The Far Away Fox Eats....Homemade Sri Lankan Food

Little introduction to the person who taught me something new this week:

I met Ras doing an evening Spanish course about 6 years ago.  As the only two people under thirty and without long term partners, children, mortgages, what we call grown up stuff, and our shared love of travelling, we bonded immediately.

We refer to the first few times we went out as friend dates - the dinner date, the movie, the romantic picnic on top of a hillside to watch the sunset, we never go shopping together and she is my weekend travel buddy.  It is a constant joke that if one of us were a man, we would be the perfect couple.

But what she can't do in keeping my Grandma happy, (who, although would never say it, is secretly hoping I marry a nice Jewish boy) she makes up for in curry.  She has the highest tolerance to spice of anyone I know.  She can order extra hot spice at Nandos smother it in in extra hot sauce and still not bat an eyelid.  I accidentally got her meal once due to those little stick things getting mixed up, took one bite and subsequently couldn't taste my own meal.  Or anything else for the next couple of days.  Those big burly men (it's always men, who knows why) who like to eat vindaloo as a challenge, never challenge Rasadhi Attale. YOU. WILL. LOSE.

Anyhow, back to the curry.  A couple of years ago, Ras taught me how to make a chicken dish called Kukul mas Hodi (spelled phonetically from the Sinhalese) and a lentil dish called Parippu (also spelled phonetically) it was delicious and we ate it in the traditional way with our hands. Yum!  Although it has to be said, Ras overestimated my tolerance for spice at the time and we got through a pint of milk and ice cream in the process of cooling my burning tongue. She was more cautious this time!

So, for my new blog, I asked her to teach me more. She agreed. So I turn up at her flat ready to cook and take some great photos.  Instead, she pours me a chilled glass of white wine, sits me on a stool and tells me to relax and while she goes to work.  Perfect! I'm happy to observe the experts, except, my photos suffered.  Never drink and photo people, due to my non existant photography skills, plus the wine, the vast majority came out blurry. Sorry about that!

My lovely wine and my notes!

First for the rice (Kaha Bath) She begins by washing it and adding 3 cardomom pods, whole cloves and some turmeric.  This goes in the rice cooker and we are away.

Next, she makes a Salmon Stirfry (Salmon Theldala).  As Ras has never made this dish with fresh salmon, we used tinned to stay true to the recipe we borrowed from her mother.  So, after heating the oil in a pan, in it goes.  To this, she adds a mountain of sliced onions, (she used 4 onions to 3 tins of Salmon), garlic and ginger paste, dried curry leaves (which I have never actually seen before, They smell like tea!), hot chilli powder, chilli flakes and salt...mixes it all up so it's all distributed evenly, Et Voila! Simple!

The kitchen smells incredible (not to mention my hair at this point) but she is not done!!  There is one more dish to do,  using the soft boiled potatoes that have been sitting cooling on the counter since my arrival.  It's a dish called Ala Hodi.

To a saucepan she adds coconut milk and heats it slowly, to this, she adds a lot of turmeric, Sri Lankan Curry powder (there is a difference between Sri Lankan and Indian Curry Powder - little side note on this below) dried curry leaves,  fresh green chillies and onion along with the potatoes.

It smells good, I have taste tested everything it and confirmed it is within my spice tolerance range and as I am feeling daring she can add more spice, time to eat?

Not quite yet, Ras is unhappy with the potatoes, she says something is missing. I try it and agree, but my knowledge of Sri Lankan food is not quite there with naming ingredients that could be missing.  She decides it's the curry powder thats lacking and adds more. Taste test time again.  This time, there is a more defined rich warmth to the dish that now I can taste it, I can recognise was definately lacking before.  It's like that adding of lemon juice and coriander to an Indian daal - it just lifts it to another level.

Now it's time to eat!!

Until recently, proper curry always seemed like a labour intensive chore but through some knowledgeable people, I have learnt that this belief couldn't have been further from the truth, and you just need to know the right people, and learn the tricks!  This case was no different, all 3 dishes were done and ready to eat in an hour, and this includes us gossiping and setting the table. 
The Ala Hodi is creamy and rich, cutting the dry heat of the Theldala, they work well together. There is a warming undertone different from any Indian curry I have ever had.  The flavour layers are different.  I think this is due to the curry powder being roasted.

We devour our dinner, and due to there only being two of us, we have enough leftover for a portion each the next day. Even better!
 
 The thing I like about these dishes are that they are one pot and done, other than the preboiling of the potatoes there was no faffing with cooking different bit's separately, I never have the patience or energy for this. As much as I love the cooking part, the preparation is a chore, if you ever offer to chop or wash up, you will be my friend forever!  Plus, it leaves more time to chat with whoever I am cooking for.      

I will definately be recreating these dishes again!                                        



                                                                 A note on Spices

Our test tube spice rack, inspired by my Mum's Science Degree

For my ignorance, before I met Ras, I didn't really know a lot about what made Sri Lankan curry different from the Indian curries we know and love so well, as they were unfamiliar.  But now, having tried a few different dishes and having done some research I can now say that it's the ingredients that go into the curry powders.  Sri Lankan curry powders are generally roasted so they have a different aroma to Indian curry powders.

 Listed below are the ingredients that go into each: 

Sri Lankan Curry Powder (either unroasted or roasted) contains:  Coriander Seeds, Cumin Seeds, Fennel Seeds, Fenugreek Seeds, Cinnamon, Cardomom Pods, Cloves, Curry Leaves and Cayenne Pepper.

Indian Curry Powder contains:   Coriander Seeds, Cumin Seeds, Fennel Seeds, Mustard Seeds, Black Peppercorns, Turmeric, Red Chilli Powder and Ground Ginger

Sri Lankan cuisine is as yet, largely unknown, but I have a feeling this is about to change, it is on the horizon as being the next 'it' thing.  And why not, it's delicious.  You heard it here first though remember!