Rice & Curry is the main food of Sri Lanka and Sri Lankans enjoy some of the spiciest foods in the world. Meat, fish and vegetables are prepared as curries. Sliced onions, green chilies, black pepper, cinnamon, cardamom, cloves, nutmeg and saffron are used to add flavors. Today, rice and curry has shifted from being the popular breakfast to the essential lunch.

Rice & Curry

A basic rice and curry requires one fish (or beef or chicken) curry, two different vegetables, one portion of fried crispy stuff like papadam, a mallum of chopped leaves and coconut, and a gravy or "hodda" of spiced and cooked with coconut milk.

The rice is always put on to the plate first and then the curries are selected from the other dishes to mix with it so you have a collection of minor meals around the plate. You eat by mixing the rice with something forming it in to a bite-sized ball and consuming by hand.

There is vast range of flavors and different curry mixes used for different foods. There are regional differences too. even with the same base food the taste will completely be different.

Lamprais is a popular Dutch dish in Sri Lanka. Rice boiled in beef stock, then added to vegetables and meat and baked in a low oven after it is wrapped in a banana leaf. Baking the rice in a banana leaf gives a special flavour to the rice. Lamprais has a unique flavour and an appetizing aroma.

Pittu

Amount Measure Ingredient - Preparation Method

250 g Rice flour
250 g Coconut
1/2 ts Salt
75 ml Hot water
180 ml Thick coconut milk

Roast and sieve the flour well. Grate the coconut. Place the flour in a bowl and add the salt. Slowly pour in the hot water, mixing with your fingers as you do so until it resembles breadcrumbs. Add the grated coconut and mix well in. Place the mixture in the pittu mould and place over a pan of boiling water until steam emerges from the top of the pittu mould. Cover with half a coconut shell and steam for a further 5 minutes or until done.

Note: If a pittu mould is not available, mould dough into loaf shape, wrap in muslin and steam for about 15 minutes.