In praise of Sri Lankan food
by prudence on 01-Dec-2010
Where do I start? There was so much to enjoy.
Fantastic curries, of course. Whether made from eggplant, potato, "drumsticks", "loofah" (these are both vegetables), jackfruit, chicken, pork, or anything else, they were delicious. Ordering rice and curry produces a whole tableful of dishes -- rice, dahl, a couple of curries, a raw vegetable dish, and a sambal (a tasty mixture of coconut and chilli).
In the fish department, we enjoyed seer fish (part of the mackerel family, allegedly, but quite different from the mackerel I know), lake fish (tilapia), and lobster -- yes, really, 500 grams plus accompaniments for A$20.
Fish or chicken is also often served "devilled" -- with garlic, ginger, chilli, and vinegar. I'm not sure what the origin of this is (maybe Portuguese influence?), but it's a very popular style of preparation, and very tasty.
The "short eats" you buy at the bakery are a real joy. Vadai (crispy little snacks made from gram flour); samosas enclosing potato, egg, and vegetables in various combinations; porcupine-like buns containing spicy onion sambal -- the list is endless.
There's also a whole family of comfort food based around "hoppers" and rotis. Hoppers are bowl-shaped pancakes, which sometimes have an egg added. String hoppers are a distant cousin -- little coaster-like discs made of rice flour noodles. Rotis take two forms. Firstly, there is the type we got used to in Singapore. They come plain or with egg. But these also come in a quite different guise -- as kothu roti. This involves chopping up your roti on a hotplate, adding chilli, onions, and other ingredients, and chopping the whole thing some more. This makes an absolutely delicious meal. (You can also do the same thing with string hoppers.) Secondly, there is the smaller, drier type of roti -- like thick oatcakes. These have a great texture.
My favourite dessert was watalappan, which is like a creme caramel made out of coconut milk, eggs, jaggery, and cardamom. But curds and "treacle" (syrup from the kitul palm) is also delicious. Butter cake is very popular, and reminded me of Madeira cake -- possibly another piece of Portuguese heritage.
To drink, you have tea (of course), Lion lager, ginger beer, or any number of fruit juices.
An amazing culinary experience. Bravo Sri Lanka!
Fantastic curries, of course. Whether made from eggplant, potato, "drumsticks", "loofah" (these are both vegetables), jackfruit, chicken, pork, or anything else, they were delicious. Ordering rice and curry produces a whole tableful of dishes -- rice, dahl, a couple of curries, a raw vegetable dish, and a sambal (a tasty mixture of coconut and chilli).
In the fish department, we enjoyed seer fish (part of the mackerel family, allegedly, but quite different from the mackerel I know), lake fish (tilapia), and lobster -- yes, really, 500 grams plus accompaniments for A$20.
Fish or chicken is also often served "devilled" -- with garlic, ginger, chilli, and vinegar. I'm not sure what the origin of this is (maybe Portuguese influence?), but it's a very popular style of preparation, and very tasty.
The "short eats" you buy at the bakery are a real joy. Vadai (crispy little snacks made from gram flour); samosas enclosing potato, egg, and vegetables in various combinations; porcupine-like buns containing spicy onion sambal -- the list is endless.
There's also a whole family of comfort food based around "hoppers" and rotis. Hoppers are bowl-shaped pancakes, which sometimes have an egg added. String hoppers are a distant cousin -- little coaster-like discs made of rice flour noodles. Rotis take two forms. Firstly, there is the type we got used to in Singapore. They come plain or with egg. But these also come in a quite different guise -- as kothu roti. This involves chopping up your roti on a hotplate, adding chilli, onions, and other ingredients, and chopping the whole thing some more. This makes an absolutely delicious meal. (You can also do the same thing with string hoppers.) Secondly, there is the smaller, drier type of roti -- like thick oatcakes. These have a great texture.
My favourite dessert was watalappan, which is like a creme caramel made out of coconut milk, eggs, jaggery, and cardamom. But curds and "treacle" (syrup from the kitul palm) is also delicious. Butter cake is very popular, and reminded me of Madeira cake -- possibly another piece of Portuguese heritage.
To drink, you have tea (of course), Lion lager, ginger beer, or any number of fruit juices.
An amazing culinary experience. Bravo Sri Lanka!