How do our food experts cook & eat? This week, the sous chef specialising in patisserie, Chef Hashan De Silva, takes our Q&A!

Describe your signature style of baking as a chef. My signature style of baking involves finding genuine joy in the entire process from sourcing ingredients to serving. Each step plays an integral role. I also pay careful attention to maintaining a highly organised and motivated kitchen with hygiene being of paramount importance.

What is your go-to dish to make? My go-to dish is Dark Chocolate Mouse, Dulce de Leche Jelly, and Coconut Panna Cotta with Ellinikos Lemon Crumble. This dish means a lot to me on a personal level since it helped me win the Nestle Golden Chefs Hats Competition, Season 5 in the U.A.E.

What’s your first memory of cooking? My first memory of cooking goes all the way back to my childhood. I might have been around eight years old at the time and I didn’t have a clue about the processes involved in baking and the ingredients. I still remember how happy I was after I baked a chocolate chip cake and it was time to taste it.

What was your favourite childhood meal? My grandmother used to make Kurakkan Helapa with ginger tea as an evening snack. It’s a combination that takes me back to my childhood. I have made it a few times while holidaying in Sri Lanka, especially given its simplicity. However, it has never tasted or felt like my grandmother’s Kurakkan Helapa.

What dish do you love to eat but never cook? I love Sri Lankan Mud Crab Curry with Toasted Bread. However, I never cook it.

You’ve won medals for your patisserie work. What’s challenging about patisserie? There are a lot of factors to consider when facing up against the best pastry chefs in competitions. I need to make sure that I come up with something unique and innovative. I also take taste and flavour pairings into careful consideration. The final presentation, in my opinion, needs to be original and enticing.

If you can serve only one dish in your restaurant – what would it be? It would be Caramelised Banana and Chocolate Souffle with Tonka Bean Ice Cream. In my opinion, it covers all the bases with ample space for creative presentation.

An underrated Sri Lankan ingredient? I still feel that Sri Lankan spices have a long way to go on a global scale. We produce top-shelf spices such as cardamom, fennel, and cinnamon that are full of distinct flavours. Unfortunately, only Sri Lankan cinnamon has the reputation it deserves.

What do you love about being a professional chef? Being a chef isn’t always as rosy as it’s often portrayed. Professional kitchens can be very stressful and chaotic while putting the entire team to the test. What makes it a highly satisfying job, for me, is the pleasure of cooking or baking for others. I find genuine pride and joy in my work. I also love how professional cooking is a team game. Every person in the kitchen plays an integral role and it’s a team effort in the end.

If you can cook for a celebrity chef of your choice? It would be award-winning master chef Dimuthu Kumarasighe. Chef DK is the only chef in the world to ever win 9 gold medals in individual events held at two separate Culinary Olympics, once in 2004 and again in 2006. It would be an immense honour to cook for someone like him.

What’s a dish you’d love to relive for the first time? I’m a huge fan of Buffalo Curd with Kithul Treacle. I can’t remember the first time I tasted it, and I wish I could relive that experience and appreciate it as a first-timer.

What’s your comfort dish after a long day? I love finding comfort in a good Chicken Shawarma after a long day at work. It works well since it’s not too heavy and covers most bases in terms of nutrition.
What does your own restaurant of your dreams look like? It would be a fine dining restaurant serving Sri Lankan and international fusion desserts with an atmosphere filled with Sri Lankan hospitality, warmth, and culture. Ideally, I would like to have it in a city known for food with a great food culture such as Naples, Paris, or Copenhagen.

What has been the most difficult recipe that you mastered? It must be Elvish Layer Honey Cake. It’s a recipe that requires a lot of skill, patience, and confidence.

You worked abroad as a chef – which country has the best food that must be explored? I don’t want to sound obvious but for me, it’s France. I just can’t shake off the reputation French cuisine has for decadent desserts, delightful pastry concoctions, and dreamy patisserie.