Sri Lankan Lampris
I have been thriving to make this delicacy for a long time. It is none other than Sri Lankan Lampris. It is a Sri Lankan Dutch Burger delicacy that is popular among Sri Lankans. I still remember the very 1st Lampris I had had when I was a small girl. Nevertheless, it keeps the Dutch Burger legacy still alive. Also, I have heard some call it Lansi Food. Lampris Is the It consists of several side dishes wrapped and baked in banana leaves. The modest parcel of food wrapped in a banana leaf, freshly baked in a warm oven for a few minutes until the mildly woody smell of the banana leaf mingled with the unmistakable aroma of meat and rice. My father always says, 1st you have to eat it with your eyes, but in this case, the smell of the Lampris will give you the 1st temptation to dig it.
The name "Lampris" is derived from the Dutch word "Lomprijst" which translates into food parcel. It is also known as Lamprice, Lamprise, and Lampreys.
It's pretty hard to find real Lampris due to many variations of Lampris nowadays. The original Lampris is a pack of rice baked in the oven with few unique side dishes. Most of the modern version is similar to the Sri Lankan Bath mula. In short, nothing exists as Chicken, Mutton, or Fish Lampris. Those variants have been recreated to cater to vegetarians and non-beef/pork-eating clientele.
The best Lampris I had in Sri Lanka was at "Dutch Burger Union" & "Green Cabin." The reason is authenticity when it comes to the flavors and the presentation. I had an opportunity to make a conversation with a real Dutch Burger lady a few weeks ago. According to her, this delicacy does not include the deep-fried egg. She has been following her great grandmothers' original recipe for years. I felt a bit ashamed and guilty about my conception of Lampris. As always, I believe, "Lesson learned."
Let's dig into the recipe. However, the original recipe includes the main dish made with a mixture of meats (which is known as Lampara Curry made with beef, pork, mutton, chicken, chicken liver, bladder, and chicken heart). Not the standard size chuck pieces; indeed, cube size pieces to assemble as one meat. Mix meat takes hours to finish until it gets a thick gravy. That has all sorts of spices, aroma, and the nutritious well bound together.
Making Lampris is most definitely not an easy task. It needs lots of patients, and it requires hours to prepare. Not for its complexity, but many of the components need to be prepared ahead to make things a bit easier. I usually plan and make a few of the side dishes ahead of time. It helps the flavors mingle and intensify.
Lampara curry is the spotlight of the whole meal; it also contains few other side dishes. My version of Lampris includes tempered rice (obviously none other than Gee Rice made with meat broth). Instead of Lampara curry, I made the single pork curry and liver dish separately. The reason has been I'm not a fan of mutton. Other than that, there are few other dishes such as Wambatu Moju (None other than Brinjals Pickle 🤩), Fried Ash Plantains, Seeni Sambol (Caramelized onions), Deep-fried boiled egg (unfortunately it's not the traditional way), frikkadel meatballs, and Prawn Blachan. It's a dry paste made from dried prawns and spices. Its spiciness and saltiness give the flavors to kick the whole meal. Since there wasn't minced meat to make frikkadels, I added few beef cutlets already were in my refrigerator. (It's always good when you have those craving food in the freezer 😉) Furthermore, I forgot to add the Prawn Blachan; therefore, it's missing from the pictures.
Finally, I certainly had to dig into some of the histories to have a better image to make an actual "Sri Lankan Lampris". I hope I have done justice to the original recipe.
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