Sri Lankan Recipes

THE GREAT SRI LANKAN COOK OFF

Sri Lanka is home to some of the best food on the planet. Amazing street food, sumptuous curries, heart-attack inducing deserts and incredible seafood.

Each one of Sri Lanka's many ethnic communities has its own distinctive types of food. In the north you will find the Tamil influence - red chilli powder, gingelly oil, and tamarind - whereas in the more Sinhalese areas you will find more black pepper, coconut oil and goraka. Muslim Sri Lankan food is different again - and is famous for its rich deserts such as Watalappan.

Both the diversity and similarity in Sri Lankan cuisine make it a powerful tool for building bridges - and only the most bigoted claim not to enjoy the others' cuisine.

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“Both the diversity and similarity in Sri Lankan cuisine make it a powerful tool for building bridges - only the most bigoted claim not to enjoy the others' cuisine”

Our challenge to you is to use the deliciousness of Sri Lankan food to bring peace and justice to this troubled island. Visit - www.everydayhero.co.uk/event/The-Great-SriLankan-Cook-Off and click the "get cooking" button

www.srilankacampaign.org

CONTENTS

1. Fish Cutlets

2. Coconut Roti with Chili & Onion Sambal

3. Murukku

4. Watalappan

5. Hoppers

6. Patties

7. Love Cake

8. Kothu Roti

9. Mutton Rolls

10. Kesari

This Fish Cutlet recipe is among the finest and easy to make Sri Lankan fish recipes. If you ever go to any Sri Lankan restaurants, you will find this fish cutlets listed along with many delicious sea food based appetizers. It’s made out of boiled potatoes, tuna and spices; all mixed together to make oval shaped balls, then dipped in egg white, bread crumbs and deep fried. Even though original recipe calls for deep frying, you can always broil them to eat healthy. You can enjoy this appetiser with any hot sauce, sambal or dip. Ingredients 2 medium potatoes, cubed 2 tins of tuna chunks, drained ½ medium red onion, chopped finely 2 – 3 green chilies, chopped finely, deseeded 4 - 5 curry leaves, shredded ½ tbsp black pepper, freshly ground 1 tbsp or more chili powder ½ tbsp coriander powder ½ tbsp cumin powder ½ tbsp Lime juice to taste 1 tbsp Dijon mustard Salt 4 tbsp plain bread crumbs for coating 2 medium egg whites beaten Oil for deep frying

FISH CUTLETS

Directions 1. Boil the potatoes until soft. When they’re done, drain the potatoes and leave to cool in a sieve. Wait for the water from the potatoes to evaporate. 2. In the meanwhile, prepare the remaining ingredients except for the salt and lime juice, and mix them in a bowl. When the potatoes have cooled down, mash them and add to the mixture in the bowl. Add the lime juice and salt to taste. 3. Sprinkle a little olive oil in a pan and sauté the mixer for 10 mins and let it cool. 4. Take about a golf-ball sized amount of mixture and roll it into a ball. Next dip the ball into the egg, and then into bread crumbs. Do all the cutlets in this way. 5. Pour oil into a deep pan, or a wok and put on medium high. You’ll need enough oil for deep frying. The oil is hot enough when it sizzles when you insert a wooden spoon. Fry the cutlets until golden brown.

COCONUT ROTI WITH CHILI & Onion SAMBAL

Coconut Roti (Pol Roti) is the most famous breakfast recipe in Sri Lanka. It’s easy to make and delicious when serve with Chili and Onion sambal. Ingredients: Coconut Roti 100 g Coconut flakes (grated or desiccated/dry coconut). 50 g Onion 1 Chile, fresh 225 g Flour 1 teaspoon Salt 25 ml Olive Oil 1 cup water (lukewarm) Directions 1. Mix together the flour, coconut, and salt. 2. Add water. Depending on how wet or dry your coconut is, you may need to adjust the water. You’re going for a stiff dough that isn’t too sticky. (Add little olive oil, if dough becomes too sticky) 3. Divide the dough into 4 equal-sized balls. 4. Form each ball into a round roti about 6" in diameter and about 1/4" thick. 5. Heat a flat pan such as a griddle. 6. Put the roti in the middle of the pan. When one side is cooked (the upper surface will become slightly darker and less shiny), turn it and cook the other side until there are light brown specs on both sides. 7. Remove from pan.

Ingredients: Onion & Chili Sambal 1 cup peeled small/pearled red onions, peeled 3-4 dried red chillies (or) 2-3 tbsp red chilli powder (as per taste) juice of a small lemon salt to taste Directions 1. In a skillet, sauté the onions and red chillies with little salt for few seconds. 2. Grind it up into a coarse paste along with lemon juice It’s recommended to eat the coconut rotties while they’re sizzling hot to get the wonderful coconut aroma and exotic flavour.

