Rice & Curry: Sri Lankan Home Cooking –> Coming This October on Hippocrene Books

The new cover of "Rice & Curry"

It’s been a long time coming, but that time is almost here. Five years ago I rented out my house and moved to Sri Lanka for a year to fulfill a lifelong dream–to create a Sri Lankan cookbook. As a second generation immigrant, food has always been important to me as my one connection to my roots. Of course, I also love to eat. And travel. When I am introduced to a new culture, food is usually the hook that pulls me in for a deeper appreciation of what a country and a people have to offer.

Sri Lankan food, in particular, I believe, has been one of the best kept secrets in the culinary world. Growing up on this food, which we have always referred to as “rice & curry,” I have been privy to this secret. But whenever I share it with others they become instant fans. Just like the hip-hop music of my youth, which I exposed in one of the first serious books on the artform, The New Beats: Exploring The Music, Culture & Attitudes of Hip-Hop (Anchor/Doubleday, 1994), I feel like I am now shining a light on Sri Lankan food, and that people are ready to accept it. After all, we live in a ‘foodie’ culture today, where all kinds of ‘ethnic’ foods are being celebrated and enjoyed. Global trade has allowed for the dissemination of all kinds of food products which used to be rare or hard to find on these shores, and people today have a greater awareness of food than in any time in history.

I was very lucky to stumble on the catalog of Hippocrene Books through my friend Ramin Ganeshram, who herself published a very fine cookbook of Trinidad food, entitled “Sweet Hands,” on this imprint. Never have I seen so many amazing cookbooks covering so many different countries. You can check out their catalog at the following link:

http://bit.ly/mhGTC4

After sending them a copy of the cookbook I self-published on blurb.com, they were immediately interested. Now several months later and with some major additions, Rice & Curry: Sri Lankan Home Cooking, is almost ready for the market. It will be available as a quality paperback edition, and the best thing is that they are doing it full-color, meaning all the great photos from the original (and more) will be intact. In addition, I have added about 10 side-bars about Sri Lankan food and culture as well as a whole travel section, which will answer questions about getting to the island and what to do and see when you’re there. It’s also the first cookbook that I know of with customer service. Any questions about Sri Lankan food and culture can be directed to me at curryfiend@gmail.com.

When I set out to do this project, my agent told me not to expect to get a book deal unless I was a ‘celebrity chef.’ So I started this blog; I started my YouTube cooking show called “Pan Asian;” I started making and marketing my own brand of curry powder, Skiz’s Original; I appeared on No Reservations with Anthony Bourdain; and I proved my agent wrong. I am very proud to be a home cook like most of the people out there who buy cookbooks and like to experiment in the kitchen. I realize I have been given a great opportunity with the publication of my cookbook, and I plan to promote the cookbook to the fullest. Whether is be a dinner party or a cooking demonstration, if you are interested in having me come to your town, contact me at the email address above and let’s see what we can arrange.

And if your trawling the internet or browsing at a local Barnes and Noble please pick up a copy of Rice & Curry: Sri Lankan Home Cooking (Hippocrene 2011) this October. This is independent enterprise in it’s truest form, and I certainly appreciate your support. Thanks!

available at Foodoro.com and Foodzie.com

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Gastronaut Skiz makes a cameo on NBC’s “Diplomatic Plates”

Sri Lankan Ambassador to the U.S. Jaliya Wickramasuriya and Skiz

I’ve been acting as the unofficial “food ambassador” for the Sri Lankan embassy recently following appearances at the Travel & Adventure show in D.C. and also this latest cameo at the Ambassador’s residence itself for a taping of “Diplomatic Plates,” a series which airs on Washington’s local NBC affiliate.

Ambassador Jaliya Wickramasuriya’s very capable chef, Buran, does not speak English, so the ambassador asked if I could explain exactly what he was doing to the show’s host as Buran concocted a very fine meal of yellow rice, cashew curry, fish curry, and pineapple curry. I was happy to do it–all in an effort to promote Sri Lankan cuisine to those who are not familiar with it.

