Browsed by
Author: Amrita de Soyza

Festive Yellow Rice

Festive Yellow Rice

Rice, Oryza sativa, is the second most widely grown and eaten grain worldwide. Over 3.5 billion people consider rice a staple. Basmati, Jasmine, Arborio, Carnaroli, are just some of the rice varieties but are there lots more varieties that most people don’t know of. Worldwide there are over 40,000 varieties – each with its distinctive flavor and properties. Some rice varieties are associated with specific techniques. Examples include Carnaroli rice used for Italian risotto and the Sushi rice used for…

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A week in Paris on the Seine

A week in Paris on the Seine

As vaccination to protect ourselves from Covid-19 start to take hold, although very slowly in some places, we can start to think of traveling again. I am fortunate to have visited Paris (France, not its namesake in Texas) on a couple of occasions. Before the onset of Covid-19, Paris was the second most visited city in the world. It is also the second most expensive city in the world. My first visit to France was in the late 1980’s while…

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Our planet and its environment

Our planet and its environment

Environment. One word but with so many different meanings to different people. Many seem to interpret the word as referring only to the natural world or nature; while others ascribe it to particular settings – school environment, work environment, home environment and so on. For this blog I use a very inclusive definition. Our environment is everything that surrounds us – on earth and beyond! Just to be clear, I don’t mean the afterlife. By beyond I mean the stars…

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Sri Lankan Dry Beef Curry

Sri Lankan Dry Beef Curry

While Chicken and Fish are widely eaten, Beef & Pork are less widely eaten in Sri Lanka largely due to religious sensibilities. Many Buddhists are vegetarian or eat fish but abstaining from beef is not universal. This fragrant and tasty curry made with beef and served “dry” (no sauce) has long been a favorite at my table. It also tastes good with pork. I was attempting to make a traditional Sri Lankan beef curry with lots of gravy but forgot…

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Sri Lankan Red Chicken Curry

Sri Lankan Red Chicken Curry

The spice blend used for this recipe is called “Badapu thuna paha” in Sinhalese, which translates to “roasted three five”. Presumably the original spice blends had either three or five spices but my blend has eight ingredients. Thuna-paha is a generic name for spice blends and each cook may have a different blend for each type of meat . Feel free to modify the blend to your taste! In the ingredients I specify Ceylon Cinnamon. Ceylon was the colonial name…

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South Asian Cuisine

South Asian Cuisine

In our future blogs we will delve into foods from a variety of countries. For me, having being given the honor to write the first food-related blog, it is appropriate that I begin with some recipes from the country of my birth. Sri Lanka. Although I have lived outside Sri Lanka for most of my life I still yearn for the flavors of Lankan cuisine. Other cuisine from mainland South Asia (India, Pakistan, Bangladesh) is similar, but also quite different. …

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Preparing for Travel

Preparing for Travel

Travel expands the mind, or so the saying goes. The world has been in various stages of lockdown and the freedom to travel where and when you want is still emerging from the shadows of Covid-19. We will be posting on some of our favorite travel destinations in the posts below but here are some tips to help you prepare for travel when it finally opens up again. Identification for travel within your country Do you know the identification requirements…

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