For all the fuss about restaurants, everyone knows the best meal you can ever eat is at someone’s home—especially if that someone is Leela. If you’ve ever checked out my blog before, or saw the Sri Lanka episode of No Reservations, you’ll be familiar with this diminutive lady, who was my Aunty Dora’s cook for 40-some years. Practically every ...
One of the new Sri Lankan food trucks selling lunch packets Lunch being the main meal in Lanka, I noticed that there’s a ton of places to get a quick, midday rice and curry—from street side stands and trucks that sell 100 rupee rice packets to the informal, sit-down restaurants that cater to the office crowd. While most rice packets ...
I’m kicking off the 5th season of Pan Asian, with a quick, easy and delicious dish I’ve enjoyed at restaurants as well as at home. It’s called Dak Gogi, or Korean BBQ chicken, and I’ve love how it’s eaten almost as much as the dish itself. Once you’ve made the chicken, you slice it up into thin strips; top ...
As we approach the dog days of Summer, when nobody feels like cooking, this quick, simple dish is the perfect antidote. All it requires is a quick searing of the meat, which inturn requires a very hot pan (which I did not have this time around). It’s amazing what one ...
Skiz on the radio I had the pleasure of going down to NPR’s main headquarters in DC yesterday to appear on the show “Talk of The Nation,” to discuss what else?–rice and curry. As an old radio hack myself (from my days at WHRB in Cambridge, MA), it was great to get back into the studio and also check out ...
a creamy, tangy, spicy vegetable curry One usually thinks of Southern India as the place to go for excellent vegetarian cuisine. But I found this recipe for a superb and tasty northern Indian vegetable curry, which is also really easy to make. The tomato-based sauce which I cook the vegetables in could even be used to make a meat curry, ...
The enchanting island of Sri Lanka, located just off the southern tip of India, has long been considered “The Pearl of the Indian Ocean,” and its unique and delicious cuisine reflects this singular status. While sharing many spices and ingredients in common with its neighbor to the north, Sri Lankan food, popularly known as “rice [...]
Lonely Planet , the world’s largest and most respected travel guidebook and digital media publisher has named Sri Lanka, the number one destination in the world to visit in year 2013. The travel guide book highlights the emerging new popular places to visit in Sri Lanka including the newly opened up East coast and less travelled paths in the ...
Just the other day, I contacted The New York Times about doing a piece on Sri Lankan food. They passed, despite having listed my cookbook, Rice & Curry: Sri Lankan Home Cooking, as a Times notable cookbook for 2011. Then, I saw that they published the following piece by David Tanis, formerly of the acclaimed Chez Panisse restaurant. ********************************************************************************************** CITY ...
In light of the recent round of violence between Israel and the Gaza Strip, I probably chose the worst possible time to visit the “Land of milk and honey” for the first time. But as luck would have it, a weeklong cease-fire in mid-August provided a convenient window of opportunity to make a quick trip there to sample its ...
Last year, before heading out to the Bay area for some promotional events for my book, at least six different people gave me the same advice. I had arranged through friends to have my book party at a popular Burmese restaurant in Oakland called Burma Superstar, which also has several locations in SF proper. Upon hearing the name people ...
A soup to satisfy To set the tone for this brand new, third season of Pan Asian, I wanted to return to the essence of what the show is all about, which is to present a simple, quick, delicious, and healthy Asian meal in under 15 minutes that you can make in your own kitchen. As always, the food is ...
With spring upon us and summer right around the corner, I’m inspired to get outside more, and start hitting the farmers market for fresh produce. It’s also time to start shedding that winter weight and get healthy again, and vegetables are the perfect tonic. Since the south of India is known for its primarily vegetarian diet, and also some ...
2012 Summer Fancy Food Show in DC, June 17-19, 2012 One of the biggest deals in the food world is the NASFT Fancy Food show, which takes place twice a year–in San Francisco in the winter, and either New York or DC in the summer. Hundreds of exhibitors from all over the world come together to debut their new products, ...
Myanmar has been on my radar as a destination ever since seeing Tony Bourdain’s inaugural episode of Parts Unknown in 2013. He happened there at a unique moment when the country was slowly emerging from under the weight of military rule and opening up to the world. Bourdain was able to capture the place in all of its rawness, exposing ...
A lovely bunch of king coconut It would not be an exaggeration to say that I am Koo-Koo for coconuts. I love everything about them–the milk, the water, the oil, and, of course, the white “meat,” all of which is heavily utilized in Sri Lankan cooking. Until recently, the coconut’s highest profile in the west most probably came in candy ...
I recently had the pleasure of visiting the picturesque Napa Valley for the CIA’s 15th Annual World’s of Flavor Conference. No, I’m not a spy, and I’m not talking about that CIA, but rather The Culinary Institute of America, one of the country’s most well regarded cooking schools. Each year they assemble top chefs and culinary professionals from around ...
Dub Gabe gets busy in the SF Bay Having just returned from a very enjoyable trip to the West Coast—specifically the Bay Area—my belly is plumper, my face more tan, and I have a noticeable smile on my face—probably due to all the good food I ate. Though I need no excuse to visit SF and its environs, The CIA ...
The well-established Emerge Art Fair takes over the Capitol Skyline Hotel in Southeast DC this weekend, and I’ll be there with my own installation–The Sri Lankan pop up–featuring some good ole, home style rice and curry, Friday through Sunday. As Emerge explores the cutting edge of American art (http://www.emergeartfair.com/), I’ll be showcasing the spices and amazing flavors of the food ...
Green Cabin, 453 Galle Road, Colombo 3 According to my Aunty Dora, who’s old enough to know, the legendary Colombo eatery, Green Cabin (453, Galle Road, Colombo 3 — Phone: 588811 or 591841), and its sister restaurant The Pagoda Tea Room (105 Chatham St., Fort, Colombo 1 – 011 232 5252)have been feeding hungry Colombo residents for a long time. ...