The show itself is very interesting as it promotes cuisines from around the world, and you can check out the Sri Lanka episode at the following link:

http://bit.ly/gaibam

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Pan Asian: Fried Clams in Roasted Chile Paste (Thailand – Hoy Lai Ped)

Mmmmmm….. I love clams! I also love mussels, and oysters and snails and all kinds of mollusks and shellfish: Make that seafood, period. A lot of people are intimidated with cooking seafood, but it’s really the easiest thing in the world to prepare. If you live near the water, it’s also probably not so expensive. But even if you don’t, try shopping at an ethnic market instead of Whole foods. That 2 lb. bag of mussels that Whole Foods sells for $15.99 might cost you only $5.99 at a supermarket like H-Mart, a Korean chain in my area. Of course, you’re going to make sure that whatever you are buying is fresh and not out of date. That goes without saying, right. You can’t be too careful with any seafood these days, and with this whole situation going on in Japan, I would advise against purchasing any seafood from the Pacific. I even bought farm-raised shrimp for the first time over wild-caught shrimp from the Gulf of Mexico, which is still recovering from the BP oil spill.

 

When you bring your seafood home, you want to store and clean in properly as well. With clams and mussels, I usually put them in a bowl in the fridge and cover it with a wet towel. I would not store them more than a day before eating them, too. To clean clams, fill a pot with about 4 quarts cold water and add 1/3 cup of salt. Soak them for about 15 minutes, change the water, and do this same thing 2 moire times. This small step will cause the clams to release much of the sand and grit from inside their shells. Also, discard any clams that do not close when you touch them. These poor guys are already dead. The same goes for any clams that do not open when you cook them. Other than that, follow this quick and easy recipe and enjoy! Clams are good food!

 

Time Saving Tip: Use Maesri brand prepared red curry paste instead of making your own roasted chili paste. This popular Thai brand uses no artificial preservatives or ingredients and tastes fantastic!

The Recipe

1/3 cup oil

1 1/4 lbs. clams in shell, cleaned well

1 1/2 Tbsp. chopped garlic

5 fresh red chillies, sliced lengthwise

2 Tbsp. roasted chili paste (see below)

2 Tsp. light soy sauce

1/2 cup chicken stock

large handful Thai Basil leaves (horapa)

1.)   Heat oil in wok, Add the clams and garlic and cook until the clams open slightly.

2.)   Add the fresh chilies, chili paste and soy sauce and mix well.

3.)   Add chicken stock.

4.)   Stir in basil and serve immediately over rice.

Roasted Chili Paste:

2 cups vegetable oil

8 shallots, sliced

6 cloves garlic, sliced

1 cup dried prawns

1/2 cup small dried chillies

1 Tbsp. palm sugar

3 Tbsp. fish sauce

1 1/2 Tbsp.  tamarind juice

1/4 – 1/2 Tsp. salt

1.)   Heat oil in wok and fry shallots and garlic until golden brown. Remove from oil and drain.

2.)   Add dried prawns and chilies and fry until golden brown. Remove from oil and drain.

3.)   In a food processor or blender, combine prawns, garlic, chillies, shallots, and sugar until well blended. Add the fish sauce, tamarind juice, salt and cooled oil from the wok and blend to a finely textured paste.

Thai fried clams over rice

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Sri Lanka Loses World Cup Cricket Final to India

Sure, it’s nice to win, but hats off to the Sri Lanka cricket team for their marvelous effort in this recent World Cup tournament. I’m certainly no fan of cricket, but I had to support the home team even though they were up against some serious odds. Playing team India in Mumbai must have been bad enough, but when your star player, Murali, is also injured, there are handicaps that prove too difficult to overcome.

Still, Sri Lanka made it to the finals, just as they did in the 2007 World Cup (which they lost to Australia), and their drive and effort must be applauded. Sri Lanka has been a consistent power in the sport of cricket, and I know they’ll be back for more.

Until then, the best way to drown our collective disappointment is in a heaping plate of rice & curry!

http://slembassyusa.org/downloads/ciu/2011/emag_06apr11.pdf?utm_content=wordsound%40aol.com&utm_source=VerticalResponse&utm_medium=Email&utm_term=PLEASE%20CLICK%20HERE%20FOR%20THE%20FULL%20REPORT&utm_campaign=EMBASSY%20OF%20SRI%20LANKA%2C%20WASHINGTON%2C%20D%2EC%20-%20COUNTRY%20INFORMATION%20UPDATEcontent

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