A bitter-sweet tale

Chitraratne Kaluaarchchi, Hindogama Group Correspondent

It is all women's venture. True, it titillates one's taste buds as it is centered on food but it also tells one that women in the dry zone- the far ends of the North Central Province are masters in their own way to overcome the bitter circumstances of life through a tasteful experience.

All these women are innovative. It helped them think on new lines and capture many customers who love and relish the local food.

The training provided by the Industrial Development Board in the North Central Province and the Agriculture Department shaped their culinary skills while guiding them to stir new grounds in the field through new thinking.

They add a dash of spice to the knowledge that they received from training and thus broke new grounds in cooking with a local twist.

M.B.S. Indumati in Halmillewa always tries her hands on local foods and sweetmeats.

What is special about her culinary expertise is she always tries to reap the maximum benefit of the local ingredients available in the area.

For instance, the kurakkan which is abundant in the dry zone is essentially in her dishes. Kurakkan hoppers, a proud accomplishment of Indumati is highly popular.

Indumati's new variety of crispy hoppers is savoured by many because of its taste and the high nutritional value. She earns a decent income by making kurakkan hoppers, string hoppers, pittu, sweetmeats and kola kenda to support her family with two daughters.

"I start the work early morning around 2.a.m. I make hoppers, string hoppers, pittu and kola kenda everyday. There is a good demand for these food items. My daughters also help me in preparing these foods," Indumati said.

Indumati,36, is a courageous woman in the North Central Province who takes great strides to keep her family away from woes. Her husband left the responsibility of two grown up daughters on her shoulders when he died in an accident while returning from his paddy mill a couple of years ago. She became the sole breadwinner of the family by engaging in making foods for sale and sewing cushion covers.

The local food production move of the Industrial Development Board, North Central Province brought a beacon of hope to Indumati who was then savouring life's bitter experience.

"They taught me to prepare Sri Lankan food with more local tinge. We use local ingredients in our food and some are totally localized," she remarked adding that she is capable of making ornaments using discarded material. She earned a Rs.8,000 nett profit in three days at the Agriculture Fair, in Mahailuppallama, recently with her highly delightful Kurakkan hoppers. " It sold like hot cakes!,"she said.

Indumati is not the only woman who tries to change her destiny on sweet lines. Jayanthi Ekanayaka of Maradankadawala in Anuradhapura is another such woman who braves the odds on a delightful venture.

Jayanthi, 49, supports her family with her husband and two children, by preparing food items and sweetmeats with palm fruit. Her specialty is making kevum, jam, cake and chocolate using the extract of palm fruit. Her sweetmeats are very popular in the locality and those delicacies adorn the tables on all occasions

She received training from the Industrial Development Board in Anuradhapura, the National Crafts Council and the Textile Industries Department. "I aways use around 80 percent local ingredients in my food," Jayanthi remarked.

Dilhani Perera, 36, of Maradankadawala in Anuradhapura also benefited from the local foods and local ingredients. Her innovativeness won her much fame and praise with her vegetarian culinary delights.

Dilhani's unique green gram meat curry raised many eyebrows at an exhibition at the BMICH as it was an excellent substitute for meat especially for vegetarians. She mainly focuses on vegetarians when making food as it is becoming a popular concept in the city as well as in village.

She is extremely conscious in adding more local ingredients in her food items to improve the taste and the nutritional value. Sesame and kurakkan kokis and vade are also popular food items cooked by Dilhani.

The income earned by selling these foods helps Dilhani feed her family with three children. Her husband D.M. Wimal Priyantha Dissanayake who was attached to the Army lost a limb in an anti-personnel bomb while he was in action in Pulmudai. Following that unfortunate incident Dilhani decided to earn the lion share of the income by improving her skills in cooking.

She received the training at the Industrial Development Board to become an expert and later with her own ideas and taste she brought about a new line of cooking.

She also rears cows to make curd at home. Her skills do not end there, she also makes traditional sweetmeats like aluva and welithalapa with corn flour.

A welfare program launched by the Ranaviru Seva Authority donated her husband a three wheeler to ease their financial difficulties.

Dilhani with her determination and hope working towards a better future for her family by overcoming all difficulties and hard times.

Kurakkan hoppers

Ingredients

Kurakkan flour 500g
(for 25 hoppers)
Rice flour 200g
Milk of a coconut
One egg
Salt to taste

Method

Mix the kurakkan and rice flour using a bit of the water of coconut, add salt and leave aside for about two hours. Mix the coconut milk with the flour mixture. Cook the hoppers in a hopper pan.

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Kurakkan and sesame kokis
Ingredients
Kurakkan flour 1 cup
Eggs 1
Coconut milk 1 cup
Roasted sesame
1/4 cup
Salt to taste
Sugar 1tsp
Oil for frying

Method

Add the egg, sugar and salt to the flour and mix well. Add the coconut milk and the sesame and mix through. Fry the mixture using a kokis mould.

Green gram meat fry

Ingredients

Green gram 250g
Garlic 4 cloves
Cinnamon flakes,
cardamom,clove
Red onions
Ginger
Curry leaves
Chili powder 2 tsp
Curry powder
(roasted)
1 1/2 tsp
Pepper powder 2tsp
Turmeric
Oil for frying

Method

Soak the green gram overnight. Wash the green gram, mix a little bit of salt and grind along with other ingredients. Spread the paste on a banana leaf or flat surface. Cut into small pieces and deep fry. To make a steak, cook the fried green gram pieces along with big onion, tomato rings and capsicum. If you prefer gravy, cook the green gram pieces in coconut milk and spices like a meat curry.