Coconut Roti

Coconut Roti

The culinary culture of Sri Lanka is such a diverse topic due to many influences throughout the history of the country. The next is one is an easy to make all-time snack loved by every Sri Lankan. We call it ‘Coconut Rotti with Lunu Miris’. First we make the Roti.

What you need to make Coconut Roti:

• 2 cups of plain flour
• I cup desiccated coconut
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 tbsp oil
• Enough Luke warm water to make the dough

How to make the Coconut Roti:

Take a large cooking bowl and place all the dry ingredients together with the oil. Mix thoroughly. Now slowly add enough warm water and make dough which will come together as a ball. Divide the large ball of dough into small balls. Now press the dough flat with the tips of your fingers until the roti is about 1/2 cm thick. Place a frying pan or crepe pan on the stove and turn the heat to medium. Put a small amount of oil on to the pan. Place a roti on the pan. Keep turning them until both sides become golden brown with few dark brown patches. Coconut Roti is never completed with ‘Lunu Miris’. So let’s just make some to complement the great taste of Coconut Roti.

What you need to make Lunu Miris:

• 1/2 a small red onion chopped
• 3/4 tbsp chilli flakes
• 1/2 tsp Maldives fish flakes
• 1 small clove of garlic
• Salt and pepper to taste
• 1 tsp lemon juice

How to make the Lunu Miris:

Take a food processor bowl and place your onion, chilli flakes, Maldives fish flakes, garlic and pepper. Now whizz it up until the onion is finely chopped and all the ingredients are well mixed. Place the contents in bowl and add the salt and lemon juice to taste. Mix and serve with your warm roti. Alternatively you can fine chop the onions and mix everything in a bowl while adding pressure with you r hand to the mixture.

Watalappan

Now it’s time for dessert and we are going to make Watalappan. Watalappan is a bit of a heavy dessert which anyone with a sweet tooth will fell in love with. Popular among the Muslim Community of Sri Lanka, Watalappan is a must for their religious festivals.

What you need to make Watalappan:

• 12 eggs
• 500 grams of Jaggery
• 2 cups of thick coconut milk
• 150 grams of brown sugar
• 2 tsp Ground Cardamom
• 2 tsp Vanilla
• 2 tbsp chopped cashew
• 2 tbsp raisins
• Pinch of salt

How to make Watalappan:

Fine chop the Jaggery and put in to a pan with 2 fl oz of water. Bring to boil and simmer until the jiggery is completely dissolved. Let it cool. Beat the eggs and mix the jiggery and coconut milk with the beaten eggs. Now add the Cardamom, vanilla, brown sugar, salt and beat well. Strain the mixture through a fine strainer a large bowl. Cover it with oil paper or a piece of clean cloth and steam for 1 ½ hours. To check the Watallapan is cooked, insert a toothpick in to it and if the toothpick comes out clean, then you have a perfectly cooked Watalppan. Let it cool and chill it in a refrigerator before serving. You can garnish your Watalappan by sprinkling chopped cashew and raisins.

Chicken curry

Chicken curry can be made in so many different ways, even in Sri Lankan cuisine. It all depends on what sort of herbs and spices we use. This is my own simple recipe, without onion and coconut milk. I hope you all enjoy it!

INGREDIENTS
500g chicken (skinless)
1 teaspoon raw curry powder
1 teaspoon roasted curry power
1 teaspoon mustard cream
1 teaspoon crushed chillies
2 tablespoons lemon juice
2 tablespoons ginger (chopped)
4 garlic cloves (chopped)
1 tablespoon soya sauce
1 tablespoon rosemary or mix dry herbs
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 cup water
Salt

METHOD

• Wash the chicken and drain off the water
• Mix all the ingredients together except for the water, put to one side for a few minutes
• Heat the oil in a saucepan then add the chicken
• Cook for about 10 minutes making sure you do not burn the chicken
• Add the water, then the remaining ingredientS, mixing well together
• Cover and cook until gravy becomes thick
• Check the seasoning and serve