{"id":4238,"date":"2018-02-28T09:00:59","date_gmt":"2018-02-28T16:00:59","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/villasentieri.com\/?post_type=recipe&p=4238"},"modified":"2026-09-02T10:58:46","modified_gmt":"2026-09-02T17:58:46","slug":"sri-lankan-zucchini-and-peppers","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/villasentieri.com\/index.php\/2018\/02\/28\/sri-lankan-zucchini-and-peppers\/","title":{"rendered":"Sri Lankan Zucchini and Peppers"},"content":{"rendered":"

February 28, 2018<\/span><\/p>\n

As a freshman in college who made tentative forays into non-Western European cuisines, I was transformed into a person who couldn\u2019t find a cuisine he wouldn\u2019t try, and didn\u2019t like, by the end of sophomore year.<\/p>\n

Junior year was really an intensive study in cooking.\u00a0 It\u2019s the year I became a respectable Sri Lankan, Indian, Chinese, and West Indian cook.\u00a0 There were many other cuisines that I dabbled in but those four formed the basis of what I cooked during the year.\u00a0 By then I considered myself a good Italian cook but my repertory and skill level have expanded significantly since then.<\/p>\n

Starting junior year, and for many years thereafter, Reggie and Nanacy Rajapakse taught me much of what I know of Sri Lankan food.\u00a0 Several cookbooks<\/a> by Charmaine Solomon, as well as the [Ceylon] Daily News Cookery Book<\/strong>, provided much additional guidance.\u00a0 Several trips to Sri Lanka with Nanacy, many years later, confirmed to me that I had captured the taste of Sri Lankan food.<\/p>\n

\"\"
In 2005, I accompanied Nanacy Rajapakse to her nephew’s wedding. The groom (with flower on his lapel) and his family approach the wedding venue.<\/strong><\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

I understand that Sri Lankan food may be a stretch for some of my readers but I really want to introduce you to it.\u00a0 As a starting point, I\u2019ve selected a vegetable dish that pairs really well with a wide range of cuisines, Zucchini and Peppers with Fennel Seed and Cinnamon.<\/p>\n

\n

Follow us on your social media platform of choice<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a> \u00a0 \u00a0\u00a0\"\"<\/a> \u00a0 \u00a0\u00a0\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

\n

I actually made this a few weeks ago at an otherwise all-Italian meal.\u00a0 It paired really well.\u00a0 The dinner guests, all of whom were Italian, didn\u2019t think for a moment that it wasn\u2019t Italian!<\/p>\n

\"\"
The wedding ceremony<\/span><\/strong><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

It\u2019s an example of a style of cooking vegetables in Sri Lanka called tempering.\u00a0 The vegetables are cut into relatively small pieces.\u00a0 Aromatics (onion, garlic, ginger, etc.), depending on the dish, are first saut\u00e9ed.\u00a0 The vegetables and seasonings are added and everything is cooked relatively quickly, 10 minutes or so depending on the vegetable.<\/p>\n

Most Sri Lankans are ethnically Sinhalese.\u00a0 The next largest group are Tamils, followed by individuals of Arab descent (called Moors locally).\u00a0 Typically, Sinhalese are Buddhist, Tamils are Hindu, and Moors are Muslim.\u00a0 There is a smattering of others ethnic groups and religions.<\/p>\n

\"\"
A reception for the newlyweds, several days after the wedding. Nanacy is on the right and her sister Thilaka is on the left<\/span><\/strong><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Hindus and Buddhists in South Asia, are nominally vegetarian.\u00a0 Muslims typically don\u2019t eat pork.\u00a0 This recipe, which is ethnically Sinhalese, includes bacon which 92% of the Island\u2019s population theoretically would typically refrain from eating.\u00a0 But they don\u2019t!<\/p>\n

\n

Click HERE<\/a> to join our mailing list and you\u2019ll never miss a recipe again!<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

