The sizzling aroma of countless spices mingling together wafted through the air enticing and tingling our taste buds. Eager to inspect the source of this delicious savour, we followed the trail to behold a steaming prawn curry, served and ready to be indulged in and cooked with Spice it Up! prawn/fish red curry mix by Koluu.
Words Krishani Peiris Photographs Mahesh Bandara
Sri Lankan cuisine much influenced by its South Asian counterparts comprise of a symphony of flavours that is further coupled with the delightful influences of British, Portuguese, Dutch, Malay and many other nations’ cuisines. All these savours that have wound their way into cooking have become part and parcel of the Sri Lankan identity that is well known for its glorious spiciness and mouthwatering savouriness. Conveying this identity chilli, rampe (pandan leaves), cardamom, karapincha (curry leaves), turmeric, curry powder, cinnamon and many more spices have become staple add ons that enhance the flavour. However, one setback is the time taken to prepare all these ingredients and as such the Spice it Up! range of spices provides the perfect solution for preparing delectable cuisines doing away with the hassle involved in tedious preparations of chopping, grinding, cleaning and more!
A collaboration between celebrity chef Koluu and Spice Land, the Spice it Up! range is all about convenience combined with exceptional taste and taking the flavour of Sri Lanka to the world. Comprising of 17 different flavours and counting, the Spice it Up! range include flavours such as Fish Ambul Thiyal, Chicken Khorma, Yellow Rice—one of the most popular, Crab Curry, Vegetable Curry, Fish Mustard Curry and Prawn Curry to name just a few. Some of these mixtures comprise of white, red and brown curry flavours, where the tastes range from mild to hot and zesty.
“It took us 15 months to get the perfect recipe,” said Koluu reflecting on the journey involved in achieving the desired results. “First we came up with a paste, but then due to certain regulations involved we conducted more research and experiments to turn the wet product into a dry one.”
With a shelf life of nearly two years, no preservatives are added to the range ensuring the wholesome and authentic nature of the spices impart a taste that is more close to heart and home. With three simple steps—seasoning, sautéing and adding your choice of milk, coconut, soy or fat free—one could easily prepare a delicious chicken curry or vegetable curry. Some flavours such as the Ambul Thiyal requires only two steps—season and putting the seasoned fish in the oven. The ease of use of the Spice it Up! without compromising on the authentic taste of the cuisines paves way for a wholesome meal within a matter of minutes.
The other beauty of this range is the ability to experiment in making different types of dishes. For example a soya curry could be made out of a chicken or pork curry mixture as the spice range does not contain any meat products and the flavours are named after the popular blends used in cooking each particular dish. “One can experiment making vegetables and soya with the products that are used for cooking proteins and get a different flavour to enjoy. You can be very creative with this,” revealed Koluu.
spiceitup.lk
Spice it Up
MORE
- Prawn / Fish White Curry Mix
- Prawn/ Fish Red Curry Mix
- Prawn/ Fish Black Curry Mix
- Fish Ambul Thiyal Mix
- Chicken Khorma Mix
- Yellow Rice Mix
- Chicken Red Curry Mix
- Chicken Black Curry Mix
- Crab Curry Mix
- Mutton Polkiri Badun Mix
- Mutton Curry Mix
- Vegetable White Curry Mix
- Beef Pepper Curry Mix
- Fish Mustard Curry Mix
- Beef Curry Mix
- Pork Curry Mix
- Kalu pol Powder
A perfect shrimp curry…
(1) Taking a bowl full of shrimp, add the Spice it Up! prawn/fish red curry mix and season the shrimp. (2) Then put a little bit of oil into a pan and sauté the seasoned shrimp (3) adding coconut milk or any milk of your choice and let the curry simmer for a while and (4) you are done cooking up a perfect shrimp curry! Golden brown and deliciously flavoursome, the Spice it Up! spice range has proven that convenience does not necessarily mean a compromise on taste or authenticity!
