The rural spread

By Cassandra Mascarenhas

Amidst the hive of activity that Colombo is lies an idyllic village setting in the most unexpected of places - in the backyard of one of Colombo’s five-star city hotels, the Cinnamon Grand.

Nuga Gama since its inception two years back has quickly gained popularity amongst both Sri Lankans and foreigners for the authentic traditional lifestyle cultivated there; the roosters pecking around the majestic Banyan tree, which is the centrepiece of the place, the thatched huts, and its most splendid feature - the sumptuous buffet.

With the main course alone offering a variety of over 40 dishes, one is spoilt for choice when dining at Nuga Gama. The fare consists of nothing but traditional Sri Lankan village food, prepared by six ‘ammes’ from villages around Sri Lanka. Leaving the air-conditioned interior of the hotel and wandering between the overgrown shrubs, wooden fences and dozens of plants burdened with various produce that is then plucked fresh and cooked for the buffet, one then enters the village centre and sitting under the Banyan Tree, can enjoy the spread laid out for them.

First one is served glasses of fresh fruit juice and arrack cocktails mixed with passion fruit, nelli and various other fruits. For the more adventurous, there is kithul toddy, freshly brewed on the premises itself.

After a trip to the water pump where a smiling, sarong-clad man pumps out water and pours it out from a coconut shell to wash your hands, arm yourself with a plate, or two, to be able to serve even half that is available and dive in.

“The food is prepared in a completely traditional manner by the village ‘ammes’ using firewood which gives the food that smoky flavour,” said Executive Chef Chaminda Liyanage. “Most of the vegetables are grown in our garden or are brought in by the ammes when they return to their respective villages which is why we are able to provide fruits and vegetables that are generally difficult to find in Colombo.”

The fresh produce is brought from all over the country from polas and Sunday fairs and even the spices used are made from scratch with the raw materials sourced from the villages and then processed by the able cooks.

“It has to be done this way. Take for example curry powder. Although a normal cook may use the same curry powder for several curries, the ammes have separate recipes for the preparation of curry powder for chicken, a different one for fish, it may even differ according to the type of fish,” Liyanage explained.

The rural feast as it is called starts off with varieties of Sri Lankan dishes including a rare and flavoursome white rice found in villages, two types of red rice and ‘thampabu kos’, boiled jak fruit generally taken as an alternative to rice, eaten with grated coconut and ground red chillies.

This is followed by a selection of dishes of choice vegetables such as sweet purple yam mixed with a myriad of spices, are canut flower curry, pumpkin black curry, cauliflower curry and of course the standard dhal cooked with spinach, herbs and spices.

And this is just the beginning as after this one is faced with a selection of various sambols, most with a base of green leaves and some specialities such as the shoeflower salad, the consumption of which, according to village lore, makes one’s complexion fairer.

The meats consist of the traditional chicken curry, mutton curry made from local goat meat slow cooked in spices and thick coconut milk and a traditional favourite black pork curry – pork meat cooked in goraka, cardamom, cinnamon, cumin seed, black pepper, turmeric, nutmeg and curry leaves.

A feast truly fit for a king, going for seconds is not even something that can be debated about – it must be done!

“The food on offer at the buffet vary on a day to day basis depending on the availability of certain food and vegetables,” added the Executive Chef.

All the food was rich and delicious, spicy yet not too hot and simply prepared with, as Chef pointed out, a smoky aftertaste, which adds to the flavour of the meal. My own personal favourite, as a voracious eater of meat was the black pork curry, tender and rich thanks to the freshly processed spices mixed in the curry.

A cool breeze blows through the area making the ‘takarama’ hung up in the Banyan tree jangle, which is generally put up in villages to scare away crows, as if to call us for dessert. Wiping our hands on the pieces of paper laid out on the tables in places of napkins and tissues, we literally had to waddle over to the dessert table, after consuming so much.

How I discovered my second wind at the sight of the desserts – almost as numerous as the dishes available for the main course. A variety of seasonal fruits such as papaya, mango, banana, pineapple, lovi, jambola and much to my delight, gal siyambala, battles it out with the spread of traditional sweets including halapa, bibikkan, kaludodol, ala toffee, thalaguli, curd and treacle and so much more.

Wandering back to the table with yet another plate piled high with all this, yet another sarong clad man kept us constantly supplied with slices of guava sprinkled with pepper and chilli, fresh ‘kevum’ and other delicacies. Finally at the end of the meal we were served steaming cups of ginger plain tea accompanied with jaggery, the perfect conclusion to the feast.

Although a traditional Sri Lankan meal, it is one that will be enjoyed by both locals and foreigners alike as such traditional fare in the idyllic setting that Nuga Gama provides can only be found in rural villages and priced at a reasonable Rs. 1300 plus taxes is a spread that simply must be enjoyed.