by Prakash K. Sivanathan & Niranjala M Ellawala.
They say love conquers all and in Sri Lanka: the Cookbook, husband and wife duo Prakash Sivanathan and Niranjala Ellawala’s love for their homeland cuisine shines.
Sri Lanka: the Cookbook brings together feather-light hoppers, fiery sambols, subtly spiced curries, pickles,
chutneys and unique ‘vada’ (fried snacks) in this definitive collection of Sri Lanka’s most authentic and vibrant recipes. As well as absorbing influences from India, the Middle East, Far East, Asia and myriad European invaders, the small island also has strong Singhalese and Tamil cooking traditions and this cookbook brings these styles together to showcase the best of the country’s culinary heritage.
Explore this spellbinding destination through the original travel and food photography, and dig into 100 recipes that celebrate the island’s ingredients, its history, its culture, its kitchens and its people. Sri Lanka: the Cookbook’s USP is the Key, with recipes devised in both Tamil and Sinhalese. Try a classic fish, chicken or vegetable curry two ways, a Tamil broth, or a Sinhalese pudding – the options are endless.
Regular readers will know I love to travel the world through my home cooking and this cookery book is a welcome addition to my ever-growing collection of inspiring recipe books. Each recipe, with its vibrant fresh ingredients and spices, transports me to a world I’ve not yet had the pleasure of experiencing first-hand. Although some of the ingredients are not obtainable on my remote North Sea island home, substitutions are given for ingredients I can readily source.
Above, devilled prawns (isso baduma), a bar food served in drinking clubs throughout Sri Lanka during the time of the British Raj. This recipe has found its way into the hearts and homes of Sri Lankans, who are also fond of devilling squid, cuttlefish, pork, potato, oh, just about anything!
My wife and I have lived in London for many years, but I was born a Tamil in the Jaffna peninsula in the north of Sri Lanka, and Niranjala is a Sinhalese from the south. Between us, we have a deep understanding and love of the unique styles of cooking that together make up our island’s cuisine. We hope this provides a record of Sri Lankan history and diversity for generations to come.” -Prakash K Sivanathan
For eight years the couple ran the award-winning Sri Lankan restaurant Elephant Walk in North London and now they are in demand as cookery teachers. Th husband and wife pair also host regular workshops and supper clubs.
Kiribath, or coconut milk rice, is a humble recipe of just two ingredients: rice and coconut milk. It is very popular in Sri Lanka and it is cooked by the Sinhalese to mark the new year in April as well as other celebrations during the year that mark new beginnings.
Below, a string hopper (indiappa) stir fry. String hoppers are (not insects as I initially thought!) noodles made from rice flour which is then steamed. They are a popular breakfast item in Sri Lanka, and in this recipe, they are stir-fried with vegetables and meat to make a hearty dish.
Another feature of this book, besides the beautiful and mouthwatering photography by Kim Lightbody, is the fact that it’s flexibound. The cover is neither hardback nor paperback, but rather in between in a flexible, textured cover that is a pleasure to touch and feel.
I would highly recommend this book for anyone with a love of spices, flavour, texture and culinary adventure.
Book: Sri Lanka: the Cookbook
Authors: Prakash K. Sivanathan & Niranjala M Ellawala
ISBN: 978-0-7112-3858-9
Publication Date: 6 May 2017
Cover: flexibound
RRP: £20 (UK) $29.99 (USA) $38.99 (CAN)
GIVEAWAY
The book publishers, Frances Lincoln, have very kindly offered one of my UK readers the chance to win a copy of this flexibound book worth £20. Simply fill out the Rafflecopter entry form below to enter!
HOW TO ENTER
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TERMS & CONDITIONS
This giveaway is open to UK entries only. Entrants must be age 18 or over. The winner will need to respond within 30 days of being contacted; failure to do this may result in another winner being selected.
The prize is offered and provided by Frances Lincoln. The prize is to win a copy of Sri Lanka: the Cookbook worth £20. There is no cash alternative and the prize is not transferable.
There is no entry fee and no purchase is necessary to enter this giveaway.
The promoter (Elizabeth’s Kitchen Diary) reserves the right to cancel or amend the giveaway and these terms and conditions without notice.
Entry into our giveaways will be deemed as acceptance of these terms and conditions.
If you need some help using Rafflecopter, here’s a quick clip to show you how. Rafflecopter will pick the winner at random from all the entries received. I will be verifying entries. Any automated entries or those who have claimed they have made the mandatory blog post comment and really haven’t will be disqualified. It’s mandatory! Please make sure your comment is eight words or longer or Google views it as spam and this negatively affects my spam score. All entries with comments fewer than the mandatory 8 words will be disqualified and deleted.
