BM # 44
International Cuisine
Cooking with Alphabets : S
Category : Lunch / Dinner
Sri Lanka
Country
Sri Lanka, officially the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka, is an island country in the northern Indian Ocean off the southeast coast of the Indian subcontinent in South Asia.
While traveling Around the World in 30 Days our country for today is with the alphabet S.and the country had to be Sri Lanka. This is a beautiful country and has wonderful memories. My youngest brother stayed there for a couple of years and I had the chance to visit this country twice. It’s been more than twenty years now, but some of the memories are still fresh. I remember my brother’s maid Nancy who cooked some amazing food.I remember her making hoppers and string hoppers and serving these with stews. I have always been fond of street food and even then had asked my brother about it. I did not spot anything much at the beaches there unlike the Mumbai beach which is full of street food.It is so lively, but the Colombo beaches were quiet and serene.
Sri Lankan Cuisine shows reflection of South Indian Cuisine but it still is distinct . It also has Dutch and British influence.Rice is the staple , which is consumed daily, with spicy curries. This island is renounced for its spices and most of their dishes are rather spicy.They make a variety of veg and non veg curries and side dishes include pickles, sambols. The Pol Sambol, which is a coconut sambol is the most popular and Sri Lankan Cuisine is incomplete without it. The use of dried fish fish enhances the taste of this sambol, though mine is a vegetarian version.
For this country I cooked Coconut Rice, which I had learnt years back, along with Lankan Curry. I made some fresh home made curry powder which had an amazing aroma.I served beet root salad , which is a simple yet delicious salad. The Sinhalese acharu, pickle is mind blowing. The recipe asked for baby onions, but since I wanted quick results, I quartered the medium sized onions. The dry potato curry has too many ingredients for paste, but please do not omit any , it is one of the best potato curries I have made. The cauliflower Frikadels were slightly bland for my taste, and I had to add some extra chilly paste. They were quite like our Pakoras. Lastly the curry , where all the spices imparted their flavor. All in all one delicious , enjoyable meal which was our Sunday lunch .
Coconut Rice
2 cups rice
4 tbsp oil / ghee
1 tsp mustard seeds
2 green chilly, finely chopped
2-3 whole red chilly
Few curry leaves
1 tb sp Bengal gram daal
1 tbsp white gram daal
1/4 cup fried peanuts
1/4 cup grated coconut
Salt to taste
Coriander leaves
Wash and soak the rice.
Soak the daals separately.
Boil rice in a big pot of water with salt.
When done drain the water.
Heat oil.
Add mustard seeds, soaked daals, green chilly, red chilly and curry leaves.
Temper the rice .
Add peanuts, coconut and coriander and mix well.
This is the menu I made for the Sri Lankan Meal
Vaishali, this is the most fabulous spread I have seen, great job..no words to explain what I was feeling looking at each of the pictures!..will be checking to comment on the individual posts later..
mindblowing :-)) thats the word !
Wat a spread, just went through all your posts and am drooling now over this fantastic spread. Too good and can see loads of efforts you have put to bring us this incredible virtual treat.
What an awesome meal you have put together! Lovely choice of dishes. So well presented too.
Wow! Vaishali! this is a stunner! so many items there in the menu..Awesome!
This is an awesome spread of Sri Lankan food. I am dumbfound looking at the menu. Wonderful job on putting together this meal.
fantastic srilankan spread 🙂 Love reading all your post and drooling on this mega spread 🙂 every thing looks yumm..kudos on the efforts taken di !!
That is such an amazing Sri Lankan meal Vaishali. Coconut rice sounds so flavorful and delicious.
Love those carrot & beet flower decorations 🙂
simply superb, no words to explain the reaction, the food, the presentaion the pictures the decoration and the ambience you have …amazing
Wow what a presentation and what a delicious spread. Awesome is not the word.
wow what a beautiful presentation love you shaped the beet into roses
Fantastic meal Vaishali.All the dishes look so good and you have presented them tastefully.
Amazing spread and you have presented it so beautifully.