Tag: Sri Lankan

Sri Lankan minced chicken

~ Sophie ~ Leave a comment

Delicious, fragrant, savoury and, above all, quick. Feeds 2-4 depending how you’re serving it.

  • 3 tbsp coconut oil
  • ½ tsp mustard seeds
  • 6 curry leaves
  • 1 carrot, grated
  • 1 onion, thinly sliced
  • 4 garlic cloves, minced
  • 1″ ginger, peeled and minced
  • 1 tsp chilli flakes
  • ½ tsp salt
  • ½ tsp black pepper
  • 500g minced chicken
  • 2 tbsp Sri Lankan roasted curry powder
  • ½ tsp turmeric
  • 1 tbsp soy sauce
  • 1 tbsp tamarind paste
  • 50g red lentils
  • 1 tin coconut milk
  • Juice of ½ lime
  1. Heat coconut oil in a deep pan over medium-high, add curry leaves and mustard seeds and cook until they pop
  2. Add the carrot, onion, garlic, ginger, chilli flakes, salt and pepper. Stir well to combine
  3. Reduce heat to medium-low and cook, stirring often, until carrots and onion are soft
  4. Add the chicken, curry powder, turmeric, tamarind paste and soy sauce. Mix well, breaking the meat up into chunky bits
  5. Add the lentils, coconut milk, lime and half a tin of water
  6. Stir well, bring to the bubble then turn the heat down, put the lid on and cook for 15 mins. Stir once halfway through cooking
  7. Take the lid off and cook, stirring occasionally for another 5-10 mins until lentils are soft and the sauce is thick and rich
  8. Check the seasoning and eat up!

You can serve this over rice right away or transfer it into a bowl and leave to cool, then use it as stuffing for flatbreads – dough balls filled with the mince, rolled out thin and cooked in a dry pan.

Coconut and tamarind dal

~ Sophie ~ 1 Comment

Also known as Sri Lankan masur dal. This recipe needs some slightly more obscure ingredients, but it’s so worth it if you can find them. You’ll end up with a bowl of fragrant, creamy, spiced, lentilly goodness. A veritable hug in a bowl. And quick enough from raw ingredients to eating that it makes a great weeknight dinner.

  • 200g red lentils, washed in cold water and drained
  • 1 heaped tbsp tamarind paste
  • 500ml water
  • 250ml coconut milk
  • 1 tsp salt
  • ½ tsp dried chilli flakes
  • ¼ tsp turmeric powder
  • 3 tbsp veg oil
  • 3 cloves garlic, finely sliced
  • 2 small shallots, finely sliced
  • 8 fresh curry leaves
  • 2 red chillies, deseeded and chopped
  • 1 tsp ground coriander
  • Put the wet lentils, tamarind and water into a saucepan and bring to the boil
  • Reduce heat to a low simmer and cook until the lentils are soft, stirring occasionally. This can take anything from 20 mins to 45, as it depends on the age (and dryness) of the lentils. You may need to add more water if they are drying out but not yet soft
  • Add the coconut milk, salt, chilli flakes and turmeric and stir through
  • Simmer for 10 mins and then cover and turn the heat off
  • Heat a wok or small heavy-based frying pan over medium-high heat and add the oil
  • When hot, add the shallots and garlic, stirring for 2 mins until lightly browned
  • Add the curry leaves, red chilli and ground coriander
  • Mix well and cook for another minute until everything is fragrant and sizzling
  • Tip this hot mixture straight into the dal and stir through

You can serve this as part of a larger array of dishes and it will not only hold its own, but impress on its own merit. But I like to eat this with some steaming basmati rice, in a bowl, with a spoon. Add in a G&T and The Great Pottery Throwdown on TV and this is the ultimate comfort food!