This is a poriyal, but not in the truest sense. A traditional poriyal is a South Indian dish, primarily seen in Tamil Nadu, that is a dry stir-fried vegetable dish with a specific recipe. Here, the recipe is followed, but the dish is made as a curry; it is very unusual. This is a robust curry. The flavours are bold, the eggplant soft and creamy. I love the combination of spicy and sour that this dish portrays. Southern Spice is a thin volume of amazing recipes by a master che

If there is a sambol quintessential to the Sri Lankan table, it is gotukola sambol. It is recognised by the fresh green colour and the light aromatic aroma. I had not had gorukala, or pennywort, before this trip; I had seen recipes with it and so was curious. Early in the trip, I had a chance not just to taste this dish, but also to make it. We had gone to a home to prepare dishes for the Katina poojava ceremony, the most important of Buddhist ceremonies. We were invited to p

I recently took a trip with Peter Kuruvita to the southern part of the island. At one of your stops, we demonstrated how to make a moju. It is a simple recipe and belongs to the family of Sri Lankan achacharus and sambols. A moju is typically Sri Lankan, but the word originated from Malay, "mochua", meaning to pickle or preserve. It is a typical dish made with practically anything —vegetables, fish, meat, or sometimes fruit —and characterised by a spicy, sour, and sweet flav