Food and Recipes

I wanted to see just how floral & delicate I could go with a cocktail, while still retaining some interesting complexity. This one is for those up to a cocktail challenge. The first step is finding Indian gooseberries (Phyllanthus emblica) — an easy task in South Asia, where amla, as they’re known there, are widely […]

The same Sri Lankan-inspired marinade that I use on meat works well for veggies too. Efficient. And as a bonus, the veggies don’t need marinating for any length of time — you can just coat them and grill. Remember that veggies cook at different speeds, so if you’re mixing them on skewers, be careful about

A friend asked what made this Sri Lankan, and I have to admit, I didn’t want to mess too much with the classic Aviation, which is a delight. But I did switch out the standard lemons for limes — limes are native to Sri Lanka, and tend to be a bit less sweet and more

(45 minutes, serves 8.) This is basically my mango-ginger chutney, but with cherries, because cherries are in season now, and I keep buying them because I love them so. You don’t actually need to cook a chutney—you can just chop up some fruit and mix it with spices and serve; that would be common in

(makes one big glass) This takes a little planning ahead, since you’ll want to grill the pineapple and let it cool to at least room temperature before making the drinks. But the effort is well-rewarded with a rich burst of extra flavor, and added complexity from the cayenne, salt, and lime. 4 pieces of pineapple

I promised you mocktail recipes! Here’s one. Soul Refresher: Watermelon & Rose Iced Tea (serves 6) Rooh Afza is a traditional syrup formulated in 1906 in Ghaziabad, British India by Hakim Hafiz Abdul Majeed, combining several ingredients commonly believed to be cooling agents, such as rose — its name is sometimes translated as “refresher of

(makes two) This is the delightfully simple cocktail you’ll want to sip as you dance through a rain shower, your pink sari plastered to your body, while your eyes flirt demurely with your stunningly attractive admirer. 1 c. watermelon chunks 1 oz. vodka 1 t. rosewater 1 t. kithul treacle (or honey) rose petals to

(makes 2) This is one of my more complex cocktails, and requires a few notes: a) It’s getting easier to find fresh jackfruit in American grocery stores; if you can’t find fresh, look for frozen. You can also buy canned ripe jackfruit, but that usually comes in a sweet syrup, so the end result will

I’ve started working on recipes for the little cocktail cookbook; I promised it as part of the Vegan Serendib Kickstarter. My goal is to do a mocktail version to pair with each cocktail; we’ll see if I can do that in an interesting way, rather than just taking out the alcohol. For example, for this

(25 minutes + marinating time, makes 8 skewers) This is a fusion-y sort of recipe, taking a shawarma-style approach, but with Sri Lankan flavors, adapted from a recipe found in Bon Appétit magazine. I was aiming for something I could easily prep on a weeknight and throw on the grill, and this worked really well