Murukku is one of the most popular Tamil snacks and it is even more popular at Deepavali (aka Diwali) festival time. Ingredients Raw rice (Pachha Ari) - 4 cups White gram - 1/2 cup White sesame seeds (Velutha ellu) - 25g Cumin seeds (Jeerakam) - 25g Asafoetida (Kayam) powder - 2 tbsp Butter - 100g Salt - as required Oil for frying

Directions

1. Wash and clean the rice well. Leave it to dry.

2. Once it has dried completely, powder it nicely.

3. Fry the white gram and powder it. Keep it aside.

4. Mix together the powdered rice, powdered gram, white sesame seeds, cumin seeds, asafoetida powder, butter and salt. Do not add water.

5. Take a little of this mixture and add water to it to get a dough

like consistency.

6. Take this dough and twist it into circular shapes of that of the murukku (chakkli).

7. Heat oil in a kadai or a pan. The oil is hot enough when it

sizzles when you insert a wooden spoon.

8. Drop in the murukku gently into the hot oil and fry till golden brown.

9. Keep flipping the sides till the murukku is done. 10. Make a sugar syrup to a stringy consistency by boiling a solution of sugar and water. The syrup is the correct thickness if it solidifies when dropped into cold water.

MURUKKU

WATALAPPAN

Watalappan is a Sri Lankan desert that originates from the Malay people of Sri Lanka. The Malay people came to Sri Lanka from Malaysia many generations ago. The dish however came after they were settled there. Watalappan is similar in texture and appearance to other puddings such as crème brûlée. The dish is widely used as a desert at many Sri Lankan events and is also very simple and easy to make. Ingredients 2 cups Thick Coconut Milk 1/2 lb Brown Sugar 4 Eggs Pinch Cardamoms (Optional) 3 Cloves (Optional) Raisins (Optional Cashew (Optional)

Directions

1. Beat the eggs in a mixer. Add the coconut milk, brown sugar, cardamoms and cloves to the beaten eggs; mix well. Pour the mixture into a pot and steam for 20 minutes. Add raisins.

2. Alternatively the mixture can be added into multiple small aluminium baking foils and then steamed. The time required for steaming is about 5-10 minutes for this method.

HOPPERS The most popular breakfast dish in Sri Lanka is hoppers. These wafer thin, cup-shaped pancakes are made from a fermented batter of rice flour, coconut milk and a dash of palm toddy. A hopper, crisp on the outside, yet soft and spongy in the centre, is best eaten with curries and sambols. There are many types of hoppers: plain hoppers, egg hoppers, milk hoppers, and sweeter varieties like vanduappa and paniappa. Ingredients Makes about 20 15 g/1/2 oz fresh compressed yeast or 1 teaspoon dried yeast 125 ml/4 fl oz/1/2 cup warm water 1 1/2 teaspoons sugar 185 g/6 oz/1 1/2 cups medium-coarse ground rice 185 g/6 oz/1 1/2 cups fine rice flour or plain (all-purpose) white flour 2 teaspoons salt 400 ml/14 fl oz can coconut milk 500 ml/1 pint/2 cups water

1. Sprinkle yeast over warm water, stir to dissolve, add sugar and leave until it starts to froth (10 mins) Once the yeast starts to froth it is good to go.

2. Put ground rice, rice flour and salt into a large bowl. Combine 300 ml (10 fl oz) canned coconut milk with measured water and add yeast mixture. Stir into dry ingredients to form a smooth, thick batter. Allow to stand overnight, or put in a warm (turned off) oven for 1 hour until the mixture rises and froths.

3. The batter should be of a thick pouring consistency, but thin enough to cover the sides of the pan with an almost transparent coating when the batter is swirled (if necessary add extra water). A little practice will tell you when you have achieved the perfect consistency.

4. Heat the pan over low heat until very hot, rub the inside surface with a piece of folded paper towels dipped in oil and pour in a small ladle of the batter. Immediately pick up the pan and swirl it around so that the batter coats the pan two-thirds of the way up. Cover pan and cook on very low heat for about 5 minutes. When the upper edges begin to turn a pale toasty colour, the hopper is ready. Where the batter has run down the sides to the centre there will be a little circle of spongy mixture, rather like a crumpet, while the curved edge is very thin, crisp and wafer-like. Serve the hoppers warm, accompanied by a hot chilli, Maldive fish and onion sambal or any kind of meat, fish or chicken curry.

