The recipe you are all been waiting for,
the most famous never ending recipe of lamprais.
The term lamprais is derived from the Dutch word lomprijst which loosely translates into “packet of rice’’. It is rice cooked in meat stock, the mixed meat curry, kunisso sambol, tempered potato, dhal curry, seeni sambol, batu moju,cutlet, deep fried egg, deep fried buttermilk chilli.
This wonderfully smelling parcel that comes to you beautifully wrapped in charred banana leaf is not just one dish, but the loving collaboration of many very special curries unique to the Dutch Burgher community in Sri Lanka.
Today, lamprais comes with a single meat curry option while the frikkadels have been replaced by cutlets and the addition of a fried egg is standard.
Basically, you can wrap any rice and curry in a banana leaf and it would taste phenomenal.
For the Rice
Long grain rice/ basmati - 1 kg, washed and drained
5 tbsps- Ghee
1 Onion (finely sliced)
10 -15 Cardamoms (crushed)
15 Cloves (crushed)
20 Whole Peppercorns
1 stick of Cinnamon (broken into pieces)
¼ Lemon grass (fresh/frozen or puree ½ tsp)
6 ½ cups - Meat stock ( can be chicken or beef)
Salt to taste
Method
Heat ghee in a large saucepan or rice cooker. Add the onion and fry till translucent and golden. Add in the peppercorns. Add in the rice. Fry for a few minutes until fragrant and nutty. Add in the meat stock. Now lower the heat and shut the lid on the rice and bundle all the spices in a muslin bag tied tightly and put this into the pot as well.
Cook until the rice is tender and fluffy.
Lamprais curry
(You can use 3 types of meat or just one meat as you prefer)
500 g Beef
500 g Pork
500 g Lamb/Mutton
1 tsp Chili powder
½ tsp of Cumin (roasted and grounded)
15 - Garlic cloves (chopped or minced)
2 inch Ginger (chopped or minced)
4 green Chilies
Small piece of rampe leaf
3 spring of Curry leaf (fresh or dried-hand full)
3 tbsp Grated coconut (frozen/fresh)
6 Cardamoms (crushed)
6 Cloves (crushed)
½ tsp Cinnamon (powdered or ½ stick)
2 tbsp Vinegar
3 cups of thick Coconut milk
4 Onions (sliced)
¼ cup Tamarind pulp (3-4 tsp tamarind paste mix with water depending on how concentrated the paste is)
Salt to taste
Method
Put the oil in a medium saucepan and fry the garlic, ginger, coconut and the ripe chilies until fragrant. Once cooled, grind and set aside.
Cut the meat into small pieces. Add in the chili powder, the coriander powder, cumin powder, the vinegar and the grinded ginger-garlic mix into the meat mix well and set aside.
Heat oil in a pan. Add in the cloves,cardamom,some onions, rampe the lemon grass and the curry leaves. Fry till fragrant. Add the rest of the onions. Fry until translucent.
Add in the meat mixture and fry till fragrant. Add the coconut milk and simmer until the meat is cooked for about 20 min. Add in the tamarind paste and cook further for about 5 min and take off heat. Finally add salt to taste.
Shrimp Sambol/ kunisso sambol
Ingredients
200 g Fresh/dried Shrimp
4-5 garlic cloves
2 inches Pandan leaf
2 sprigs Curry leaf
2-3 tblsp of oil
½ tsp of mustard seeds
150- 200 g of fresh grated coconut or frozen/desiccated
½ tsp of chili powder
½ tsp of turmeric powder
½ tsp crushed black pepper
½ lime
Salt to taste
Method
Heat a wok and add in the oil. Add in the mustard seeds, onions, garlic, the pandan leaf, curry leaves and the lemon grass fry until fragrant.
When the onions have browned, add in the raw shrimp and fry until golden. Add the coconut and fry it along with the shrimp. Add the turmeric,chilli powder, black pepper and salt if needed. Finally add the lime and take off the heat and serve.
If you use dry shrimp, you don't need to fry for that long.
