Traditional Sri Lankan Daane and Lunch Packet Menu
Wondering what to make for Sri Lankan Daane or to include in a travel Lunch packet? Try these 3 special Sri Lankan side dishes: a spicy Stir Fried Sprats (called Halmasso Baduma in Sinhala), a savory Cassava Leaves and Wild Eggplant Mallum (called Maiyokka and Thibbatu Mallum in Sinhala), and a and a spicy Horse Gram curry (called Kollu Maluwa in Sinhala). These side dishes go great with a bowl of Red Rice.
If you prepare the Stir Fried Sprats according to this recipe, you can keep it up to about 3 to 4 weeks. For the Horse Gram Curry, you can try either my How to make Horse Gram Curry - Sri Lankan Kollu Maaluwa or Kurakkan Thalapa with Horse Gram Curry Recipe recipe.
If you like these type of unique traditional Sri Lankan Daane Menus, you might be interested in trying my Traditional Foods for Almsgiving and Traditional Foods for Almsgiving Part 2 recipes.
Ingredients
For the Stir Fried Sprats
- 150g of Sprats
- 2 Nai Miris
- Green Chili
- Pandan Leaf
- Curry Leaves
- 3 sliced Onions
- 2 crushed Garlic Cloves
- 1.5 tbsp of Chili Flakes
- 1 tsp of Pepper
- Turmeric Powder
- Salt
- 1 tsp of Chili Powder
For the Cassava Leaves and Wild Eggplant
- Bunch of Cassava Leaves
- 250g of Wild Eggplant
- Chopped Onion
- Nai Miris
- Green Chili
- 5 Garlic Cloves
- Curry Leaves
- Handful of grated Coconut
- 2 whole dried Chilies
- Mustard Seeds
- Salt
Instructions
Stir Fried Sprats
- Remove the heads from 150g of Sprats.
- Wash and clean the Sprats.
- Heat some Oil in a saucepan over medium heat.
- Add the Sprats into the saucepan and fry until it is a golden color.
- Now add 2 Nai Miris sliced into halves.
- Add a sliced Green Chili.
- Add a piece of Pandan Leaf.
- Add some Curry Leaves.
- Add 3 sliced Onions.
- Add 2 crushed Garlic Cloves.
- Lightly fry these ingredients together into a tempered mixture.
- Add 1.5 tbsp of Chili Flakes.
- Add 1 tsp of Pepper.
- Add some Turmeric Powder.
- Add Salt to taste.
- Stir frequently for about 2 minutes.
- Add 1 tsp of Chili Powder.
- Turn the heat down to low.
- Keep stirring frequently until the Onions are caramelized and all of the moisture has evaporated.
Cassava Leaves and Wild Eggplant
- Wash the Cassava Leaves.
- Press the Cassava Leaves together into a bunch and cut into strips.
- Wash 125g of Wild Eggplant.
- Add the Wild Eggplant into a blender.
- Add a chopped Onion.
- Add a Nai Miris.
- Add a Green Chili.
- Add 3 Garlic Cloves.
- Add some Curry Leaves.
- Add half of the Cassava Leaves.
- Add a handful of grated Coconut.
- Blend this mixture.
- Pour this mixture into a bowl and set aside for now.
- Add the remaining Cassava Leaves into the blender and blend with some Water.
- Pour this mixture into a bowl and then squeeze the Water out of it.
- Add the second half of the Cassava Leaves into the bowl that contains the first half.
- Add 125g of Wild Eggplant into the blender and blend coarsely.
- Wash the blended Wild Eggplant and try to remove most of the seeds.
- Heat some Oil in a saucepan over medium heat.
- Add a chopped Onion.
- Add 2 chopped Garlic Cloves.
- Add 2 whole dried Chilies broken into smaller pieces by hand.
- Add some Mustard Seeds.
- Lightly fry these ingredients together until it is a golden color.
- Now add the blended Wild Eggplant we made earlier.
- Stir frequently for about 10 to 15 minutes.
- Add Salt to taste.
- Now add the Cassava Leaves mixture we made earlier.
- Mix thoroughly.
- Keep cooking until the Cassava Leaves are thoroughly wilted.
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