SRILANKAN RECIPES|Mutton curry|Dhal/Dal curry|Cabbage Mallung|Pani Pol|

 

परित्राणायसाधूनांविनाशायचदुष्कृताम्|

धर्मसंस्थापनार्थायसम्भवामियुगेयुगे|| 8||

Paritrāṇāya sādhūnāṁ vināśhāya cha duṣhkṛitām

dharma-sansthāpanārthāya sambhavāmi yuge yuge

Meaning: For the protection of the good/pious, to annihilate the wicked and for the establishment of dharma (righteousness), I (the Lord) am born from age to age.

“One should lift only such weight as will not exhaust one beyond a limit. One should eat only such food as will easily digest.Who will engage himself in such action as will get him neither dharma nor reputation nor lasting fame and which will only result in physical exhaustion?” - Jatayu to Ravana

 

Heartfelt thanks to the directors/producers of the epic Indian T.V. serial Ramayana and Mahabharata and likewise for reminding our wonder-full ,legendary mythological/factual stories and the gems of wisdom hidden in that which when understood and remembered can act as a perfect moral guide to live a peaceful and content life.

The above mentioned stanza/shloka/quote are from one of the famous Hindu mythology,Ramayana .

Ramayana and Mahabhartha are the two main Indian epics of Hinduism that has shaped Indians' culture,beliefs,values and the right way of life since ages.

Ramayana is an ancient epic that represents the life and adventures Of Lord Shri Rama,the seventh incarnation/avatar of Lord Vishnu,his beloved wife,Sita/Siya ,the incarnation of MahaLakshmi and one of his brother,Lakshmana,the incarnation of Sheshnaag,the king of all nagas ,who is believed to hold all the planets of the universe on its hood,the divine serpent upon whom Lord Vishnu rests in Kshirasagara, which is the ocean of milk and prabhu Ram's loyal companion Lord Hanuman /the Monkey God ,who is in fact according to the Shiva Puran, is the 11th Rudra avatar of Lord Shiva ,a divine team who took birth in human/Ape form towards the conquest against evil ,establishing and laying guidelines towards dharma/the righteousness and a virtuous life on planet Earth.

Thanks to the sage Valmiki ji for composing this ethereal saga of Ramayana during Treta Yuga in the Sanskrit language, which consists of 24,000 verses divided into seven Kandas (books), detailing Rama’s journey from his birth,to his celestial wedding to his divine counterpart Sita,to his 14 years of long exile at the request of his own father for the sake of the righteousness over his personal royal comfort,the long war to defeat the demon king Ravana who kidnapped his pious wife sita to his coronation as the king of Ayodhya , the birth of divine twin sons,luv and Kusha and Maa Sita leaving her beloved family by merging with the Mother Earth and heartbroken dharmaraj ,Shri Ram still establishing Ram Raajaya marked by peace, prosperity, harmony ,truth and justice, setting an ideal example for an ideal governance and societal upliftment. 

The “Ramayana” not only chronicles a captivating unforgettable story but also imparts the ultimate moral ,humane and ethical lessons, making it a timeless moral guide for the welfare of the humanity.

Kuber, the God of wealth, had constructed the golden Lanka for himself but was overthrown by his half demon brother, Ravana which is popularly known as the SriLanka today.

According to Ramayana, during Prabhu Shri Rama’s ,Maa Sita’s and Lakshmana’s 14 year exile in the forrest ,the divine mother /the divine counterpart of the Lord Shri Rama, was abducted and was held captive on the island of Lanka (now known as the Sri Lanka) by the the multi-headed rakshasa/demon king Ravana in a pushpaka vimana.

With the help of vanara sena/an army of monkeys and other animals,Lord Shri Rama,Lakshmana and Lord Hanuman built a bridge famously called the Rama Setu bridge over the sea to rescue Maa Sita from the confinement of the demonic king Ravana after a ferocious long battle.

Rama Bridge is also known as Adam's Bridge. As per some sources, the Islamists who came as traders to Sri Lanka believed that the Adam (the first human on Earth) crossed the bridge from Sri Lanka (Sri Pada Mountain (Adam’s Peak)) to India after he was expelled from the Garden of Eden or Garden of God/the Biblical Paradise.The Cane and Able of biblical stories are believed to be buried on one of these islets (Pratt, 1892).

