Kiribath

SriLankan cuisine mainly consists of boiled / steamed rice served with curry. A popular rice dish in every SriLankan household is Kiribath. Kiribath (milk rice), is a traditional Sri Lankan dish prepared by cooking rice with coconut milk. In the Sinhala language, kiri means "milk" and bath means "rice".

More on Kiribath: Kiribath is an essential dish for any auspicious moment. It is very commonly served for breakfast on the first day of each month and is a very important aspect for the Sinhalese in celebrating the Sinhala and Tamil New Year. Kiribath is cooked and served as the first meal after the dawn of the new year.

The recipe for Kiribath is very simple. After the rice is cooked in boiling water for about 10-15 mins, the coconut milk is added and cooked again until the liquid is absorbed. Often other ingredients like sesame seeds / cashew are added. Kiribath is usually served with Lunumiris (a mixture of red onions and spices). It is also consumed with jaggery and bananas. On the Sinhala and Tamil New Year or other special occasions, it is served alongside traditional sweets like 'Kevum', 'Kokis' and 'Athirasa'.
The common & standard method of serving Kiribath is placing it on a flat plate and leveling the top and sides. Then it is cut into diamond shaped pieces (Source: Wikipedia)

Ingredients:

• 2 cups short grain white rice
• 3 cups water
• 2-1/2 cups coconut milk
• 2 tsp salt (to taste)
• 1" stick cinnamon

Procedure:

1. Soak and wash rice. Put rice and water into a pan / handi and bring to the boil. When the water starts to boil, reduce flame, cover and cook over medium heat for 15 minutes.
2. Add coconut milk, salt and cinnamon, stir well with a wooden ladle.
3. Cover pan and simmer on low heat for further 10-15 minutes, when all the coconut milk should be absorbed.
4. Remove cinnamon, slightly cool the rice and transfer to a flat plate.
5. Mark off in diamond shapes (with a knife / wooden ladle) and serve with coconut sambol (I'll state the recipe in the next post).

Sending this traditional SriLankan rice recipe to AWED-Srilanka guest hosted by Siri of Siri's Corner, event started by DK...