Rice & Curry
I fell in love with Sri Lankan culture during my last year of college. Honestly, I was obsessed with Asian as a whole — Thank you Penny Rhode, but there was something about Sri Lanka that just pulled me. So far in that, I completed an independent study of Sri Lankan art. But, this recipe book I’m about to share is not about artwork — it’s about making art with flavors.
My favorite Sri Lankan recipe book of all time is Rice & Curry Sri Lankan Home Cooking. This book changed cooking for me. You literally make your own curries — like, who does that? I didn’t even I could do that, until I met this book. And of course, I met this book through my mom. She picked up this book and became instantly obsessed. My first glance… well let’s just say I thought it was way over my head, but my mom showed me it wasn’t.
This recipe book checks all of the boxes: the author’s mother was a native of Sri Lanka, there is a brief history about the country, it describes the spices that you will be using to create your own curries — oh and his family cooked for Anthony Bourdain, what more could you want?!
I’m not going to lie, some (and by that I mean all) of the dishes scared me off — but my mom had faith that we could do them. And we did. And it was the best meal I’ve ever had.
We made a five-course meal consisting of Shrimp Cutlets (Balls) — sounds strange, I know, but oh man was it savory and did I mention, fried?! Pork Curry — my favorite curry, Potato Curry — which pairs perfectly with the Pork Curry, Cashew Nut Curry, and Onion Chili Sambol — a nice kick of spice. This meal took all day to make and it was worth it. No matter what recipe you try from this book I’m sure you will be blown away from start to finish.
Cheers,
JJ