Food crosses all barriers and languages. Sitting together and sharing food brings connections and says welcome louder than words. Thanks to Bwyd Powys Food for helping us to make this possible in 2025.
Gayan’s recipe.
How to cook the Dhal Curry
1 cup Dhal (lentils, parippu)
1/2 a cup of water (increase to 1 cup if you find that the amount of water suggested is not adequate to cook the dhal at this stage)
A few of the other ingredients mentioned for tempering above (turmeric, curry leaves, garlic, onions)
1 or 2 green chillies sliced.
1 teaspoon of Salt
1/2 a cup of thick coconut milk
Tempering ingredients for dhal curry
3 tablespoons of oil
A sprig of curry leaves (a few to be used for tempering and half while cooking the dhal)
4 pods of garlic (a few to be used for tempering, add half while cooking the dhal)
1 large onion (a few to be used for tempering and half to be used while cooking the dhal)
A teaspoon of turmeric powder (half to be used for tempering and half while cooking the dhal)
1 teaspoon of red chilli flakes or two whole dry red chillies
1/2 a teaspoon of mustard seeds
How to Cook the Dhal Curry
Wash the lentils thoroughly.
Turn in the washed lentils/dhal (1 cup) to the pan you used for tempering (saves washing).
Pour in the water (1/2 cup, increase to 1 cup if you find that the amount of water suggested is not adequate to cook the dhal at this stage).
Add a pinch of turmeric and a few slices of onions, garlic, green chillies and curry leaves.
Over medium heat, let the lentils/dhal cook until the water evaporates, which takes 10-15 minutes.
When the lentils are cooked, gradually add the coconut milk (1/2 cup) and let it simmer on low fire for 10-15 minutes. Add salt to taste.
Finally, add the tempered onions to the curry and mix. If you are serving guests, keep a bit of the tempering.
Once you add the dhal curry to a serving bowl and top the lentils/dhal with the remaining temper, for a true, Sri Lankan presentation.
Serve warm with rice and curry.
Why are Lentils/ Dhal important?
Often overlooked by Western society, lentils are an extremely nutritious food. Extremely high in fibre and protein, with little fat and salt, lentils can be a substantial part of a healthy diet. Low in calories, they also have many essential vitamins and minerals for our well-being.
Suitable for vegetarians and vegans as well as meat eaters, they are extremely versatile and can be added to many dishes.
Lentils have a great shelf life, both uncooked in the cupboard (up to twelve months) and cooked in the fridge (up to seven days). Once cooked, they can be easily frozen.
They are also very economical, a major reason they are often eaten at least twice a day on average.
Lentils are quick and easy to cook and can just be thrown into a range of dishes.
Tamil’s Recipe
(A) Coconut milk rice
1 cup brown rice (measured with the usual kitchen measuring cup, not the rice cup)
4 pandan (screwpine) leaves, rinsed and tied into a knot
4 thick slices of ginger
1/2 cup thick coconut milk
*1¼ cup water
2-3 pinches of salt
• Please do adjust the amount of water as needed according to the type or rice you choose to use.
Rinse the rice in the rice cooker with water thoroughly and drain.
2. Add in the ginger slices, pandan leaves and a couple pinches of salt.
3. Pour in the coconut milk slowly followed by enough amount water to make up to the usual volume needed to cook the rice.
4. 4. Using a spatula, stir the content to mix everything well. Cover and leave to marinate for about 20 minutes.
5. Cook the pot of rice as usual. Once done, fluff the rice using the spatula to let excess moisture escape. The grains should hold together ever so lightly. Cover, and let rest for at least another 10 to 15 minutes before serving.
Sambal
Ingredients
For Sambal:
▢ Small onion – 10
▢ Onion – 1 chopped
▢ Dry Red Chillies – 10 to 15
▢ Ginger – 1 small pieces
▢ Garlic – 6
▢ Lemon Grass – 1
▢ Salt to taste
▢ Palm Sugar – 4 tblsp
▢ Tamarind paste – 2 tblsp
▢ Turmeric powder – 1 tsp
▢ Oil – ¼ cup
For Chicken Sambal:
Spicy Sambal Chicken has succulent pieces of chicken cooked in a spicy aromatic sauce which is filled with lemon grass, coconut and chillies.
