Category Archives: Non-Vegetarian

Malu Ambulthiyal

Today’s guest blogger is Sunera Edirisuriya, a staff member of Save the Children. She will be sharing a little background information on Matara district’s specialty seafood dish as well as her mother’s recipe for it.

This is one of the famous fish curries which is unique to down south Sri Lanka. It does not mean that this curry is not cooked in other parts of the country yet there is a difference in the flavour and the ingredients used. Due to its origins in the south, it is customary for people from the south to take a pot or jar of malu ambulthiyal when they visit relatives living elsewhere. This fish curry can be served with rice and other curries. Specially, Malu Ambulthiyal pairs well with Kiribath (Milk rice) and katta Sambola.

In our family, we never miss Malu Ambulthiyal at the meal table during the Sinhala and Hindu New Year festival. It was my paternal grand-mother who used to prepare this dish and then my mother and now my elder sister brings this curry to our New Year meal table.

Malu Ambulthiyal

Cooking time: 20 mins

Serves 10

Malu Ambulthiyal

Ingredients:

  • Fish 1kg
  • Goraka (Garcinia gummi-gutta) – 100g
  • Pepper- 2 tea spoons
  • Green chilies -5
  • Cinnamon – ½ tea spoons
  • Curry leaves
  • Salt, to taste
  • Water – 1 cup

Method:

  1. Cut the fish in to small pieces (15-20) and wash them properly.
  2. Put the pieces of goraka in a saucepan with a little water and simmer until the goraka is soft.
  3. Crush the drained goraka pieces until it becomes a coarse paste
  4. Put the fish, goraka paste, pepper, curry leaves, cinnamon powder, salt and green chillies in the pan and mix them well until all the fish pieces are well coated.
  5. Add 1 cup of water to it.
  6. Cook the mixture over low heat for 20 mins. It would be much more delicious if this dish is cooked in a clay pot.
  7. Serve with rice or kiribath.

Recipe source: Sunera Edirisuriya.

Chicken curry

Today’s guest blogger is Eating milk and honey blogger Flowers for the moon/ Sandamali, who graciously accepted my invite to share one of her favourite recipes. 

My name is Sandamali and I am a fellow blogger on WordPress with an interest in Food and Life. I would like to share with you my mother’s chicken curry recipe.

If you said you were stopping by our house for a meal, you can be sure this would be on the menu. Mum never specifically taught me how to make it, but I have watched her make it countless times and eventually came up with my own version. Usually it is accompanied by Ala Badun (Fried Potatoes), Dhal Curry and Batu Moju (Brinjal Pickle) and a salad and poppodums to be served with either Yellow Rice or Fried Rice.

Chicken curry

Preparation and cooking time: 45 mins

Ingredients:

  • 500g of skinned mixed chicken pieces
  • 2 tablespoons Oil
  • 1 tablespoon Vinegar
  • 1/2 cup canned coconut cream
  • 2/3 cup water
  • 3 cloves garlic peeled and chopped finely
  • 1 small onion diced finely
  • 1 inch piece fresh ginger crushed slightly
  • 1 large tomato diced
  • 2 inch piece Rampe (Pandan Leaf)
  • 3 green chillies chopped finely
  • 2 stalks of curry leaves
  • 2 teaspoons chillie powder
  • 1 and 1/2 tablespoons roasted curry powder (From a Sri Lankan ingredient shop or homemade with coriander seeds, cumin and fennel as the main ingredients)
  • 1/4 teaspoon turmeric
  • 3 cloves
  • 3 cardamoms
  • 2 inch piece cinnamon
  • 1/4 teaspoon dill seeds
  • 1 and 1/2 teaspoons salt

Method:

Step 1

Peel and chop all the fresh ingredients...

