How to make one LAist reporter’s favorite ‘rice puller’

For Sri Lankans, rice is a separate food group. We have kiribath, or coconut milk rice, for breakfast and stringhopper biriyani, or pressed noodle cakes made with rice flour tossed with meat and veggies, as a favorite for dinner. Lamprais — from the Dutch word lomprijst, meaning parcel — is a true labor of love. Rice and meat are cooked in stock and spices and wrapped in a banana leaf before being baked.

But nothing is more beloved than rice and curry in the island nation. Rice is served with seasonal produce cooked in different ways, sometimes with meat or fish, always with a “rice puller.” We call side dishes “rice puller” because those dishes elevate the simple grain, making you want to eat more.

“Gamey,” pronounced ga-may, style rice and curry reporter Yusra Farzan enjoyed on her last trip to Sri Lanka. The meal was served in a traditional clay pot.

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Yusra Farzan

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LAist

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The different variations of rice and curry

On special occasions like Eid ul Fitr, or the Muslim festival after the holy month of Ramadan, my mother would make a special rice and curry menu called “kaliya virunda” as an ode to her hometown Galle. Our table would be groaning under the weight of clay pots holding aubergine and ash plantain cooked in coconut milk, cumin and jaggery, a sweet, spicy and sour mango curry, green peas and cashew simmered in peppery coconut milk curry, beef falling apart in a rich tomato gravy, banana peppers and onions tossed with chili, salted lime and dried fish, oxtail soup and roasted chicken — all eaten over a bed of rice cooked with ghee, cardamom and cinnamon.

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But it doesn’t have to always be so elaborate.

Rice and curry is how I introduced my 6-year-old to one part of her Sri Lankan heritage. We do “Sri Lankan Sundays” when I make rice, fish or meat with different vegetables.

Sri Lankan Sundays — on Sundays, reporter Yusra Farzan makes traditional Sri Lankan rice and curry as a way to introduce her 6-year-old daughter to her culture.

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Yusra Farzan

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LAist

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And my go-to “rice puller” is pineapple chutney, cooking down canned pineapple with spices and jaggery for a sweet, spicy treat.

My colleague Makenna and I recently experimented using the chutney as a base for a pineapple upside down cake. I have also used it to top burgers.

But honestly, the best way to eat is with some plain boiled rice. When you keep reaching for more of the delicious chutney, you’ll understand why we call it a “rice puller.”

How to make Yusra’s Pineapple Chutney:

How to make pineapple chutney

Ingredients:

• 1 tsp mustard seeds
• 1 spring curry leaves
• 1 cinnamon stick
• 5 cardamom pods
• 1 can of diced pineapple in juice
• 1/2 cup Sri Lankan jaggery or brown sugar
• 1 1/2 tsp Kashmiri chili powder
• 1 tsp turmeric
• 1 tsp chili flakes
• 1 tbsp neutral oil like avocado oil

On a plate, first slightly crush five cardamom pods. Then, break a cinnamon stick in two. Add a tablespoon of mustard seeds and pluck some spring curry leaves. Crush them in a bowl.

Cut up the jaggery into slivers (you can substitute with brown sugar).

Strain the pineapple juice into a cup and place the diced pineapple into a bowl, adding 1 1/2 tablespoons of Kashmiri chili powder (or more for heat) to the bowl, 1 tablespoon of turmeric and 1 tablespoon chili flakes.

Heat a heavy bottom pan over medium heat, pour in 1 tablespoon of avocado oil. Add the crushed mustard seeds, curry leaves, cinnamon and cardamom.

When it smells divine, add the bowl of pineapple and its juice to the pot. And finally, drop in the jaggery/brown sugar.

Simmer on low heat until you’re left with a thick, syrupy sauce. It’s now ready to eat with rice.

Watch the video of our cooking journey below!