Sri Lanka boasts of a rich culinary tradition and innumerable is the diversity of dishes which are found in this small island. There are scores of endemic dishes which have been invented by the people of this island nation which, deplorably have not come to light due to paucity of interest in conducting research into Sri Lankan culinary tradition.
The ‘Dakune Del Batha’ is such an unrevealed dish which is, as the name suggests, endemic to the southern province of Sri Lanka. Although ‘Dakune Del Batha’ is a dish originated in the southern province, the majority of the members of the younger generation living in the Province are not aware of this special breadfruit rice, let alone the people living in other provinces.
The writer stumbled upon this special and uncommon breadfruit rice dish during a visit to a remote village in southern province named Gintota in Galle District. The objective of the visit was to ferret out endemic Sri Lankan dishes which have not been made known to the public.
The team of researchers informed a group of villagers in Gintota about the objective of the research and of the date and the time of the visit. It was surprising to find that a group of elderly village women had got together and prepared ‘Dakune Del Bath’ for the team to give us practical experience and knowledge about the signature dishes of Southern Province. It was, however, the season of breadfruit and the vegetable was available in abundance.
The dish is prepared in a similar manner to South Indian Biriyani, yet has significant differences. This can be regarded as a whole meal which can be prepared in one pot.
Sri Lankans are accustomed to preparing a curry or two to be eaten with rice which needs time and a lot of ingredients for the preparation. In comparison to the conventional way of preparing breadfruit curry and rice separately, people in the South have taken a step forward to innovate a recipe to cut down on the time and the ingredients needed for the preparation of a meal. The dish is aromatic and in fact delectable too.
In Sri Lanka, dishes that are prepared using breadfruit are limited to curry and boiled breadfruit which is often eaten with scraped coconut. Although uncommon, ‘Del Bath’ is another versatile addition to the list of dishes that can be prepared with breadfruit locally known as ‘Del’ or ‘Irappalakkai’ in Tamil.
The first breadfruit tree in Sri Lanka
The breadfruit (Artocarpusaltilis) tree which belongs to the mulberry family (Moraceae) is not endemic to Sri Lanka. The tree is said to have been introduced to Sri Lanka by foreign invaders (Dutch). It is said that the first ever breadfruit tree in Sri Lanka was planted in Galle Fort and the tree can be seen in the pink of health even today.
Although there are no proper written documents regarding the first breadfruit tree in Sri Lanka, there are many folk tales associated with the tree in Galle Fort. The first written document regarding the breadfruit trees in Galle district is found during the British reign in Sri Lanka. In a report, Governor Fredrick North had written that he could see plenty of breadfruit trees in Galle Fort during his visit in 1801.
It is difficult to state whether it is a coincidence to find the first ever breadfruit tree in Sri Lanka in the Southern Province, particularly Galle where the ‘Dakune Del Batha’ also originated.
The large fruit is staple in many countries in the world. The fruit contains a significant amount of starch and provides energy for proper functioning of the human body. Due to the availability of large amounts of starch in the fruit, breadfruit can be a good solution for food insecurity. Apart from its significance in eliminating hunger, the tree can be grown for reforesting as the edible fruit-bearing trees can serve dual purpose.
Preparation of Dakune Del Batha
Ingredients:
One medium sized breadfruit
Samba rice - 250g
Spring onions - 5
Green chili - 2
Pandan leaf- a small piece
Curry leaves- a few
A small cinnamon piece
Pepper powder - ½ tsp
Curry powder - ½ tsp
Chili powder - 1 tsp
Turmeric powder - ½ tsp
First extract coconut milk - 1 cup
Lime - half a fruit
Salt
(tsp - teaspoon)
Preparation
Peel and core the breadfruit. Dice the peeled breadfruit into small sized pieces. Wash them well. Add a pinch of turmeric powder and lime juice and mix with the diced breadfruit pieces. Keep them aside.
Chop spring onions and green chili and keep aside.
Wash the samba rice and put it in a clay pot. Add sufficient water to cook the rice and the breadfruit. Add about 2 or 2 ½ cups of water (approximately 250 ml of water). Add marinated breadfruit pieces into the rice. When rice and the breadfruit start boiling add curry leaves, pandan leaf, cinnamon stick and turmeric powder. Mix well, close the lid and cook until the water has evaporated.
Then remove the lid and add first extract coconut milk, chopped spring onions and green chili and mix well. Then add curry powder, chili powder, pepper powder and salt. Mix carefully so that breadfruit pieces would not get crushed. Cook until the water is fully evaporated and until the rice mix gets a somewhat dry consistency.
Serve breadfruit rice warm with curried Ambul Thiyal.
The writer is engaged in research to develop and innovate recipes with less known edible plants in Sri Lanka as a solution to food insecurity and malnutrition.