Cocos Nucifera debacle

Cocos Nucifera debacle

A friend reminded that I did not update my blog for more than a year. So, resuming the blog was one of new year resolutions. The first month of 2016 is almost over but I am yet to organize some thoughts to write. Then suddenly an idea came to my mind this morning…..Eureka… Eureka! ….. I should write about Cocos Nucifera.

Why can’t we Sri Lankans live without coconut? Why do we love coconut so much?

I vividly remember that we could not evade coconut as young students of architecture in 1983. It was our third year and our year master Prof. Nimal De Silva asked us to design a student center for the University of Ruhuna. The university was being built at that time. We went on a memorable field trip to its Mapalana campus and saw a green field full of coconut trees. When we were doing our design proposals some of us tried to preserve as many as possible coconut trees on the site. I was one of them. My building was in an oblong shape with a narrow courtyard in the middle and coconut trees surrounding it.  Gamini Sarath peeped into my drawing board and shouted out loudly… “මේක හරියට භගමනිය වගෙයිනෙ” (He compared it to a female genital). I was very embarrassed. So I had to through it out and restart all over again.

The buildings that go this way and that way in order to save coconut trees were sarcastically called “coconut architecture” by student folks. However, I must say that some of the most stunning resort hotels that I have seen in Sri Lanka, Thailand and Indonesia are set in coconut groves. Coconut trees have become such an integral part of the architecture of these tropical countries. So why not brand them as coconut architecture of Asia.

                                                      Laguna, Bali, Indonesia (source: Google images)

                                               JW Marriott, Khao Lak, Thailand (Source: Google images)

                                                 Blue Water, Wadduwa, Sri Lanka (Source: Google images)

Coconut is also very omnipresent in our food. When foreigners distinguish Sri Lankan food from Indian food or any South Asian food for that matter, they say… ah!!! Sri Lankans put coconut into everything. That is bit of an exaggeration but partly correct. Coconut flesh, milk and oil have being using in our cuisine for centuries. However, when the lobbyists of other edible oils started linking coconut consumption to heart diseases some people started shying away from coconut. Our family also fell for those scaring tactics but we did not completely avoid coconut. I do not think any Sri Lankan can distance from coconut when the taste buds crave for a hot “Pol Sambal” (coconut sambal).    

Our younger daughter came back home few days ago for her vacation. My wife prepared Kiri Bath (Milk Rice) for breakfast because it is the food for happy and auspicious occasions. It was weekend and the morning was very chilly. I was curling inside my blanket for bit more sleep when the familiar coconutty aroma of Kiri Bath entered my nostrils. Who can resist that divine aroma? I was in the kitchen in minutes. I was delighted to see “imbul kiri bath”. It is a special version of kiri bath made in the shape of a rugger ball with treacle sweetened coconut in the center. So it has a double dose of coconut in it.   

After the hearty breakfast the question came from our daughter….What is today’s special for lunch. Few days ago, I promised to prepare Nasi Lemak for her. When I suggested Nasi Leamk as our weekend lunch special, my wife said;

“පොල් කිරි දාපු කෑම ජාති ඔය තරම් කන්ඩ හොඳද අනේ? දැන් උදේට ඉඹුල් කිරි බතුත් කෑව නේද ?”

(Is it good to eat food with so much of coconut milk? Didn’t we eat Milk Rice for breakfast?)

Anyway, with two votes in favor of Nasi Lemak and one vote against it, the motion carried. It was going to be Nasi Lemak for lunch.

I was first introduced to this flavorful dish by my Malaysian friend, Khor. I was staying in a hotel of coconut architecture paternity near the Penang beach. We met for breakfast before our site visit and Khor recommended me to try Nasi Lemak. Voilaaaa!!!....  I discovered my all-time favorite Malaysian dish.

                                         Parkroyal, Penang, Malaysia (Source: Google images)

Nasi Lemak is arguably the national dish of Malaysia. It is a composite dish but its hero is the mound of coconut flavored rice in the middle. Nasi Lemak is like a younger sister of Kiri bath. The main ingredients are same but Nasi Lemak does not use a generous amount of coconut milk like in our Kiri bath. Its flavor comes from a combination of light coconut milk, pandan leave and ginger. Therefore, when I say the younger sister is more healthy and aromatic than the elder sister, I hope my fellow Sri Lankans will not be offended. Recently our Prime Minister went to Northern Sri Lanka for Thaipongal festival and stated that Pongal Rice (rice mixed with green gram, cashew, raisins, juggery and cooked in coconut milk) is tastier than Kiri Bath. Some Sri Lankans in the south thought that our PM disgraced our celebrated dish.  

Here is the recipe to make Nasi Lemak.

Ingredients:

• 2 cups Rice (Jasmine/Basmati)
• 2 Pandan (Rampe) leave (warmed on fire and tied into a knot)
• 1 cup light coconut milk and 2 cups water
• 1” ginger julienned
• 6 shallots
• 4 garlics
• 6 dried chilies
• 2 tbsp oil
• Sugar and salt to taste
• Handful of sprats/anchovy deep fried until golden brown
• Handful of peanuts deep fried until golden brown
• 2 chicken drum sticks well-seasoned for 1 hour and deep fried until golden brown
• 1 egg hard boiled and halved
• 1 cucumber thinly sliced
• 2 tbsp tamarind paste

                                                               (Source: Google images)

Making rice:

• Wash rice and put into a pot/rice cooker. Add coconut milk, ginger and pandan leave and bit of salt. Add water to the required level.
• Once water is boiled, lower heat and simmer for 10-12 minutes until all water is absorbed (or let the rice cooker cook it).
• Loosen rice grains with a wooden ladle. Do not let rice to break or smash.
• Cover and keep warm.   

Making Sambal ikan bilis

• Grind shallots, garlic, dried chilies and half of deep fried sprats into a fine paste.
• Heat oil and fry the paste until it emanate aroma.
• Add tamarind paste pinch of sugar and salt and cook until oil separates.

Assembling the dish

• Lay a piece of coconut leaf on a shallow plate.
• Set a mound of rice in the middle of the coconut leaf.
• Arrange fried chicken, egg halves, deep fried sprats, peanuts, and sliced cucumber around the mound of rice.
• Serve with some sambal ikan bilis placed on top of rice.