Lampries Recipe

Lampries Recipe

(Sri Lankan combination of rice cooked in stock)

Large, wide banana leaves

2 tablespoons thick coconut milk

Ingredients for Ghee Rice:

6 cups Basmati or other long-grain rice

7½ tablespoons ghee

3 large onion, finely sliced

10 whole cloves

8 cardamom pods, bruised

1 cinnamon sticks

9½ cups beef, chicken or mutton stock, or water and stock cubes

6 teaspoons salt

Please refer more Sri Lankan recipes for the below individual recipes:

2 tablespoons lampries curry

2 frikkadels

2 teaspoons vambotu pahi

1 teaspoon chili sambol

1 heaped teaspoon prawn (shrimp) blachan

Method:

To prepare ghee rice, wash rice well and drain for at least 30 minutes.  Heat ghee in a saucepan and fry onion until golden, add spices and drained rice.  Fry, stirring with slotted metal spoon, for 5 minutes over a moderate heat.  Add hot stock and salt and bring to the boil.  Reduce heat to very low, cover pan tightly with lid and cook for 15-20 minutes without lifting lid.  At end of cooking time, uncover and allow steam to escape for 5 minutes.  Gently fluff up rice with a fork, removing whole spices and leave aside.

Use large, wide banana leaves, strip them from the center rib and cut into pieces, approximately 30-38 cm (12-15 inches) long.  Wash and dry with a clean cloth and heat over a gas flame for a few seconds on each side.  This makes them pliable and they will fold without splitting.  If you cook by electricity, put banana leaves in a large basin or sink and pour boiling water over.  If no banana leaves are available, use 38 cm (15 inch) squares of aluminum foil.  On each piece of leaf or aluminum foil, put 1 cup firmly packed ghee rice.  Around rice arrange 2 tablespoons lampries curry, 2 frikkadels, 2 teaspoons vambotu pahi, 1 teaspoon chili sambol and 1 heaped teaspoon prawn (shrimp) blachan.  Pour 2 tablespoons thick coconut milk over rice.  Fold leaf over and fasten with bamboo skewers (obtainable from barbecue departments of large stores) or fold aluminum foil over to make a neat oblong package.  Some people prefer to enclose leaf parcels in aluminum foil.  This is a good idea in case leaf splits while heating or serving.  Heat lampries in a moderate oven for approximately 20-25 minutes.  Arrange on a large tray.  When guests open the lampries, the fragrance of the food is unbelievably appetizing.  Allow one to two lampries for each guest.  A bowl of chilled cucumber sambol is served as an accompaniment.

Note:  It is practical to make a large number of lampries, for they are ideal for parties.  They freeze well and can be kept frozen for two months.  Heat in a moderate oven from frozen state for 40 minutes, or 20 minutes if first thawed to room temperature.