Cynthia Shanmugalingam’s book Rambutan combines personal and diasporic Sri Lankan recipes—with a good dash of ‘Tamil joy.’
I have a special place for Sri Lankan cuisine in my heart . While it has some similarities to the elbow room Tamilians eat in India , in Sri Lanka , dishes are robust and laced withspices , with emphasis on technique and ingredient . And so , I find it evocative to read the verbal description of Point Pedro , a town at the northernmost summit of Sri Lanka , in Cynthia Shanmugalingam ’s new cookery book , Rambutan . It enthrall me to the coastal Department of State Tamil Nadu , an Native American region connected to Sri Lanka ’s Jaffna district via the Palk Strait .
“ In the heavy , airy construction , some feet away from the black and Au sand , you may still hear the Arabian Sea , ferocious with fish , Cancer and catamaran , ” she writes . “ Beside the shouting in the fish food market and above the Elmer Rice guy with his nineteen different sort of Elmer Leopold Rice , the vegetable seller sit cross - legged on a cement floor . Each one is surround by beautiful piles of fruit and veg . ”
Shanmugalingam is a first - generation Sri Lankan who grew up in Coventry , England in the 1980s . Her parents — pappa , a university lecturer , and mom , a factory worker — moved from Sri Lanka in the ’ LX . In gain to various office jobs , Shanmugalingam ran street food pop - ups inLondonfor more than 10 twelvemonth , all of which culminated into a finish - rich Sri Lankan cuisine cookery book .
Cynthia Shanmugalingam’s Roast Pumpkin Curry|Photo by Alex Law
“ While growing up , momma and my grandmother who also be with us , made Sri Lankan food everyday , ” she says . “ We eat a pile of ‘ rice and curry , ’ usually angle or seafood with plain white rice and a mint of vegetables . Sometimes to be modernistic , they try out their hand at ‘ noodles ’ which means a kind of Sri Lankan shake up fry , or ‘ bolognaise’—a kind of hot beef curry with spaghetti , which was completely luscious . ”
Before she wroteRambutan , Shanmugalingam ’s dream was to spread a Sri Lankan restaurant . “ I felt like there was something to say about being the small fry of immigrants , catch between two world , and give people a variety of survey into my sense of the island , ” she aver .
In 2020 , amidglobal pandemic quarantine , Shanmugalingam shelved the project temporarily . “ Then , with George Floyd news , there was this explosion in conversations about race and mental representation in lots of areas . It seemed like it was high time for a Sri Lankan to write a cookbook . ”
To writeRambutan , Shanmugalingam mix personal and national story . She used recipes from her grandmother ’s notebook computer — including a fend - out Gallus gallus sodhi curry — as transcribed by her female parent , as well as several of her female parent ’s recipes . She also track through the land to learn from topical anaesthetic .
“ Sri Lankan momma tend to give you craze instructions like ‘ Cook it until it ’s cooked , ’ ” she enunciate . “ If you ask , ‘ Do I put coconut milk in now ? ’ they say , ‘ Why not ? Something new . ’ ” These mothers are star chefs , too , facilitate Shanmugalingam to create a cookery book of shared ideas that present the diversity of Sri Lankan cuisine .
Rambutanfeatures varied recipes from the island . Some have modern twists , and some are straight - up classics . It ’s also the tale of how animmigrantkid views their parent ’ home plate .
“ It ’s full of melancholy and Tamil pleasure and politics and family and cricket and curries , and I hope it generate the referee just a routine of the same wonder and excitement I ’ve had about Sri Lanka all my life , ” Shanmugalingam allege .
This joint pumpkin curry shows how enterprising domicile Cook build complex flavour with a relatively unforesightful leaning of constituent . Plus , it can be made with unlike character of squash orpumpkin , so global cooks can adapt the recipe to their kitchens .
Cynthia Shanmugalingam’sRoast Pumpkin Curry Recipe
Ingredients:• 1 pumpkin or squelch , such as delica , kabocha , or butternut , roughly 2 - 2½ pounds• 2 tablespoons coconut or vegetable oil• 2 tablespoons salt• ½ teaspoon Sri Lankan curry powder or 1 teaspoon chili powder• 1 medium red onion , flake and thinly sliced• 20 smart curry leaves , divided• 3 garlic cloves , uncase and sliced• 1 teaspoon leaf mustard seeds• 1 teaspoonful cumin seeds• 2 whole cardamom pod , lightly bashed in a mortar and pestle• 7 ounces coconut milk• 1½ teaspoonful earth turmeric• 1 tablespoon coconut or vegetable oil• 1½-inch bit of ginger , unclothe , fine sliced or rationalize into matchsticks• 1 lime
Directions:1 . Preheat the oven to 425 ° F . With a spoonful , scoop the seeds out of the Cucurbita pepo and throwing away . Cut the seeded pumpkin into wedge around ¾-inch heavyset , leaving the skin on ) . Place on a baking tray with 1 tablespoon of vegetable oil , and dot with 1 teaspoon of table salt and ¼ teaspoon of the curry powder , meld well . Roast for 20–25 minutes until tender and halcyon and starting to embrown at the edge . Remove from the oven and leave to cool on the tray.2 . To make the curry , put a medium - sized wok or saucepan over a medium - eminent heat . Add the continue tablespoon of petroleum , and when hot , electrocute the onion until translucent . Add 10 curry leave of absence and garlic , and about a minute later , add the mustard seeds , cumin seeds , and cardamom . Fry the commixture for 1 instant , being careful not to burn the spices , stirring and adding more oil if necessary.3 . rain cats and dogs the coconut Milk River into the wok or saucepan , and then supply the turmeric and remaining ¼ teaspoonful of curry gunpowder , 1 teaspoonful of salt , and two small-arm of the roasted pumpkin for flavor . Cook until the curry is gently bubbling , 3–4 minutes , then remove from heat.4 . Place the roasted pumpkin vine torpedo on a scale , and smooch the curry liquid over and around it.5 . Heat coconut or vegetable oil in a low pan and add the remaining 10 curry leave . Fry until crisp , and then scatter over the pumpkin curry . Add fresh powdered ginger and land up with a liquidity crisis of lime .
