Another gem from Sri Lanka!

On Christmas day, our little boutique villa in Unawatuna, served us a festive breakfast. Along with the usual continental breakfast fanfare, we were surprised with a visually delightful dish. The little Christmas tree like savory parcels definitely brought a huge smile to our faces. Curried semolina, stir-fried with cashews, curry leaves, grated coconut, red chilies (similar to Indian upma) shaped like a tree and then layered with salty potato strings to hold onto the shape. The tree was then garnished with curry leaves and the top was adorned with a star made out of a carrot slice!

Not only was the dish interesting to look at, it was definitely simple and delicious and helped keep the hunger pangs at bay until our huge Christmas meal. I don’t think the dish has a name, or if it does – please give me a shout out.

(Location: http://rideevilla.com/)

As we all know, Sri Lankan food is super delicious and super spicy. On my recent trip to Sri Lanka,a certain devilled dish sent my palate up in roars and of course I needed rescuing and well water, juice, bread etc. don’t help at all – at least in  my case. So the waiting staff brought me a simply but beautifully plated dish of 'spiced coconut custard' or Watalappan.

At first sight, it was a light, spongy textured piece of cake with a caramelized top, garnished with strawberries. On taking a spoonful, the Watalappan just melted in my mouth. Smooth, airy and creamy egg custard, with a rich coconut flavor, doused in nutmeg, cardamom and cinnamon and baked to perfection. The beautiful golden color is mainly attributed to Jaggery, which is used to sweeten, also gives the custard a distinct color and flavor.

I spent the rest of my holiday, trying out Watalappan in different cities in Sri Lanka and I must say that Randholee Resort in Kandy, takes the cherry.