 This ancient monumental bridge is basically a chain of natural limestone shoals, connecting Rameswaram Island (also known as Pamban Island) in Tamil Nadu and Mannar Island in Sri Lanka.As per some sources,it is believed that the bridge was walkable until the 15th century. According to the Ramanathaswamy Temple records, the bridge was above sea level until a cyclone destroyed it in 1480.

A NASA satellite image revealed a chain of limestone shoals exactly like the Rama Setu bridge that can still be seen between India and Sri Lanka. This Adam’s/rama Setu bridge has since been a subject of scientific and archaeological interest, with studies/research exploring its origins and significance.

DID YOU KNOW these facts about Ramayana? (Courtesy:Google search)

• Ravana was the most influential king of the prosperous Sri Lanka.

• Ravana was a 10 headed demonic king of Lanka who was a Brahmin by birth,the eldest son of sage Vishrava and demon princess,Kaikasi and was a learned scholar/pandit even acknowledged by the Divine .
• Ravana's initial name was Dahanana (Ten headed) who later got his name Ravana(which means the one who roars loud ) for being a staunch devotee of Lord Shiva .Ravana wrote the famous Shiva tandav stotram .It is believed that he supposedly installed a huge Shivalinga in Kakinada, Andhra Pradesh and hence both Ravana and Lord Shiva are worshipped by the fishermen community there. Ravana temples are not only in Srilanka but also worshipped in places like Kanpur, Uttar Pradesh ,a Jain temple at Alvar in Rajasthan.
• Ravana and his brother Kumbhkaran were actually Jaya and Vijaya, the gatekeepers of Vaikunta ,the heavenly abode of Lord Vishnu and MahaLakshmi.
• Ravana was a great Ayurvedic physician and an expert in astrology/astronomy.
• Like the famous Srimad Bhagavad Gita, Ashtavakra Gita, Udhhava Gita, and Guru Gita - there is another Gita called Ravana Gita (the song of Ravana). In it, Ravana teaches many sermons/life lessons/politics to Lakshmana on his deathbed at the request of Lord Shri Rama.
• Ravana was a great musician, who designed his own string instrument called Ravana Veena and Raagas.
• Gayatri Mantra ,a sacred vedic hymn dedicated to the divine sun ,and Divine Mother,Gayathri/Saraswati ,is formed from the first letter that comes after every 1000 verses of Ramayana.
• Maa Sita took the ferocious form of MahaKali during the long unending dreadful battle between Lord Rama and Ravana when Lord Rama fell unconscious to defeat the unstoppable demonic king Ravana.

Well,for me when I see an Indian squirrel and an American squirrel I feel the difference that Ramayana was indeed true as the white stripes on an Indian squirrel’s body are believed to be given by Lord Rama for helping him during the construction of the Rama Setu bridge.

मच्चित्तः सर्वदुर्गाणि मत्प्रसादात्तरिष्यसि।

अथ चेत्त्वमहङ्कारान्न श्रोष्यसि विनङ्क्ष्यसि॥

mac-cittaḥ sarvadurgāṇi matprasādāttariṣyasi

atha cettvamahaṅkārānna śroṣyasi vinaṅkṣyasi

Meaning :If you become conscious of the divine, you will pass over all the obstacles of conditional life by divine’s grace. If, however, you do not work in such consciousness but act through false ego, not hearing the divine’s call, you will be lost.

I second that ! Well,the reason why I am writing about Ramayana and the known and the unknown facts are because today I am gonna share with you all a few of my favourite SriLankan recipes.So,when I think of Srilanka,it kinda makes me happy because this country especially reminds me of the legendary Ramayana. 

And what I love the most about the Ramayana and other divine true stories are how divine takes birth in different forms for the welfare of his devotees and most importantly the pain and suffering they go through in this human birth even though they are Divine in disguise and they could easily skip all these hardships.

So,when people ask me why are horrible people living well while innocents are suffering the most ,I tell them even it was not easy for any divine on Earth .Even divine had to sacrifice a lot for everyone’s well-being.All these mythological stories and our holy books states that eventually karma balances everything out in this birth or later but for sure whether they are human or the Divine.No one can skip that !However,the true faith on the Divine ,pure intentions and the prayers for the right reason does help a lot to ease all the troubles .

