Sri Lankan Sea Food Recipes

Sri Lanka boasts an amazing variety of food and styles of cooking. The island has a rich heritage of indigenous dishes and its regional cooking is strongly individual and varied. For example, Kandyan  Sinhalese cooking, with its emphasis on hill country vegetables and fruits; coastal cooking, making the best of the abundant seafood with which the land is blessed; Tamil cooking, closely linked to that of southern India, which is especially prevalent in Jaffna, in the north.

Spicy Barbecued Fish Recipe

Ingredients : Serves 4

4 2 tablespoons 1 1/2 teaspoons 1 teaspoon 1/4 teaspoon 1 2 cloves 2 slices 1/4 teaspoon 1/4 teaspoon 1/2 teaspoon 1 tablespoon 1 teaspoon 1 teaspoon 1 tablespoon

Small mullet, whole Lemon juice Salt Ground turmeric Ground black pepper Small onion, sliced Garlic, peeled Fresh ginger Ground cinnamon Ground cloves Dried crushed curry leaves, optional Ground coriander Ground cumin Chili powder or to taste Oil Banana leaves or foil for wrapping

Method :

• Clean and scale fish, leaving the head on.
• Wipe inside fish with kitchen paper dipped in coarse salt, leaving body cavities clean.
• Snip out gills with kitchen scissors and trim any long spines or fins neatly.
• Wash fish well, cut diagonal slashes in flesh with sharp knife, about 2.5 cm (1 inch) apart, and rub fish with
  a little lemon juice, salt, turmeric and pepper.
• Put remaining ingredients into container of electric blender and blend to a smooth paste (or use a mortar and pestle).
• Apply to fish, rubbing well into slashes and body cavity.
• Spoon remaining mixture over fish.
• Wrap in leaves or heavy-duty foil and make a neat parcel.
• Put over glowing coals or under a heated griller for 10 minutes on each side.
• Open parcel for last few minutes to allow excess moisture to evaporate.
• Serve with steamed rice.

Spicy Seafood Recipe

Ingredients :

500g 2 250g 3 tablespoons 2 2 cloves 1 tablespoon 1/2 teaspoon 1 teaspoon 1 teaspoon 1/4 cup 1 teaspoon

Raw shrimps Squid hoods Mussels Cooking oil Medium onion, sliced Garlic, crushed Grated fresh ginger Ground turmeric Chili powder Paprika Tomato puree Grated palm sugar or soft brown sugar

Method :

• Peel and de-vein the shrimps.
• Cut the squid hoods into 6 cm squares and score a crisscross pattern lightly into the flesh with a small sharp knife.
• Scrub the mussels and remove the beards.
• Heat the oil in a large heavy-based pan or wok, add the onion, garlic and ginger, and cook over medium heat for 3 to 5 minutes or until the onion is soft.
• Add the turmeric, chili powder and paprika, and cook for 2 minutes or until the oil begins to separate from the spices.
• Add the seafood to the pan and cook over high heat for 3 to 5 minutes or until the shrimps are pink.
• Stir in the tomato puree and sugar and stir-fry for 3 minutes or until the sauce is heated through.
• Serve with rice or noodles.

Sri Lankan Fish Curry Recipe

(Malu Curry)

Ingredients : Serves 4-6

4 large 1 teaspoon 1 teaspoon 1 teaspoon 2 medium 1/2 teaspoon 2 cloves 1 teaspoon 1 8 1 1/2 tablespoons 1/4 cup 2 cups

Fish steak (Spanish mackerel) Ground black pepper Salt Ground turmeric Onions, finely chopped Fenugreek seeds Garlic, finely sliced Finely chopped fresh ginger Small stick cinnamon Curry leaves Ceylon curry powder Tamarind liquid Coconut milk Oil for frying Few pieces dried pandan leaves

Method :

• Wash fish steaks, dry on kitchen paper and rub each steak well with a mixture of pepper, salt and turmeric.
• Heat about 1/2 inch (1.75 cm) oil in a large frying pan and fry fish quickly to a golden color.
• Drain on paper while preparing the gravy.
• Heat 2 tablespoons oil in a large saucepan and gently fry onions, fenugreek, garlic and ginger until onions are soft and golden.
• Add cinnamon, pandan, curry leaves and curry powder and fry for 2 minutes, stirring.
• Add tamarind liquid and coconut milk and simmer, uncovered, until gravy is thickened and slightly reduced.
• Put in the fish steaks.
• If they are very large, divide into serving pieces.
• Spoon gravy over the fish and simmer for about 10 minutes.
• Serve hot with boiled rice and vegetable curries.

