, crushed
1 teaspoon ginger paste
2 tablespoon chilli powder
4 cardamom, crushed
2 teaspoon , cinnamon powder
A few springs of curry leaves
Salt to taste
A lemon sized ball of tamarind
1 cup ( 240 ml ) coconut milk
4 tablespoon sugar
Juice of 2 lemon

Soak the tamarind in ¾ cup water and extract the pulp.

Heat oil and fry the onion, garlic and ginger paste till golden brown. Add the remaining ingredients, except lime juice and sugar.

Cook on low heat for 30 to 45 minutes, stirring constantly , till the mixture turns dark brown and leaves the sides of the pan.

Add sugar and lime juice. Stir well and remove from the heat.

Since seeni sambol is very spicy , use it sparingly. Taste delicious also with bread and chapattis. Stays fresh for a week in a refrigerator.

1 1/2 cups small grained rice, washed and drained
Coconut milk as required to cook the rice (equal quantities of both thick and thin milk extracted from one coconut)
?1/2 teaspoon turmeric powder
?2 tablespoon peppercorns
?10 cardamoms
?8 cloves
?Ghee for seasoning
?1 tablespoon of cashew nuts
?1 tablespoon of raisins
?2 onions, thinly sliced
?A lemon grass stalk ?
Few sprigs of curry leaves
Salt to taste

Heat ghee and fry onions till brown and toss in lemon grass, curry leaves and sauté to release the aroma.

Add washed rice and stir for two minutes. Stir in coconut milk, turmeric powder, peppercorns and salt.

Cover and when half cooked add cardamom and cloves. Garnish yellow rice with cashew nuts and raisins seasoned in ghee.

?6 brinjals, cut lengthwise
?Oil for frying
?1 tablespoon mustard coarsely powdered ?
6 green chillies, slit lengthwise
?1 tablespoon chilli powder
?2 cups coconut milk
?5 flakes of chopped garlic ?
5 medium sized onions, sliced
?1 tablespoon curry powder
?Quarter cup malt vinegar
?2.5 cm ginger, julienne
?A lemon grass stalk
?5 cm cinnamon
?1 teaspoon sugar
Salt to taste

Rub salt and turmeric into the brinjal. Deep-fry them until golden brown.

In a pan, fry onions till brown and add all ingredients, except sugar and cook on low heat. When the gravy thickens add fried brinjals and sugar and simmer for five minutes.

12 drumsticks, peeled and cut into 5 cm pieces
?5 onions, sliced
?Ghee for frying
?6 green chillies slit lengthwise
?4 tablespoon curry powder
?1 1/2 cups thin coconut milk ?
A sprig of curry leaves
?A lemon sized ball of tamarind, soaked in half cup water
?1 1/2 cups thick coconut milk
Salt to taste

In ghee, brown onions and green chillies. Add remaining ingredients, except tamarind and thick coconut milk.

Cook on low heat till the drumsticks are tender.

Extract tamarind pulp and add to curry. Add the thick coconut milk to murunga and simmer till the curry thickens.

2 ash plantains, skinned and thinly sliced lengthwise
?Half a tsp fenugreek seeds
?2.5 cm cinnamon
?Half a tsp turmeric powder
?1 onion sliced
?2 green chillies slit lengthwise
?A sprig of curry leaves ?
A stalk of lemon grass
?1 cup thin coconut milk extract
?Half a cup thick coconut milk extract
?Salt to taste

Put all the ingredients, except the thick coconut milk in a pan and cook on low heat till ash plantain is cooked. Add the thick coconut milk and simmer till gravy thickens.