I R S A K N LA D O O F s ’ i n i g o Sar
Photo
de n i K g i a r graphy C
r
SAROGINI KAMALANATHAN
Sarogini’s
SRI LANKA FOOD
Asia's undiscovered cuisine
SAROGINI KAMALANATHAN
12
Contents 9 Vanakam! An introduction to Sarogini and her cooking 19 Chicken 31 Meat 47 Rice 61 Rotis & dosa 73 Salads, chutneys & sambals 83 Vegetables 117 Seafood 137 Sweet things 157 Snacks 170 Menu ideas: Two Sri Lankan banquets 173 Glossary 180 A serendipitous journey — the story behind the book 186 Index 188 Acknowledgements
13
16
The friendly smile of a boy lights up a dried fish stall in the Nuwara Eliya market in central Sri Lanka.
17
20 Chapter title
Butter chicken
This simple to prepare, flavoursome and fragrant dish is my own twist on the classic Indian favourite. You'll never want to settle for cold meat reheated with a curry sauce again! 2cm piece fresh ginger 6 cloves garlic 1 ½ tsp chilli powder 2 tsp curry powder 1 tsp garam masala 2 tsp salt Juice of 1 lemon ½ cup fresh yoghurt 500g skinless chicken pieces 4 tbsp butter, melted One quantity of Makhani sauce, (see right)
In a blender, place the ginger, garlic, chilli and curry powders, salt, garam masala*, lemon juice and yoghurt to make a marinade. Cover the chicken pieces with the marinade and leave for about 4 to 5 hours. Pre-heat oven to 150°C and bake the marinated chicken until almost done — about 30 minutes. Remove from the oven, baste with the butter and return to the oven. Cook for a few more minutes, until lightly browned. Remove from oven and set aside while you start the Makhani sauce. MAKHANI SAUCE 4 tbsp butter 3 tbsp tomato puree 1 ½ tsp ground pepper 2 tsp salt 1 ½ tsp honey
GARAM MASALA 10 green cardamoms ½ tbsp cloves ½ nutmeg 2 tbsp cumin seeds 2cm piece cinnamon 1 mace flower ½ tbsp peppercorns 1 tbsp coriander seeds Roast all garam masala ingredients lightly in a flat bottomed pan over mediaum heat. In a coffee grinder, process to a fine powder.
½ tsp fenugreek leaves (metti)** ¼ cup fresh cream 25g ground almonds 2 sprigs coriander leaves Melt the butter in a saucepan. Add the tomato puree and ground pepper and slowly bring to the boil. Reduce heat and simmer for about 5 minutes. Add the honey and the fenugreek leaves. Add the baked chicken pieces, stir and simmer for a few minutes. Add the cream and the ground almonds, combine well. Garnish with coriander leaves and serve with rice or rotis (see recipe, page 71).
preparation: 45 mins plus marinating time: 4-5 hours cooking time: 35 mins serves 4
* You
**
can use store-bought garam masala, but my home-made version will lift your butter chicken beyond special! Metti, or dried fenugreek leaves, can be found at good Asian supermarkets. Chicken 21
34
Vestiges of Sri Lanka's colonial past can be found in the Victorian-style architecture of Nuwara Eliya (once known as Little England) and in the school uniforms. 35
Thaatchi lamb poriyal A thaatchi is the Tamil term for wok. In this dish, lamb is dry fried with spices before desiccated coconut is added for the finishing touch. 2cm piece lemongrass 3 cloves garlic 3cm piece ginger 10 dried chillies 3 tbsp oil 500g lamb, cubed 2 large onions, sliced 2 tsp salt 2 tbsp curry powder
Combine the lemongrass, garlic, ginger, and dried chillies with one tablespoon of the oil in a blender and process to a paste. Coat the meat well with the paste. Heat the remaining oil in a pan on medium and fry the onions until they caramelise. Add the marinated meat with the salt and curry powder and cook, covered, for about 15 to 20 minutes. Add the coconut milk and curry leaves. Stir well and cook for a further 15 minutes or until the meat is tender.
5-6 curry leaves
Add the soy sauce and sugar. Bring to the boil and cook, uncovered, for about five minutes, stirring continuously. Reduce heat, add the desiccated coconut and stir for another five minutes. The curry should be quite dry.
1 tbsp soy sauce
Remove and serve with rice or rotis.
2 cups coconut milk
2 tsp sugar ½ cup desiccated coconut, roasted and coarsely ground
preparation: 20 mins cooking time: 45 mins serves 4
Meat 45
64
Travelling through Sri Lanka's country villages reveals a rich tapestry of life.
