With love, from Lanka

World renowned Sri Lankan chef Tomadura Publis Silva vows to woo Delhiites with spicy, yet healthy food at Lankan food festival at Spice Route in The Imperial hotel.

If the President of Sri Lanka has to host any big event, it can not happen without Chef Publis taking charge of the food to be served.

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That’s the introduction we got of 76-year-old Tomadura Publis Silva, world renowned Sri Lankan chef, currently visiting Delhi to hold a Lankan food festival at Spice Route in The Imperial hotel.

Of the response the spicy Lankan fare cooked by him has received in Delhi, the shy and reticent Chef Publis, who has served the same hotel in Colombo for the past 56 years, says, “Food enthusiasts in Delhi are very open to experimenting with new cuisines. And Sri Lankan food, with more than 42 ingredients having intrinsic medicinal properties, is one of the healthiest cuisines around. So who wouldn’t want to give it a try?”

Holding the world record for making the largest ever single portion of milk rice (1000 kgs of rice), Chef Publis is serving up specialty dishes like ‘Devil’s mutton’ — cooked in little oil and flavoured with traditional Sri Lankan spices and ‘Chicken Chutty Roast’ — cooked in honey and Sri Lankan curry powder.

The festival ends on September 30, but Chef Publis doesn’t leave India before his share of sight-seeing. “I won’t leave without seeing the Taj Mahal,” he signs off.