Served: A Sri Lankan soul food spread

Editor’s note: Tasha Marikkar’s ‘Jayaflava’ introduces us to the dazzling diversity of Sri Lanka cuisine. It reflects the island’s history as a melting pot of an array of cultures–from Sinhalese to Tamils, Moors, Chetties, Malays and Veddas. Below is just a taste of a cookbook that made us want to head straight for the kitchen. The four recipes include tea-time snacks, curry, meatballs and custard. Excerpted with permission from HarperCollins India.

Kimbula Bunis  (Crocodile Buns)

Serves 8 | Prep 1 hour 40 minutes | Time 20 minutes

This is a kid favourite (probably because it is covered in sugar). It was one of my fondest childhood tuck shop meals. You can always substitute the all-purpose (AP) flour with bread flour, and if you run out of egg wash or sugar in step 6, then make or add some more. If you do have the time and the patience, do allow the dough to proof overnight in your fridge, it makes for a more tender bun. 

Ingredients

The dough 

10g yeast 

30ml milk 

1 large egg 

30g butter, melted 

150ml warm water 

400g AP flour 

40g sugar 

10g salt 

50ml condensed milk 

For the final step

Egg wash (1 egg and 50ml of water) 

150g of white sugar 

Extra flour for rolling the dough (30g)

Method

1. In a jug mix the yeast, milk, egg, melted butter and water with a fork. Set aside to bloom for 10 minutes. 
2. In a stand mixer or a large bowl if mixing by hand, add the flour, sugar and salt. Give it a quick mix by hand. Stream in the condensed milk (pour into a centre well in the flour if mixing by hand). Knead on medium speed in the stand mixer using the dough hook for 5 minutes. This can also be done by hand for 3–5 minutes. 
3. Pour in the yeast-milk solution into the flour and knead on medium speed for 10 minutes or by hand for 10–15 minutes. This should come together as a smooth ball. Remove from the mixer and knead by hand for a few minutes to ensure a smooth and glossy dough. 
4. Place in a well-oiled bowl and let it rest for 1 hour. After an hour, the dough should have doubled in size. If not, allow to proof until doubled. Flour the surface, roll out the dough and then roll into a log. Then divide the dough into 8 equal pieces. 
5. Roll each piece into a long isosceles triangle, pulling the top of the triangle to make it skinny. From the base, use the tips of your fingers to roll each piece very thinly to make a croissant-like shape finishing with the tip of the triangle. Fold the top of the triangle into the body of the bun so that its merged. Set aside and repeat for the rest of the dough pieces. 
6. Next in a small baking tray, spread the sugar in a thin layer. Take one bun, using a pastry brush, cover the top and sides of the bun with egg wash. Then carefully roll it in loose sugar ensuring that the tops and sides are well covered. Place on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Repeat for the rest of the buns. Ensure that there is space between each bun as they will grow in the oven. 
7. Preheat the oven to 180°C. Cook the buns for 15–20 minutes until they are golden brown (depending on your oven the time could vary). Take them out of the oven and allow to cool for 5–10 minutes before serving. Eat plain or with lots of butter.  

Dutch-style Beef Frikkadels 

Makes 32–36 meatballs | Time 40 minutes | Ethnic Roots: Burgher 

Ingredients

150g stale white bread, crustless and torn into large pieces 

200ml cold milk 

1 tbsp ginger paste 

1 tbsp garlic paste 

3 eggs 

1 tsp coriander powder 

1 tsp cumin powder 

1 tsp pepper 

1 tsp nutmeg 

2 tbsps sea salt 

400g mince beef 

2 tbsps of sunflower oil

Method

1. Thoroughly soak the bread in the milk. Pulse the soaked bread, ginger paste and garlic paste in a small food processor until everything is well incorporated.
2. Beat the three eggs together. Set aside. 
3. In a large bowl, pour in the soaked bread mixture, add the rest of the ingredients except the mince beef and mix well. 
4. Add the beef mince. Using your hands lightly mix the meat into the ingredients ensuring that you do not overwork the meat, but ensure that the ingredients are well combined. The meat mixture might feel paste-like but it should be light and airy, yet be firm enough to form a ball. If it is too runny, add more bread to give it more structure. 
5. Wet your hands, and using your palms start to roll and form 4cm (1.5 inch) meatballs. Set aside on a plate. Continue to roll until all the beef mince mixture is over. 
6. In a non-stick frying pan, heat the oil over a medium fire. Start frying the meatballs in batches making sure that they cook at least 1½ minutes on each side and are golden brown. Do not overcrowd the pan; continue to fry in batches until all are done. Set aside for assembling the lamprais. This can be done a day ahead and refrigerated until used.

