Recipes for the New Year

Apr 12 2016.

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It’s time to feast Sinhala and Tamil New Year style 

Sri Lankans celebrate 'Aluth Avurudu' (Sinhala) and 'Puththandu' (Tamil), in the month of Bak (April). It is a harvest festival which signifies the sun’s movement from the Meena to the Mesha Rashiya. And as with all celebrations, food plays a major role in this festival as well. 

This year we set out to give you some ideas to make your New Year table a little more interesting courtesy Cinnamon Grand’s restaurants, Nuga Gama and Chutneys. 

 

 


Sinhala Avurudu 

The following recipes have been created by Sujith Ariyaratna, Sous Chef, Nuga Gama with the idea of making the New Year a far less complicated affair while also adding a new touch to the your table. 

Mee Wada 

Ingredients 

· Rice flour – 500g 
· Sago – 100g 
· Sugar – 300g 
· Wheat flour – 50g 
· Sesame seeds – 50g 
· Grated coconut – 100g 
· Cardamom powder – 45g 
· Salt 
· Coconut oil 
· Water – 1 cup 

Method 

· Boil one cup of water with sugar, cardamom and salt. 

· Gradually add grated coconut, rice flour, wheat flour and sesame while mixing until becomes to a paste. 

· Make small cakes from the paste, coat in sago and deep fry. 

· Serve with treacle on top. 

 


Sanda Ada 

Ingredients 

· Gram flour – 250g 
· Rice flour – 250g 
· Grated coconut 
· Cardamom and salt 
· Chopped cashew nuts – 100g 
· Treacle – 01 cup 
· Sugar – 01 cup 
· Water – ½ cup 

For batter 

· Turmeric powder 
· Wheat flour 
· Coconut milk 
· Salt 

Method 

· Roast gram and grind it. 

· Roast rice flour. 

· Boil water with sugar. 

· Add treacle, salt,  cardamom and boil. 

· Add gram flour, rice flour, grated coconut, cashew and mix it well. 

· Spread it on a wooden chopping board and let it cool down. 

· Cut it into quarter moon shapes and batter fry. 


Kiri Naaran Kavuma 

Ingredients 

· Grated coconut – ½ cup 
· Rice flour – 200g 
· Sesame seeds – 50g 
· Lime leaves – 2 
· Thick coconut milk – 1 cup 
· White sugar – 350g 

For batter 

· Turmeric powder 
· Wheat flour 
· Coconut milk 
· Salt 

Method 

· Combine sugar, coconut milk, sesame seeds, lime leaves and grated coconut and simmer for three to four minutes. 

· Then add rice flour and mix until it becomes a thick paste, remove from the heat and let it cool. 

· Make balls out of the mixture and batter fry. 


Tamil New Year 

K.V. Krishna, Indian Chef, Chutneys gave us an in depth look into creating the following age old recipes which have been tweaked a little to add a bit of flair to your table. 

Pazha Kesari (Mixed fruit kesari) 

Ingredients 

· Rava (Semolina) – 1 cup 
· Sugar – 2 cups 
· Water – 2 cups 
· Cardamom powder – 1 tsp 
· Ghee – 100ml 
· Cashew nuts – 20g 
· Apple – 1 
· Pineapple – 1 piece (chopped) 
· Grapes – 10 
· Strawberry – 2 
· Mango – 1 piece (chopped) 
· Ghee 

Method 

· Over a medium flame stir the semolina briskly until you get the roasted aroma. 

· Fry the cashew nuts in 1tbsp of ghee and set it a side. 

· Heat two cups of water in a pot, when the water boils add the semolina gradually, while stirring to avoid lumps. 

· Add sugar, cardamom powder, fruits, fried cashew nuts and cook on medium flame. 

· Garnish with cashew nuts. 


Pasi Paruppu Payasam 

Ingredients 

· Mung Dhal – 1 cup 
· Jaggery – ¼ kg (grated) 
· Cardamom powder – 1 tsp 
· Cashew nuts – 5 nos 
· Raisins – 5 nos 
· Ghee – 2 spoons 
· Coconut milk – ½ cup 

Method 

· Boil mung dhal and keep aside. 

· Add water into a pot and boil with grated jaggery. 

· Add boiled dhal, coconut milk and mix until cooked well, add cardamom powder. 

· Add 1tbsp of ghee into a pan and fry cashew and raisins then garnish. 


Kozhi Dum Biriyani 

Ingredients 

· Chicken – 500g 
· Rice – 500g 
· Onion – 4 nos 
· Curd – 1 cup 
· Mint leaves – ½ bunch 
· Coriander leaves – ½ bunch 
· Ghee – 200g 
· Coconut -  ½ no 
· Cashew nut – 25 g 
· Garam masala powder – 1tsp 
· Whole garam masala – 10g 
· Bay leaves – 3 nos 
· Green chili – 4 nos 
· Chili powder – 25 spoons 
· Coriander powder – 1 spoon 
· Salt 

Method 

· Marinate chicken with spices, salt, curd, mint leaves, coriander leaves, cashew and coconut paste. Keep the chicken for 30 minutes to marinate. 

· Fry sliced onions till golden brown then mix onions with marinated chicken. 

· Cook rice with garam masala and salt in deep pot, strain the water when rice is cooked halfway. 

· Add marinated chicken into the rice and cook for 30 minutes on low flame. 

· Garnish with roasted cashew nuts and serve with Raita. 

Cinnamon Grand will continue its tradition of hosting a typical Sri Lankan New Year celebration at Nuga Gama on April 13 where patrons can enjoy a customary New Year feast featuring both Sinhalese and Tamil fare. The special buffet is priced at Rs 750 nett and will open at 8.54pm. For reservations and inquiries, call 011-249-7361/2. 

By Natasha Fernandopulle 
Video and photographs by Kanishke Ganewatte 



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