उद्धरेदात्मनात्मानंनात्मानमवसादयेत्|

आत्मैवह्यात्मनोबन्धुरात्मैवरिपुरात्मन: || 5||

Uddhared ātmanātmānaṁ nātmānam avasādayet

ātmaiva hyātmano bandhur ātmaiva ripur ātmanaḥ

Meaning:One is alone responsible for his own degradation or rise because a person’s best friend or his worst enemy is none other than his own self.Nobody can traverse the path of God-realization for us. Saints and Gurus show us the way, but we have to travel it ourselves. Lord Shree Krishna says that we must use the intellect to control the mind towards positive direction and elevate our self.

That first shloka mentioned above the blogpost reminds me of my lovely childhood days desperately waiting for the epic Mahabhartha serial aired every sunday.

India reminds me of every God/Divine but SriLanka reminds exclusively of all the sacrifices made by my Lord Shree Rama ,the agni parikshas of sacred Maa Siya ,Lakshmana ,the definition of true devotion towards divine by bala Brahmachari(celibate by birth) Lord Hanuman ji,the brotherhood between all brothers and Shree Rama and their 14years of exile in a forrest away from their royal kingdom and life.

Being the doter of the divine mother,it hurts to imagine all the pain , sufferings and sacrifices a pure royal divine feminine had to go through as Maa Siya with not a happy ending ...It is an inspiration as well !

Reminds me of my father’s advice a day before my wedding that a woman must have the tolerance level of the Mother Earth (Bhumiyollam shama vennam sthree aayal).Sounded like a movie-dialogue back then but now it makes sense..

Point noted ! However,I don’t have any more tolerance level to share with you all my popular Srilankan recipes at my home:

Ayubowan/Hello all...😄💓

Srilankan Dhal/Dal curry 

Srilankan style dal/dhal curry is a lentil curry made with coconut paste and a few spices.Usually they prefer to use the red lentil/masoor dal to make this lentil curry Srilankan style.I hardly use this lentil curry for cooking so it was really good to learn to prepare this red lentil curry Srilankan style .It tastes just like an Indian Dal curry like a mix of North Indian and a South Indian style.Just like in Malayalam,Srilankan call this lentil curry the parippu curry.Like Indians use curry leaves ,Srilankans use Pandan leaves for cooking.I really liked the taste of this red lentil dhal curry Srilankan style.

How to make Srilankan style Dhal/Daal curry 

Srilankan Dhal curry|Srilankan Parippu curry

Ingredients

To Pressure cook:

Red Lentil/Masoor dal - 1 cup

Turmeric powder 1 Tsp

Red chili powder 1 Tsp

Onions sliced 1/2 

Green chillies chopped 2-3 Nos.

Water as needed 

For tempering:

Mustard seeds 1 Tsp

Fenugreek seeds 1/4 Tsp

Dry red chillies 1-2 Nos.

Garlic,chopped - 3-4 Nos.

Onion chopped - handful

Green chillies chopped 1-2 Nos.

Pandan leaves a few

Curry leaves a few

Tomato chopped ,small - 1 No.

Turmeric powder 1 Tsp

Salt to taste

Oil 2-4 Tbsp

Coconut milk 1/2 cup

The preparation method of making Srilankan dhal at home :

1. Rinse the dal under water,drain it and transfer it into a pressure cooker with all the ingredients mentioned under "to pressure cook".
2. Pressure cook it for two whistles or until cooked.Keeping the flame high first and then low.
3. Once cooked,turn off the cooking gas , allow the pressure to release .
4. Meanwhile heat oil in a pan,splutter mustard seeds,lower the flame and add all ingredients mentioned under "for tempering" one by one and keep on sautéing them until they turn soft.
5. Then add this tempering into the cooked dal and mix well.
6. Add more water if you wish and salt to taste.
7. Let it come to boil.Lower the flame and let it simmer a few minutes and finally add the coconut milk to it and mix well.
8. Let it simmer for a while until it thickens up to your preferred consistency.
9. Then turn off the cooking gas.
10. That's it the Srilankan style Dhal curry/Dal curry SriLankan style is ready to eat .
11. Serve hot with boiled rice and other preferred side dishes.

