Having good food is important to me. I'm Chinese. It's in my genes.
It's so important, in fact, that it's a determining factor in where I spend time, as well as how long I can stay.
Yummy food = I can stay a while. Not so yummy = I want to go somewhere with yummy food.
During my recent visit to Sri Lanka, I was fortunate enough to sample a lot of great cuisine, courtesy of my new friend Chef Champika. Suffice it to say that I scarfed down everything he made, no matter the quantity.
Delicious food in Sri Lanka
Of all the dishes I tried, my favourite was coconut sambal. It's not too difficult to make, so I got the recipe...both so I can make it at home, and also to share with anyone else who might want to give it a try:
Ingredients:
1 freshly grated coconut
6 cloves garlic
8pc small purple shallots (bawang)
1 1/2 tsp salt
2 tsp chili powder
Juice of 1 1/2 limes
Procedure:
1. Roughly chop garlic and shallots.
2. Put into a pestle add salt. Pound the mixture.
3. Add chili powder and pound again until quite fine.
4. Add a handful of the grated coconut and mix.
5. Add this mixture to the rest of the grated coconut, pour in lime juice. Mix well.
6. Enjoy!
Chef Champika making delicious coconut sambal