Milk, Spice and Curry Leaves: Hill Country Recipes from the Heart of Sri Lanka

Ruwanmali Samarakoon-Amunugama's Milk, Spice and Curry Leaves: Hill Country Recipes from the Heart of Sri Lanka delves deeply into the vibrant and richly-textured culinary traditions of Sri Lanka, offering a sensory journey through its diverse and distinctive flavours. In this beautifully crafted cookbook, Ruwanmali intertwines her personal memories and cultural heritage with authentic recipes, narrating her childhood experiences of visiting her ancestral homeland. Engaging readers with tales of colourful market trips, joyous family feasts, and scenic car rides through the lush landscapes extending from Colombo to the verdant hill country around Kandy, she captures the essence of Sri Lankan cuisine.

The book is a treasure trove of rustic, tropical flavours, from sweet pineapple and mango to bitter gourd, savoury cashews, spicy chilli pepper, and tangy lime. Each recipe is thoughtfully designed for home cooks, ensuring that the rich tastes of Sri Lankan dishes are accessible to all. Ruwanmali introduces readers to the three pillars of Sri Lankan cuisine: coconut milk, rice, and spices. She meticulously walks readers through the preparation of two foundational curry powders—roasted and unroasted—that form the backbone of countless Sri Lankan dishes.

Additionally, Ruwanmali highlights specialty ingredients such as goraka, pandanus leaves, tamarind, and young jackfruit, offering insights into their unique properties and substitutions with easily available ingredients for those outside Sri Lanka. This attention to accessibility makes Milk, Spice and Curry Leaves not only a guide to exotic ingredients but also a practical resource for enthusiastic cooks looking to expand their culinary repertoire.

The book is further enriched with lush food photography and styling that brings each dish to life, while hand-drawn illustrations, heirloom photos, and personal mementos provide an intimate glimpse into Ruwanmali’s family traditions and the broader culinary culture of Sri Lanka—affectionately known as "the Pearl of the Indian Ocean". Each page is an invitation to discover a new way of cooking, deeply rooted in a vibrant culture and history. This cookbook serves as both a celebration of Sri Lankan cuisine and a touching homage to the author’s heritage.