Plantain browns a lot faster than the eggplant and potatoes, I assume because of the higher sugar content.
I Live to Serve
If I’m remembering right, the French say you should always sprinkle a little salt over things you’ve just fried. Like potatoes.
I live to serve.
Here Come the Plantains
I think I’d like them a little riper, ideally, for this dish, but this is what they had in the store, so that’s fine. Since this is for a party Sunday, I couldn’t exactly wait for them to ripen (which can take weeks). They’re still tasty.
You Can Still See Some of the Cool Stripes After Frying…
Fry Fry Fry the Eggplant
(I didn’t have quite enough oil to really deep-fry, but as long as you don’t crowd the pan and stir occasionally, you’re fine…)
Cut up the Pretty Stripey Eggplant, Soak Them in Turmeric & Salt & Water…
Striped
Devilled Eggs
This is called devilled eggs in my cookbook, which always confuses people, because Americans mean something very different by devilled eggs. But I swear, that’s what we call them in Sri Lanka.
It’s really devilled onions with eggs — you hard-boil the eggs, and then slice them in half and top them with devilled onions. (I didn’t slice these yet, because they’re for a party on Sunday and I’m cooking in advance; I’ll do that step just before the party to maintain egg freshness.)
You can use devilled onions for whatever you like — even use oil instead of ghee and then they’re vegan. They’d be great on a sandwich with grilled mushrooms or eggplant, for example. And if you’re not vegan, then consider grilled chicken or pork. Yum!
The basic process is to:
– slice onions
– heat oil
– add mustard seeds and heat until they start popping (now you have mustard oil)
– add cumin seeds
– add onions — you can stand over them and stir on medium heat, but these days, I often put it on low and just come back and stir once in a while (which also makes it nicely compatible with playing a board game with Jed, who likes to think over his moves a little more than I do)
– once the onions are golden-translucent, add cayenne and salt, stir a few minutes on medium-high until the cayenne has cooked a little, then add ketchup (or if you are snooty, add chopped tomatoes, vinegar, salt, and sugar)
– that’s basically it — this is one of the first things I learned to cook in college, and I made it just like that — but if you want to fancy it up a bit, you can add a little lime juice, jaggery, and some curry leaves for added complexity
Actual recipe in Feast, of course. 
Vegans, would it be helpful to have the devilled onion recipe in Vegan Serendib? I hadn’t planned on it, but it’s easy enough to add…
Vegan Serendib Kickstarter running here (stretch goal: a cocktail party recipe book!) — https://www.kickstarter.com/…/vegan-serendib-a-sri…
Kaliya Curry (Eggplant, Plantain, and Potato)
A traditional Sri Lankan curry from our Muslim community, featuring fried eggplant, plantain, and potato, simmered in a rich coconut milk curry.
1 large eggplant, cubed
2 plantains, cut into similar sized pieces
5-7 small potatoes, cubed
1 t. turmeric, 2 pinches of salt, dissolved into 2-3 c. water, divided into two bowls
vegetable oil for deep frying
1 large onion, sliced thin
1/2 c. vegetable oil
1 T ginger, minced
3 garlic cloves, minced
3 cloves
3 cardamom pods
1 cinnamon stick, broken into pieces
1 stalk curry leaves (about a dozen)
1 inch pandan leaf (optional)
1 T Sri Lankan roasted curry powder
1 t. cayenne (optional)
1 T jaggery or dark brown sugar
1 t. tamarind paste
1 t. salt
1/2 c. + 1 1/2 c. coconut milk
2-3 c. water (enough to cover)
1. To prevent discoloration and add a little flavor, once you cube eggplant and plantains, submerge them (separately) in bowls of water, each seasoned with 1/2 t. turmeric and pinch of salt.
2. Heat oil for deep frying in a large, deep pan. Drain eggplant (water will make it splatter when it hits the oil, and can be dangerous). When the oil is hot, working in small batches, fry eggplant until lightly browned, then remove to a plate lined with paper towel. Repeat process with plantains and potatoes.
3. In a large pot, heat 1/2 c. oil (you can use the frying oil), then add sliced onion and sauté, stirring, until golden-translucent.
4. Add ginger, garlic, cloves, cardamom pods, cinnamon stick, curry leaves, pandan leaf (if using), curry powder, cayenne, jaggery, tamarind paste, salt, and 1/2 c. coconut milk.
5. Gently stir in fried ingredients; add enough water to cover, bring to a boil, cover, and turn down to a simmer. Simmer 10 minutes; vegetables should be cooked through.
6. Remove lid, add remaining coconut milk, stir very gently to combine, taste and adjust seasonings; you may want more salt or a little more tamarind. Simmer 5-10 more minutes, to a thick, rich gravy. Serve hot (or room temperature) with rice; dal is a nice accompaniment to add protein and make a complete meal.
Tandoori Chicken
We frequently get a whole tandoori chicken from local restaurant Khyber Pass, but day-after takeout tandoori chicken can be a little dry. Usually I like it fine on sandwiches with a little mayo and some chopped green chili, but sometimes I get motivated to do a little more:
– sauté the onions that came with them in butter
– make a roux (add flour and brown, add milk to make sauce, add salt to taste)
– add shredded chicken
– add cooked pasta
Several more meals for the family…
