Sri Lankan Cookery

Ru' Sri Lankan Egg Hoppers with a twist.

5 reasons Trying New Food is the Best part of Travelling

5 reasons Trying New Food is the Best part of Travelling.

5 reasons trying new food is the best part of travelling.

We all love traveling. There’s so many good elements to that two-week break and it’s good for your heart and soul.
Some of the benefits are:

  • Sight-seeing
  • Meeting new people
    Exploring new places.
  • Getting away from everyday life at home.
  • Resting and reenergising.

and let’s not forget about the endless amounts of Instagram posts.

But the best part of all is the food.

Different countries of the world have so many new flavours and dishes that you would not come across at home. It’s unlikely that you would try these dishes at home and travelling gives you the inspiration to get out of your comfort zone.

It’s probably not the main thing that you research before you go on holiday and the beauty is getting out of your comfort zone  a trying new tastes.

We find that our guests at GlenMyu Estate, Sri Lanka are really open to trying new dishes that Ru serves. The delight and discussion about the new flavours are music to our ears.

Here are why we think that food is the best aspect of traveling.

1. You Discover Foods You Have NotTried Before.

There are so many dishes in other countries that you would never try if you do not traveled outside you own country. And my what would you have missed if you didn’t sample some of these amazing flavours!

Traveling somewhere new provides you with the opportunity to opens your eyes and your taste buds to a new world of flavour.

In Sri Lanka, even eating local Mangos, Papaya and Avocados (which have not done those food miles) are a discovery. At GlenMyu Estate we have experienced guests’ joy at eating something that tasted different in their home country.

Fresh coconut juice from a King Coconut is delicious and good for you.

Sri Lankan food is favoured with lots of different spices that are grown on the island. If you pop into a supermarket you will see that there is only a limited range of groceries on offer. 

As a result Sri Lankans use very little processed food and favour locally grown fresh ingredients.

Even on a small island like Sri Lanka, there are regional variations of the way food in prepared, the ingredients used and how it is served. So on your holiday in Sri Lanka you will experience different flavours around as you travel.

2. You Will Experience Foods You Eat at Home in a New Way.

While you will discover completely new foods when you visit a foreign country, you will also be able to try food you’ve eaten many times before  at home. However, you will probably discover  a completely new flavour in it.

There’s nothing like eating pizza or pasta in Italy. Or they say that Guinness tastes different in Ireland.

It makes sense that when foodstuff has to travel it will lose its’ freshness. Some food is sprayed with chemicals to preserve it or make sure it does not ripen quickly before it ends up on the supermarket shelves.

Foods local in other countries have so much more flavour because they are authentic and have not been adjusted for a foreign market. They are also fresher and the cooks and chefs are used to preparing dishes with the locally grown ingredients.

3. A Country’s Food Tells You So Much About Their Culture.

Your guide book will give you an insight into the local culture, however, getting into a kitchen or sampling local food will tell you much more.

We have lots of guests that visit GlenMyu Estate that have seen cows in fields and on the roads as they have travelled around the island.

They are surprised when we tell them that Sri Lanka was not historically a culture that used milk. You can imagine, if a farmer milked a cow, years ago they had no way of keeping it cool in the tropics.

So butter, milk and cheese are not products that are used in many of the local recipes. Coconut milk and coconut oil is used in most dishes. Coconuts are grown all over the island and in many home gardens. You will be surprised on how many coconuts a tree will deliver to a family during the year. 

Our informal Sri Lankan Cookery Demonstration.

One way of getting to understand the culture is to take part in a local cooking course when you are in Sri Lanka.

We at GlenMyu Estate, offer an informal cookery demonstration when guests order our Sri Lankan Sharing Platter. Ru’s mother, who has at least 50 years experience in the kitchen, loves sharing the intricacies of her version of Sri Lankan cooking.

There are many regional variations in cooking styles on this small island. Ru’s mum is from the Matara district and the way she cooks is a reflection of that if the south coast.

4. Food Brings People Closer Together.

We have three bedrooms at GlenMyu Estate. Sometimes all three rooms are booked by one party. Eating their meal together as a group allows the guests to bond and have a shared experience.

