Kiribath
Encyclopedia
Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka, officially the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka is a country off the southern coast of the Indian subcontinent. Known until 1972 as Ceylon , Sri Lanka is an island surrounded by the Indian Ocean, the Gulf of Mannar and the Palk Strait, and lies in the vicinity of India and the...
n dish made from rice
Rice
Rice is the seed of the monocot plants Oryza sativa or Oryza glaberrima . As a cereal grain, it is the most important staple food for a large part of the world's human population, especially in East Asia, Southeast Asia, South Asia, the Middle East, and the West Indies...
. The word is a compound with a transparent meaning in the Sinhala language, where kiri (කිරි) means "milk" and bath (ඛත්) means "rice". The dish is prepared by cooking rice with coconut milk
Coconut milk
Coconut milk is the water that comes from the grated meat of a coconut. The colour and rich taste of the milk can be attributed to the high oil content. In many parts of the world, the term coconut milk is also used to refer to coconut water, the naturally occurring liquid found inside the hollow...
, whence this name. In Tamil
Tamil language
Tamil is a Dravidian language spoken predominantly by Tamil people of the Indian subcontinent. It has official status in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu and in the Indian union territory of Pondicherry. Tamil is also an official language of Sri Lanka and Singapore...
, the dish is called paacor. The origins of Kiribath are not clear although it has now become a traditional dish and is common in almost every household in Sri Lanka, be it rich or poor.
Kiribath is an essential dish for any auspicious moment
Horoscopic astrology
Horoscopic astrology is a form of astrology that uses a horoscope, a visual representation of the heavens, for a specific moment in time in order to interpret the inherent meaning underlying the alignment of the planets at that moment...
. It is very commonly served for breakfast
Breakfast
Breakfast is the first meal taken after rising from a night's sleep, most often eaten in the early morning before undertaking the day's work...
on the first day of each month and is a very important aspect for the Sinhalese in celebrating the Sinhalese New Year. Kiribath is cooked and served as the first meal after the dawn of the new year.
Preparation
- Rice
- Coconut milk
The recipe for Kiribath is fairly simple. After the rice is cooked in boiling water for about fifteen minutes, the coconut milk
Coconut milk
Coconut milk is the water that comes from the grated meat of a coconut. The colour and rich taste of the milk can be attributed to the high oil content. In many parts of the world, the term coconut milk is also used to refer to coconut water, the naturally occurring liquid found inside the hollow...
is added and cooked again until the liquid is absorbed. Salt is also added when cooking. However there are some variations to this where different ingredients are added, such as sesame seeds or cashew
Cashew
The cashew is a tree in the family Anacardiaceae. Its English name derives from the Portuguese name for the fruit of the cashew tree, caju, which in turn derives from the indigenous Tupi name, acajú. It is now widely grown in tropical climates for its cashew nuts and cashew apples.-Etymology:The...
.
Serving
Kiribath is usually served with Lunu mirisLunu miris
Lunumiris is purely made out of grinding dried chilli flacks with sea salt. Many people use this term loosely to the commonly known derivative of this so called Katta sambol...
, a mixture of red onions and spices. It is also consumed with jaggery
Jaggery
Jaggery is a traditional unrefined non-centrifugal whole cane sugar consumed in Asia, Africa, Latin America, and the Caribbean. It is a concentrated product of cane juice without separation of the molasses and crystals, and can vary from golden brown to dark brown in color...
and bananas. On the Sinhalese New Year or on any other special occasion, it is served alongside traditional sweets like 'Kevum', 'Kokis
Kokis
Kokis is a Sri Lankan dish made from rice flour and coconut milk. This is an important dish when celebrating Sinhala and Tamil New Year.-External links:*...
' and 'Athirasa'.
The common method of serving Kiribath is placing on a flat plate
Plate (dishware)
A plate is a broad, concave, but mainly flat vessel on which food can be served. A plate can also be used for ceremonial or decorative purposes.-Materials:...
and leveling the top and sides. Then it is cut into diamond shaped pieces. This has become almost the standard way of serving Kiribath, and it is almost impossible to find it being served in any other way.