HARVEST

The class kicks off by harvesting lime, curry and cinnamon leaves, fresh pepper, chillies, coriander, pandam, lemongrass, drumstick, cloves, and banana leaves from our private Spice & Kitchen garden, laid out in the shade of jak trees and the Ceylon Oak Elephant Graveyard tree.

 

COOKING

With the guidance of the Hotel chefs, you will learn how to put all the harvested ingredients and more together to make several classic island dishes of the sort typically devoured every day in villages across the country. They include:

 

POL SAMBOL COCONUT RELISH

The unofficial national dish of Sri Lanka is made with lime, fresh-grated coconut, salt, fresh chilli, tomato, onion, curry leaves, and fresh pepper.

 

PARIPPU DHAL CURRY

The absolute staple of Sri Lankan cuisine, made with red lentils, coconut milk, onions, garlic cloves, green chillies, curry, coriander leaves, and pandan leaves, coconut milk, turmeric powder, curry powder, mustard seeds, fresh chilli, cumin and fenugreek seeds, cinnamon, and lemon grass.

 

SWEET POTATO CURRY

Now a mainstream fusion dish, which uses the sweet potatoes introduced to the island in the 16th century by the Portuguese in place of jungle yams, and made with sweet potatoes, onion, garlic, green chilli, pandam leaves, curry leaves, turmeric powder, curry powder, fenugreek, fresh coconut milk, cinnamon, & cloves.

 

THE GO-TO COMFORT FOOD

The classic Sri Lankan chicken curry is made with onions, tomatoes, garlic, ginger, pandan and curry leaves, cardamom, cloves, Goraka, chilli, roasted curry powder, black pepper and coconut.

 

ICED SPICED BUTTERFLY PEA TEA

All washed down with homemade Spiced Butterfly Pea Tea.  The sapphire blue flowers of Sri Lanka’s most erotic, indigenous spice - Clitoria ternatea – come from an immodest, fast-growing vine, and are considered something of an aphrodisiac. The cold tea is made with fresh flowers, cinnamon, ginger, cardamom pods, jaggery, lime, and lemongrass

 

LOCATION & DURATION

Bertie’s Demonstration Kitchen is shaded by almond trees, under which you can eat the food you will have cooked, enjoying views out into the jungle.​  The class will take 3 hours.