At other times the rooms are booked by individual parties who are exploring the island. We are delighted when these guests experience new food and tastes with others around the table, especially when they are ecstatic about what they have sampled. It’s also a chance to share their views on the travel around the island and their plans after leaving GlenMyu Estate.

The community feeling and bond creates from this shared experience is one that we treasure. We think that it really adds value to the travel experience around Sri Lanka.

Food is also a good conversation opener for people that have met for the first time.

We have seen friendships created, contact details swapped and photos shared. 

5. You Benefit From Discovering New Flavours and Dishes to try at Home.

Going to a new country and trying new dishes and experiencing new flavours means you get to come home with so many ideas  to try in your own kitchen.

Of course, the ingredients that you will be able to buy at home may have travelled a bit, so it may not taste exactly like that when on holiday.

But at least it will provide you with a taste of your holiday and bring back memories of what a wonderful time you had.

We have been amazed and delighted that several of our guests have tried our recipes at home. There was a Norwegian couple that sent us a picture of the family trying their version of Ru’s mums Aubergine curry. 

A German lady sent us photos of her Sri Lankan Egg Hoppers which she made in Berlin.

We also had a Polish couple who had some fast food restaurants in Poland stay with us at GlenMyu Estate. They worked out that they could get substitute ingredients for the coconut symbol that they eat here and would add it to their restaurant menu.

Ru likes to share her recipes and ho they are cooked. We have a YouTube Channel “Ru’s Recipes” which will we add content to over time to show you how to make the food you enjoyed at GlenMyu Estate.

5 reasons Trying New Food is the Best part of Travelling - Summary

  1. You Discover Foods You Have NotTried Before.
  2. You Will Experience Foods You Eat at Home in a New Way.
  3. A Country’s Food Tells You So Much About Their Culture.
  4. Food Brings People Closer Together.
  5. You Benefit From Discovering New Flavours and Dishes to try at Home.

Stay at GlenMyu Estate, try new food and take part in our cookery demo.

A stay at GlenMyu Estate as you explore the Sri Lankan Hill Country gives you the opportunity to sample a variety of local and fusion cuisine.

We are developing a good reputation for our food (read our guest reviews) and guests enjoy the variety of dishes we offer. 

We only have three bedrooms and you will need to book early during the peak holiday season.

The estate is usually within an hours drive of the major sightseeing locations such as Nine Arch Bridge, Ella Town, Upper Diyaluma Waterfall, Lipton’s Seat, Bambarakanda Waterfall and many more,

GlenMyu Estate is listed on Booking.com and Airbnb.
Contact us by the WhatsApp button on our website for direct booking rates.

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Free Cooking Classes

Beragala – Haputale – Sri Lanka

Cooking Classes

Beragala - Haputale

Sri Lanka

At GlenMyu Estate, Hotel many of our guests are really interested in Sri Lankan cooking classes.

Learn to cook a Sri Lankan meal at home from our informal cooking classes and demonstrations at GlenMyu Estate.

Cooking Sri Lankan food as well as the ability to prepare a few dishes to an excellent standard.

The free cooking demonstrations are conducted at GlenMyu Estate, Beragala, Haputale, Sri Lanka.

You can take notes or get involved yourself

The class is provided free on request if you are staying at GlenMyu Estate.

During the ad-hoc cooking lessons you will be able to get busy in the kitchen alongside Ruwanthi, her mother and the staff.

Cooking classes - Western and Fusion Dishes too!

Ru also makes a variety of Western and Fusion dishes for our guests.

Here are some photos when Ru was making Pumpkin Ravioli.

Making pasta at GlenMyu Estate
Ru making fresh pasta

A selection of the dishes that Ru cooks for our guests.

Find out more and cooking classes.

To arrange a stay at GlenMyu Estate and learn more about how Ru prepares the dishes and cooking classes please contact us for rates.

Contact us by clicking the WhatsApp button on this page.

Call us on 0752999272 or send Michael an email at michael@resortglenmyu.com.

We will be launching Ru’s recipes on YouTube. 

Please subscribe so you don’t miss the videos as they are released.

