DBU Lamprais And Ginger Beer
Lamprais, Banana Leaf by gsz.
Lamprais is, for many Sri Lankans, a favorite dish. I know many expats who demand it soon after getting off the plane. I once had it while quite uncomfortably wasted and had a rather unpleasant association for years. Last week, however, I was heading past the Dutch Burgher Union and I thought I’d give it another try. That and a bottle of their homemade (non-alcoholic) ginger beer is really quite delicious.
What is lamprais? It has become a sort of oily rice with multiple meats served in a banana leaf. Traditionally, however, it is, well, I’ll let Lorraine Bartholomeusz explain, via the Sunday Times.
“Lamprais is a delicacy. It’s far too rich to be eaten in large quantities, though people think that unless you have a huge packet you’re getting short changed. Ideally, Lamprais is a breakfast cupful of small grain rice such as suduru samba that is boiled in stock and to which spices are added to make it flavorsome,” says Lorraine.
But that’s not all that goes into traditional Lamprais. To complete the serving of rice and make it a whole meal there’s a mix of three different types of meat. Back in Dutch times, the three meats consisted of beef, pork and lamb. Now however, lamb has been substituted with chicken. Also into the parcel will go two cutlets, brinjal pahè, seeni sambol and blachan.” (That Burgher delicacy wrapped up in banana leaf)
Lamprais is a Dutch/Burgher dish, so for me the place to go is the Dutch Burgher Union, or DBU. I’ve heard that Fab is OK, and there remain aunties who make packets to order. If you know any good places or contacts for home-makers let me know. I’ll say that the DBU lamprais, while expensive at Rs. 400-something, is quite good and not overly oily or filling. It has all the requisite ingredients, a delectable cutlet, and – with the exception of seeni sambol, which I don’t like – it’s all good. I must say that lamprais is one of the least appetizing looking meals (once you open the banana leaf), but it is pretty good.
As I got there a lady was unloading ginger beer from a trishaw. That costs Rs. 200 and I must say it’s a worthwhile addition. I don’t usually like ginger beer either (spicy drink, why?) but the DBU one is homemade, not carbonated, and more like a juice. It’s really quite excellent, and they give you a full arrack bottle’s worth. So anyways, that’s a classic but I think never old food recommendation. DBU lamprais and ginger beer.
The DBU, at Thumulla junction, is having a sort of festival this Sunday, July 1st. I only know because I saw the sign posted there, there’s not head or tail of the event online. I call it a food festival, but I spoke to a lady there and she said while the DBU itself will have a stall with Burgher delicacies, other people will be selling different things. It starts at 9h30 and she told me it’s better to come early cause the food runs out.
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I know that lamprais at DBU is an institution, but I feel like the quality has dropped. Could be a one off thing, but I think I can find something equivalent or better for cheaper – will keep you posted :)
Lamprais is delicious when it is made correctly. It really should be the signature dish for Sri Lanka like Nasi Lemak for Malaysia and Satay for Indonesia and Pad Thai for Thailand and Sushi for Japan because it has that X factor. It is a Burgher dish but it most certainly is not a Dutch dish. The components of the package are very Sri Lankan and like
“Sinhalese food” relatively gravy free. Just talking about it made me hungry now :)
Slurp!
It should be the signature dish of Colombo, a mix of cultures.
The dish of the south would be Red rice, tuna ambul thiyal and grated coconut.
Odiyal Kool for Jaffna?
Vegetarian fare for Kandy
omg ambul thiya….. lurrrrrve ambul thiyal….. although I think it must be an acquired taste especially for foreigners.
So far, the DBU lamprais is the best one you can get at in small quantities (as in one or two packets). There are various “aunties” making them to order, and some are a bit better than the DBU’s (which is also made by an “aunty”), but you have to order a sizable quantity. Fab, Green Cabin, etc, don’t sell real lampreis.
This is the best:
http://lankareviewed.blogspot.com/2008/03/green-lumps-of-goodness-lamprais-house.html
Also it is a Frikkadel, not a cutlet that needs to be in the lamprai. Mrs Warusuwithana is the only one who does that correctly.
http://flava8.wordpress.com/2011/02/28/lamprais-on-a-sunday/
Well, frikkadels are cutlets, but they’re South African, not Dutch. Cutlet is just the American word for it, derived from the German word kotelett, which is a cut of meat (a chop) that is often crumbed. The Dutch have something called bitterballen, which looks just like a frikkadel or cutlet: http://ankierenique.wordpress.com/2012/06/09/euro-2012-football-food-bitterballen/
I thought frikkadels (never know how to spell it) are a Burgher dish?
Well, many Burghers are of South African Boer descent.
thank you…
Anthony Bourdain visited the DBU in December 2008. There’s a hilarious segment with an auntie, Lorraine, giving instructions on Lampries to her long-suffering assistant, Hema.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2XIeAzUyFUY
Yeah, she supplies the DBU with lampreis, and you can buy it from her direct too.
Does she do vegetarian lamprais?
vegetarian lamprais??? what is that??
There is no such thing as “vegetarian lamprais” ok.
Lumprias ia a pure meat dish. It’s all about the meat. Without the beef, pork and chicken lumprias is nothing. I think vegetarians should not try to get every meat dish vegetarian, like Vegetable buriyani, vegetable burgers, vegetable hotdogs (???), vegetable this and that.
Making a vegetarian version of a meat dish only diminishes it’s value. What can’t you vegetarians eat vegetables and be satisfied without trying to make a vegetable version of every meat dish???
It’s not possible to make a vegetarian lampreis since the rice is cooked in meat stock. I have seen vege and fish lampreis on sale, but these aren’t lampreis and don’t taste like it.
i ve seen vegetable lamprais at Fab but have never tasted it.
In the interest of disclosure, I am Siromi Waursavitharana’s son (so I do have vested interest, and please do take note of that!).
27/5 Pedris Road, Colombo 3
2573 908
available as frozen or fresh – just call to find out. If you are looking for fresh lamprais, safer to call the previous day.
Mixed meat
Mixed meat (Pork, Mutton, Chicken)
suduro samaba rice (made with chicken/mutton/pork stock)
brinjal pahi
seenisambol
two frikeadels (chicken)
prawan blachan
Chicken
shreded chicken
suduro samaba rice (made with chicken stock – separate utensils used, not mixed with pork what-so-ever)
brinjal pahi
seenisambol
two frikeadels (chicken)
prawan blachan
Some customers request for chicken lamprais without fish. With adequate notice, my mother substitutes the seenisambol with the vegetarian seenisambol, and does away with the prawn blachan.
vegetarian
Soya curry
suduro samaba rice (no stock added, vegetable soup cubes used)
brinjal pahi
seenisambol (NO maldive fish added)
two cutlets (vegetarian)
a roasted coconut sambol (NOT polsambol)
that’s all I’ve go to say…
All the three options sound tasty.
Don’t dig this lump-praise. I opened the packet, overwhelming spicy smell (may be it was banana leaf smell) cut me off. But gladly drank a shit load of Ginger Beer (At DBU)
I found all these comments are more tastier!
DBU one is the best I have tried in recent times. I guess Lamprais is not an easy thing to make and many don’t get it right.
Vegetarian lamprais?? Now that’s new to me :)