Closing date is midnight (that’s 00:00 hours, 12 am on Sunday night/Monday morning) on Monday 15 May 2017 (GMT). The winner will be announced afterwards.
With thanks to Frances Lincoln for the review copy. This is not a paid post. Photography copyright Frances Lincoln.
Chilean-Inspired Lamb Burgers with Pebre (Chilli Salsa) & Marraqueta Buns
it looks fantastic and would certainly give my inspiration
A lot different to most cookbooks, different recipies that i have never even heard of before!
I had a lovely lady who I used to work with who used to bring in some amazing Sri Lankan dishes I always wanted to know how to cook them they tasted so good I would enjoy going through the book and seeing if I can spot the recipies.
Sounds like some absolutely fantastic recipes and would love to give them a try!
oh wow it looks amazing! So many new things to try, amazing colourful dishes too!
Some great recipe ideas I would love to try
It has a great collection of recipes I would love to try out.
I love the sound of it and it’d be great to experiment with some new dishes – the coconut rise sounds delicious!
It looks nice and the recipes sound good. Would like to give it a try.
I havent eaten Sri Lankan food – the recipes you have done fomr the book look fabulous though 🙂
I think it sounds great. These aren’t dishes I have ever tried so I would love to give them a try XX
It looks great. I have lots of cookbooks from various countries, but nothing from Sri Lanka. Would be very interested to try the recipes.
We love all the different kitchens and trying new things, if I would win this book we would try some new meals for sure! 🙂
Such a great idea for a cookbook Sri Lankan cuisine looks / sounds amazing
This looks like a beautifully designed and made cookbook with some great recipes! Would love to give some of them a go and be inspired by the pictures
I think this cookbook looks good and i would to try some of these dishes
I don’t know much about Sri Lankan cuisine, but this makes it sound like I should be trying it! The recipes look so vibrant and colourful!
I would love this because I love food from Lots of different Countries
The photography looks amazing, I love to extend my cooking skills and have never turned my hand to Sri Lankan, so I’d love to add this to my ( ever growing ) cookbook collection
I think this cookbook looks good and I would love to try some of the recipes.
I think it looks great, always nice to try some different recipes
I don’t think I have ever tasted Sri Lankan food, but these recipes look like a great introduction.
Looks good – I always want to try and cook new and interesting foods.
I think any dinner guests would be very impressed if you served up any of these exotic dishes to them.
looks really good, the food is different and looks really tasty
It looks like a great book, would be nice to find some new recipe ideas
I remember the delicious food when i visited Sri Lanka many years ago, it would be great to learn to make some of these dishes.
I think this cookbook looks good and i would love to try some of the recipes in it as i love trying new food
it sounds really different to what im used to cooking some great ideas
This looks like an interesting book. Would love to try the recipes
It sounds very interesting I love trying new flavours and recipes
Looks interesting..I don’t know much about Sri Lankan cuisine, would be good to learn!
I have never cooked Sri Lankan food, but we love experimenting with new dishes at home. So this looks very interesting, and definitely one to consider trying
Visited Sri Lanka last year, and the food was definitely the best in Asia so I’d love to have this cookbook to recreate the tastes I tried.
Looks amazing – I’d really like to try cooking these dishes
It looks great and Sri Lanka is a great country
Looks fantastic! I’ve not had much Sri Lankan food – the main dish I can remember is pancake hoppers from a street food outfit here in Bristol, and they were amazing!
This sounds lovely. I really love reading about and trying dishes from around the world. We’re vegetarians so it’s all about the herbs, spices and interesting tastes, and most suisines are easily adapted if they include meat.
It looks lovely! Love Sri Lankan food although I’ve never cooked any myself.
A honest down to earth Sri Lankan cuisine cookbook is most welcome
love cooking different dishes from around the world
I love the sound of this cookbook. When we lived in the UAE, our housekeeper Ramini was from Sri Lanka, and she used to regularly cook us Sri Lankan meals. It would be great to try and recreate some of the dishes she used to cook for us. My husband still cooks Ramini’s chilli & fresh coriander “aamlet” (omelette) when he wants a quick snack, but we miss her more complex curries.
Looks great. Sri Lankan food is one of my favourites. The only food I’ve ever tried making though is carrot sambal, which a friend in Japan taught me to make when I lived there! Would love to learn how to make other dishes.
I think it sounds interesting and full of new and different recipe ideas for someone like me who has never experienced Sri Lankan food yet!
It looks fabulous. It’s a cuisine I know nothing about but would love to try.
I think it’s interesting I don’t cook anything like this so it would be interesting to read
It sounds like a fabulous book; I must admit I have never tried Sri Lankan food, though I would love to. I can guarantee my husband, who does most of the cooking due to my disability, would absolutely love it!