More about GlenMyu Estate

GlenMyu Estate – Summary

3 Kingsize Double Bedrooms with Spectacular Views

2 Spacious Lounges with views over the hills below the house

A Natural Spring-Fed Infinity Swimming Pool

5 Acres of land to explore

Delicious bespoke meals freshly prepared by the host

A selection of places to dine

A place to relax and be closer to nature

Within reach of the following tourist sites

Diyaluma Waterfall and Upper Diyaluma Pools

Horton Plains National Park – Mini Worlds End, Worlds End and Bakers Falls

Adisham Bungalow

Lipton Seat

Dambetenna Tea Factory

Bambarakanda Waterfall

Thangamale Bird Sanctuary

Ella Town 

9 Arch Bridge

Little Adams Peak

Ravanna Waterfall

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Cooking Sri Lankan Style

Cooking Sri Lankan Style

Opportunities to take part in a Sri Lankan cooking demonstration at GlenMyu Resort, Hotel and Bed & Breakfast, Haputale, Sri Lanka.

We have had many guests that visit GlenMyu Estate who are really interested in Sri Lankan Cooking.

For some, their visit to this Paradise Island is their first taste of the local cuisine.

Similar other countries there are delicate differences between how food is prepared and the ingredients used around the Island.

Feeling, hot , hot, hot!

The level of heat is something that visitors have to get used to. 

Even asking for no or only a little black pepper and chilli pepper is something that is interpreted in different ways. 

The consequences of this is that some food is overtaken by the spice and you really don’t get to savour the best of Sri Lankan cooking.

Sri Lankans generally expect that you will have chilli in your meal even, if you ask for none to be added.

Expectations and unexpected results

An example of the expectation of my own was in our early holidays to the Island an elderly aunt of my wife would regularly make tea for us. 

Unlike in the UK, I always have Plain Tea (black tea without milk) as Sri Lanka is known for the quality of the tea and I really enjoy the flavours here.

I also have not had sugar in my tea since I was around 16 years old.

I would always ask for Plain Tea with no sugar.

I always received Plain Tea with sugar.

The elderly aunt did understand enough English to know how I liked my tea.

After several days of sugary tea, I asked my wife to tell the elderly aunt that I did not want sugar in my tea.

The elderly aunt shook her head and advised that she understood my request, however, “how can you drink tea without sugar?!!!”

Building a tolerance level.

Being from the West, but married to a Sri Lankan, my tolerance for chilli has been watched up over the years. However, I am normally the taster in the kitchen and the barometer of what is likely to be acceptable to a Western palette, and what will having them running for glasses of water to cool them down.

An interest in Sri Lankan Cooking

Often guests have wanted to know more about how dishes are made and what ingredients the food is made from.

Ruwanthi has regularly had guests in the kitchen and given them an outline of how the dishes are made. 

Last week Ruwanthi had guests using the pestle and mortar to grind the ingredients for Lunumiris – a spicy Sri Lankan samba paste which is served as a condiment. The dish consists of chilli pepper, shallots, Maldivian fish, sea salt, black pepper and lime juice.

Pick the ingredients and learn how to cook by my mother-in-law

Today we had a couple from Europe who had extended their two night stay to three and they had also really enjoyed the food that we had provided.

They were really interested in Sri Lankan cooking and wanted to be able to replicate some of the dishes when they got home.

Our guest really enjoyed the experience of being part of the team making the dishes and she took plenty of notes as illustrated in the pictures below.

Further reading on Sri Lankan Cooking

There are some great Sri Lankan Chefs around the world and in Sri Lanka itself.

Here are a few ideas for some further reading to get you more information on cooking Sri Lankan Style!

Peter Kurivita

One of the early books we bought was “Serendip My Sri Lankan Kitchen” by Peter Kurivita.

The book is just beautiful and has some wonderfully illustrated Sri Lankan recipes.

To find out more please click on the following link https://www.peterkuruvita.com

London based Chef Cynthia Shanmugalingam
(Cynthia_Uma) is worth following on Instagram for her recipes which have the taste of Jaffna. we understand that she is shortly to release a cookery book which we are looking forward to read. You can also find out more information at 
Rambutan (@rambutan_ldn)

You can also find out more through the website for Top Ten Chefs  https://thetoptenchefs.com/favorite-top-10-chefs-in-sri-lanka/

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