East Meets Farther East
Date: May 2014
If you read my bio, I made a special shout-out to Sigiri for being one of my fave
restaurants in NYC. Sigiri offers incredible Sri Lankan food and a place I
visit on a pretty frequent basis, so I am very excited to write this review.
If you are not familiar with Sri Lankan cuisine, it can be
best described as a blend of Indian, Portuguese, Dutch and Malay influences.
Due to these diverse influences, Sri Lankan cuisine is the most dynamic, and
fascinating to me. The spices that are used are so unique and complex (like my
relationships… but that’s a different story ;) kidding….). The food is also
typically quite spicy and you are reminded by the waiter every time you ask for
your meal in “spicy”. They look at you like…. “are you sure you want to go
there Miss? It is really quite spicy…” My response is always, “yes sir, I can
handle it. J”
On this particular outing, we ordered my two favorite dishes
(our usual).
The Chicken Lamprais
described as: A Dutch influenced “special
occasion” dish of flavored rice served with chicken, fish cutlet, boiled egg,
ash plantains & eggplant baked in a low oven after it is wrapped in a
banana leaf to give this dish a unique flavor.”
The Chicken Lamprais always reminded me of a Spanish Tamale or a Chinese Joong
in that it is rice or dough mixed with meats and other ingredients wrapped in a
leaf, then boiled before serving. The star of the Lamprais is the rice. It’s
usually made by frying raw short grain rice with onions and spices in ghee and
then cooked in a meat stock. But the co-stars are also Oscar worthy mentions
such as the Frikkadels (breaded Dutch meatballs), the Brinjal Pahè (eggplant), Blachan
(a spicy shrimp paste), Fried Ash Plantains, and of course, the hard boiled
egg. Finally, the leaf adds another level of earthy complexity that gives these
meals a homemade, comforting feeling.
The Chicken String
Hopper Kotthu described as: “String
Hoppers (rice noodle), stir fried with onion, tomato, cabbage and egg.”
The “rice noodle” in these String Hopper Kotthus are not
the typical “noodle” that usually comes to mind when you think of a noodle.
(How many times did I say noodle? Extra points if you respond with the right
answer!) String hoppers are made from hot-water dough of rice meal or wheat
flour. Then pressed out in circlets from a string mold onto little wicker mats,
then steamed. This dish usually reminds me of Chinese fried rice (not from the
fast food joints though). Stir fried and seasoned perfectly. It’s a simple dish
that tastes wonderful but not as impressive as the Lamprais.
When ordering the
String Hopper Kotthu, I always order spicy. The Chicken Lamprais only comes in
medium. If you are not too confident on your spice tolerance, I suggest
ordering the mild or medium and ask for hot sauce on the side. The hot sauce
they provide is in a small bowl, red/orange in color and warm to the touch. I
love pouring this all over EVERYTHING I eat. For my next visit, I will be
ordering the Kotthu Roti. I cannot WAIT!
I really hope you will give Sri Lankan cuisine a taste. I
have no doubt that you will find something you will dub as your favorite at
Sigiri. Just remember, it’s CASH ONLY AND best of all…. It’s BYOB. There’s a
liquor store on E 5TH Street between 2nd and 1st
Ave called S&P
where you can pickup your wines or a bodega right next to the restaurant to
fulfill all your beer needs.
Love Actually is Food
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