Srilankan Mutton Curry 

Mutton curry Srilankan style is a spicy creamy curry made with mutton/lamb pieces.This Mutton curry tastes just like Indian style mutton curry.The addition of pandan leaves,lemongrass , cinnamon spice and the curry powder makes the goat curry of Srilanka extra special.

How I prepared Srilankan style Mutton curry 

Srilankan Style Mutton Curry recipe

Ingredients

To Marinate

Mutton 2 Lb/1 Kilo

Coriander powder -3-4 Tbsps

Red chili powder 2-3 Tbsps

Turmeric powder 1 Tsp

Fennel powder 1-2 Tsp

Curry powder - 1-2 Tsp

Pepper powder - 2 Tsps

For making the Mutton/goat curry

Mustard seeds 1 Tsp

Cinnamon - 1 inch

Cloves 2-3 Nos.

Cardamom -2 Nos.

Dry coconut pieces (optional)

Bay leaves as needed

Pandan leaves a few

Curry leaves a few

Lemongrass a few (I didn't add here)

Onion,large,sliced - 1 No.

Green chillies sliced 2-3 Nos.

Ginger garlic paste 1 Tbsp

(1 inch ginger and 4 garlic in paste)

Salt to taste

Oil 5-6 Tbsps

Tomatoes chopped 1 No.

Coconut milk 1 cup 

Water as needed

How to make Mutton curry Srilankan style

1. First wash the mutton pieces well and drain it and marinate with everything mentioned above and keep it aside for 30 minutes approx.
2. Then transfer everything into a pressure cooker and pressure cook with water 1-2 inch covering everything for first whistle on high flame and 3-4 whistles on lower flame or until cooked but not over-cooked.
3. Then turn off the cooking gas and let the air pressure release to open the lid .
4. Meanwhile heat oil in a pan and splutter mustard seeds.Lower the flame and add everything mentioned above for making the goat curry.Keep on saueting it without burning anything.
5. When the onions turn translucent,add the chopped tomato pieces and mix well,cover it with a lid until they turn soft.Then remove the lid.
6. Now carefully transfer all the cooked goat pieces into this and mix well.Add water if necessary.
7. Add salt to taste.
8. Let it come to full boil,the simmer until the curry thickens up.
9. Finally add the coconut milk to it and mix well.
10. Let it simmer for a few minutes.
11. Turn off the cooking gas .
12. That's it traditional style Srilankan Mutton curry is ready to serve.
13. Serve it hot with cooked rice and other side dishes or with any breads like roti,paratha or naan.
14. Idiripate fi meaning enjoy in sinhalese/Srilankan language

Srilankan Cabbage Mallum/Mallung 

M-A-Llum /Mallung is a shredded/grated vegetable dish made with coconut and a few simple ingredients found in most of the home.The most popular ones are the cabbage one called the Srilankan Cabbage Mallum/Mallung.

In Kerala we make similar cabbage recipe but I was surprised that Srilankan mallum recipe uses cinnamon as well.

Srilankan Cabbage Mallum/Mallung recipe

Ingredients

Cabbage ,shredded/grated 1-2 cups

Onions sliced 1-2 cups/handful

Green chillies,chopped 2-3 Nos.

Garlic chopped 2-3 Nos.

Turmeric powder 1 tsp

Pandan leaves handful

Curry leaves a few (optional)

Coconut grated 1 cup

Red chili flakes as needed

Salt to taste

For tempering :

Coconut oil or any cooking oil 2 Tbsps

Mustard seeds 1 Tsp

Fenugreek seeds 1/2 Tsp (optional)

Cumin seeds 1/2 Tsp (optional)

Dry Red chili 2-3 Nos

Cinnamon stick 1 Inch

How to prepare Cabbage Mallum/Mallung Srilankan style

1. Heat oil in a pan and splutter the mustard seeds.On low flame add the fenugreek seeds,cumin seeds followed by the cinnamon stick,dry red chili,onion,green chillies,garlic and pandan leaves.
2. Saute everything well until the onion turns soft.
3. Add the cabbage ,turmeric powder and mix well and cover with a lid for 1 minute just to fasten the cooking method to soften the cabbage leaves but don't keep it for too long or it will become too mushy .
4. Remove the lid and keep on saueting it until all water evaporates.
5. Finally add the coconut , red chili flakes and salt to taste.Mix well.
6. Make sure no water is left.
7. That's it Srilankan style cabbage Mallum/Mallung is ready to serve.
8. Mallum goes well with cooked rice and other curries.