The remaining undiluted coconut milk, with a pinch of salt and teaspoon of sugar added, is usually spooned into the centre of the last few hoppers which are made. This is a special treat, known as miti kiri appe or coconut cream hoppers. Egg Hoppers - Have ready an egg broken into a cup. As soon as the batter has been swirled to coat the pan, gently slip the egg into the centre of the hopper. Cover and cook as in the Hopper recipe, and the egg will be done to perfection by the time the hopper is cooked.

Popular street food throughout Sri Lanka.

Ingredients for dough 4 1/2 cups all-purpose flour 1 1/2 teaspoons salt 1/2 cup margarine 1/2 squeezed lime 1 1/4 cups cold water, or as needed

Directions

1. Using a bowl, stir together the flour and salt. 2. Rub margarine into the flour, pinching into small pieces

using your fingers, until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs.

3. Add the lime juice and then add water a few tablespoons at a time. Pat into a ball, and flatten slightly. Wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate for 1 hour.

Patties Ingredients for filling 1/2 lb potatoes boiled and skins removed 1 can of salmon (substitute 1/2 lb leeks and/or carrots for vegetarian recipe) 1 onion chopped 1 tbsp vegetable oil 1/2 tsp of curry powder 1/2 tsp of chilli powder sprig of curry leaves (optional) salt pepper

Vegetarian filling Mash the potatoes. Finely chop the leeks and carrots. Stir fry the onions in oil in a pan for about 4-5mins under low heat. Add the curry powder and chilli powder. Fry for 1 minute. Add the vegetables and stir fry for a few more minutes. Add the potatoes. Add salt and pepper to taste.

Fish filling Mash the potatoes. Flake the salmon. Stir fry the onions with oil in a pan for about 4-5mins under low heat. Add the curry powder and chilli powder. Fry for 1 minute. Add the fish and stir fry for a few more minutes. Add the potatoes. Add salt and pepper to taste. Set aside.

Now make the patties Dust some flour on a board and roll out the dough to about 1/8 inch thickness. Cut into circles and spoon some of the filling onto the centres; then fold each one in half. Wet the edges with a bit of water and seal edges by pressing with a folk. Deep fry till golden brown and serve hot.

This Sinhalese Sri Lankan Love Cake is packed with exotic flavour. Hints of turkish delight, warm cinnamon, nutmeg, honey and meringue are sure to get peoples attention.

Ingredients 250g Semolina 125g Unsalted Butter, room temperature 10 Eggs, separated 500g Caster Sugar 185g Cashew Nuts, chopped finely 2 tablespoons Rosewater 2 tablespoons Honey 1/4 teaspoon ground Nutmeg 1/4 teaspoon Lemon Rind 1/2 teaspoon ground Cardamom 1/4 teaspoon ground Cinnamon

LOVE CAKE Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 150C. Grease a square cake tin with non-stick spray.

2. Place semolina on a baking tray and heat in the oven for 5 minutes. Transfer to a bowl and stir in the butter.

3. In a bowl beat the egg yolks and caster sugar together until light and creamy. Spoon in the semolina mixture and beat until mixed. Add the nuts, rosewater, honey, nutmeg, lemon rind, cardamom, cinnamon and mix together.

4. In a separate bowl, beat the egg whites until they form soft peaks. Fold the egg whites into the cake mixture. Pour into the cake tin and bake for 50-60 minutes. If the top starts to brown, cover with kitchen foil. Do not use the skewer test to check if it’s ready; instead, lightly shake the cake tin and make sure there is no runny batter.

Allow the cake to fully cool down. When cooled, cut squares out of the tin and dust with a little icing sugar. Do not flip the cake out of the tin as it is quite delicate!

KOTHU ROTI Kothu Roti is a Tamil word, Kothu meaning ‘chopped'. It has become a well recognised meal throughout Sri Lanka. Ingredients 6 Gothamba roti 1 cup mixed vegetables (carrots, peas, sweetcorn and diced potato) 1 small chopped onion 2 finely chopped green chili 4 tablespoons water 1 tablespoon tomato puree 1 tablespoon olive oil 1/2 teaspoon salt 1/4 teaspoon turmeric powder 1/4 teaspoon chili powder 10 curry leaves 2 red dried chilis. 1 tablespon fresh chopped coriander. Gothamba Roti Ingredients Flour 280 Gms

Clarified butter /ghee / vegetable oil as needed

Water as needed

Salt to taste

Make the Roti Sieve the flour and salt into mixing bowl. Then add to the bowl the ghee, oil and enough water to produce a smooth, medium and non-sticky consistency. Cover the bowl with a wet cloth and leave for 3 hours.

After 3 hours knead well, flatten, oil and fold repeatedly. This is then allowed to rise for a further 20 minutes. Then repeat the process of folding and kneading.

