Cooking Holidays in Sri Lanka
At GlenMyu Estate Hotel we offer our guests a free informal Sri Lankan Cooking demonstration. It’s not quite a cooking course however our guests take notes and try some of the recipes out once they get back home.
Sri Lanka is a culinary Paradise!
The local ingredients picked from fertile land, combined with spices brought to the Island by Portuguese, Dutch and British colonists and the influence of Arab, Malay and Indian flavours, over several centuries, has resulted in a special cuisine where there are subtle differences around the Island.
Being a port on the silk route we should not be surprised that traders brought a wide range of produce that has been immersed into the local dishes.
Although the Island is small, (similar inside to Ireland), the growing conditions and local weather in different part of the isle means that the North, South, East and West all have different tastes and interpretations of the food they offer.
It’s not all about chilli peppers!
There are so many spices, fruits and vegetables that grow well in the Island that your plate is not just about getting a hit from one of the variety of chilli peppers grown here
Sri Lanka reputedly grows the best Cinnamon in the World and this is an ingredient that you will find in many dishes.
Cloves, Cardamom, Cinnamon, Pepper, Chillies, and Vanilla are just some of the spices that are grown on the land at GlenMyu Estate and are used in the dishes we offer on our menu.
Here are a few pictures of some of the produce that we are growing in the garden.
To find out more about GlenMyu Estate, Haputale please click on the following link.
Join in with the cooking at GlenMyu Estate
We don’t run an official Sri Lankan Cooking course at the Estate but we have found that many of our guests are interested in Sri Lankan cooking.
We provide an informal Sri Lankan Cooking demonstration where we encourage our guests to join in.Â
Ruwanthi will take you around the garden to pick some of the organic produce that will be used as ingredients for some of the dishes.
On returning to the kitchen you will be asked to join in preparing the dishes by our dynamic duo Ruwanthi and her mother. We also will have other workers that assist and help with preparing the ingredients and dishes.
Jackfruit is picked from the trees on the estate and is one of the ingredients for the Sri Lankan sharing platter. This is a dish we regularly demonstrate in our informal cookery course.
Our cooking demonstration is informal and you will have the opportunity to watch the dishes being made and Ru will explain about the ingredients we use. Don’t worry, there is no test at the end of the demonstration, just a lovely meal.
It has been known however, for Ru to hand you a pestle and mortar and get you to work helping to prepare a dish!
Our Sri Lankan Sharing Platter - a guest favourite!
The Sri Lankan sharing platter is a vegetarian selection of Sri Lankan curries which vary depending on the availability of fresh produce. We normally run our informal Sri Lankan Cookery course and demonstration when guests order this meal.
Typically it includes a Jackfruit Curry (Great protein!), Aubergine Curry, Plantain Curry, Malum (green healthy leaves) and a salad.
We serve the Sri Lankan Sharing platter with homemade Paratha or with rice for our Vegan guests.Â
Ru’s mum is a master with the knife and here she is cutting a banana flower which is one of the ingredients of her curries.
Ru lived in London for around sixteen years and is therefore experienced in cooking to a Western palette. She is fully aware that the level of Chillies and Pepper added to the dishes has to be pared down significantly for most of our guests.
However, here is Ru missing her mother putting in a little bit too much chilli during the informal Sri Lankan Cooking Demonstration and course!
It's not all about Sri Lankan Curries!
Ru makes her own fresh pasta for another favourite dish of mine and the guests – Roasted Pumpkin Ravioli.
In effect you may end up picking and cooking your evening meal.
We are always delighted if guests want to join in and we encourage them to do so.
If you end up making a dish or two when you get home it really warms our hearts!
Find our more about a stay at GlenMyu Estate
We only have three bedrooms so we can be booked out quite early in certain time of the year so if you wish to book please try to book early.
We are listed on Booking.com and Airbnb however please contact on the WhatsApp button on our website for the best rates.