Native Sri Lankan spices pastes

Modern day we used spices powder to our curry but native way is frieshly grindered  spices paste.In every traditional kitchen before stat cooking they made turmeric paste, chili paste, goraka paste, thuna paha (native spices blend) 

This is better than powdered spices because when making powder it will burn and aroma going away. And it getting old aroma is killing slowly. And its chemical reactions in curry are very slow and not giving good thick texture to curry. 

But when freshly grinding we adding little water then spices agen hydrate and become fresh and when grinding it will not be hot then spices not be burn. And it’s giving fresh aroma and gives nice texture to curry’s. 

This stone grinding technique is very old to Sri Lanka. Archaeologists find it in uda ranchamada house  site and its carbon date Back 1000 bce. And they fine 6000 years old grinding stone similar to modern day one in weli Oya , haldummulla cave. And we can see big ambarum gala (grinding stone similar but big)in Anuradhapura mahavihara site and abayagiriya site – both used for budhit monks – dana salawa (it’s like huge buffet- world fish buffet- for preparing food for more than 5000 monks for lunch service. 

We find this cocking equipment from in all around the island caves from Stone Age to until modern day kitchen its shape did not changed. This is one of evidence to prove our ancestors build there cuisine 3000 years ago and it’s not changed. 

• To make this paste – dried turmeric grind with little water 
• For goraka paste- shock goraka in water 20 minutes then remove water and grind 
• For chili paste- first gently roast chili and curry leaves in pan then grind with some water 

Tuna paha – roast cumin , fenal , coriander, cinnamon, cardamom, curry leaves, pandan leaves for this one , cumin, fenal, coriander is main and other spices depending on recipe. It has lot of variation in all around the island. But this blend unique to Sri Lanka. When we go to Jaffna they have similar one name called Jaffna curry paste for this thay add chili powder and garlic, if you go to highland like Kandy they add nutmeg. 

For – kalu pol – roast crushed coconut untill brown and toast red rice in pan then grind until smooth paste with some water. This is native thick ing agent in Sri Lankan cuisine. This thicking agent is more advanced than other thiking agents- it has unique aroma and flavours its it has lot of nutrients.