Tag: South Asian
Sri Lankan Chili Potato
Sri Lankan Chili Potato
Chili potato is a widely eaten Sri Lankan dish that can be eaten as a side or a main course. The dish is fairly spicy, with the lemon juice balancing out the heat; giving the potatoes a nice tanginess. Serve the potatoes with basmati rice and chapatis.
Ingredients
- 2 lbs potatoes peeled and cubed
- 2 tbsp vegetable oil
- 2 tsp black mustard seeds
- 1 small cinnamon stick
- 20 curry leaves
- 1 small onion diced
- 8 garlic cloves minced
- 1 tsp turmeric
- 1 tsp Kashmiri chili powder
- 1 tbsp chili flakes
- salt to taste
- 1 tbsp lemon juice
Instructions
- Boil the potatoes for 8 minutes in salted water. Drain and set aside.
- Heat up cooking oil in a sauté pan over medium heat. Sauté the mustard seeds, cinnamon stick, and curry leaves for 2 minutes.
- Add in the onions and garlic. Sauté for 6-7 minutes.
- Stir in the chili powder, turmeric, and chili flakes. Sauté for 2 minutes.
- Add in the potatoes. Season with salt. Sauté for 10 minutes.
- Turn off the heat. Squeeze over the lemon juice.
Black Pork Curry
Black Pork Curry
This spicy curry gets it’s name from the dark color of the Sri Lankan curry powder and the black peppercorns that gives it it’s heat. Cubes of pork shoulder are marinated in the curry powder and black peppercorns, then simmered with onions, ginger, garlic, and jalapeños for an hour until tender. The sugar and tamarind gives the curry a tangy sweetness that makes this the perfect comfort food. Serve the black pork curry with steamed basmati rice.
Servings: 4
Equipment
- Spice grinder
Ingredients
- 2 lbs pork shoulder cut into 1 1/2” cubes
Pork Marinade
- 1 tbsp black peppercorns
- 6 green cardamom pods seeded
- 1 tsp Sri Lankan curry powder
- 1 tsp salt
- 1/4 tsp ground cinnamon
- 1 tbsp tamarind concentrate
Curry
- 3 tbsp vegetable oil
- 1/2 medium onion finely chopped
- 1” ginger minced
- 3 bay leaves
- 2 jalapeños thinly sliced
- 4 garlic cloves minced
- 1 tbsp sugar
- 1/2 cup water
- salt to taste
- 1 tbsp lemon juice
Instructions
- Grind the whole spices in a spice grinder.
- Marinate the pork with all of the spices and tamarind concentrate for at least 8 hours, preferably overnight.
- Heat up the cooking oil in a large sauté pan over medium high heat. Sauté the onions, ginger, and bay leaves for 7-8 minutes.
- Add in the garlic and jalapeños. Sauté for 30 seconds.
- Add in the marinated pork and sugar. Sauté for 10 minutes.
- Pour in a 1/2 cup of water. Bring to a boil. Cover. Reduce the heat to medium low and simmer for 1 hour. Season with salt and squeeze in the lemon juice.
Sri Lankan Roasted Curry Powder
Sri Lankan roasted curry powder is the base of so many Sri Lankan curries. It is specifically used in curries that contain proteins like beef, pork, lamb, and chicken. It can also used in vegetarian curries. If you want to use the curry powder for fish and seafood, don’t toast any of the spices. Dry toasted spices are too strong for aquatic protein and will overpower the flavor.
Equipment
- Spice grinder
Ingredients
- 4 tbsp coriander seeds
- 3 tbsp cumin seeds
- 2 tbsp black peppercorns
- 2 tbsp basmati rice
- 1 tbsp black mustard seeds
- 3 tsp whole cloves
- 2 tsp green cardamom seeds
- 1 tsp fennel seeds
Instructions
- Dry toast the rice in a nonstick pan over medium heat for 3 minutes.
- Add in the rest of the ingredients. Toast for 5 minutes; continuously moving the pan to keep the spices from burning. Let cool completely.
- Grind to a powder in a spice grinder.
Pan Fried Salmon with Cashew Sauce
Pan Fried Salmon with Cashew Sauce
This is a take on a popular Sri Lankan dish using salmon instead of different fish indigenous to the South Asian island. The sauce uses cashews as the base, with cilantro, onion, garlic, green chilies, and lime juice. The best part of the sauce is that there’s no cooking required. As far as the salmon goes, it is simply seasoned with salt and pepper. It needs to be pan fried skin side down for 75% of the total cooking time. We’re looking to have nice, crispy salmon skin. Then, all you have to do is ladle the sauce in the center of a plate and place the salmon flesh side down in it.
Equipment
- Food processor or immersion blender
Ingredients
- 8 oz salmon fillet
- 1/4 cup vegetable oil
- 1/2 cup roasted cashews
- 1/4 medium red onion chopped
- 1 green chili
- 2 garlic cloves
- 1/4 cup cilantro chopped
- 1 lime juiced
- salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- Place the cashews, onion, garlic, cilantro, green chili, lime juice, and 2 tbsp of vegetable in a food processor.
- Purée until smooth.
- Heat up the rest of the vegetable oil in a small sauté pan over medium high heat. Season the salmon fillet with salt and pepper. Place skin side down into the sauté pan.
- Cook the salmon for 6-7 minutes on the skin side. Flip and cook for 3 minutes on the flesh side. Let rest for 5 minutes.
- Place the cashew sauce in the center of a plate.
- Place the fillet flesh side down into the sauce.