65
Sri Lankan dosas Growing up on the tea estate in Hatton, we always awoke to the smell of dosas cooking on a griddle over an open flame. Now I make them on the stove using a flat-based frypan. Although they need to be prepared a day ealier, they're still a breakfast favourite. 1 cup urid* dhal 2 tsp fenugreek 2 cups rice 1 tsp salt oil for cooking
Wash the dhal and fenugreek together and soak for at least seven hours. Do the same for the rice. Drain and grind the dhal mixure and the rice separately in a food processor or liquidiser. Add a little water to get a nice consistency while grinding. Mix both batters together with the salt and set aside for at least 12 hours at room temperature to allow the mixture to ferment. The batter will increase in size while fermenting, so be sure to use a large enough container. Check the consistency and add more water if it's a little too thick. It should have the consistency of pancake batter. Place a griddle on a medium heat and smear with a little oil. Pour a ladleful of batter on the griddle. Starting from the centre and working out, spread the batter quickly in a spiral motion. Increase the heat and cook for a couple of minutes. Turn the dosa over, carefully lifting from the sides. It should be golden brown and crisp. Fry for a few more minutes. Adding a little more oil around the edge of the frypan will increase crispiness. Serve with Sri Lankan hot sambal and sambar. TIP: The batter will keep in the fridge for up to a week, and can also be frozen.
preparation: 7 hours for soaking, 12 hours for fermenting cooking time: 5-7 mins makes about 20 dosas
* Urid dahl is a South Indian staple and can be found in any good Asian or Indian store.
Roti and1 Dosa 67
Hoppers Hoppers, a unique Sri Lankan dish, are a type of crisp crepe, traditionally made with flour and coconut milk and mixed with toddy- a fermented drink made from palm juice. In this recipe, yeast is used instead of the toddy. 1½ cups white rice ½ cup warm water 1 ½ tsp dry yeast 3 tsp sugar 200ml coconut milk 1½ cups white rice flour 1 tsp salt Light sesame oil, for greasing
Soak the rice overnight in two cups of water. In the morning, drain the rice and grind in a food processor or liquidiser with a little water. Sprinkle the yeast over the warm water and add half the sugar, stirring well. After about 15 minutes it should have risen and formed bubbles on the surface. If not, you will need to start again. In a bowl, mix together the flour and salt. Add the yeast and rice mixture, along with the coconut milk. Mix well and leave the dough to rise in a warm place for about 12 hours. About half an hour before making the hoppers, add the rest of the sugar and mix well. The batter should be fairly thick pouring consistency. If it's too thick add a little more coconut milk. Heat a small wok with a lid. Rub the inside of the wok with a thickly folded kitchen towel smeared with some sesame oil. When the wok is hot, pour a ladleful of the batter in the centre of the pan, swirling so that the sides get covered with a little of the batter, leaving some of the batter in the centre. Put the lid on and cook for about 7 minutes. You're aiming for a hopper with thin, crispy sides and a soft, crumpet-like centre. Repeat until batter is finished. TIP: The batter will keep in the fridge for up to a week. Hoppers are best eaten on the day.
preparation: overnight to allow soaking, plus 12 hours resting time cooking time: 10 mins makes about 15 hoppers
68 Roti and1 Dosa
(left) Curried eggplant and (right) fried eggplant with cashews.
Curried eggplant
Fried eggplant with cashews
1 eggplant
1 sprig curry leaves
1 eggplant
1 green chilli
2 tsp salt
¼ tsp black mustard seeds
2½ tsp salt
1 sprig curry leaves
½ tsp turmeric
¼ tsp turmeric
1 cup vegetable oil
¼ tsp fenugreek seeds
1 cup oil
⅓ tsp black mustard seeds
1 large onion, finely sliced
¼ tsp chilli powder
30g cashews
¼ tsp fenugreek seeds
¼ cup milk
1 large onion, finely sliced
¼ tsp chilli powder
4 cloves garlic, sliced 1 green chilli, slit down the middle Slice eggplant lengthwise into 5cm thick pieces. Wash and mix with half the salt and all the turmeric. Marinate for half an hour. Heat oil in a pan on high. When the oil is hot, fry the eggplant slices a few at a time, until they turn a golden colour. Drain well on a paper towel. Continue frying until all are done. Drain the pan, leaving about a tablespoon of oil. Reheat oil. Add the onions and fry them until they are a nice golden brown colour. Add the garlic and green chilli, taking care not to let them burn. Add the curry leaves, reduce heat and add the mustard and fenugreek seeds, followed by the chilli powder and the remaining salt. Finally, add the milk and give it a good stir. As soon as the milk begins to boil, add the eggplant and cook for a further three minutes. Remove and serve with rice or string hopper biriyani.