Sri Lankan cuisine shares much with Indian cuisine,

Sri Lankan cuisine shares much with Indian cuisine, and the two countries have exchanged many dishes. Sri Lankan dishes often take the form of rice (boiled or steamed) with curry. 

Some popular Sri Lankan recipes and dishes include:

• Hoppers - Pancakes made from rice flour, coconut milk, and palm toddy (an alcoholic beverage made from palm sap) or yeast. There are many varieties of hoppers, including versions with egg, with creamy coconut milk inside, and sweet varieties. Hoppers may be eaten for breakfast or dinner.
  
• Kiribath - Rice cooked in coconut milk. The dish is prepared by boiling the rice in water for about 15 minutes, and then adding coconut milk and continuing to cook until the liquid is absorbed. Salt is used to season the dish when cooking, and cashew or sesame seeds are also sometimes added. Kiribath may be eaten with lunumiris (red onions and fiery spices), with jaggery (unrefined sugar) and bananas, or on special occasions with various sweets.
  
• Koola'ya - A dish made from mixing leftover curries with rice, and making it into balls. It is often served at temples, and is eaten with chapati (thin flatbread).
  
• Kottu - A pancake with vegetables, egg and meat. There are many varieties including both vegetarian and meat versions. Although not traditional, cheese is also nowadays sometimes added to the dish.
  
• Vada - A savory snak made from dal (stewed pulses), lentil, or potato.

On this page, you will find a selection of Sri Lankan cookbooks.

Sri Lankan Cuisine

The very famous Sri Lankan cuisine dates back with the influence of colonists and foreign traders that came to the country many years ago. Their cuisine mostly consists of rice which is their staple food and meals that are full of spices and other tasty ingredients. Rice and curry are the well known dish for a regular meal.

Their famous cuisines consist of rice that is either steamed or boiled served with curry powder. Another way they serve their rice is with fish-based dishes and other kinds of meat together with the curry powder. This is an all in one meal with the rice and other dishes being cooked together as one.

The curry, being a regular and famous spice of Sri Lanka also is mixed with vegetables and other meat products which they sauté together with oils and pickles.

There is also a famous dish that is the "mallung" which are chopped leaves cooked with grated coconut meat and red onions. Coconuts are used regularly by the Sri Lankan to give their meals a distinguished and unique taste.

The Sri Lankan are also fond with sweets and make several dessert meals. There is the "Wattalapan" which is a steamed pudding that is mixed with coconut milk, together with eggs and a solidified extract from the kitul palm. This is very well known dessert in Sri Lanka and is pretty delicious and mouth watering. Another sweet delectable is the "kavun", which is made from green gram that is a sort of ground paste that are shaped like diamonds and then fried in oils. During some occasions like the Tamil New Year, lots of sweets are being cooked by the locals.

There is also the sort of meal the Sri Lankan called the "short eats" which a variety of snacks that can be found in restaurants and fast food chains along Sri Lanka. This includes Chinese rolls, patties, fish cutlets and others.

There are so many other Sri Lankan meals that are truly delectable and mouth-watering that everyone will surely love to try. Everyone is free to try out some of the best Sri Lankan cuisine once they come to the country and have a taste of a true Sri Lankan living. One will be very satisfied with what they can try here is Sri Lanka.

Rice & Curry

Boiled rice with curried vegetable, fish and/or meat laced with Sri Lankan spices is the typical Sri Lankan main meal, a gourmet’s delight. It is served for both lunch and dinner and some do have it for breakfast too. Curries are usually made hot but can be mellowed to suit the pallet. Rice and Curry is served for lunch and dinner. Boiled or steamed rice with a variety of curries, salads, sambols, pappadam and chutney form the meal. Spices are added to make the dishes more delectable. The unaccustomed may sometimes find the curries too hot but, this is easily controlled by reducing the quantities of spices used, specially chilli and pepper, to suit the different tastes. Everything is brought to the table at once and there are no separate courses as in a Western style meal. It is perfectly correct to take a little of everything and taste it against the neutral rice. On special occasions yellow rice is cooked in coconut milk and delicately flavored with spices. Turmeric is added to give the rice a bright yellow. It is served garnished with cashews raisins, and hard-boiled eggs.