\n

In fact, I found no shortage of meat (and meat-eaters) on my trips to Sri Lanka.\u00a0 Even the most ubiquitous of condiments, pol sambola, contains flakes of dried fish which would typically be avoided by both Buddhists and Hindus.\u00a0 Clearly there is some sort of \u201caccommodation\u201d that the Sri Lankans have made around the idea of being vegetarian because the local cuisine contains a lot of (very wonderful) meat and fish dishes.<\/p>\n

On the other hand, it\u2019s also an easy place to be vegetarian.\u00a0 One of my trips to Sri Lanka coincided with one of my periods of vegetarianism (which I ultimately gave up for cultural and health reasons).\u00a0 There was an array of vegetarian options available at every meal.<\/p>\n

\"\"
A view of the Indian Ocean not far from Thilaka’s house south of Colombo<\/strong><\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The most difficult time came when neighbors of Nanacy\u2019s sister Thilaka, with whom we were staying, invited me over for a lunch of \u201ccurry and rice\u201d which, although it sounds innocent enough, means you\u2019re in for a delightful meal and lots and lots of food.\u00a0 On the other hand \u201cshort eats\u201d refers to snack food.<\/p>\n

The neighbors had gone all out!\u00a0 There was a huge array of dishes, each more wonderful than the last.\u00a0 It truly was the best food I ate in Sri Lanka.\u00a0 I tried to just eat the vegetarian options but it was clear that my hosts were distraught, though they would never have said anything to me.<\/p>\n

\"\"
Thilaka tempering vegetables for dinner<\/span><\/strong><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

I decided that the appropriate response to their generosity was to eat everything.\u00a0 My hosts quickly became delighted (as did my taste buds)!\u00a0 Only years later did I come to understand that in Sri Lanka (and many Theravada Buddhist countries of South East Asia) Buddhist monks are obliged to accept all food offered to them, even meat, unless they suspect the animal was slaughtered specifically for them.<\/p>\n

Since I was most certainly not a monk, I\u2019m sure they couldn\u2019t understand why I was only eating the vegetarian dishes rather than everything that was offered to me.\u00a0 In the end, it was a happy accommodation for everyone involved.<\/p>\n

\n

If you have a favorite family recipe and a bit of a story to tell, please email me at santafecook@villasentieri.com<\/a> and we can discuss including it in the blog. I am expanding the scope of my blog to include traditional recipes from around the country and around the world. If you haven\u2019t seen Bertha\u2019s Flan<\/a> or Melinda\u2019s Drunken Prunes<\/a>, take a look.\u00a0 They will give you an idea of what I\u2019m looking for.<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

\n
<\/div>
\n
\n
\n
\"\"<\/div>\n <\/div>\n
\n
\n \n <\/div>\n

Sri Lankan Zucchini and Peppers<\/h2>\n
<\/div>\n \n
<\/div>\n
I learned to make this from Nanacy Rajapakse who is from Sri Lanka. Nanacy made it with bacon, and, while very good with bacon, it is also wonderful without. As a variation, cabbage, cut into \u00bd inch wide strips, can be substituted for the zucchini. Feel free to adjust the quantity of spices to your taste. Curry leaves can be difficult to obtain outside of large metropolitan areas with large South Asian or Southeast Asian populations. There is no substitute. If not available, just omit the curry leaves as I often do.<\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
\n Print Recipe<\/a>\n Pin Recipe<\/a>\n \n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n
\n
<\/div>\n
Prep Time <\/span>15 minutes<\/span><\/span> mins<\/span><\/span><\/div>
Cook Time <\/span>15 minutes<\/span><\/span> mins<\/span><\/span><\/div>
Total Time <\/span>30 minutes<\/span><\/span> mins<\/span><\/span><\/div><\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
Servings: <\/span>6<\/span> people<\/span><\/span><\/div><\/div><\/div>\n <\/div>\n<\/div>\n
\n
\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n<\/g>\n\n\n\n<\/clipPath>\n<\/defs>\n<\/svg>\n<\/span> Ingredients<\/a>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n<\/g>\n\n\n\n<\/clipPath>\n<\/defs>\n<\/svg>\n<\/span> Method<\/a>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n<\/svg>\n<\/span> Notes<\/a><\/div>\n
\n
\n

Ingredients
<\/div>