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. 

 

 

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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. 

 

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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. 

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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. 

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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. 

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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. 

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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