RECIPE FOR LAMPRAIS (Oh boy this is long) Esme

A lamprais will ALWAYS consist ONLY the following dishes:

1. Lamprais Curry
2. Frikkadels
3. Brinjal (Egg fruit)) paella
4. Chilli & Onion sambol
5. Pawn blachang
6. Ash Plantain fries
7. The Rice
The authentic recipe of each component lamprais dish and its method of preparation follow.
EHO
Colombo, Aug 03
1. Lamprais Curry
Ingredients
1 small fowl, 1/2 lb beef, 1/4 lb mutton, 1/4 lb lean pork, 1/4 ox liver,(optional) , 1 dst spn sliced
red onions,1 dst spn ghee or dripping, 1/4 tspn fenugreek , 1 dst spn roasted curry powder
( corriander,white cummin,sweet cummin), 3" piece of rampa, 25 dry chillies ( roasted dark and
ground), 1/4 lb dried prawns ( roasted and pounded), 1/2 stem lemon grass, 10
cardamoms(ground), a sprig of curry leaves, juice of 1 lime, 1 tblspn vinegar, 5 cloves
garlic(chopped), 3 slices green ginger, 1/4 tspn of cinnamon, 1/2 tsp saffron, 3 cups thick coconut
milk, salt.
Method
Partially boil the fowl, beef, mutton, and ox liver, and keep the stock(***see note at end) for boiling
the rice .Cut the diferent meats and the pork and the fowl (removing all the bones) into very small
pieces and place in a clay 'chatty' pot with the coconut milk, the ground ingredients, garlic, ginger,
cinnamon, fenugreek , and half each of the onions, rampa,lemon grass and curry leaves, and boil
until the meat is tender. Add the prawns , cardamoms and lime when the curry is half cooked.
Heat the ghee in another clay 'chatty pot' and fry the remainder of the ingredients. Then turn in
the meat preparation and allow to simmer for a few minutes longer. Add salt to taste.
2. Frikkadels (Dutch forced meat balls)
Ingredients:
1 lb minced beef, 1 thick slice of bread (slightly roasted & grated), 1 tblspn chopped red onions, 1
1/2 tsp sweet cummin (slightly roasted and ground), a pinch of saffron, 1 tsp chopped fennel, 3
cloves of garlic,(chopped), 2 slices green ginger (chopped) 1 tsp powdered cinnamon, 5 cloves,

pepper and salt, 1 egg, juice of 1/2 lime, biscuit powder, ghee for frying.
Method:
Season the meat with peppr, salt, cloves and cinnamon; add the onions and grated bread and
moisten with the lime juice and egg slightly beaten. Mix well together and make into small
balls.Dip in the beaten egg, roll in biscuit powder and fry in hot ghee.

3. Brinjal paella
Ingredients
4 medium sized brinjals (Egg fruit), 1 tblspn each of pounded maldive fish, sliced red
onions,corriander seed, ground mustard seed, 1 1/2 tspn white cummin and 1/2 tspn sweet
cummin (ground together), 1 tblspn sugar, 1/4 stem lemon grass, a small sprig of curry leaves,4
cloves of garlic(chopped), 3 ripe chilles (sliced), 3 slices of green ginger (chopped), 2" piece of
cinnamon, 2" piece of rampa, 1 wine glass coconut vinegar, 1 1/2 oz. tamarind (squezeed in salt
water), coconut oil, salt, 1 teacupful thick coconut milk, a pinch of ground saffron and 20 dry
chillies (ground).
Method:
Slice the brinjals lengthwise, rub over with salt and saffron and fry in oil. Mix the ground
ingredients with the vinegar and tamarind and mix in the rest of the ingredients, except the
coconut milk and sugar. Heat 2 tblspns oil in a "chatty' pot and when very hot turn in the brinjal
mixture , add the coconut milk and let it simmer on a slow fire for about 15 minutes, stirring all the
time. Mix in the sugar just before taking off the fire.
4. Chilli & Onion Sambol
Ingredients
1/2 lb finely sliced bombay onions , 1/4 lb sliced red onions,3 chopped green chillies, juice of 1/2
lime, salt.
Method.:
Mixed the sliced onions with the chillie. Moisten with the lime juice.Add salt to taste. Keep in
fridge till required for use.
5. Prawn Blachang
Ingredients:
1/2 lb dried prawns ( roasted and pounded), about 15 dry chillies roasted , 1 1/2 tblspns roasted
coconut , 3 cloves garlic, 3 slices green ginger chopped fine, 4 oz chopped red onions, juice of 2
large limes, 1 tablespon sugar, salt.
Method:

Grind together the prawns, chillies, onions, garlic, ginger and then moisten with the lime juice.
Mix well after adding salt to taste. Keep in a closed container in fridge till required for use.
6. Ash Plantain Fries
Ingredients:
4 medium sized ash plantains, 2 tspn saffron powder, salt, vegetable oil.
Method:
Skin the plantains and cut into rectangular lengths ( 1 1/2 " x 1/2" x 1/2" approx.). Mix well with
saffron and salt to taste . Deep fry in oil.
7. The Rice
Ingredients:
1 1/2 measures white rice (parboile) 1/4 lb ghee, 1/4 lb gr red onions, 20 pepper corns, 6 cloves,
4" piece of rampa, 1/2 stem lemon grass, a sprig of curry leaves, 3" piece of cinammon, 15
cardamoms (powdered), salt.
Method:
Heat the ghee in a 'chatty', and when very hot put in of the onions, a small piece each of the
rampa, curry leaves and lemon grass and stir until the onions are fried. Then turn in the rice
(which must be washed well) and stir for a few minutes. Then add the stock and the rest of the
ingredients (except the cardamoms) and boil until the rice is almost cooked , at which time stir in
the cardamoms and continue to boil till the rice fully cooked..
(** The Stock: 1 lb of breast bones could be kept to boil in about 4 bots. of water. The water used
to partially boil the chicken, pork etc should then be added to this beef stock and kept to boil for a
further 5 minutes. (Hot water may be added to the stock to have the correct quantity in which to
boil the lamprais rice .)
Packeting & Baking
Items needed:
1, About 8-12 plantain leaves , cut into pieces of approx 16" x 12", washed, and wiped dry and
thereafter warmed by holding over a flame, till the leaf loses its moisture and crispness. (Care
must be taken not to burn the leaf).
2. Thick coconut milk.
3. Baking tray .
Method:
Put about a large teacupful of rice on each leaf. Pour two dessertpoonsful of thick coconut milk
over the rice.Arrange a little each of the previously prepared dishes on the rice. Place 2 frikadels

and 2or3 ash plantain fries on the side of the rice.Then fold up the leaf, making it into a neat
oblong packet. Fasten the two ends with a piece of ekel . Place all packets in the baking tray, and
bake in a moderately hot oven (300 F) for about 15 minutes, when you see the plantain leaves
just starting to turn brown