Milk, Spice and Curry Leaves: Hill Country Recipes From the Heart of Sri Lanka

Ruwanmali
Samarakoon-Amunugama’s childhood memories of visits to her parents’
homeland in Sri Lanka were filled with colourful trips to the market,
lively, happy meals with her extended family, and long, scenic car rides
from the capital of Colombo, past tea estates and farmers’ stalls, into
the hill country around Kandy. In Milk, Spice and Curry Leaves,
Ruwan shares the rustic, tropical flavours of these Sri Lankan
visits―sweet pineapple and mango, bitter gourd, toothsome cashews, spicy
chili pepper, tart lime, and many more―in recipes designed with North
American home cooks in mind.

She
introduces the three pillars of Sri Lankan cuisine: coconut milk, rice,
and spice, and walks readers through the steps to make the two
foundational Sri Lankan curry powders (roasted and unroasted). She also
goes into detail on specialty products―like goraka, pandanus leaves,
tamarind, and young jackfruit―always with attention to using ingredients
available in North American grocery stores.

With lush food photography and styling, hand-drawn illustrations, heirloom photos and ephemera, Milk, Spice and Curry Leaves is an invitation to a way of cooking and a family of traditions from the country known as “the Pearl of the Indian Ocean.”