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 30 minutes
Total Time: 40 minutes
Servings: 4 servings
▢ Sambal – 1 cup
▢ Boneless chicken – ½ kg
▢ Coconut Milk – 1 cup
▢ Coconut – ¼ cup toasted
▢ Cinnamon / Pattai – 1 piece
▢ Cardamom / Yelakai – 4
▢ Cloves / Krambu – 4
▢ Star anise – 1
▢ Lemon grass – 2
▢ Kaffir lime leaves – 2
Instructions
Grind all ingredients given for sambal except tamarind and jaggery to a smooth paste.
Heat oil in a kadai. Add in the ground masala and cook for 5 mins or so.
Now add in jaggery and tamarind and mix well.
Cover and cook till oil separates and the sambal is thick.
You can remove the sambal to a jar and store in fridge till needed.
Now let’s make sambal chicken.
Take one cup sambal in a kadai. Add in whole spices and stir well.
Now add in chicken and stir fry for a min.
Now cover and cook for 5 mins.
Add in kaffir lime leaves, coconut milk and cook for 10 mins.
Add in toasted coconut and mix well.
Cook for few more mins.
Serve.
Nasi Lemak.
is a platter which consists of coconut milk, pandan flavoured rice which is served along side with a spicy sambal which has chillies, garlic, onions. This nasi lemak is also served with an additional sides like cucumber, fried anchovies, boiled eggs and peanuts.Nasi lemak recipe is a Malay cuisine dish consisting of fragrant rice cooked in coconut milk and pandan leaf. It is commonly found in Malaysia, where it is considered the national dish. Nasi Lemak is often served for breakfast.
Marian”s Jamaican Rice, Peas and Stew Chicken
How To make JAMAICAN rice and peas and stew chicken.
This is one of my favourite traditional dishes that we eat on Sundays.
Jamaicans traditionally cook rice and beans (or rice and peas, as it’s often called) on
Sundays, a practice rooted in their history, as it was often the only day off for slaves, and
they would prepare their best foods, including this dish, on that day.
How to cook the stew chicken
Ingredients:
4 lbs chicken
3/4 teaspoon sea salt
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
How to make the chicken stew
Step 1.Prep the chicken: In a large bowl or ziplock bag, add in the onion, bell pepper, scallions,
garlic, brown sugar, paprika, allspice, ginger, and salt/pepper- to taste. Use your hands or a utensil
to stir the ingredients together. Then add in the chicken pieces and browning sauce. Massage all the
aromatics and spices into the chicken.
Step 2.Marinate the chicken: Cover the bowl with a lid/plastic wrap or seal ziplock bag and transfer
to refrigerator to allow flavors to marinate for at least 2 hours or- more preferably, overnight (for best
results!).
Step 3.Brown chicken pieces: Remove the chicken pieces from the marinade mixture, shaking off
excess onion/bell pepper/scallion bits. In a large heavy-bottomed pot, heat the oil over medium-high
heat. Add a few chicken pieces into the pot, working in batches. Sear the chicken on all sides until a
deep brown crust appears, about 2-3 minutes on each side. Then set the browned chicken aside
and reduce the heat to medium.
Step 4.Add the flavor agents & assemble the stew: Add the reserved marinade mixture into the
same pot and use a wooden utensil to sauté until lightly tender. Then add all browned chicken
pieces back into pot, nestling them right on top of the marinade mixture. Add the carrots, tomato
sauce, fresh thyme, bay leaves, scotch bonnet pepper, and chicken stock. Gently stir all the
ingredients together until well combined.
Step 5.Stew the chicken: Reduce the heat to medium-low and cover the pot with a lid. Allow the
chicken to stew for 1 1/2 – 2 hours, covered- until the chicken pieces are meltingly tender and falling
off the bone.
Step 6.Adjust stew gravy, if needed: Discard the herb stems, bay leaves, and scotch bonnet pepper
from the pot. If you’d like to thicken the stew liquid in the pot, place over medium-high heat. Cook,
gently stirring, for a bit until the liquid reaches your desired consistency.
How to make Jamaican rice and peas
- Sauté the garlic, onion, thyme, all spice, bay leaves, scotch bonnet habanero chilli
until the onion is translucent – about 3 minutes. - Liquids – Add coconut, water, kidney beans and salt. Allow It to come to a boil.
- Once it comes to a simmer, add rice then give it a quick stir. …
- Allow to cook for 40 minutes