Tempered Potato
Ingredients
6 Medium Potatoes (cut into medium cubes and boil with some salt and turmeric)
2-3 Bombay onion (finely sliced)
4 Clove garlic (chopped)
Spring of curry leaves and small rampe
5 tsp Maldive fish (optional)
2 tsp Chilli flakes
1/2 tsp Chilli powder
1/2 tsp of Crushed black pepper
1/2 tsp Turmeric
6 Small Dried red chilies (optional)
4-5 Green chilies split in half (optional)
2 Tablespoon Oil
1 Cinnamon piece (optional)
Salt to taste
1 tsp Mustard seeds
Method
First parboil the potatoes (blanch) With salt and turmeric. Drain the potatoes and keep it aside. Heat the oil in a wok. When oil is hot add mustard seeds and let it splatter. Now add onion, garlic, curry leaves, rampa, chili flakes, small dried red chilies, cinnamon stick, Maldives fish and temper it till golden. When the onion mixture is brown add potatoes, chili powder, black pepper, salt and turmeric in and mix it well for 2 to 3 minutes until everything is mixed. Finally add the green chili and serve with rice.
Dhal curry
Ingredients
200 g red split lentils
1 onion, finely chopped
3-4 garlic clove, finely chopped
small handful dried/fresh curry leaves
½ tsp of tumeric
1 tsp raw curry powder
400 ml thick coconut milk
1 tsp salt or to your taste
Method
Rinse the lentils well in several changes of water until it runs clear. Put the lentils and all the ingredients except the salt in a medium saucepan or clay pot. Add 400 ml water or enough to cover the lentils to the pan then bring to the boil.
Turn down the heat and simmer gently, stirring occasionally, for 20-25 minutes, until the lentils are soft. Add the coconut milk and salt. Stir it well, bring it to boil once and take off the heat. If you prefer this to be dry dhal without gravy then simmer it down and reduce it until you get your desired dhal.
Seeni sambol
Ingredients
1 kg Bombay onion (finely sliced)
5-7 Garlic cloves (chopped)
1 tsp of Mustard seeds
6-8 Cardamon (crushed)
4-6 Cloves
Spring of curry leaves (fresh/dry)
Small piece of Rampe (fresh/dry)
3-4 sticks of Cinnamon (can use powder if you dont have the sticks ½ tsp of powder)
1 ½ tsp of Tamarind paste (mix with little water to make tamarind juice)
4/3 tsp of Turmeric powder
1 ½ tsp of Chili pieces
1 tsp of Chili powder
3 tsp of Brown sugar
1 tsp Salt
½ tsp Black pepper
3 tbsp Oil
4-6 tbsp of shredded Maldive fish (optional- if you prefer the vegetarian option then avoid adding Maldive fish)
Method
Finely Slice the onions. On high heat, In a deep medium saucepan add oil. Once it’s getting hot add the mustard seeds. When the mustard seeds start splattering add the garlic/ hand full of onion and mix really well. Add the curry leaves/rampe/cinnamon and fry it until golden. Add the rest of the onions and fry until it softens and mix it several times to avoid burning. After 5-6 min of cooking the onion will change its colour. Now add turmeric/chili powder/chili pieces/sugar/tamarind juice/salt and pepper and mix really well and cook it further on a medium heat until the onion becomes to its dark brown in colour. Roughly 10-12 min.
Serves best with rice/bread/appa/string hoppers etc. You can make this in advance and keep it in the fridge up-to 2-3 weeks and even freeze it.
NOTES
1. If you don't like spiciness, reduce the amount of red chili flakes/chili powder you add according to your taste.
2. To avoid burning, you must stir it frequently.
Batu moju
Also known as Eggplant/Wambatu/Brinjol/Aubergine
Ingredients
500 g eggplant cut into thick strips
½ tsp of turmeric powder
1 tsp salt
2-3 cups of oil for frying the eggplant.
Preparing Eggplant
Cut the eggplant to the required size (thick strips) place it in a bowl add salt and turmeric and combine all together and leave it for 10 min. (you will find eggplant release lot of water due to the salt and turmeric, this is norma)
Place a frying pan over medium heat and pour in the oil, gradually increase heat for the oil to reach the frying temperature. (350°F/180°C)
Gently squeeze out any extra liquid off the eggplant strips before put it onto the oil and fry them until they turn golden brown. Place the fried eggplant in paper towels to absorb the oil.
200 g of deep fried dried sprats/anchovy or Maldive fish strips
100g of deep-fried or dry roasted cashews
250 g shallots
100 g of medium-sized green chilies split in halves
4-5 garlic cloves crushed/chopped
½ piece of ginger chopped
1 tsp of chili powder
½ tsp of turmeric powder
½ tsp of black pepper
1 tsp of salt
2 tsp of sugar
½ cup of vinegar (prefer Coconut vinegar)
1 tsp of mustard paste
Method
Have all the ingredients ready for the batu moju ready.
