Adding a whole lotta zing

Sri Lankan chef Ima De Silva is adding spice to life at the Derwent Bridge Hotel, writes Elaine Reeves

WE can thank immigration regulations for bringing an excellent Sri Lankan chef into our midst.

Ima De Silva came to Australia as an 18-year-old to study cookery in Melbourne. After graduation he worked in Darwin, Sydney and Melbourne but seven years later, when it came to acquiring citizenship, he was required to work in a regional area.

Derwent Bridge Wilderness Hotel in the Central Highlands – winter population 20-30 – fitted the requirements perfectly.

The same day Julie Kosowski, a young French woman backpacking around Australia, supplemented the population when she came to work at the Hungry Wombat Cafe.

It does not take long to meet people at Derwent Bridge and very soon Julie came in after a shift to find a gift from Ima waiting for her, “a little tub of salmon on my bed, and I thought ‘wow’.”

Last year they married in Sri Lanka, and among the guests were David and Carol Fitzgibbon, who have owned and run the Derwent in the Central Highlands for the past 28 years.

Life was a struggle when Ima studied in Melbourne, working as a kitchen hand, cleaner and Latin American dance instructor (a skill from home) to pay for fees, food and roof.

He shared accommodation with 10 others. They lived off big pots of rice and dhal and hot-bedded for day and night shifts. Ima says, looking back “not a single dollar did I have in my pocket, but I was really happy”.

Coming to Derwent Bridge changed the way Ima did food, especially since becoming head chef a couple of years ago. He says it gave him the freedom “to think bigger”.

During summer as many as 250 coaches will spill their passengers for meals at the hotel. The kitchen turns out burgers and steaks to order, but curries eclipse all other requests.

Not only does the kitchen attract destination curry diners from as far away as Hobart, but also staff wanting to learn from Ima. Now there are three more Sri Lankan men and two Japanese women working alongside him.

Ima’s knowledge of spices came not from classes but from home. “When you understand the spices you can make miracles on the plate,” he says.

I watch as he prepares a biryani for that night’s dinner service. Some 22 spices go into it, along with yoghurt, milk and ghee. The spices are not added in any old order. Some would burn if he did that, others need longer to bring out their flavour.

First into the rice bran oil are star anise, cinnamon sticks and mustard seeds. Cumin, fennel, cardamom, powdered cloves, curry leaves, lemon grass and pandan leaves are added. Only then come the onions – if they were added any earlier their liquid would interfere with the frying.

Finally, par-boiled rice is added and on top of it all go deep-fried onions, cashews and sultanas. Then the lid is sealed with dough and the flavours are steamed through.

Ima touches the lid frequently to feel the steam rising. “I smell it, I hear the sound of the mustard seeds popping, I touch it, I feel it,” he says. “To be a chef you have to use your hands, ears, eyes, nose, but most important is the heart – if you do not have the passion for what you cook your food will not come as it should be.”

That evening the biryani accompanies a lamb curry, which contains even more spices and herbs. It is a deep, many-layered dish, but, for me, does not out-compete the rice.

Dessert is a banana fried in a batter containing cumin, coriander and sugar, served on a pancake with caramelised coconut, fresh mango, raspberry coulis and ice cream.

Our entree was gummy shark rillettes flavoured with gamboge, a dried fruit Ima brings in from Sri Lanka, which gave it a real zing. It was served on string hoppers with coconut sambol, dhal and beetroot puree.

Do not dally to try Curries by Ima at Derwent Bridge. At the end of May he and Julie are off to Sri Lanka, where he will cook regional specialities throughout the island for a party of Australian tourists.

After that they will travel to sample some “cultures with amazing food” says Julie. “I think it is a good thing for him, it will make him richer.”

If we are lucky, they will return to Tasmania, and open a restaurant somewhere that is not too bustling.

Julie says she is often asked of their current home base: “How do you live there? There is nothing there.” Her answer is: “That is why (ital why) we live there.”

Ima says Julie gives him a great deal of confidence. “You have to have people around you who say ‘yes you can’.”

You can see what he means when Julie says of where their eventual restaurant might be: “In his case, location will not matter. I believe his food will make people come to wherever he is.

“We have so many dreams and targets and everything is sparkling in front of us, and we are trying to catch everything at the same time.”

From the hotel kitchen, Ima makes curries that are vacuum packed and sent out chilled or frozen to other restaurants or accommodation facilities. Curries by Ima (PROPER NAME) is on Facebook and Instagram @curriesbyima.

On YouTube you can see Curries by Ima cooking demonstrations. The 20-day tour of Sri Lanka with Ima cooking next year is through Sri Lankan travel agency Live is to Travel.