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How do our food experts cook and eat? This week, Sri Lankan home-based chef living in Bangladesh, Nihani takes our Q&A!

What would your last meal be? It would definitely be white rice, black pork curry, green beans curry, Jak fruit mallum, stir-fried spicy potatoes and eggplant moju. I know it’s a lot but I can’t say no to my favourite meal.

Easiest meal you would whip up to impress someone? A fragrant Sri Lankan yellow rice, fried chicken curry, creamy cashew curry, stir-fried spicy potatoes, brinjal moju, fresh mixed salad along with fried eggs and papadam. A classic Sri Lankan chocolate biscuit pudding for dessert.

What’s one dish you’ve perfected? Roast paan and kimbulabanis for sure. Homesickness led me to learn how to bake Lankan goods although I wasn’t really into cooking or baking at the time. With time and many trials later I believe I can bake a good bundle of roast paan and kimbulas.

What food is underrated?  Cauliflower mallum, which is almost similar to young Jakfruit mallum. Here in Bangladesh Jakfruit is seasonal, so as a substitute you can find me cooking Cauliflower mallum instead. 

Dead or alive, who would be your dream dinner-party guests to cook for? Princess Diana, because I absolutely adored her and is one of my role models. Would have loved to make her a glorious Sri Lankan dinner spread. 

What dish/meal would you eat but never cook? Lamprais which takes a good amount of time to cook, so I would rather pass, ha-ha!

What’s the most exotic food you’ve eaten? A very famous Bengali street food called “Fuchka” or as I like to call it the flavoured bomb. It is a spicy crispy shell filled with chickpeas, potatoes, green chillies, boiled eggs, onions, and coriander leaves, served with a delicious tamarind sauce. This tiny flavour explosion is all you need to make your day better. 

Your favourite odd food pairing?  Well, this is going to sound super weird but milk rice with bananas and lunumiris together is the best. I know it sounds super crazy, but trust me, it’s amazing. 

What’s a dish you’d love to relive for the first time? The Tiramisu I had in the UK six years ago. I still remember the taste of it as if it was just yesterday. It was heavenly. 

Deserted island scenario – you can only have one basic food to make all your food from. What is it?  That will be coconut. Yes! Coconut!

How did you stay sane during lockdown? Cooking, baking, and uploading recipes onto my Instagram account kept me on my toes. I was also really moved by my followers sharing the dishes that they have created by following my recipes.

Do the cooking or have someone cook for you? Do the cooking since I enjoy it the best!

What was your favourite childhood meal? During my A level years my mother used to whip up a delicious mixed fried rice with leftover rice to accompany on my night study sessions and I still do love it very much and I also enjoy making it for my kids.

Your favourite recipe that has been passed down to you from family? It’s my mother’s creamy and fudgy milk toffee recipe. It is one of our family favourites.

Cook at home or go out? Cook at home but I also do enjoy going out to eat. HAHA! I mean who wouldn’t?

What are your favourite leftovers to work with? String hoppers because I love to make a good string hopper kottu out of it. 

What’s your favourite cookbook? It is Anita Dickman’s cookery course by Shanthi Casie Chetty which was handed down to me by my wonderful late mother-in-law. 

What should not be missing in your kitchen? My stand mixture!! It is literally my right hand.

Your proudest lockdown food invention?  Perhaps my pizza recipe without yeast. During the lockdown, there was a rising baking trend. I observed a shortage of baking ingredients back home in Sri Lanka especially yeast, therefore I trialled and came up with this easy pizza recipe using baking powder and it was a hit.