In a medium saucepan on a medium heat add mustard paste, garlic cloves, ginger, chili powder, turmeric powder,black pepper, salt and sugar and vinegar and combine well until sugar is dissolved. Taste the pickle sauce and see if there is a balance of taste between sour, sweet and heat. Adjust accordingly. Bring it to boil once and take off the heat. Add the fried eggplant, cashews, fried sprats, shallots, split green chili, combine all together well. Set aside for at least 1-3 hours before serving for better-tasting wambatu moju. If you can leave it for a day, even better. In some recipes they deep fry the shallots and green chilies. I like a crunch in mine, so I don't fry them.
Fish Cutlet
Fish Mixture
400 g Mackerel or Tuna fish cooked or canned, but drained and bones removed
250 g Potatoes
Green chili finely chopped
150 g onions red finely chopped
3-5 garlic cloves finely chopped
1 tsp salt
2-3 tsp freshly ground black pepper powder
Egg wash and Crust (batter)
2 eggs
2-3 tblsp of plain flour
1/4 cup of water
2 cups of bread crumbs
Oil for deep frying
Method
Clean the potatoes, cut into medium cubes and place them in a saucepan and cover with water. Bring the water to a boil and cook the potatoes until they are tender. Remove the potatoes from the water and mash them with a fork (doesn't have to be smooth, little chunks is what you need to achieve) and set aside.
With a fork, flake or break the fish into small pieces. Just like the potatoes, some chunks are okay, since they will get crushed when they are being cooked.
In a saucepan, heat the 3 tbsp of oil over medium heat. Add the onion, garlic and saute until the onions become tender and translucent. Add the fish, salt, black pepper and saute for about 10 minutes. Add the potatoes and mix it through the fish until well combined. Taste and add salt (to taste) Set the fish mix aside and let it cool.
When it has cooled down, take a spoonful of the mix and roll it into a smooth 1 1/2 inch diameter ball with your hands. Leave these balls on a plate or a tray.
In a separate bowl, mix the two eggs, flour and a bit of water make it like a pancake batter. and on a separate plate, mix the bread crumbs with the optional spices.
Dip in the fish balls in the batter, evenly coat each fish ball with the egg batter and then coat them with the bread crumbs. Make sure to evenly coat the fish balls with breadcrumbs. Take care to not cause any cracks. If there is a crack you can re-dip in the egg wash and re-coat with breadcrumbs.
In a saucepan heat enough oil to deep fry the cutlets to about 350°F/180°C.
When the oil is hot enough, fry the cutlets until they turn a dark golden brown - about a minute. You can fry a few cutlets at a time in the oil without overcrowding the pan.
Place the fried cutlets on a paper towel to drain the excess oil. You can keep the cutlets in a warm oven to keep them warm and crispy until you are ready to serve.
Deep fried egg
4 large eggs
Water for boiling the eggs
2 tblsp of vinegar for the process of boiling eggs. (this helps to soft the egg shells)
Enough vegetable oil to cover the bottom of a frying pan to about 1/4 – 1/2 inch
Crushed black pepper
Method
First boil the eggs until they are fully boiled. Peel the egg shells and In a medium frying pan fry the eggs until golden.
Deep fried buttermilk chilli
25 g of Buttermilk chili
Oil for deep frying
Method
In a small wok add the oil and heat (350°F/180°C) once hot, fry the chilli until dark brown in colour. Drain the excess oil in a paper towel.
Assembling the Lamprais.
This is where the fun begins, as it's the most rewarding time.
Once all the elements are ready, take the prepared banana leaves (the banana leaves have to be cleaned, dried and burned slightly over an open flame to make them pliable) and place them flat on a table. Place one measure of rice and add in the rest of the condiments around it.
Place the packets on a baking tray and pour a ladle of coconut milk over each packet. Bake at 180 C for about 25 minutes.
Serve warm!
Now all your hard work has paid off, Enjoy this peacefully in the comfort of your own house or as a picnic near a lake under a tree with a good beer (Lion beer) on a summer day!
Cooking tips
I’d highly advise that you start prepping the day before if you are going into the whole width and the breadth of the lamprais. I usually go with the rice, mixed meat curry, dhal curry, seeni sambol, batu moju, cutlet, deep fried egg. For me, that suffices for a formidable treat.
If you decide to make this recipe, I would love to hear from you! Please feel free to share your outcomes with a picture or comment below.
I'm open for suggestions and your ideas on which recipes I should put on next.
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