Flavors of Sri Lanka

Since relocating to South Florida from Cleveland, I am struck with an unexpected familiarity. The heat is a constant reminder of my childhood in Sri Lanka, with its lingering days and a bit of laziness. Miami is okra, bitter gourd, breadfruit and tropical spinach, which I love to cook with dhal. And it was a pleasant surprise to discover that the tropical vegetables I so missed for years grow here. I finally found a sense of permanence in this immigrant life.

Food means home. Everything I know about vegetables I learned from my mother, Amma. She was an agriculture instructor who comes from a long line of traditional Sri Lankan farmers. She is an amazing vegetarian cook. I wouldn’t quite say bitter gourd was my favorite until I tasted the crunchy fried slices Amma piled up on a newspaper by the wood stove. “It’s the sambol I long for, I don’t think I have enough bitter gourd yet,” Amma would say.

In Sri Lanka, sambol means an either raw or half-cooked salad, quite refreshing. I know this plant from seed to vine. It shared our garden trellis with its brother, snake gourd, along with snake beans and squash. I loved sitting under the trellis counting bright yellow flowers, a never-ending summer for a child. It was in that sweltering heat I admired its beauty that constantly reminded me of my grandmother’s platters embossed with vines and fruit.

Making fried sambol is an easy and sure-fire way to cook it without thinking too much. To reduce bitterness, thinly sliced bitter gourd is mixed with salt and turmeric, and left to sweat. Then it must be rinsed in warm water and squeeze dried. Squeezing will help it fry to a beautiful golden color. This recipe may change your mind about bitter gourd, or introduce you to a new taste.

Bitter Gourd