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Kohila curry
කොහිල කරිය (kohila curry): lasia root sliced, boiled and simmered in spiced coconut milk
Kohila (lasia root) grows in the marshy paddy edges of Sri Lanka's south and west, and kohila curry is a traditional village dish, eaten at home and served at New Year and almsgiving lunches. The thorny stems and roots are peeled, sliced into crunchy rounds and boiled in tamarind water to take away their itchy bite, then simmered with roasted curry powder, mustard and coconut milk until tender but still slightly crisp. Serve with red rice and a green mallung. The usual mistake is skipping the boil, which leaves an itch in the throat. If you can't find fresh kohila, use frozen sliced kohila from Sri Lankan grocers. Chef's tip: wear gloves to peel kohila and drop the slices straight into water so they don't darken.
- Total time
- 50 min
- Difficulty
- medium
- Serves
- 4
Ingredients
- 14 oz kohila (lasia) root and stemspeeled and sliced into thin rounds
- 1 tbsp tamarind pulp
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 tbsp coconut oil
- 1 red onionsliced
- 3 cloves garlicchopped
- 2 green chilliesslit
- 1 sprig curry leaves
- ½ tsp chilli powder
- ¼ tsp ground turmeric
- 1 tsp mustard seedsground to a paste with a little water
- 1 ¼ cups coconut milk
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Method
0/5 doneStep 1: Put 14 oz kohila (lasia) root and stems in a pot with water to cover, 1 tbsp tamarind pulp and half the ½ tsp salt. Boil for 15 minutes until the slices are tender but still crunchy. Drain, rinse, and wipe out the pot.
15 minStep 2: Heat 1 tbsp coconut oil in the pot over a medium heat. Fry 1 red onion, 3 cloves garlic, 2 green chillies and 1 sprig curry leaves for 4 minutes until golden.
4 minStep 3: Stir in 2 tsp Sri Lankan roasted curry powder, ½ tsp chilli powder and ¼ tsp ground turmeric for 30 seconds, then add the kohila, 1 ¼ cups coconut milk and the rest of the ½ tsp salt.
2 minStep 4: Simmer uncovered for 8–10 minutes until the gravy thickens and the kohila has turned soft-crunchy, like water chestnut.
10 minStep 5: Stir in 1 tsp mustard seeds, heat for 1 minute without boiling hard, and serve with rice.
1 min
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 190 kcal
- Protein
- 3 g
- Carbs
- 14 g
- Fat
- 15 g
- Fibre
- 6 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does kohila curry take?
- About 50 minutes in total: 20 minutes to prepare and 30 minutes to cook.
- How many people does it serve?
- 4 as written. Change the servings above the ingredients and every amount scales to match.
- Is it vegan?
- Yes. It has no meat, fish, dairy or eggs.
- Is it gluten free?
- Yes, as written. Check the labels on stock, sauces and spice mixes, which sometimes contain gluten.
- What can I use instead of red onion?
- White onion or shallots, same amount (soak raw onion in cold water for 10 minutes to soften it).
- What can I use instead of garlic?
- ½ tsp garlic paste or ⅛ tsp garlic powder per clove.
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