From the coconut plantations of Sri Lanka via the kitchens of northern Italy, Lankan Filling Station chef O Tama Carey brings us a cracking autumnal lunch leavened with sultry spice and characteristic flair.
On the eve of opening her new hopper restaurant, Lankan Filling Station, Sydney chef O Tama Carey visits Sri Lanka, the land of her heritage, for inspiration.
This rich love cake recipe, fragrant with spices, made with semolina, cashew nuts and rosewater, has a fudge-like centre and lasts a good few weeks, getting better with age. What’s not to love?
This sweet and hot rhubarb achacharu, a Sri Lankan pickled vegetable mix made with mustard seeds and ginger, perfectly complements O Tama Carey’s black beef brisket recipe, or any other rich meat dish.
Rich with sweet spices and soured with tamarind, this black braised brisket dish is robust and hot. Serve it with O Tama Carey’s cabbage mallung and rhubarb achcharu.
"This is a delicately spiced curry dish with lots of green flavours - bay leaves, green chilli - and a light curry powder," says Carey. "This dish uses some of my favourite flavours from both Italy and Sri Lanka."
O Tama Carey's lattice-like fried eggs drowned in a creamy curry sauce are perfect for a hearty breakfast but work just as well at any time of day. Serve them topped with seeni sambol, a Sri Lankan sweet-spiced caramelised onion relish.
Fresh coconut and warm spices feature in O Tama Carey's cabbage mallung, a common dish in Sri Lankan meals. Serve it alongside her black braised brisket.