A culinary journey with Kumar Pereira

Saturday, 7 March 2015 00:06 - - {{hitsCtrl.values.hits}}

Kumar Pereira By Marianne David When we think of sweet and sour prawns, the immensely-popular dish served up at Chinese restaurants in Sri Lanka invariably comes to mind. But stop and think of the same dish with a Sri Lankan twist – featuring tamarind, curry spices, some greens, plus coconut londha and kitul treacle. Who would’ve thought? Kumar Pereira, that’s who.

“The flavour is really easy to do, it only takes 10 minutes, looks amazing and tastes really good,” said Kumar, sitting down with the Daily FT for a quick chat at Park Street Mews last Wednesday, shortly before unveiling his latest ‘Culinary Journey’. In Sri Lanka for little under a month, Kumar presented ‘A Culinary Journey with Kumar Pereira MasterChef All-Star – Australia’ on two consecutive nights with two seatings per night at the Mews on 10 and 11 March. The Sri Lankan fusion menu promised ‘a multicourse meal comprising a selection of entrées, mains and desserts that give a taste of traditional Sri Lankan favourites with a contemporary twist’. Showcasing Sri Lanka Outlining what he was planning to serve later on, Kumar – who likes showcasing Sri Lankan products – sa

id: “I am doing my contemporary version of Sri Lankan food so it’s things that I’ve done over the years and learned over the past three years, using traditional Sri Lankan ingredients. I am using a lot of coconut, tamarind, kitul treacle and cashew nuts – all my favourite things!” Kumar returned to Sri Lanka with several foreign nationals this time to conduct a tour, which comprised travelling around the country while cooking, and decided on the ‘Culinary Journey’ events upon invitation by Harpo Gooneratne, CEO and Founder of Harpo’s Cafés & Restaurants. It’s been a hectic visit, said Kumar, who is also planning another tour for next year with a larger group of around 20 people. Reinventing himself A man who loves inventing, Kumar entered the MasterChef Australia competition in an effort to prove to his children that it was possible to reinvent oneself at any age. In 2011, Kumar effortlessly moved from a career in design to one in cooking when, at 62, he became one of the 12 finalists in MasterChef Australia, season 3. In 2012, he was in MasterChef All Stars, where selected contestants from the three previous years were invited to be part of a special show. “I proved that I could reinvent myself. I’ve given up design and I also gave up teaching ever since the show. Now I am teaching cooking and everything to do with food. I am really happy because I am doing something I love to do and I have very little stress,” he said, with a wide smile. He now does cooking demonstrations across many states in Australia, cooking classes in Sydney, a lot of charity and works as an Ambassador for Seniors Week, which falls every March. “It’s a week for people over 60 to encourage them and show that life doesn’t stop – they can go on and do things and enjoy them. I’ve been an Ambassador for Seniors Week for the last three years and I do demos for older people to encourage them that life doesn’t end when you’re 60,” he explained.

Twist on tradition Touching on his style of cooking, Kumar said he liked to show people new ways of using traditional ingredients. “I love coconut in all its forms, I use coconut water, coconut flesh, coconut sugar, coconut flour… there are many traditional things that you can use, but I like to use them in non-traditional ways.” Noting that he would never try to teach traditional Sri Lankan people how to do a curry – “because everyone knows how to do a curry and their way is the best way” – Kumar said he preferred to do what he does and show them other, newer possibilities. Through his classes, he exposes people to Sri Lankan cooking and methods of experimentation, but feels limited by people’s expectations. “It is unfortunate in a way that people only expect me to do Sri Lankan food – I’ve lived in London and Hong Kong, and tonight’s dinner is influenced by those countries, with a Sri Lankan bias in a way. I am using Sri Lankan ingredients in different ways,” elaborated Kumar. Citing an example, he said: “One of the things tonight is a little starter which is very European in style – it’s a tomato jelly, essence of tomato, but I’ve included lemon grass and coriander and brought in an Asian influence.” Another cookbook? Kumar’s book titled ‘Kumar’s Family Cookbook’ was published in May 2013 by Allen & Unwin, Australia, and is available for sale in Australia and online worldwide. Asked about the possibility of another book, he is very positive: “I would love to do another one. I’ve got enough recipes because I’ve done so much since the last book. If someone makes me an offer, yes I will!”