💕Pani Pol💕

Pani Pol is a Srilankan style sweetened crepe recipe .Kithul jaggery or sugar are used with grated coconut and made in an all purpose flour batter.

My mother makes a similar crepe recipe but without adding any egg into it and I always wanted to post a recipe of that and I am glad that this recipe is perfect for now.

Pani pol recipe|Srilankan sweet Pancakes

Ingredients

Jaggery/sugar ,grated/chopped 1 cup

Coconut,shredded/grated 1 cup

Cardamom powder 1 Tsp

Nutmeg powder 1 tsp(optional)

salt a pinch

All purpose flour 1 cup

Egg 1 No.

Vanilla essence 1/2 tsp

water/milk/coconut milk as needed

Oil/butter/ghee to grease

How to make Pani Pol 

1. Heat a pan and let it become warm enough to add the grated jaggery .Keep on sautéing it until the jaggery melts .Keep an eye or it will burn up.
2. Once it completely melts,add all the spice powders and the grated coconut and mix well.
3. Keep on stirring until all the jaggery is coated well and no liquid remains.
4. Then turn of the cooking gas and allow it cool off.Keep it aside.
5. Now take a wide bowl and beat an egg well.
6. Add the all purpose flour to it and water/milk/coconut milk little by little and keep on stirring/beating making sure no lumps are formed .The batter's consistency should be thick and of pouring consistency.
7. Keep this batter aside for 10 minutes.
8. Then mix well once again.
9. Heat a pan ,apply little oil/ghee/butter.
10. Put a drop of batter onto the pan if it sizzles and forms a shape,then pour a long ladle full of batter onto the pan and spread from the center like a dosa.
11. When the top will change the color on low flame,flip to cook the other side .
12. Don't cook too much.
13. Then transfer them onto another plate.Repeat.Crepes are ready.
14. Then place some fillings onto the center of the crepe and either roll it or shape it like a burrito as shown in the video.Repeat.
15. That's it Pani Pol recipe is ready to eat.

So,those are my few Srilankan recipes for now.For a Malayali and a Tamilian,Srilankan foods will suit their taste buds for sure.Hope you will also give it a try.

I always wanted to try Srilankan foods but more than that and more than India like I mentioned above ,for me Srilanka reminds me of Shri Rama,Maa Sita,Lakshmana and Lord Hanuman and Ravana .Jai ho!

 

By the way,did you know ,exactly as mentioned in Wikipedia , "The flag of Sri Lanka is called the Sinha Flag or Lion Flag.The lion and the maroon background represent the Sinhalese race, while the saffron border and four bo leaves represent the concepts of meththa, karuṇā, muditā and upecka respectively. The stripes represent the country's two largest minority ethnicities, with the orange stripe representing the Tamils inhabitants—namely the Sri Lankan Tamils and the Indian Tamils of Sri Lanka—and the teal stripe representing the Sri Lankan Moors (Muslims of Sri Lanka). The golden yellow border is a catch-all representing the various minority communities of the country. I love that concept !

DISCLAIMER/For the record,I am a non-stop learner .So, I am sharing all these info and it is certainly not to belittle,poke,preach ,impose my beliefs on anyone or instill any kind of uncomfortabilities to anyone . Purely for informational and entertainment purpose only.No offense to any one !

I love all these shlokas from Bhagwad Geeta and Ramayana .........

अपिचेत्सुदुराचारोभजतेमामनन्यभाक्|

साधुरेवसमन्तव्य: सम्यग्व्यवसितोहिस: || 30||

Meaning:Even a confirmed sinner in this material world, worships the Divine, with unwavering faith and devotion, will be considered righteous, because, he has decided to reform himself.

All praise and gratitude to my divine !

Till we meet again

Take good care of yourself (SERIOUSLY)

Rest in Next

 Love and light ,