Earlier this year we looked at some of the best new cookbooks on offer, including Serendip - a visually stunning collection of stories and recipes from Peter Kuruvita's Sri Lankan kitchen. Our pre-ordered copy finally arrived last week and we've been leafing through the curry-laden pages ever since. Sadly it was far too hot to slave over a stove on this weekend, so we decided to keep it simple and make kiri bath.
"Kiri bath has a special place in Sri Lanka's culinary delights," explains Kuruvita, "A simple thick rice pudding made with coconut milk, then cut into diamond shapes, it is central to festival offerings and celebrations." He recommends eating it with leftover curry or lunu miris, a fiery condiment made from red onion, Maldive fish flakes, lime and plenty of chilli. If you don't fancy mixing sweet and savoury, try serving it warm with a cup of chai for an exotic elevenses treat.
To make kiri bath, cook 450g of washed long-grain rice with two 400ml tins of coconut milk, four bruised cardamon pods and a teaspoon of salt in a non-stick saucepan. When the liquid has evaporated to the level of the rice, stir in 150ml of coconut cream and then cover and simmer until the rice is cooked. We added a splash of condensed milk for extra sweetness and then pressed the mixture into a brownie tin. Once it's had a few minutes to set, you can flip it out and cut it into the traditional diamond shapes. It's rich, creamy and deliciously gooey - perfect for elevenses or after a spicy meal.
Serendip would be a great gift for Sri Lankan food fans or curry connoisseurs who want to try something new. It retails at £25 but you can pick it up for £13.75 on Amazon.
I am currently reviewing Serendip for my blog and after flipping through it three times to find something to make, I chose fish cutlets (potato and fresh tuna with fresh curry leaves, onion and cumin). They are meant to be a snack food, but in my case, they were my dinner!
Posted by: Helen Yuet Ling Pang | May 31, 2009 at 08:24 AM