⅓ cup milk
4 cloves garlic, peeled Slice eggplant lengthwise into 5cm thick pieces. Wash and mix with two teaspoons of the salt and all the turmeric. Marinate for half an hour. Heat the oil in a pan on high, fry the cashews very quickly. Drain and set aside. Fry the eggplant slices a few at a time until golden brown in colour. Drain well on a paper towel. Continue until all are done. Fry the onions, garlic, green chilli and curry leaves. When the onions have browned, reduce the heat and fry the mustard and fenugreek seeds. When mustard seeds begin to pop, add the chilli powder and milk. When the milk begins to boil, return the eggplant and fried cashews to the spices. Stir well and cook for a few minutes. Remove from heat and serve. Serves 4
Serves 4
*1 I
love eggplants and when entertaining, I never cook a meal without using them. At both my daughters'' weddings I fried 40kg of eggplants for the chef. It took me two days, but it was important to me that the curries served at the wedding banquets were perfect. Whenever I cook an eggplant curry, it 's always the first to disappear. Tip: You can freeze the fried eggplants and use them later. Vegetables 95
118
119
Crab curry Everyone loves to eat crab curry, but many people shy away from preparing one. Once you've mastered pulling the crab apart (which is easy), you can whip up this fantastic dish in around half an hour. 3 medium-sized crabs (such as Blue Swimmer) 2 tbsp oil 1 large onion, sliced 1 tbsp fenugreek seeds 1 tsp black mustard seeds 1 sprig curry leaves
Heat the oil in a large, shallow pan and fry the onions on medium heat until they caramelise. Add the fenugreek and mustard seeds, curry leaves, green chilli, chilli powder and salt and stir to combine. Add the prepared crabs (see below) and water, give a good stir and cook, covered, for about 10 minutes. When the crabs have turned a nice orange colour add the coconut milk. Stir and cook for a further 10 minutes. Remove from stove, garnish with chopped murunga leaves and serve.
2 green chillies, slit down the middle 2 tbsp chilli powder 1 ½ tsp salt 1 cup water 1 ½ cups coconut milk Sprig of murunga leaves*
preparation: 20mins cooking time: 30mins serves 4
Preparing the crabs:
Remove the top shell from each crab, then remove the fibrous matter from inside and discard. Rinse well. Divide each crab into four portions, breaking each body in half and separating the large claws from the body. Leave the legs attached to the body.
* Murunga leaves can be found in most Asian food stores. If you can't find them, use coriander leaves instead.
Seafood 129
172 Glossary
Glossary Almonds
Almonds are used whole, ground, roasted or slivered in an extensive range of curries and savoury dishes. They are an ingredient in delicately spiced pullaos and rice dishes.
Almond essence
Derived from bitter almonds whose essence is distilled into a strong flavouring and used in cakes and biscuits.
Black peppercorns
Commonly regarded as the king of spices, good quality peppercorns give true flavour and aroma. HOT TIP: Peppercorns should be bought whole and ground when needed, and will stay fresh indefinitely if stored in an airtight container.
Cardamom
Cardamom is an old and exotic spice native to India and Sri Lanka, where it is the most prized spice after saffron. It is used extensively in festive rice dishes such as yellow rice, biriyanis and pullaos. The pods can be used whole or the husks can be removed and the seeds released. Cardamom comes in green and white varieties and has a highly aromatic flavour. Used in sweet and savoury dishes and to flavour rice.
Cashews
Cashews are an important ingredient in Sri Lankan cuisine, used in yellow rice, biriyanis and pullaos, and ground in the preparation of kormas. Often roasted and mixed with chillies and salt and served as a snack in Sri Lankan homes.
Channa dhal
This round yellow split lentil is similar in appearance to the yellow split pea. It is cooked in a variety of ways in vegetable dishes. It is also soaked, ground and mixed with onions and other spices and made into snacks.
Chickpeas
This round beige-coloured pulse has a nutty flavour when cooked. Also known as garbanzo beans, chickpeas can be made into a delicious curry and are also dry ground into gram flour, which is used in many Indian snacks such as pakoras and bhajis.
Chillies
There are two varieties of chillies used in Sri Lanka — the green variety which is used fresh, and the red, used in dried form. Green chillies are fantastic in salads and pickles or chutneys. Some dishes call for broken-up red chilli,
others for it to be ground into a paste with a little water or vinegar. In other recipes only red chilli powder is used. The stalks are always removed before use.
Cinnamon
Cinnamon is native to South India and Sri Lanka and is one of the earliest known spices. Has an aromatic and sweet flavour. Usually bought in stick form and used whole in meat or rice dishes.
Cloves
These are used whole for their flavour and aroma in meat or rice dishes. But cloves should be used sparingly; their pungent flavour can overpower a dish. An important ingredient in making curry powder.
Coconut
The coconut has a dual purpose. The kernal from a fresh coconut is used as scraped coconut in chutneys and sambals. In Sri Lanka, fresh coconut is scraped daily and the milk extracted is used for making curries. Desiccated coconut can be used if fresh coconut is not available. Coconut milk can be bought in cans or cartons from most grocery
Glossary 173