I’d log my curry packed lunch and go to the tuck shop
every day: my parents, my brother, sometimes other relatives, too.
‘It might take two hours to make food for four to six people that was eaten in an hour and, as a teenager, I couldn’t understand why we were cooking all the time. There was a period when I hated curries. At school, I’d flog my curry packed lunch and go to the tuck shop. But at 15, 16, my palate changed, and all I wanted was South Asian food.
‘My grandmother, my mother’s mother, who lived in Putney, was the family matriarch and, really, my love of food came through her. She was the queen of “short eats” – Sri Lankan snacks such as croquette-like fish cutlets or bread rolls with seeni sambol [caramelised onion relish]. My recipe for fish patties, which resemble empanadas, reminds me of my grandmother. If she was visiting, I’d run home from school to see how many she’d made, and how many I could demolish in one sitting.
‘Short eats were influenced by [invaders and former colonial rulers], the Dutch, Portuguese and British. They’d start a meal or afternoon tea with something mildly spiced, often encased in breadcrumbs or pastry. But Sri Lankans took it to the next level adding, say, devilled beef or spiced tuna. Today, short eats are everywhere, at dinner parties, sold at roadside shacks, on trains. Sri Lanka’s snack game is strong.
‘After short eats and homework, I’d help prep the “rice and curry” for dinner or lay the table. When Sri Lankans talk about eating rice and curry, the term “curry” applies to about five items on your plate. You have rice; a fish or meat dish; a dhal; simple stir-fried greens like green beans or okra ; a white vegetable curry and, on the side, a pickle like mango chutney or a sambol. Sambols are a variety of dierent condiments that include pol sambol, a fresh combination of grated coconut, chilli and lime juice.
‘We still have deep roots in Sri Lanka. Mum spends six months of the year there and, pre-pandemic, I was there every few months. Family connections allow us to ship ingredients from Sri Lanka, such as tea (a distant uncle owns the tea company, Dilmah) or ginger and chillies. Through family, we liaise with farmers, going directly to the source.’ paradisesoho.com @paradisesoho