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 ...

I’ve been so busy over the last 2 weeks with work. Now this is a good thing (especially considering my finances at the best of times), but when you are on your laptop to the exclusion of everything else for pretty much all of your waking time – this can soon turn into something not so good. Fried brains anyone? ...

I love my own company and am quite happy to spend hours alone, working, reading, cooking, drinking, smoking or simply doing nothing at all. Don’t get me wrong – I enjoy being with others too but sometimes I need my space and my close friends and family know that and respect it. Not having had much time to blog over ...

Pumpkins are not just for Halloween, they are an extremely healthy vegetable and eaten regularly in Sri Lanka (where they are called Wattakka). Pumpkins are very low in calories (around 20 calories per 100 g). This makes it the perfect food for those watching their weight. They are extremely rich in potassium and have a lot of magnesium and iron ...

I love most Sri Lankan foods, especially curries. I have yet to dislike a vegetable curry here, even beetroot which I hated as a child. Below, I’ve listed five of the simple foods that I could happily eat all day, every day! 1. Pol roti (coconut roti…like crispy flatbreads) – it’s delicious when fresh and I can eat unlimited amounts of the ...

So Greece is out of the Euro – what’s new? Tonight’s game looks to be good; Spain vs. France. I’m going all out for France for a few reasons: Spain beat Holland in the last World Cup final (bastards) I speak better French than Spanish I love the country – I spent a lot of glorious summers at our farmhouse in the ...

When you come across treasures like these it’s a disgrace not to share. Thanks to my dear friend Asanthika for sharing them with me. 1894 – Bentota Bridge from Aluthgama Galle Road – 1880 Coconut tree climbers A Tamil family – lovely and fascinating people with hearts of gold Buddhist Singhalese living on the river (Ratnapura Lake – famed for ...

I’ve always been a bit of a rebel; going against the grain of what was expected of me. It started in my pre-teen years; alcohol, boys, bleaching my hair (I must add here that the first two were quite formidable because I grew up in one of the strictest Muslim countries in the world – Kuwait). My parents had amazing ...

No football here today. My apologies if you ventured on here to find a football recipe today. It’s not going to happen – I’m too sore. Rest assured that I will try to put aside my prejudices in time for the quarter finals. Don’t be expecting any German or Portuguese food yet though. These things take time. Instead I’ll give you ...

Tomorrow is Father’s Day! My Dad is a healthy chap and recently gave up eating meat. He still eats fish though. As we cannot be together this Father’s Day I’ve decided to post a very popular Sri Lankan fish recipe for him which isn’t too spicy but still full of flavour. It’s also very easy. The fish I have chosen ...

I used to be quite the control freak. I was one of those people who got into a panic if they were going to be more than five minutes late for a work meeting or even drinks with friends. I meticulously planned my holidays and weekends and usually had an empty in-tray when I left the office on a Friday ...

I am honestly scared to support anybody now in the Euro 2012 Championship. I’m a jinx; every team I support loses. Ireland were kicked out yesterday and Holland are only hanging on by the skin of their teeth. Most people expect me to support England now… and perhaps I will but not publicly on this blog (only maybe if they ...