Lamprais (Lump Rice)

This is a Sri Lankan Dutch Burger delicacy that is very popular in Sri Lanka. It consists of the following items wrapped and baked in banana leaves.

•    Yellow Rice

Ingredients

500 grams (2 cups) Basmati or other long grain rice
2 tbsp ghee
1 medium onion, finely sliced
6 cardamoms
6 cloves
8 peppercorns
1 tsp turmeric
2 inch piece lemon grass
2 inch piece cinnamon
2 1/2 cups chicken stock
1 cup coconut milk
2 level tsp salt


Method

Wash and drain the rice. Set it aside. Heat ghee in a large
saucepan. Add the onion and fry until transparent. Add all
the ingredients including the rice. Fry, stirring constantly
for 2-3 mins.

Put into a rice cooker or pot. Pour in chicken stock and
coconut milk. Cook until the moisture evaporates. When the
rice is cooked, the spices will emerge on the top. Remove
the spices and stir slightly with a fork.

•    Lampara curry (Beef, Mutton, Lamb, Pork, Chicken, TVP)

This recipe is the meat curry for lumprais. Although the original recipe includes a mixture of meats you can make it with a single meat or a vegetarian version with TVP or grilled cubed vege-burgers.

1 lb chicken/ beef/mutton/ pork or 2 cups TVP, soaked in hot water
2 tbsp chilli powder
1 tbsp roasted curry powder
1/2 tsp turmeric
3 cardamoms
3 cloves
1/4 tsp of cinnamon
2 tbsp vinegar
3 cups thick coconut milk

1 red onion, chopped
1/4 tsp fenugreek seeds
A piece of rampe
1 stalk lemon grass
Sprig of curry leaves
5 cloves garlic, chopped
1/2 inch piece of ginger, chopped

2 tbsp vegetable/coconut oil
1/4 cup of tamarind pulp
salt to taste

Method

Cut the meat into small pieces. Add the next seven ingredients and mix thoroughly.
Heat the oil in a pan, and add the next seven ingredients. Fry till fragrant.
Next add the meat mixture and cook under low heat till the meat has cooked.
Add tamarind and cook for a couple of minutes. Add salt to taste.

•    Seeni Sambol

1 lb red onions, sliced finely
1/4 lb maldive fish pieces (optional)
3-4 tbsp chilli powder
a sprig of curry leaves
Rampe, chopped into 1/2 inch pieces
2? cinnamon
5 cloves
5 cardamoms

5 tbsp vegetable oil
3 tbsp tamarind pulp
2 tbsp sugar
Salt to taste

Mix the first eight ingredients together. Heat a pan with oil. Add the onion mixture. Fry till caramelized.
Next add the tamarind pulp, sugar and salt to taste.
Cook for a few minutes.

•    Cutlet

Ingredients:

1 15-oz can of Salmon or Jack mackerel
1 big onion finely chopped
3 green chillies finely chopped
1/2 lb potatoes
1/2 bottle frying oil
4-5 curry leaves
1/2 lime
1 egg
1/4 lb bread crumbs
salt and pepper to taste

Method:

Boil and skin the potatoes. Mash the potatoes. Drain the
water from the fish can. Break the fish into small pieces.

Heat 2 tbsp of oil in a pan under medium heat. When the
oil is hot and the onions, green chillies and curry leaves
and fry till the onions are golden brown.

Now add the crumbled fish and temper for about 3-5 minutes.
Next add the mashed potatoes and season with salt and pepper
and mix well. Remove the pan from heat and add the lime juice
to the mixture and mix well.

Beat the egg in a bowl. Put the bread crumbs to a flat dish.
Make small balls from the fish mixture(one inch diameter).
Soak the balls first in the beaten egg and then coat the
balls with bread crumbs.

Heat the remaining oil in a frying pan and when the oil is
hot add the coated fish balls and fry till golden brown.Makes
about 30-40 cutlets.

•    Fried Ash Plantain curry

1 lb Ash plantains (Alu Kehel)
1/2 tsp turmeric powder
Salt
Oil to deep fry
1 tsp curry powder
1 tsp cumin powder
2 red onions, chopped
2 green chillies, chopped
1/4 tsp fenugreek seeds (uluhal)
Curry leaves, Rampe
1 tbsp vinegar
1 cup coconut milk
Salt to taste


Cut the plantains into 1? finger size pieces. Mix with salt and a pinch of turmeric. Deep fry till golden brown.
Heat a pan with 1 tsp of oil. Fry the onion, curry leaves, fenugreek, rampe, green chillies till fragrant.
Next add the rest of ingredients, except fried plantains. When the mixture comes to a boil, add the plantains.
Add salt to taste. Cook for couple of minutes.

•    Wambatu Moju

1 lb egg plant (vambatu)
1/2 lb small red onions or pearl onions
1/4 small dried prawns (shrimp)
1/4 lb small green chillies cut in the middle
10 cloves of finely chopped (paste)garlic
2 table spoon of crushed dried red chillies
1/3 cup of coconut vinegar
3 tsp pf finely powdered black mustard seed
5 full tsp of sugar
1 piece of rampe
2 leaves of kara pincha
2 cloves (chopped)
2 cardamoms(chopped)
Salt to taste
coconut or veg oil to deep fry

Method
Cut egg plant into thin slices and deep fry, drain and keep aside. fry small onions for about 2mnts and then fry green chillies for about 30 seconds drain and keep aside. Fry fried shrimps for 45 seconds. Then saute crushed red chillies for 15 seconds and fry rampe and karapincha for about 15 seconds. drain, keep all fried stuff aside. Mix garlic mustard,cardamom,cloves and sugar to gether with vinegar boil for 1 and 1/2 minute. take from fire and put all fried stuff. Add salt to taste. Mix well.Keep till cool. This taste better after one day.

•    Fried Boiled Egg (Deep fry the boiled Eggs till golden brown)

To Assemble:
Heat banana leaves to make them pliable.
Serve a rice portion on to a banana leaf that is about 20 inch square. Serve the rest of the curries around the rice. Fold the banana leaf into a rice packet, taking care not to tare the leaf.
Bake in a 350F oven for 30 minutes. Serve hot.