About this Dish
A Dutch Burgher legacy — rice cooked in stock with spices, served with a specific set of accompaniments (frikkadels, blachan, seeni sambol and curry), wrapped in a banana leaf parcel and baked. Lamprais means lomprijst in Dutch — a meal in a parcel. A relic of Dutch colonisation that became uniquely Sri Lankan.
IngredientsServes 2
🍚Basmati or samba rice, 2 cups
🍗Bone-in chicken pieces, 600g
🥩Minced beef or pork, 300g (for frikkadels)
🧅Red onions, 4 large (2 for seeni sambol, 1 for frikkadels, 1 for curry)
🌶️Dried red chillies, 8-10 whole
🫙Blachan (shrimp paste), 2 tablespoons
🥥Thick coconut milk, 400ml
🌿Pandan leaves, 4 leaves, plus lemongrass stalk, 1
🍋Tamarind paste, 2 tablespoons
🌴Banana leaves, 4 large pieces, softened over a flame
Method
1
Make the seeni sambol first as it keeps well: slowly caramelise 2 thinly sliced red onions in oil over low heat for 20 minutes, then add 4 dried chillies, 1 tablespoon blachan, 1 tablespoon tamarind paste, a pinch of sugar and salt. Cook until deeply jammy and dark, then set aside.2
For the frikkadels, mix minced beef with 1 finely diced onion, a beaten egg, breadcrumbs, a pinch of nutmeg, salt and pepper. Roll into small golf-ball-sized patties and shallow fry until golden brown on all sides, then set aside.3
Cook the chicken curry by frying 1 sliced onion with curry leaves, cinnamon, cardamom and 2 tablespoons of Sri Lankan curry powder until fragrant. Add the chicken pieces, brown them, then pour in the coconut milk and simmer gently for 25-30 minutes until the chicken is tender and the sauce is rich.4
Cook the stock rice by simmering the strained chicken curry stock (top up with water if needed) with pandan leaves, lemongrass, a cinnamon stick and cloves. Add the washed rice and cook until just done but still slightly firm — it will finish cooking in the parcel.5
Soften the banana leaves by passing them over a gas flame or dipping briefly in boiling water until they turn a brighter green and become pliable without splitting. Lay each piece flat and lightly brush with oil.6
Assemble each parcel by placing a generous mound of rice in the centre of a banana leaf, then arrange a piece of chicken curry, 2-3 frikkadels, a spoonful of seeni sambol and a small dollop of blachan alongside it. Fold the banana leaf into a tight, neat rectangular parcel and secure with a toothpick or tie with kitchen twine.7
Place the parcels in a baking tray and bake at 180°C (350°F) for 20-25 minutes until the banana leaf is fragrant and slightly charred at the edges. Serve immediately in the leaf — tearing it open at the table releases the most wonderful aroma.User Reviews
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