Pineapple Curry 

Serves 4 | Time 35 minutes | Ethnic Roots: Ceylon Moors

Lankans love a good fruit curry. Even though the star ingredient is fruit, this is considered a ‘vegetarian’ curry as it is served as a savoury side dish. Pineapple curry and biryani go hand in hand, especially in Muslim communities in Sri Lanka. Sweet but tart, this is an excellent preparation if you are looking for a different kind of ‘veg’ curry. 

Ingredients

3 tbsps coconut oil 

1 red onion, finely diced 

2 whole star anise 

1 cinnamon quill 

2 tsps mustard seeds 

6 cloves 

12 curry leaves 

4 cloves garlic, finely minced 

30g ginger, finely grated 

2 fresh green bird’s eye chillies, finely minced 

½ tsp roasted curry powder 

1 tbsp chilli powder 

1 tsp turmeric powder 

1 whole peeled pineapple, chopped into equal sized cubes 

240ml water 

240ml tinned coconut milk 

1 tbsp white sugar 

1 tsp salt 

Method

1. Warm the oil in a deep pan, over a medium heat. Add the red onion, star anise, cinnamon, mustard seeds, cloves and curry leaves. Cook for 3 minutes until fragrant and the onion starts to wilt. Add the garlic, ginger and fresh green chillies. Fry till the onion starts to caramelise, approximately 2 minutes. 
2. Add in the curry powder and mix well. Sprinkle in the chilli powder and turmeric. Splash in a little water and mix well if the temper gets too dry. 
3. Toss in the pineapple cubes and mix well. Add in the water and cook for about 5 minutes. The pineapple will start to release its own juices and make a syrup-like gravy. 4. Stir in the coconut milk and simmer for 10 minutes or until the gravy thickens (consistency should be similar to single cream). Finally, add the sugar and salt into the curry. Take off the heat after 3 minutes and allow it to rest for 10–15 minutes before serving. 

Tips: To avoid getting pieces of spices in your meals, get a piece of muslin and put all the star anise, cinnamon, cloves in it and wrap it tightly. Bash it lightly with the back of a knife or a pestle to release its aromas and drop it in the pan with the rest of the ingredients. Before you serve the dish, pull out the muslin parcel and be bit-free!

The Marikkar Watalappan 

Serves 6-8 | Time 1 hour | Ethnic Roots: Ceylon Moor

Created by the Muslim community, this treasure of a dessert is often served at any big Muslim occasion. My aunts and cousins make the best, best Watalappan, and I am honoured to share my Aunty Shifaya and her daughter Minha’s beloved recipe with you.

Ingredients

10 eggs (equivalent to 500g) 

500g jaggery, grated 

1 tbsp brown or white sugar 

360ml thick coconut milk 

10 cardamom pods, crushed

Method

1. In a large mixing bowl, beat the 10 eggs by hand with a whisk or a fork, adding the jaggery a little at a time until it is fully dissolved into the egg mixture. It is critical that the custard is not over-beaten and that there are not too many bubbles or air. 
2. Add in the sugar, coconut milk, crushed cardamoms and beat into the egg mixture until just combined. 
3. Remove the cardamom skins and strain the jaggery custard into a heatproof bowl (preferably metal). 
4. Take the heatproof mixing bowl, cover with a lid or foil and steam for 30 minutes until the pudding has set. Serve once cooled.

There is a trick to this recipe: Get good quality jaggery that melts quickly so that you don’t end up overwhipping the custard. If you find that your jaggery is not melting into the beaten eggs, then take a small amount of beaten egg and blend it with all the grated jaggery in a blender until a thick custard is formed, then add this back to the beaten eggs and whisk until just combined. And steam the watalappan in a bowl where the circumference of the bottom is much smaller than the top. If you can, steam it in a stainless steel mixing bowl.