I haven’t had time to blog much lately as I have been really busy but just wanted to share this with you today. Dale Mahon, a great friend of mine, wrote this out of the blue on his phone on a train journey from Colombo to Hikkaduwa. It’s poignant, poetic but most of all brings to life imagery  in words. ...

The Sri Lankan captain celebrates the semi-final win Oh boy I’m nervous and I’m not even a massive cricket fan. Sri Lanka are playing in the final tonight against the West Indies in the ICC World Twenty20. For all you non-cricket fans out there click here for a bit of background. Now normally I only get excited about Holland in major ...

My blogging has become a bit sporadic of late, there are two reasons for this: I have started a new job which is taking up a lot of my time in training and well…”actual” work I haven’t been in the greatest of mind sets over the last few weeks, it’s personal so I’m not going to broadcast it all over ...

Firstly I say sorry to my followers – I have started a new job which has kind of taken over my life so I haven’t been blogging much. Do not worry I’m not giving up blogging or sharing recipes, just bear with me whilst I get settled into the new routine. I thought it would be interesting to share with ...

Sri Lankan Men in Tourist Resorts – you either Love them or Hate them. Filed under: Translation titbits

This is one of my rants. Forgive me if any of you take offence…I am just saying it how it is. Also note I am with one of these Sri Lankan men who grew up in a tourist resort, so I probably fall into the former category of actually seeing them in a good light. 6+ years and we are ...

When I  first came to Sri Lanka in 2003 I have to be honest and say that it took some time for my western palate to adapt to some of the fiery dishes on offer here. The following dish, however, I was instantly addicted to. I adore potatoes and to have them served fried with onions was already a favourite. ...

I love eggs. My previous post was dedicated to eggs because they are so good. No recipes or knowledge or nutritional facts, nope, just photo’s, drool-worthy images. We all know eggs are good for you bar a bit of cholesterol but all in all they’re good and cheap and just well….tasty. Unfortunately in Sri Lanka I often come across over-cooked eggs. This ...

It’s a Saturday and I was getting ready to research the recipe and write my next post on that wonderful Sri Lankan food; Egg Hoppers. BUT sorry folks I got distracted… By what? Eggs. Yes Eggs. If you don’t like them I suggest you stop reading now or have a look and maybe you will be tempted. Simple, tasty and ...

This is for my friends and blog commenters who have asked me why I have been avoiding the Olympics in my blog. Well… I have been too busy watching the Olympics on TV to blog much Two – not all of the sports interest me unless they involve great athletic prowess, a huge record breaking headline, controversy (doping scandals etc.) ...

Ok, ok I have a weakness for KFC. Zinger burgers are pretty tasty (although I hate the KFC chips – greasy, sloppy & anaemic – gah). Yes I know it’s crap fast food and unhealthy so I’ve been trying out some new healthier and spicier variations at home and one of these turned out very nicely so I’m letting you ...

A gathering of 100,000 Theravada Buddhist Monks in Thailand So, I’ve had my first (but certainly hopefully not my last) taste of Thailand, well the Bangkok suburbs to be exact. 3 nights and 2 days of a new country and culture hardly makes me an expert but as I mostly live in Sri Lanka these days, I thought it would ...

I have just come back from my first ever trip to Bangkok. It was short but fun and boy was the food good. So to start blogging again I first wanted to share two dishes with you that made my trip all the more memorable! The first I tried in a good Thai restaurant and it was lovely and refreshing ...

This dish is simplicity itself. Kankun (sometimes written as Kangkung) is a Sri Lankan leafy vegetable (Ipomoea aquatica). It is also known as water morning glory, marsh glory, swamp cabbage (!) and water spinach. It’s good and is a rich source of vitamins (particularly A, B and C), iron, protein,  calcium, amino acids and anti-oxidants. Ipomoea aquatica (AKA Kankun) In Sri ...

We are in the midst of a mini heatwave in Sri Lanka. Now don’t laugh because you reckon Sri Lanka is around 30 degrees all year around. You are very wrong. Hot days during the monsoon season are hotter than during the dry season…why? I haven’t got clue but anyway it’s hot and I’m craving salad food. Salade Niçoise has to ...

Cabbage is another vegetable I think is underrated. Boiled to a pulp it is indeed but it need not be as the recipe below will show you. Mallum or mallung is a Sri Lankan staple. The name literally means “mix up” and is usually a combination of shredded greens, onion, chilli, Maldive fish and coconut. I’m not a fan of maldive ...

Now you must know by now that brinjal (aubergine/eggplant) is one of my favourite vegetables. My friend Carmen requested a recipe for an eggplant curry and I’m only too pleased to oblige Sri Lankan Brinjal Curry Recipe (Adapted from Madhur Jaffrey’s World Vegetarian Cookbook) Ingredients (to serve 2/3 as a side dish): 1 very large brinjal (or 2 medium sized ...

Since my first blog post of old beautiful photo’s of Sri Lanka (Ceylon) I have been on a bit of a mission to find more. Here are some of the fruits of my search mostly of Colombo… Main Street, Pettah (date unknown) Main Street, Colombo. Circa 1860 General Post Office – 1910 The one below is a favourite – just ...

In case you hadn’t noticed it’s Rambutan season in Sri Lanka. Stall holders are selling these little bright fruits absolutely everywhere and at frightfully cheap prices too (the cheapest I have seen is 3 rupees for 1 on the Kalu Ganga bridge at Kalutara near the Kalutara Vihara). I’ve been told these ridiculously low prices (last year they were more ...

Those of you that regularly read my posts will know that I am a great of Aubergines (or Eggplant / Brinjal). Add to that my love of Middle Eastern influences in food (that includes Turkish & Jewish food too) and the following Baba Ghannouj recipe cannot fail to please me every time. Baba Ghannouj Recipe (serves 4) This classic Middle Eastern ...