Kitchen Recipe Collection
Sri Lankan Lamprais
A legendary Dutch Burgher-influenced Sri Lankan feast — rice cooked in stock, bundled with multiple curries, sambol, and a fried brinjal inside a banana leaf parcel and steamed until perfectly melded together.
- Prep
- 60 min
- Cook
- 60 min
- Total
- 120 min
- Servings
- 4
- Difficulty
- hard
- Cuisine
- sri lankan
Ingredients
Scaled for 4 servings
- raw rice
- beef or chicken stock
- chicken curry
- beef curry
- dhal curry
- eggplant frikkadels (meatballs)
- blachan sambol
- fried eggplant
- banana leaf
Equipment
- Large pot
- Banana leaves
- Kitchen string
- Oven
Instructions
- 1
Cook Stock Rice
Wash rice and cook it in richly flavored beef or chicken stock instead of plain water until just cooked — it should remain slightly firm. Allow to cool.
- 2
Prepare All Accompaniments
Prepare a small chicken curry, a small beef smoore (spiced braised beef), a dhal curry, eggplant frikkadels (spiced meat and eggplant balls), a blachan sambol, and a portion of fried eggplant.
- 3
Prepare Banana Leaves
Wilt banana leaves by passing briefly over an open flame until they turn slightly darker and become pliable. This prevents tearing.
- 4
Assemble the Parcel
Place a generous serving of stock rice in the center of the banana leaf. Arrange a small portion of each curry, the blachan sambol, and a piece of fried eggplant alongside the rice.
- 5
Wrap
Fold the banana leaf tightly into a parcel and secure firmly with kitchen string.
- 6
Steam or Bake
Place the parcels in a steamer or in the oven at 180°C for 20–25 minutes. The enclosed steam inside the parcel allows all the flavors to meld together beautifully. Serve in the leaf.
Cooking Tips
- Lamprais is a labor of love — each component must be individually cooked to perfection before assembly.
- Wilting the banana leaves is essential. An unwilted leaf will crack and tear when folded.
- Blachan sambol (fermented shrimp paste sambol) is the most traditional accompaniment and gives lamprais its signature depth.
Variations
- Vegetarian Lamprais: Replace meat curries with jackfruit curry and a mushroom curry.
- Simplified Lamprais: Use just one curry and dhal instead of all four accompaniments.
Chef's Notes & Storage
- Lamprais originates from the Dutch Burgher community of Sri Lanka — the name comes from the Dutch 'lomprijst' meaning 'a lump of rice'.
- Storage: Lamprais parcels keep refrigerated for 2 days. Reheat by steaming for 15 minutes.
Nutrition Estimate
630 calories · 28g protein · 74g carbs · 27g fat · 6g fiber per serving
