Rice & Curry is the main food of Sri Lanka

Rice & Curry is the main food of Sri Lanka and Sri Lankans enjoy some of the spiciest foods in the world. Meat fish and vegetables are prepared as curries, sliced onions, green chilies, black pepper, cinnamon, cardomons, cloves, nutmeg and saffron are used to add flavours. Today rice and curry has shifted from being the popular breakfast to the essential lunch.A basic rice and curry requires one fish (or beef or chicken) curry, two different vegetables, one portion of fried crispy stuff like ‘Pappdam’, a ‘mallun’ of chopped leaves and coconut and a gravy or ‘hodda’ of spiced and cooked with coconut milk.

The rice is always put on to the plate first and then the curries are selected from the other dishes to mix with it so you have a collection of minor meals around the plate. You eat by mixing the rice with something forming it in to a bite –sized ball and consuming by hand. There is vast range of flavours and different curry mixes used for different foods. There are regional differences too. Even with the same base food the taste will completely be different.

Hoppers

Hoppers are much like sour-dough pancakes or muffins. The The Batteris terminated in the traditional way with a little palm toddy which acts as the ‘rising agent’, it also gives the hoppers a delicious liquor tang. The batter is left to rise overnight, then thinned with coconut cream and baked in a round cast-iron pan. The hopper has a soft, fluffy, well-risen centre, a golden brown crisp border and is lightly flavoured with a hint of palm toddy and sesame oil with which the pan is greased. An egg is sometimes baked into the centre, sunny-side up. Hoppers are equally good with hot sambals a hot sharp ‘relish’ of ground chilies, grated coconut’s shallots and cured fish or curries or with jam. The cardinal rule is to eat them hot and crispy.

String-hoppers

String hoppers are made from a hot-water dough of rice-meal pressed out in circles from a string mould on to little wicker mats. Then steamed, light and lacy . String hoppers make a mouthwatering meal with curry and sambol. 

Pittu

Pittu probably came to Sri Lanka with the Malay regiments of the European colonial period. It is however completely naturalized now and is a staple diet of Sri Lankan cuisine. Pittu is a mixture of fresh rice meal, very lightly roasted and mixed with fresh grated coconut then steamed in a bamboo or aluminum mould. It has a soft crumbly texture and is eaten with fresh coconut ‘milk’ and a hot chili relish or curry.

Kiribath (milk rice)

Kiribath, one of the very popular food in Sri Lanka and is a ceremonial specific and included in all special occasion menus Kiribath is translated in to ‘milk rice’ . The rice is cooked in thick coconut cream for this un sweetened rice-pudding which is accompanied by a sharp chilli relish called ‘Lunumiris’ or with a pre cooked mixture of coconut and reacle confectionary called ‘Panipol’

Kolakenda

It’s a modern nutritionist’s dream of a perfectly balanced meal and a porridge of brown rice and coconut cream flavoured with the juice of green herbs such as polpala (Averva Lanata) Hatha wariya (Asparagus falcatus), Gotukola (Hydrocotyle asiatica) or Elabatu (Solanum xanthocarpum) Kolakanda is served steaming hot with a piece of juggery.

Thosai

The Tamils of Sri Lanka who manly live in the northern and eastern parts of the island have preserved some of their own distinctive ethnic breakfast. Thosai is a great favourite, delicious and nutritionally perfect. The base for this lentil pancake is oorid, (Mungoradiatys), a back-skinned pulse of delicate flavor is soaked and ground to a smooth batter. The batter is then allowed to rise, flavored with fried shallots, curry leaves, fenugreek and cumin seeds and cooked on a hot griddle greased with sesame oil. Thosai which resembles a tortilla is eaten with finely ground coconut and chilly sambal and is a delicious and satisfying meal.

Uppuma

Uppuma is another favorite meal among the tamils. This is a savory porridge made of semolina and flavored with fried onion, chilly mustard and curry leaves.

Vadai

The classic partner for thosai is vadai-a triumph of Tamil cuisine. These are small savory rissoles of ground oorid of dhal – a fine red lentil. The lentil paste is mixed with minced shallot, green chilies, curry leaves and a dash of cumin seeds and red chili power, fashioned into flat cakes and deep friked in coconut oil. Oorid or Ulundu vadai are always made with a hole in the centre-rather like small doughnuts.

Roti is a quickie meal- a little cottagey and easy to prepare, what rice or Kurakkan (Eleusine coracana, a strongly flavored brown millet)- meal is mixed with fresh grated coconut and a touch of oil and baked on a hot griddle in thin flat cakes.Roti equally good with chilie relish or with syrup, Shallots, greenchilies, curry leaves and Maldive (cured)fish flakes are added to bring in the changes.