Sri Lanka fete by Publis demand

T. Publis, the celebrated Executive Chef of Sri Lanka's illustrious Mount Lavinia Hotel, flies down to Dubai for an exclusive whistle-stop cookout with Friday to provide a gustatory preview of the dishes he will be presenting at the forthcoming Splendours of Sri Lanka festival at the Sofitel City Centre.

Forty-six years ago, Thommadura Publis Silva, an 18-year-old coal-fetcher tasked with feeding the oven at Mount Lavinia Hotel in Colombo, took an initiative which would, in time, have a major impact on the cuisine of Sri Lanka.

The nature of his job provided him idle moments which he decided would be better spent in the small kitchen of the hotel... he watched the Sri Lankan, Swiss and German chefs creating various dishes and lent a helpful hand whenever required.

It was an eye-opening experience. "Most cooks those days, at least the ones I knew, were not aware of the proportions of various curry powders," says chef Publis "Our staff cook didn't know that you have different masalas for different dishes." So, whether it was meat, fish or vegetables, the flavours would be almost the same.

Opportunity had been knocking unceasingly, but no one was responding. What if he tried? He conducted several experiments, undertook trips around the country, spoke to housewives and retired cooks, and succeeded in getting the insights he sought.

Soon, the self-taught 'chef' was making several kinds of porridge laced with an assortment of curry powders to treat various ailments, the first of the many milestones in the life of a master chef for whom no accolade could do justice; a man with an amazing zest for life, for whom, even now, at 64, retirement is far beyond the horizon.

Yes, he had to retire legally, four years ago at the age of 60, and the chairman of Mount Lavinia presented him with a beautiful new house (six years earlier, they gifted him a Toyota Corolla), but the hotel would not let go of the apron strings of the executive chef. Next year, they are giving him a new designation: Director.

When the creative urge beckons anew, Chef Publis adds another recipe to the 25 or so he can call his own, some of which he has published in his book. If you catch him deep in thought, he could be in a reverie on the book he is working on - the history of Sri Lankan cuisine.

He also plans to open a canning factory next year to market curries, spices and pickles under the brand 'Publis'. Next on his agenda is a drive to standardise traditional Sri Lankan recipes so that if a tourist visiting any part of the country asks for a particular dish, s/he will get authentic fare.

With all this, you'd be wrong to think that his plate is full. As he says, he is "roughly" out of the country four months of the year, invited by Sri Lankan Airlines, various tourist boards and hotels to coordinate food festivals throughout the world.

Many international culinary experts can also claim to have to have the benefit of his tutelage. When he is home, he lectures housewives, home science teachers as well as students, and has Saturday and Sunday TV food shows on two channels.

Besides, he is consultant chef to four hotels in the Maldives. The annual Food and Travel Mart in Sri Lanka, first started in 1986, is also the brainchild of chef Publis.

Years ago, when the University of Peranidenya wanted someone to research the eating habits of the last king of Sri Lanka, Sri Vikramarajasinghe, it was Publis they turned to. Even now, when new finds are discovered, the university's archaeological department commissions him for analyses which relate to food.

Incidentally, in the king's research, Publis found out that at each meal, he used to have 32 spoons of rice and 32 different curries, each spoon of rice presented individually with a curry. This practice persists in mountain shrines where alms takes the form of 32 curries and 32 kg rice.

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The ambiance is typically Sri Lankan when we meet chef Publis at the Sofitel City Centre Hotel in Dubai, where he will be presiding over the kitchen for the Splendours of Sri Lanka festival from June 4 to 7.

He has flown down to Dubai specially for an exclusive cookout with Friday, and has brought with him a spread of common and exotic condiments - belimbi, a sour fruit; gamboge, used as a thickening agent; rampe, a blade-like shoot also known as pandanus; drumstick tree bark and leaves; daulkurundu, which look like bay leaves but are not; and many others. "We use 42 condiments," says Publis.

Strewn on bananas leaves, they evoke memories of a time when life was simple, brought into sharp focus by the homely items around them... a mirisgala (grinding stone), a hiramanaya (coconut scraper), polkattuhandi (ladle made of coconut shell) and mattihattiya (claypot).

We are treated to a few of the regional delicacies representational of the fare you could sample at the festival next week... Bandakka Maluwa (Okra, fried and then cooked) and Brinjal Moju, a pickle (both southern style); Kaju Maluwa (a creamy cashew curry), Cabbage Mallum (lightly sauted cabbage with a strong lemon flavour), Kukulmas Amba Kariya (Chicken with hot and sweet mango chutney) and Indalolu Mushroom Theldala (all from the central region); Pilussu Harakmas (Grilled Beef flavoured with honey, from the western region); Yapane Isso Maluwa (Jaffna-style Prawn Curry); and Watalappan (Jaggery Cream Pudding, which is served in all parts of the country).

The flavours of the main ingredients seep through the mild aromas of the condiments just like they are intended to. If chilli jostles to get the upper hand over other spices just a bit, it is in the chicken dish and the brinjal pickle.

Over lunch, we ask Publis if he has ever thought of setting up his own hotel? "Yes, but I do not want competition for Lavinia. Mount Lavinia is actually mine. For a lot of people, Publis is Lavinia and Lavinia is Publis."

Forty-six years of continuous loyalty could not be better expressed any other way!

Sofitel City Centre Hotel is hosting The Splendours of Sri Lanka from June 4 to 7 in conjunction with Mount Lavinia Hotel and Sri Lankan Airlines.


Jaffna-style Prawn Curry (Yapaney Isso Kary)