Peel and chop all the fresh ingredients…

Step 2

Heat oil in medium sized pan and fry all the fresh ingredients except for tomato and green chillie for 2 minutes on medium heat

Heat oil in medium sized pan and fry all the fresh ingredients except for tomato and green chillie for 2 minutes on medium heat

Step 3

Add the chicken pieces and fry for 5 minutes

Add the chicken pieces and fry for 5 minutes

Step 4

Add all the dry spices and mix well and fry for a further 3 minutes until the chicken is well coated

Add all the dry spices and mix well until the chicken is well coated. Hold back 1/2 teaspoon for salt to taste and add later if required.

Step 5

Fry gently for 3 minutes

Fry gently for 3 minutes and add vinegar

Step 6

Add coconut milk and water and mix well

Add coconut milk and water and mix well

Step 7

Bring to a boil

Bring to a boil

Step 8

Simmer on medium heat for half an hour or until chicken is cooked.

Add tomato and green chillie and simmer on medium heat for half an hour or until chicken is cooked.

Step 9

Taste and add more salt if required.

Taste and add more salt if required.

Step 10

Serve hot with rice or roti

Serve hot with rice or roti

Enjoy

Enjoy

Recipe source: Sandamali/ Flowers for the moon from Eating milk and honey blog.

Nethali Theeyal

This dish is considered a highly nutritious dish and is particularly made for those recovering from a serious illness or childbirth and who need to eat a diet with more calcium content.

This is my grandmother’s recipe as remembered by my mother. Sorry that I do not have an accompanying photo for it as my parents have been vegetarians for nearly 15 years now.

Nethali Theeyal

Time taken: 15 mins

Serves 4

Ingredients:

  • Nethali/ Anchovies – 1 cup
  • Tamarind extract – 1 ½ cup
  • Onion – ½
  • Green chillies – 2
  • Crushed chillies – 1 tbsp
  • Salt, to taste
  • Oil

Method:

  1. Clean the nethali.
  2. Place all the ingredients except oil – the cleaned nethali, chopped onion and chillies, tamarind extract, crushed chillies and salt to taste – in a pan.
  3. Cook on low heat, for around 15 mins, till the gravy thickens.
  4. Drizzle some oil on the edges of the curry before removing the pan from stove.

Recipe source: Raji Thillainathan.

Mutton fry

The second recipe I will share today is also a non-vegetarian recipe that my mother recalls a relative in Vavuniya had cooked decades ago. As I am yet to receive recipes from the district of Vavuniya, I am happy to share this recipe based on my mother’s recollection of watching the dish being prepared.

Mutton fry

Time taken: 30 – 45 mins

Serves 4 – 6 persons

Ingredients:

  • Mutton – 2 cups, chopped
  • Onion – 1, chopped
  • Crushed ginger and garlic – 2 tbsp
  • Curry powder – 2 tbsp
  • Mixed 3C (Cinnamon, cardamom, clove) spice powder – 1 tsp
  • Lime juice – 1 tbsp
  • Pepper – ½ tsp
  • Salt, to taste
  • Oil – 3 tbsp

Method:

  1. Clean and chop the mutton into pieces.
  2. In a mixing bowl, add the chopped onion, crushed ginger-garlic, mixed 3C spice powder, curry powder, lime juice, salt and pepper. Add the mutton pieces to the bowl and ensure that they are well coated in the marinating mixture.
  3. Heat 3 tbsp oil in a pan and transfer the contents of the bowl, the mutton pieces together with the chopped onion and spices, to the pan.
  4. Cover the pan and let the mutton cook on low heat. Every 5 to 10 mins, uncover the pan and flip the pieces to the other side.
  5. Continue to cook until the mutton is well cooked and lightly browned throughout. The roasting takes about 30 to 40 mins.
  6. Serve with rice.

Recipe source: Raji Thillainathan.

Butter chicken

Today’s guest blogger is Mohamed Muzain. A staff of UNDP, one of his hidden talents became known to colleagues after he cooked a delicious dish for a potluck. I requested Muzain to share one of his famous recipes and he shared his recipe for butter chicken.