The dough is then divided into many dough balls the size of golf balls, dipped in oil and left under a wet muslin cloth to prevent drying.

Take each ball and flatten out on an oily platform to make as thin as possible. Fold the edges to form a big square (about 10 inches).

Directions to make Kothu Roti 1. Heat a small amount of oil in a pan until hot and then add the curry leaves, red dried chilies and onions. 2. After a few minutes, add the mixed vegetables and stir fry until the vegetables are cooked. 3. Now mix the tomato puree with 4 tablespoons of water and add it to the pan with the salt, chili powder and turmeric powder. 4. Cook until the spices are well infused.. 5. Shred the rotis into 5mm thin strips and add to the pan. Stir fry until the roti strips and vegetables are blended and evenly coated with the spices and gravy. Serve immediately with Yoghurt.

MUTTON ROLLS

Ingredients

Plain flour 250 Gms

Water

Salt

Eggs 2

Milk 2 cups and 1 cup water mixture

Lamb or mutton 200 g - boneless

Onions 2 medium

Fennel seeds 1 teaspoon

Curry powder 1 tablespoons

Curry leaves 10

Potato 100Gms

Bread crumbs100Gms

Eggs 2 additional

Oil for frying

Make the pancakes

Sift the flour and salt into a large mixing bowl with a sieve.

Now break the eggs into it and begin whisking them.

Gradually add the milk and water mixture little by little and keep whisking until the lumps have disappeared and the batter is smooth, with the consistency of thin cream.

To make the filling

1. Peel and wash potato, cut into pieces and boil them in water until well cooked.

2. Drain and mash them.

3. Dice the mutton into very small pieces.

4. Do the same with the onions.

5. Dry roast fennel seeds in little oil until golden and add diced onions and curry leaves and fry until onions are golden.

6. Add the mutton, curry powder and salt. Stir and cover the dish whilst cooking at a low temperature. Add mash potato when cooked.

Make the rolls

1. Heat a pan until hot on a low heat. Spread some oil thinly and add the pancake mix. Spread the mix to make thin crepe (15cm diameter). Cook on one side only (do not turn over) for 30 seconds.

2. Remove and place pancake cooked side down on a plate. Place some curry filling at one end (about 2 tablespoons) and fold both ends towards the centre. Then start rolling to about 8 cm long and 3-4 cm diameter rolls. If the end does not stick, use thin mixture of flour and water or beaten egg white as glue. Repeat process until all rolls are made.

3. Make a batter with flour and water and pinch of salt to a thin consistency.

4. Now dip each roll in this batter and cover with bread crumbs.

5. Deep fry in very hot oil until the bread crumps turn golden.

6. Remove from pan, drain and serve.

Directions

1. Separately fry the cadju and plums in 2 table spoons of hot ghee. 2. Using a pan roast the semolina in 1 table spoon of ghee until it turns a

golden colour. Add the water and the kesari powder, cook until soft. 3. Mix in the sugar and cook for 5 minutes stirring continuously. Add the rest

of the ghee and cook for 3 minutes. 4. Mix the cardamom powder, cadju and plums into the mixture. Spread in a

greased tray to a thickness of 1.5cm. Cut in squares and serve hot or cold.

KESARI

Ingredients 1 cup semolina Pinch of cardamom powder 1 tbsp cadju (chopped) Pinch of kesari powder 2 cups sugar 1 cup ghee 1 tbsp plums 2 cups boiling water

The situation in Sri Lanka is bad and getting worse. Sri Lankans of all ethnicities are suffering under a Government which allows journalists and human rights activists to be disappeared or tortured and which intimidates all its critics into silence. Meanwhile much of the north and east of the country has still not recovered from the long lasting civil war. Both sides, the Government of Sri Lanka and the LTTE, committed serious war crimes and it appears over 40,000 people, mostly civilians, lost their lives. Yet the Government's refusal to investigate what happened, or to hold either side to account, works against the prospects for a lasting peace. We are a multi-ethnic non-partisan group who campaign for a just and lasting peace in Sri Lanka based upon accountability and respect for human rights. We are not affiliated with any political or ethnic group inside or outside of Sri Lanka, and we exist to fight for the rights of all those living in Sri Lanka. We campaign across the world, at every level, to draw attention to the problems in Sri Lanka, to spread information about the situation, and to help Sri Lankans and the international community to bring pressure to bear on the Government of Sri Lanka so that all Sri Lankans can look forward to a future where justice, rights and reconciliation are the norm. Visit - www.everydayhero.co.uk/event/The-Great-SriLankan-Cook-Off and click the "get cooking" button

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