Peter Kuruvita

Q: What are the golden rules in your kitchen?

A: Consistency, cleanliness, organisation, punctuality, hard work and no phones; it’s all about the food.

Q: Do you think any dish can be given a Sri Lankan twist?

A: Yes, it’s possible. I have two dishes in my restaurant that infuse a Sri Lankan flavour. The first is lamb belly, which is glazed with goraka; and the second is apple puree, which is infused with

pol sambol!

Q: Does Sri Lanka’s culinary landscape lack anything? And if so, where are the lacunas?

A: Sri Lankans are very traditional; they’re not very adventurous when it comes to food. Any change to grandmother’s best dish is probably going to be appreciated more by foreigners than locals.

In addition, I feel that the kitchen teams here need to start thinking outside the box. One of the biggest hurdles I face when I visit Sri Lankan kitchens is that it takes five chefs to hand me a spoon! I think this kitchen hierarchy is a cultural thing because it’s present around the world. But in a culinary landscape, this can become an issue.

However, I’ve come to see so many Sri Lankans who travel overseas and become successful chefs. There are many amazing Sri Lankan chefs who work in the Maldives, the Middle East and Europe.

So while the culinary landscape in Sri Lanka doesn’t lack flavour, it certainly lacks experimentalism.

Q: Is there a Sri Lankan dish you have yet to master?

A: There are many. We all know how to prepare hoppers and kottu but if one were to travel to the villages and down south, we’ll find the most delicious food.

I met an elderly lady by the Madu River who prepares the most delicious black fish curry – and I still can’t prepare it like she does… even though she showed me how to make it on five occasions!