Butter chicken

Time taken: 45 mins

Serves 8

Ingredients:

  • Chicken – 1 Kg
  • Turmeric powder – 1 tsp
  • Onion – 4, medium-sized, for puree + ½ , for frying
  • Tomato – 4
  • Ginger-garlic paste – 2 tbsp
  • Yoghurt – 1 cup
  • Chilli powder – 2 tsp, for marinating sauce + small tsp, at the end
  • Chillies – 5
  • Curry leaves – 1 or 2 sprigs
  • Rampe leaf
  • Cumin seeds/ Nacheeraham – ½ tsp
  • Cinnamon – 1 ½ “
  • Cardamom – 8 or 10
  • Butter – 125 g

Method:

  1. First, wash and clean the chicken and chop it up into smaller pieces. Rub some turmeric powder over the chicken pieces and keep aside.
  2. Next, prepare the marinating sauce.
  3. Peel the onions and tomatoes. Chop them up and blend them together. Transfer the puree to a mixing bowl.
  4. Add the yoghurt, 1 tbsp of the ginger-garlic paste and 2 tsp chilli powder to the puree. Mix the marinating sauce well.
  5. Transfer the turmeric powder coated chicken pieces to the marinating sauce bowl.
  6. Ensure that the chicken pieces are well coated. Let the chicken pieces soak in the marinating sauce for at least 30 minutes.
  7. Chop up ½ the onion and slit the green chillies in the middle.
  8. Heat some butter in a pan and fry the chopped onion, curry leaves, rampe and the slit chillies.
  9. When the onions turn golden, add the remaining ginger-garlic paste.
  10. Add the cumin seeds, cinnamon and cardamom to the pan. Mix the spices well.
  11. Transfer the contents of the mixing bowl, the chicken pieces together with the marinating sauce, to the pan and let the chicken cook on low to medium heat for about 30 mins.
  12. When the chicken is well cooked, add a small tsp of chilli powder and the remaining butter.
  13. Mix well before removing the pan from heat.
  14. Serve hot with rice or rotis.

Recipe source: Mohamed Muzain.

Three fish recipes

Today, I will share three fish preparations of my grandmother, as remembered by my mother and occasionally prepared at home during my childhood days.

(a) Fish curry

Cooking time: 25 mins

Serves 5

Ingredients:

  • Fish (any type) – 5 pieces
  • Onion – ½, chopped
  • Fenugreek seeds – 1 tsp
  • Curry leaves – 1 sprig
  • Tamarind juice – ½ cup
  • Coconut milk – 1 cup (thin consistency) + ½ cup (thick consistency)
  • Special curry powder for fish – 1 tbsp + 1 tsp (optional)
  • Oil, as required

Method:

  1. Heat oil in a pan and fry the chopped onion and curry leaves with fenugreek seeds for 2 minutes.
  2. Add the fish pieces. Mix well and fry for a few minutes.
  3. Reduce the heat to low and add ½ cup of tamarind extract and then the 1 cup of thin coconut milk.
  4. Let the curry simmer for about 15 minutes.
  5. Add the ½ cup of thick coconut milk and if you like, another tsp of the curry powder. Let the curry cook for another 5 mins until the gravy thickens.
  6. Serve with rice.

(b)  Fried fish/ Meen Poriyal or Varuval

Cooking time: 30 mins

Serves 4

Ingredients:

  • Seer fish/ Arakkula or Malabar Trevally/Paarai meen or Emperor fish/ Vilai meen  – 4 pieces
  • Onion – 2, chopped
  • Crushed red chillies – 2 tsp
  • Cumin powder – ½ tsp
  • Coriander powder – ½ tsp
  • Curry leaves – 1 sprig
  • Chilli powder – ½ tsp
  • Salt, to taste
  • Oil, for deep-frying

Method:

  1. Clean the fish pieces. Marinate with salt and chilli powder.
  2. Deep fry the marinated pieces and keep aside.
  3. Heat a little oil in a pan and fry the onions and curry leaves. Add the crushed chilli, cumin and coriander powders.
  4. Add the fried fish and mix. Cook for about 10 mins or nicely combined.
  5. Serve with rice.

