Kalu Uru-Mas

@th0talagala, Sri Lanka : @amrit_rajaratnam beautiful home, opened 10 years ago to the world.
@ranasingha.danushka Chef Danushka Ranasingha cooking outside in the open air, mise en place laid out, tea plantation stretching out behind us (Champagne in my hand) I thought I was in for a simple afternoon.

Then came the Kalu Uru-Mas.

Sri Lankan black pork curry — one of the most important recipes on the island, built on a black masala of dry roasted spices taken all the way to dark, and goraka — a souring agent unique to Sri Lanka that tenderises the meat and gives the curry that characteristic deep, almost lacquered gloss.

Punchy. Peppery. Deeply savoury. Tropical in the way Sri Lankan food is — coconut, pandan, curry leaf — but grounded and complex in a way I wasn’t expecting from pork.

I got involved in the cooking, as I always do. I also got involved in the eating…

Full recipe including the black masala from scratch and where to find goraka — on the blog. Link in bio.

*(The pineapple curry alongside it deserves its own post. Coming soon.)*