Jaffna comes to Colombo 

By Madushka Balasuriya

For a small island nation, the diversity present in Sri Lankan cuisine is quite rather impressive. The term ‘Sri Lankan cuisine’ lends itself to varying interpretations depending on who you ask. Looking for some good local grub in Colombo? You might be directed to the closest roti or kottu vendor. Move further North and pittu and hoppers become more commonplace, while a rice-and-curry lunch from a nearby ‘buth kadey’ is available almost anywhere.

However, if you were asked to pick one place to get the most memorable Sri Lankan cuisine experience, you really can’t go wrong with Jaffna. Known as ‘Yarlpana Samayal’, the cuisine caters to the six senses of taste - sweet, salty, bitter, sour, astringent and pungent - all in perfect harmony. However, as making the roughly eight-hour drive is a little difficult, Cinnamon Grand has the next best thing.

For Rs. 2850 nett per person, Cinnamon Grand’s homely resident purveyor of Lankan cuisine, Nuga Gama, is offering an authoritative Jaffna culinary experience with the Jaffna Festival - now in its second year - and with all the expected bells and whistles.

The unmistakable sounds of the late great A. E. Manoharan serenade diners, while intermittent performances from dance troupe ‘Nakkappu Gramiya Kalai Kulu’ entertain guests with a variety of acts, which include among other things horse costumes, men dressed like giant dolls, and even a ‘peacock dance’.

Several stalls, meanwhile, sell crafts and souvenirs made from dried palmyrah leaves; the ladies from Punkudutheevu Island sell their own brand of spice mixtures; and if once you’re done with the buffet you still fancy a little sweet treat for the road, popular snacks endemic to Jaffna, such as palm jaggery, homemade grape wine, nelli cordial, and musket are just a taste of the some 80 items on offer.

And do feel free to loosen the purse strings a little, as Cinnamon Grand assures us that all of the proceeds from the stalls go to the vendors, all of whom have been brought down from Jaffna and are being hosted at the hotel over the course of the ten-day festival.

Like the vendors, the chefs have also been brought down from Jaffna with the Nuga Gama kitchen staff only assisting with the preparations, while all the ingredients too have made the long journey south. 

Bites

As there are over 70 dishes in total, with a fairly even spread between vegetarian and non-veg items, there is most certainly something for everyone. As such, the festival can be enjoyed in many ways.

A popular (and personal) favourite, is to settle down with some Palmyrah Arrack or Palmyrah Toddy - the former which is delightful when served alongside some nelli cordial - and enjoy some of the delicious fried bites up for grabs. 

Vaalakai (ash plantain), Pilakottai (jackfruit seed), and Moormilakai (curd dried chilli) make up some of the more unusual options, while the cuttlefish, prawns, chicken and vadai are a few which offer a bit of relief for those less adventurous diners.

Mains

Now, usually during a food review, we at Daily FT like to recommend individual dishes that shouldn’t be missed. However, for anyone familiar with eating Sri Lankan cuisine, you will know that the only way to truly experience the food is to mix and match. So in the spirit of things my dining companion and I served up several plates and, simply put, went at it. 

Among the main, or base, dishes was a thorough selection of rice, pittu, string hoppers, hoppers, and thosai. I don’t say it lightly when I say try everything. If you’re looking to count those calories, there is an option of red rice and red rice flour pittu, but if you’re feeling a little more decadent, why not opt for the Pulichatham – a tamarind-based yellow rice, which really is as delicious as it sounds.

The Meen Puttu (fish pittu) as well was a standout, meshing exquisitely with several of the vegetarian dishes on offer, such as the quite excellent Kaththarikkai Paal (brinjal white curry), Karunaikilangu (elephant yam curry), or the ever reliable dhal curry.

A special mention must also go towards the Jaffna Kool, an intense, spicy, moderately thick seafood broth, which oozes flavour and is worth trying out either at the start of the meal or even midway through it.

Action stations meanwhile abound for the thosai and hopper lovers out there. While I personally couldn’t get enough of the hoppers, a quick word first on the thosai which came in two varieties - the Jaffna Thosai and the small round Gundu Thosai. Made with loving amounts of ghee, you could just snack on them on their own, however, add some of the sambols - coconut, red chilli, and green chilli - and revel in each of their unique flavours.

On to the hoppers now, and if there is one item I would urge you to try it is the coconut milk hopper. It works either as a meal ender, with its subtle sweet notes, or you can take a page out of my hedonistic playbook and pair it with any of the countless meat curries - especially the mutton poriyal - on offer.

Meats and seafood

This brings us to some of our favourites. Mutton is of course a staple of Jaffna cuisine, and as such it was little surprise to see four out of the six meat dishes dedicated to mutton. While the mutton bone rasam was a standalone soup, the Mutton Paal Poriyal, Tempered Mutton Blood, and Mutton Gravy Curry, were all outstanding accompaniments to any of the base dishes.

While flavoursome beef and chicken curries rounded out the meat dishes, the real star of the show was the seafood. 11 seafood curries are available in total, with the Stingray Fish Curry and the Shark Mallum adding some authentic Jaffna flare to the menu, the highlight of which is unquestionably the Jaffna Crab Curry. 

The Jaffna Crab Curry needs little to no introduction; full of flavour, spice, and punch, it is truly a dish that enraptures the senses. An absolute must-have.

Desserts

To wrap up our meal was an extensive selection of fruits, ice-cream and authentic Jaffna sweets. The ice-cream was courtesy Jaffna’s very own Rio Ice-cream, of which I heartily recommend the nelli and vanilla flavours. The fruits, meanwhile, comprised mangoes, bananas, and some perfectly ripe jackfruit, helpfully peeled and kept aside.

On the whole, this is a close to an authentic Jaffna culinary experience as you are likely to get, save for an eight hour journey. The festival is on until Sunday (25 February), and they have two sittings - 7pm to 11pm (daily) and 12 noon to 3pm (weekends) - so be sure to get your reservations in early on 112437437/112497468 for an unmissable experience.

Pix by Shehan Gunasekara