(c) Scrambled fish or Sura varai

Time taken: 25 mins

Serves 4

Ingredients:

  • Fish, usually shark/ sura – 1 cup (250g), cleaned and chopped pieces
  • Onion – 1, chopped
  • Green chilli – 1, chopped
  • Dried red chillies – 2, chopped
  • Curry leaves – 1 sprig
  • Fennel seeds – 1 tsp
  • Mustard seeds – ½ tsp
  • Freshly scraped coconut – 2 tbsp
  • Pepper or Curry powder – 1 tbsp
  • Turmeric powder – ½ tsp
  • Pepper powder – 1 tsp
  • Salt, to taste
  • Sesame oil, as required

Method:

  1. Boil the fish pieces. Once cooked, cool and then crumble the pieces in a bowl. Add some salt, pepper and turmeric powder and keep aside.
  2. Heat 2tbsp of sesame oil in a pan and sauté the chopped onion, green and red chillies and curry leaves with the fennel and mustard seeds.
  3. Add the crumbled and spiced fish to the pan and mix well. If needed, add a little more oil.
  4. Finally, add the freshly scraped coconut. Combine well and cook for a few minutes before removing from heat.
  5. Serve with rice.

Recipe source: Raji Thillainathan.

Squid curry

This is another of my grandmother’s seafood recipes, as remembered by my mother.

Squid curry/ Kanavai curry

Cooking time: 35 – 40 mins

Serves 4 or 5

Ingredients:

  • Squid/ Kanavai – 2 cups, well cleaned and chopped
  • Curry leaves – 1 sprig
  • Onion – 1, finely chopped
  • Ginger – ½“, finely chopped
  • Garlic – 1, finely chopped
  • Fenugreek seeds – 1 tbsp
  • Coconut milk – 1 ½ cup thin coconut milk + ½ cup thick coconut milk
  • Curry powder – 2 tbsp
  • Special curry powder for meat dishes – 2 tsp
  • Salt, to taste
  • Oil, as required
  • Lime juice – 1 tbsp

Method:

  1. Heat 1 tbsp oil in a pan and fry the finely chopped onion, ginger, garlic and curry leaves with the fenugreek seeds till the aroma emanates. Take care that it does not burn.
  2. Add another tbsp of oil and the cleaned and chopped squid. Mix well and cook on low heat for about 5 – 10 mins.
  3. Add 1 ½ cup of coconut milk to the pan, together with 2 tbsp of and salt. Cook on medium heat for about 15 minutes.
  4. Now, add the ½ cup of thick coconut milk and 2 tsp of the special curry powder for meat dishes and increase the heat. Cook the curry till it combines and comes together and the liquid begins to dry up.
  5. Remove from heat and add the lime juice and mix well.
  6. Serve with rice or pittu.

Recipe source: Raji Thillainathan.

Prawn vadai

My mother remembers having this prawn snack from her childhood days and even better, the way her mother used to make it.

Prawn Vadai/ Raal Vadai

Time taken: 40 mins + Soaking time – 3 or 4 hours

Makes 10 prawn vadai

Ingredients:

  • Prawns/ Raal – 10
  • Urad dal/ Ulunthu – 1 cup
  • Chillies – 3 or chilli powder – 1 tbsp
  • Onion – 1, chopped
  • Fennel seeds and Salt, to taste
  • Oil, for deep-frying

Method:

  1. Clean the urad dal and let it soak in a bowl of water for 3 – 4 hours, or overnight.
  2. Clean the prawns. Rub some salt over them and boil the prawns in some water for about 10 mins.
  3. Drain the urad dal and grind it together with the chopped chillies and onion till the batter is just right for vadai. Add some fennel seeds and salt, to taste and mix well.
  4. Dab some oil on one of your palms.
  5. Take a small ball of batter and flatten it slightly on your palm.
  6. Place one of the cooked prawns in the middle of the batter and close it up, forming a ball again.
  7. Flatten the ball of batter again, into the shape of a vadai and make a small hole in the middle, like a mini-doughnut.
  8. Deep fry the prawn vadai.
  9. Serve with some hot tea.

