Sri Lankan Pumpkin curry with blackened coconut (Wattakka kalu pol maluwa)

Our first day in Sri Lanka was the Katina Poojava, also known as Katina Pinkama, one of the most important Buddhist festivals. The entire community participates, organising, cooking dishes and preparing for this event.

Our host, Yasassri, was contributing by making a few dishes. Together we cooked three dishes, see recipes below:

1. Boiled manioc with grated coconut (Kaha manioc)

2. Pumpkin curry with blackened coconut (Wattakka kalu pol maluwa)

3. Pennywort sambols (Gotukola sambol)

4. Sour preserved tuna (Ambul thiyal)

The tuna was ready, a sour dried curry that is one of the most iconic dishes of Sri Lanka. It is fish cooked with goraka, a fruit from the garcinia family that is dark purple in colour and adds sourness, salt and spices. It was a traditional way for the villages to preserve fish for times when fishing was not possible.

We started with the pumpkin curry, basic, nutritious, and so well-loved. While we cooked, we chatted with Yasassri and her family. We talked about the dishes we were making, technique and more, learning about ingredients and customs. When she was asked why she performs this duty, she answered, “It is our duty, we are very devoted and want to receive blessings from the monks during this festival”. The food is simple, home recipes and ones they love. This is not about being fancy, but about generosity and love, a respect for their faith and service to the monks. I am finding there is so much to learn about grace and sacrifice.

The monks arrive for the ceremony. The function starts with chanting, followed by a sermon. The lunch is finally unwrapped. Each devotee picks up a dish, starting with rice, followed by meat, lentils, and vegetables, and the pickles follow in quick succession. We ask and pile up their plates. The monks indicate if they do not want a dish by placing a hand over their plates. This is a ceremony about giving, devotion, and religion. The hall is quiet, the monks are enjoying their food and whispering, and the volunteers and devotees are attending to their needs.

For more recipes from Zafar, click here.

Ingredients:,

500 grams of pumpkin, skin-on and cubed into 1-inch wedges

1 onion, thinly sliced

10-12 curry leaves

3 garlic cloves, minced

1-2 green chillies, finely sliced into circles

3-inch pandan leaf, cut in half

2 cups water

Salt, to taste

1 tablespoon sugar

2 tablespoons of rice

1/4 cup grated fresh coconut

1 cup coconut milk

2 tablespoons roasted curry powder

Method:

Add all the ingredients, pumpkin, onion, curry leaves, garlic, chillies, pandan leaf, water salt and sugar to a pot, preferably an earthen “hatti”. Bring to a boil. Turn down the flame and simmer with the lid closed for 25 minutes until the pumpkin is soft. Occasionally stir the curry and make sure there is enough water so it does not burn.

Meanwhile, heat a frying pan. Add the rice and dry-roast until it goes beyond brown to almost black. Add the coconut and continue roasting until it is also blackened. Be careful, it is easy to go from blackened to completely burnt. Cool.

Add the rice and coconut to a mortar and pestle and pound to a coarse paste. Set aside.

Once the curry is cooked, add the coconut milk. Bring back to a simmer. Add the coconut and rice mix and mix in. Sprinkle the roasted curry powder on top. Serve hot, adding the roasted curry powder at the last minute.