If there is a noun to describe “a collector of cookbooks,” I am one of them. I have a bookcase at home stuffed with titles such as “The Montserrat Cookbook” with its recipe for simmered frog and “Canary Islands Garlic Sauces” which has a fine recipe for wrinkled potatoes cooked in sea water.
Collecting cookbooks is said to be “the American homemaker’s number one hobby.” It can be an expensive hobby as I discovered last month when I bought “Cook Kandalama Style” at a price much higher than dinner for two would cost at the Heritance Kandalama’s pretty Kanchana Restaurant. However, since the book contains hundreds of intriguing recipes to try at home – and 200 gorgeously illustrated pages – it is a bargain.
Cookbook collectors are advised to keep their cookbooks out of the kitchen, and to preserve the book’s jacket carefully. Without the original jacket, or with a torn one, a cookbook loses 75 percent of its re-sale value to other collectors. Not that I plan to sell my new prize. It is a book I enjoy dipping into while sitting at the coffee table, copying out a recipe to try when I want to recall a signature dinner at the Heritance Kandalama.
That’s because it is far too valuable to take into the kitchen where it would soon be drizzled with spilt oil and stained with turmeric. Like a well-presented dish this cookbook is a feast for the eye. It weighs a lot too because of the quality of the paper it is printed on and its elegantly bound cover with the Kandalama logo (the Sinhala letter representing “K”), so it’s definitely something to drool over away from the stove.
The note by Food Editor Sandamalee de Fonseka (of www.bojoon.com) points out how Sri Lankan cuisine, unlike Western, which is course-based, is a mixture of a number of dishes each contributing a distinct flavour and texture. Thus the success of a Sri Lankan meal lies not in the mastery of a certain dish, but on the understanding of how to combine the dishes. To guide readers symbols are liberally sprinkled throughout the book illustrating the pungency of a particular dish, as well as highlighting fascinating tips and theories about an ingredient from Chef Hassim.
Chef R. J. Hassim himself beams proudly at the head of his brigade in a photograph on page 15 where he writes about the culinary backstage of Heritance Kandalama and introduces his talented team. He joined the hotel as Junior Sous Chef, becoming Corporate Chef of Heritance Kandalama after ten years there. He points out that Heritance Kandalama is part of the village community involving local farmers and suppliers as well as staff from the area. He suggests that it does not matter whether the reader has visited the hotel since the reader who explores “Cook Kandalama Style” will no longer be a stranger to the exquisiteness of Heritance Kandalama.
Well, it would be a shame not to try these extraordinary dishes – especially the Signature ones – without visiting the source. The photographs by Udaya Wijesoma are absolutely amazing and make even rice look attractive. Goodness knows how one could re-create at home the delicate artistry of “Pineapple in Grilled Sweet Potato Discs” or “Coconut Creamed Beli Soup.”
As well as recipes and tips there is a note on Sri Lanka as a Gastronomic Hotpot and how to understand this country’s food, as an art and as a science. Sections of the book cover popular Sri Lankan breakfasts, lunches, dinners, tea cuisine, Heritance cuisine and Signature dishes, and Signature beverages and bites. Anyone for Sago in Jaggery Tea or Garlic & Roasted Cashew Dip?
I was fascinated by the special Heritance Cuisine recipes.
These utilise only local ingredients, often organic, and cooking methods peculiar to Sri Lanka. Here are recipes for “Pulse Mousse with Batter-Fried Aloe Vera,” or how about “Gam Kukulu Consomme”? So far I have only dared to try one recipe, that for “Roasted Brinjal Spicy Soup.” It tasted super although it didn’t look as good as in the photograph.
The index of the book is the politest I have ever read, possibly reflecting the courteousness of the staff at Heritance Kandalama. The word “please” appears more than 200 times. For example, look up “Dry Fish (& jak seed) baduma” and you’ll read “Please refer fry-ups.” Every entry is classified too, such as in “Curry, pork (with) gamboge -- popular Sri Lankan lunches, page 57”.
The book’s text is printed in white on black pages, also reflecting an ingredient of Heritance Kandalama where black is used as a neutral background to the stunning verdure of its setting. The book looks stylish, worthy of the unique hotel and its dedication to innovative Sri Lankan cuisine. It has pride of place in my collection, as it should have on the shelves of all serious food fans. |
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