Comments on: Vatakka: A Squash Curry from Sri Lanka

By: Kathryn McGowan

Kathryn McGowan — Wed, 17 Mar 2010 12:37:02 +0000

Of course! I hadn’t thought about the fact that we normally see peppers in the farmers’ market here in the summer. I was wondering why the Jalapenos were so drab tasting. I’ll just have to make this again with good chiles.

Nice to see you here Michael.

By: Michael

Michael — Wed, 17 Mar 2010 04:48:53 +0000

Jalapenos are crap this time of year–in New York, at least.

Lent will pass and summer will come, and we’ll have decent peppers again. Including jalapenos.

By: Kathryn McGowan

Kathryn McGowan — Mon, 15 Mar 2010 14:53:26 +0000

Hi Wendy, Those Sri Lankan places in Minnesota sound wonderful. I wonder if the “set your own price” idea was part of a Buddhist practice for them or something?

I got a tweet today from a Sri Lankan person who also suggested green Thai chiles. I’ve seen lots of red bird chiles available fresh in NY but not green. I’m sure I just have to look in the right place for them.

By: Wendy Tien

Wendy Tien — Mon, 15 Mar 2010 14:48:11 +0000

I love Sri Lankan food – there were two Sri Lankan places in Minneapolis/St Paul when I lived there and I used to hit them up from time to time. The Sri Lankan Curry House had an odd policy of allowing you to set the price of your meal (I can’t remember if this was always or just certain nights) – their curries could be blisteringly hot. Then there was Curry Leaf Deli, which featured a broader range of dishes and not just the Americanish meat curries. Sadly, I think both have closed.

Flash fried curry leaves are one of my favorite garnishes, especially alongside a dish with a little sweetness. Regarding the choice of peppers, if you can find those tiny green bird chiles (common in Thai cooking), you might try those. Otherwise, green cayenne or a long, thin Thai pepper work well. The Thai peppers are about 4-5 inches long, and their shiny bright green skins cover a slightly bumpy or ridged pepper.