or Pearl of the Indian Ocean, or Resplendid Island...call it what you want, Sri Lanka offers a cuisine that is exotic, fragrant, delicious and spicy. Lighter than Indian cuisine and including Thai components (like coconut milk a plenty), the food explodes with flavour.
If Curry and Rice is your Friday night favourite, travel no further than La Kandy on Wynnum Rd in Tingalpa ( meaning place of the waterpepper plant in aboriginal language). Chaminda and his dad own this cosy restaurant, located 10km east of the CBD. The restaurant is named after the beautiful and culturally rich city of Kandy, the last capital of the ancient kings of Sri Lanka. On weekends they offer an extensive traditional buffet showcasing the beguiling flavours of this island nation.
On arrival, we were treated to a basket full of freshly made hoppers - a feather-light bowl shaped pancake made from fermented rice flour. Some had a fried egg inside - typically served at breakfast.
For mains, the buffet awaits: you can compare the delicate fish curry to the spicy beef curry, or the aromatic pumpkin curry to the mild dhal curry, or simply indulge in the chicken (I-want-more) curry. For me the interest of this cuisine lies in the abundance of sambols (side-dishes or sambals in Indian cuisine). I find it fascinating how these cleverly designed sides can actually manipulate the taste-profile of the meal. For example - add some dried fish slivers to adjust the saltiness of the curry; add pol sambola (sweet coconut balanced with sour limes and hot chili) to add texture and heat, or some achcharu (vegetable pickle) which adds a bright flavour to the meat. Then of course there is the cooling and soothing raita (yoghurt, garlic and cucumber) to counter the spicy high notes. The Sri Lankans have mastered the art of spice combination. Martina's fact (see facts-sharing week 1 blog) is worth mentioning now: Sri Lanka is responsible for 91% of the entire world's cinnamon supply. Cinnamon (native to Sri Lanka) is a key ingredient in a variety of dishes all over the globe - from sweet American apple pie and sugar-dusted Dutch poffertjies to fragrant Moroccan tagines and fiery Sub-Continental curries. Other spices in their arsenal include chili, nutmeg and mace, betel, black pepper, ginger, cloves, cardamom, lemongrass, vanilla bean and cocoa. To conclude our meal we were offered traditional Sri Lankan sago pudding or their take on a baked caramel. Both rewardingly sweet and infused with subtle nuances of cardamom and cinnamon.
The eight of us all agreed that the food was delicious - the perfect Friday Night Out curry and rice, lovingly prepared and proudly presented by Chaminda and his staff. But what is Friday night without the facts, Keith asked, keen to share his knowledge on The Temple of the Tooth (built specifically to house the remains of one of Buddha's teeth after his cremation...long and fascinating history as to how it ended up in Sri Lanka). Boetie informed us that the national animal is the lion (a symbol of power and strength, also depicted on the flag), Anna shared the fact that Sri Lanka has the most deaths-by-snakebite in the world, and Martina expanded on the amazing properties of cinnamon (also an effective insect repellent). Andrew, joining us for the first time, stated that when he visited Sri Lanka, it was still known as Ceylon (which is a fact in itself), and gave us a brief synopsis on recent occupations: Portuguese colonisation in 1505 / Dutch usurped control in 1658 to 1796 when the British took over and ruled Ceylon right up 1948, when it gained independence / 1972 it became a republic named Sri Lanka. Phil mentioned that famous British science fiction writer A.C. Clarke (perhaps most famous for being co-writer of the screenplay for the movie 2001: A Space Odyssey) moved to Sri Lanka in 1956, aged 40, to pursue his love of scuba diving, and died there in 2008. Then we became so embroiled in a discussion on the political complexity of the place, that we completely neglected to ask Jane to share her facts (next week you'll go first, Jane!). There are 86,412 residents in Australia that were born in Sri Lanka and 103,772 by ancestry ( making them the 12th largest ethnic group in the country).
Having visited India, Pakistan, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka, we have now well and truly explored the curry capitals of the world. Which one was my favourite?...you'll have to wait and see.
Next week (despite the government's travel warning) we visit one of the world's oldest civilisations: Iran (Persia).
No comments:
Post a Comment