At The Oberoi
At Bishop's College
Kaushalya
I was invited to write a food column after the Editor of The Sun (Daily Mirror) noticed how passionately I shared stories on my Instagram account. I used to post everything I ate and even dedicate love songs to the dishes I fell in love with. It may sound eccentric, but my love for food is deep and wholehearted. Every bite makes me feel more intensely, as though the world sharpens in flavour. For a few years I wrote restaurant reviews and recommendations for HI!! Online, but I often felt confined by the emphasis on high-end dining. Some of the best meals I have ever eaten came from humble roadside kades, and I longed for the freedom to celebrate them too.
My first night-time kade rice and curry packet came into my life when I was five years old, and the memory has stayed with me ever since. It was from The Nawalanka Hotel in Ratmalana, opposite the Maliban biscuit factory. Thirty-five years later the restaurant is still there, and the food tastes exactly as it did in 1989. The rice packet was folded into a neat square and filled with keeri samba, dhal curry, fish curry, sautéed beans, dhel curry, fried dry fish, fried chilli and poppadom Everything about it is pure nostalgia. One bite takes me straight back to the 80s, sitting in my grandmother’s house, feeling small and safe.
As a child I was always hungry, and not much has changed. I schooled at Bishop’s College in Colombo 03, and I was definitely the child who hid her lunch box inside her desk so I could sneak bites when the teacher looked away. I would finish my food long before the interval and then happily share my best friend’s lunch during the break.
When I was older my mother gave me money to buy food from the canteen. The canteen in the 90s was far from glamorous, but we loved it anyway. I received Rs. 20/- and spent Rs. 10/- on a hotdog with watery but delicious sauce and a sausage sliced into two. One sausage made two hotdogs. The remaining Rs. 10/- went toward a chilled Necto.
After the interval we had to walk past the hostel refectory and the smell of their food always made us envious. My stomach would rumble every time. Later I discovered a subject called Home Science, where students cooked and ate their own food. I chose Home Science for both O/Ls and A/Ls and eventually became President of the Home Science Society.
My teacher, Ms. Deepika, was a wonderful cook. She taught me how to plan menus, prepare wholesome meals and maintain a spotless kitchen. I still use her lessons today. I visited her home once and saw how lovingly she cared for her family. It happened to be teatime. She served her children tea with bread dipped in gravy from a fish curry she had made for lunch. My mother was not a tea drinker, and we did not have an evening tea culture at home, so I watched them dip bread into curry and enjoy it with tea. I remember thinking what an incredible combination it was. I still recreate that ritual at home and make small tea-time snacks that everyone looks forward to.
In the 2000s our school canteen received a complete transformation when Tasty Caterers took over. It felt like heaven to us. Their upgraded menu made us feel so fancy, almost as though we were experiencing a Michelin-star meal compared to the simple canteen fare of the 90s.
My mother’s sister, Kaushlaya, who is my age, was also in my class. We stayed after school for sports practices and her mother often brought sandwiches for her with extras for me. One day we were taken to the Oberoi Hotel, now Cinnamon Grand, for their dessert buffet. Buffet culture was not widespread then, so seeing what looked like an endless sea of desserts became a core memory. We tried everything, had multiple scoops of ice cream and left so giddy with excitement that we still talk about that day.
My grandfather’s staff picked us up from school and the drive from Colombo 03 to Dehiwala always felt painfully long, especially when we were hungry. We would beg them to buy us something to eat, but they would joke that they used to eat paper when they were young. They pretended to eat paper, and we would join them, nibbling on pages from our books. After our little feast we finally reached home and were met with the most delicious meal in the world, cooked by my mother. She looked after five of us at the time, serving our food into a big basin and seating us in a circle. She fed us with her hand, rolling the rice and curry into balls that always felt too big for our faces.
My mother is the best cook I have ever known. She deserves an entire column dedicated to her mastery in the kitchen. She has taught me countless recipes. She travelled to London for her studies in the mid-90s and refined her cooking even more, but as a child my favourite dish will always be her fluffy marshmallow pudding.
Ammi’s Pink Marshmallow Pudding
Ingredients
• 8 tsp gelatine powder
• 200ml boiling water
• 8 egg whites
• 200g caster sugar
• 4 tsp vanilla extract
• 50g cashew nuts (toasted and chopped)
• Food colouring (optional)
Method
Dissolve the gelatine in the boiling water and allow it to cool slightly. Whisk the egg whites until soft peaks form, then gradually add the caster sugar until the mixture is stiff and glossy. Mix the vanilla into the dissolved gelatine and slowly pour it into the beaten egg whites while whisking gently. Divide the mixture into bowls and tint with assorted food colouring if you wish.
Place the toasted, chopped cashew nuts at the bottom of a serving dish or individual glasses, then pour the coloured mixtures over the cashews. Tap gently to release any air bubbles and refrigerate for at least four hours, or until fully set.
