Recipe by Windy
Pictures by Dhanish
Sri Lanka is blessed with natural forests, beautiful temples, crystal clear water beaches, tea plantations and many varieties of tasty curries made from flavourful local spices and chillies. You can smell the aroma of cardamom, cumin, and cinnamon from almost every dish you come across in markets, restaurants or private homes.
Hundreds of years ago these spices attracted traders from around the globe. Sri Lankan food takes inspiration from the Portuguese, the Moors, the Indians and the English.
Curry and rice are the staple food of Sri Lanka. Did you know that Sri Lankan curry is very unique with two distinctive qualities? Firstly, they tend to be very hot. Another unique feature is that different flavours are added at different stages of the cooking process. The first mix of spices, herbs and aromatics form the base of the curry. A second aromatic mix is fried up at the last minute and is stirred through the finished dish to give it a fresh and appealing taste. This technique is called tempering. For the finishing touch and to add aroma, cilantro leaves and toasted cashews are sometimes used.
Warm yourself with a hot, delicious Sri Lankan curry!
Sri Lankan Dhal Curry Recipe Photos and Recipe by Dhanish https://www.mysrilankanrecipe.com/dhal-curry/ https://m.facebook.com/MySriLankanRecipes/
Ingredients Masoor Dhal 1 cup Turmeric powder 1 tsp Onion (sliced) 1 pc (medium) Tomato (chopped) 1 pc (medium) Green chillies (sliced) 2 pcs Coconut milk 2 tbs Salt 1 tsp Water 2 cups or as needed
To temper Mustard seeds ½ tsp Cumin seeds ½ tsp Fenugreek seeds ½ tsp Curry leaves 1 spring
How to make 1. Wash dhal in about 2 or 3 changes of water. 2. Boil the dhal with salt and turmeric until just cooked but not mushy. 3. Add the coconut milk and simmer for 3 minutes. 4. Heat the oil in a pan. 5. Add the mustard seeds and when it starts to splutter add the cumin seeds along with fenugreek seeds and sauté for 30 seconds. 6. Add the curry leaves and green chilies along with sliced onions and sauté for 2 minutes. 7. When the onions turn translucent add the chopped tomato and sauté for 2 minutes. 8. Pour the onion mixture over the cooked dhal. 9. Serve hot with bread or rice.
