Sri Lankan Recipes

(from America)

Note: I've just (9/99) started working on this page. I expect it to be much fuller soon. If you're interested in a particular recipe, please ask. Nagging is a good way to get me to update quickly. :-)

Sri Lankan Meals

A typical Sri Lankan breakfast is a little rice with some curry, or with lentils. (I dislike lentils, so they're oddly absent from this page, but most people eat lots of them). If you're feeling fancier, you might make hoppers (but you have to plan that the night before). Uppuma is also a nice change, usually with some fish curry. (I've actually gotten addicted to American pancakes with curry; the sweetness of the pancakes actually works really well with a spicy curry).

Lunches are rice and curries, usually eaten around 3 p.m. in my parents' home, and dinners are the same, usually eaten around 9 p.m. Generally plain white rice, a meat curry, and a vegetable curry. Appetizers and sides are usually saved for when guests or more family come over, although you'll often keep a container of sambol around, just for a little added flavor. Some of my American friends are surprised when I told them that I had rice and curry for dinner every single night when I was growing up -- what can I say? If your mother is an excellent cook, like mine, then you never get bored with it.

Notes on the Recipes

Most of these are dishes I make often for myself at home. The amounts are my best approximations; like most cooks, I often vary them while cooking, depending on my mood (some days I'll want a tangier curry, and so will add more lemon; other days I'll want a richer, smoother one, so might throw in some coconut milk).

Some of the dishes below I made up (for example, golden rice is a much simplified version of vegetable biryani; it's really not the same dish at all, but it's a nice way to brighten up an otherwise ordinary dinner); others (such as rich cake) are very traditional. (You may be startled to see ketchup among the ingredients, but my mother uses it, so it must be traditional). Most of these dishes are actually fairly easy, once you find the appropriate spices. I recommend starting with the mixed vegetables for a really simple but yummy dish.

A Few Words About Spices

Sri Lankan curry powder is a blend made from several spices separately dark roasted and then ground together. I generally use a 1:1 ratio of Sri Lankan curry powder (that I mix myself) to red chili powder, but if you're not that ambitious, you can just use chili powder. Be careful with the heat levels -- Sri Lankan cooking is generally hotter than Indian, so if you're not used to it, trying making the recipe with only half the spice the first time around.

S = Spicy (spice levels can be modified on most recipes, but these are intended to be hot...) Enjoy!

Appetizers/Sides

Snacks

Main Dishes (Non-Veg)

Main Dishes (Veg)

Rice and Breads

Drinks

Sweets

More about Sri Lanka.
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