Kiri Hodi

Ingredients

Base

• 1onion, thinly sliced
• 4garlic cloves, sliced
• 3green chillies, split
• 1 sprigcurry leaves
• 1 piecepandan leaf, about 5 cm
• 1 stickcinnamon
• 1 teaspoonground turmeric
• 1/2 teaspoonfenugreek seeds

Coconut milk

• 300 mlthin coconut milk, second extraction
• 200 mlthick coconut milk, first extraction

To finish

• 1 teaspoonsalt
• juice of half a lime
• 1 tablespoonMaldive fish flakes, optional

To serve

• hoppers or string hoppers
• roti or plain rice
• lunu miris, chilli and onion sambol

Directions

1. Let the tin settle and spoon off the thick top. Dilute the remaining liquid with water for the thin milk. Slice the onion as thinly as you can. Slice the garlic and split the chillies lengthways. Pull the curry leaves off the stalk.
2. Cut a short length of pandan leaf. Put the thin coconut milk in a pan. Add the onion, garlic, chillies and all the leaves. Add the cinnamon, turmeric and fenugreek.
3. Add the Maldive fish flakes if you are using them. Leave it out for a vegetarian gravy. Bring it to a simmer over a medium heat. Simmering it takes about ten minutes.
4. Let it bubble gently until the onion is soft. Stir it occasionally as it cooks. Adding the thick milk needs care. Turn the heat right down to low. Pour in the thick coconut milk. Stir it through the pan gently. Never let it boil after the thick milk goes in.
5. Keep it at a bare tremble for two minutes. Stir it constantly during that time. Take the pan right off the heat. Add the salt and stir it through.
6. Squeeze in the lime juice off the heat. Lime added to a hot pan can curdle the milk. Taste it and adjust the salt and lime. It should be mild, creamy and lightly sour.
7. Add a splash of water if it has thickened. Serving it is done hot at breakfast. Pour it over hoppers or string hoppers. Serve lunu miris alongside it. The mild gravy and the hot sambol balance each other. Make it fresh, since it takes only fifteen minutes.

Technique

• Maldive fish is dried, smoked and cured tuna, shaved into hard flakes, and is a distinctive Sri Lankan seasoning.
• It is sold in Sri Lankan shops and adds savoury depth rather than a fishy taste.

Substitutions

• Tinned coconut milk works when separated into thick and thin portions.
• The Maldive fish can be left out entirely for a vegetarian version.

Variations

• Some households poach an egg directly in the gravy.
• A version with potato cooked in it makes a fuller dish.
• Adding a few curry leaves fried in oil at the end gives more aroma.

Frequently asked questions

What is Kiri Hodi?

Kiri Hodi is a soup & stew from Sri Lanka: thin coconut-milk gravy with turmeric, curry leaf and lime, poured over hoppers.

How long does Kiri Hodi take to make?

Kiri Hodi takes 10 minutes of preparation and 15 minutes of cooking. The recipe makes serves 4. It is rated easy to make.

What can I substitute in Kiri Hodi?

Yes, within limits. Tinned coconut milk works when separated into thick and thin portions. The Maldive fish can be left out entirely for a vegetarian version.

What is the most important thing to get right in Kiri Hodi?

Let it bubble gently until the onion is soft. Stir it occasionally as it cooks. Adding the thick milk needs care. Turn the heat right down to low. Pour in the thick coconut milk. Stir it through the pan gently. Never let it boil after the thick milk goes in.