Recipe source: Raji Thillainathan.

Crab curries

Vegetarian readers of this blog can ignore my posts this weekend as I will be sharing some non-vegetarian recipes of my grandmother, as remembered by my mother from her teen years.

Being an island, seafood has played a major role in Sri Lanka’s cuisine. The way it is cooked differs in each coastal district around the country. Today, I will share two recipes of crab curries, from Jaffna, without any photos as the last time crab was cooked at home was when I was around 5 years old.

(a) Crab meat curry

Time taken: 30 mins

Serves 4

Ingredients:

  • Crab – 2
  • Onion – 1, chopped
  • Ginger – 1 tsp, chopped
  • Garlic – 1 tsp, chopped
  • Fenugreek seeds – 1 tbsp
  • Curry leaves – 1 sprig
  • Coconut milk – 1 cup
  • Curry powder – 1 tbsp
  • Oil – 1 tbsp

Method:

  1. Chop up the crabmeat of 2 crabs into about 8 pieces. You can either buy crabmeat already extracted from its shell, if available at your local stores, or you can clean and extract it yourself. Separate the rest of the crab parts from the main shell and reserve for the crab scraps gravy.
  2. Add some salt to the chopped up crab meat and keep aside.
  3. Heat a little oil in a pan and fry the chopped onions with 1 tbsp of fenugreek seeds and the curry leaves. Add the chopped ginger and garlic and fry for a few minutes till you get the aroma of tempering.
  4. Add the chopped up crab meat to the pan and mix well.
  5. After frying the crabmeat for about 5 minutes, add the coconut milk and the curry powder.
  6. Cook the crabmeat curry on low heat for around 15 mins till the liquid almost dries up.
  7. Serve crabmeat curry with stringhoppers, hoppers or pittu.

(b) Crab scraps gravy

Time taken: 30 mins

Serves 4

Ingredients:

  • Crab parts from 2 crabs, excluding the main shell and content
  • Onion – ½, chopped
  • Curry leaves – 1 sprig
  • Fenugreek – 1 tbsp
  • Oil – 1 tbsp
  • Tamarind extract – ½ cup
  • Coconut milk – 1 ½ cups
  • Curry powder – 1 ½ tbsp

Method:

  1. Heat 1 tbsp of oil in a pan and fry the chopped onions, curry leaves and the fenugreek seeds.
  2. Add the cleaned crab scraps that were reserved when cutting up the crab for the crabmeat curry and fry for some minutes.
  3. Add ½ cup of tamarind juice and let the mixture simmer for 2 mins before adding 1 ½ cups of coconut milk and 1 ½ tbsp of curry powder.
  4. Cook the crab feet gravy on low heat for about 10 – 15 mins. Take care to remove from heat before the gravy before it starts drying up.
  5. Serve the crab scraps gravy with rice.

Recipe source: Raji Thillainathan.

Sura Sarakku Kulambu

This dish is particularly made for people recovering from severe illness and mothers recuperating from childbirth.

Sura Sarakku Kulambu

Ingredients:

  • Shark/ sura – 10 pieces
  • Onion – 1
  • Salt, to taste
  • Tamarind extract – 1 ½ cup
  • Sarakku powder mix (Coriander – 3 tbsp, Cinnamon – 2 tbsp, Pepper – 1 tsp, Turmeric – ½ tsp, Fenugreek – 1 tsp)

Method:

  1. Clean the shark pieces and place them in a pan.
  2. Chop up the onion and add to the pan. Pour some water and add some salt and cook on low heat for 10 to 15 mins.
  3. Add the sarakku powder to the pan and add the tamarind extract.
  4. Let the curry simmer for another 10 minutes or until the curry thickens and is not watery.

Recipe Source: Raji Thillainathan.