Ceylon Cooking Class

The seven menus of CCC:

Monday
1. I-like-it-crispy Hoppers (plain and with egg)
2. Seeni sambol (Caramalised onion with dried fish and spices)
3. Lunu miris (dried chillies, onion and Maldives dry fish sambol)
4. Kiribath (ceremonial milk rice)

Tuesday
1. Kukul mas kari (chicken curry)
2. Brinjal moju (aubergines pickle)
3. Ala kari (potato curry)
4. Kahabath (yellow rice)

Wednesday
1. Kukul mas mirisata (red chicken curry)
2. Parippu (dhal / lentils)
3. Bandakka badum (okra curry)
4. Red rice

Thursday
1. Malu kari (fish curry)
2. Cabbage mallum
3. Pol sambol (coconut sambol)
4. Red rice

Friday (vegetarian menu)
1. Kaju kari (cashew curry)
2. Beetroot curry
3. Mukunuwenna (national salad!)
4. Red rice

Saturday
1. Cutlet (tuna fish balls)
2. Pol roti (coconut bread)
3. Lunu miris
4. Ala kiri hodi (potato in coconut milky gravy)

Sunday (give yourself an iron boost)
1. Ambulthyial (fish curry)
2. Spinach curry (balance out the heat from the fish curry)
3. Vattaka kari (pumpkin curry)
4. Pearl rice

How to make a delicious Kaju (Cashew nut) curry:

Ingredients:
Oil – 2 teaspoons + 1 tablespoon
Cashews (broken or whole)-1 cup
Onion – 1 large or 1 ½ cups, chopped roughly
Ginger – ½ inch piece, chopped roughly
Green chillies – 2 small, chopped roughly
Tomatoes – 3 medium or 1 ⅓ cups pureed
Butter – 2 tablespoons
Bay leaf – 1
Cloves – 4
Cinnamon stick – 1 inch piece
Turmeric powder – ¼ teaspoon
Coriander powder – 3 teaspoons
Red chili powder – 1 teaspoon
Dried fenugreek leaves (Kasoorimethi) – 1 ½ teaspoons
Heavy whipping cream (Malai) – ¼ cup
Water – ½ cup (More or less depending on your liking gravy consistency)
Cilantro – ¼ cup, chopped finely

1) Heat 1 teaspoon of oil in a pan and roast the cashews in it.

2) Roast them with string continuously till it becomes nice golden brown. remove it to a plate and keep aside.

3) In the same pan, heat another 1 teaspoon of oil on medium heat. Once hot add chopped onion, ginger and green chilies.

4) Saute them till onion becomes translucent and let it cool down a bit.

5) Once it gets cooled, grind into smooth paste.

6) Also make smooth puree of tomato. Note: for the picture purpose I made tomato puree earlier and removed it to a bowl. Otherwise I would puree tomatoes while onion paste is cooking.

7) Now the same pan, heat 1 tablespoon of oil and butter on medium heat. oil is added here, so butter doesn’t get burned.

8) Once butter starts to melt, add bay leaf, cloves and cinnamon stick. Saute till you get nice fragrance of the whole spices about 30 seconds.

9) Then add onion paste, mix very well. Add some salt.

10) Cook till all the moisture goes away and it starts to leave the sides of the pan about 7-8 minutes.

11) Add turmeric powder, coriander powder, red chili powder and kasoori methi. Crush methi leaves between you palm, so it will release lots of flavors.

12) Mix well and cook for a minutes.

13) Add tomato puree.

14) Stir it, as it start to boil, it will splutter a lot. partially cover the pan, means half covered, half open.

15) cook till oil starts to ooze out from the sides and all the moisture evaporates.

16) Add enough water to make gravy consistency. also mix in roasted cashews and let the gravy comes to a boil.

17) Add heavy cream.

18) Mix it well, taste the gravy and adjust the salt and spice level.

19) Finally add lots of chopped cilantro.

20) Stir it in and serve.