espite how tricky it may sound, our Brother is quite skilled at employing his usual tricks to demonstrate his sweet side to my Grandma or to me when he desired to have his favourite meal prepared by either of us! He came today as well, bringing two pots of freshly made buffalo milk curd, asking our Grandmother to prepare Buriyani(Biryani). By offering to make the curry leaf sambol which is must when Biryani, Those days When we had a visitor or two, Grandmother used to make biriyani at least once per month or two. I don’t like to see Grandmother exerting her self toiling with heavy clay pots and pans in the kitchen. Because now Grandmother is not strong physically! That is why I promised to cook the Buriyani for Brother! Yet I can’t stand his annoying regulations after doing the cook for him. He said that he is not going to eat the Biriyani if it’s not up to Grandmothers taste. Though Biryani originated in India, when it is In Sri Lanka, “Biriyani” the name has changed into “Buriyani” and it is traditionally prepared in a somewhat distinct manner. We utilise our own spices like mace, fennel seeds, pandan leaves, and curry leaves in place of star anise and bay leaves etc. We use short grain rice like Samba instead of long grain Basmati rice. We cook the rice with a curry that has a chicken flavour rather than cooking it with chicken and stock. Additionally, we add ghee to the rice in such a way that the rich buttery flavour of the ghee added when steam cooking each grain of rice will improve the flavour of the rice. In addition, unlike the raita salad made with cow’s curd, for a salad to accompany the biriyani, we don’t mix in any curd. Even our curry leaves sambol, which is made with fresh coconut, has taken the place of the customary mint chutney of India. The delicious Biriyani pairs perfectly with a side dish of any chutney and a mixed vegetable dish made with carrots, potatoes, and green peas. Lettuce, pineapple slices and large onion slices added to the rice as a garnish improve the dish’s appearance and flavour. In any case, I was relieved that I had finally mastered the art of making a delicious Biriyani that lived up to my Brother’s expectations of my Grandmother’s original, delectable Buriyani. I must share another incredible and very interesting story with you all. My stunning island paradise, which is surrounded by the Indian Ocean, is blessed with a highly rich culture that has long since travelled towards our contemporary future through connecting with the world’s heritage. Our island paradise’s prime location along the historic Silk Road, which connects the east and the west, has greatly enriched us with both authentic local traditions and cultures from around the world. Since historical days, We are indeed blessed and lucky to be a country that is uniquely and geographically located in the ancient Silk Road that merged the east and the west, at the same time Sri Lanka became very fortunate to experience and be part of very rare opportunity of being enriched with so many international cultural diversification! Above all internationally rich culture and traditions, our neighbouring country India takes such very special place, not merely because it’s position as our immediate neighbour but Sri Lanka shares unique similarities of cultural values and diversities with India. I have the same perception about our cuisines as well. Even this delicious biriyani story also holds such similarity! But the story changes a bit when sailing it into Sri Lanka, crossing all the seven seas. I made sure to learn Grandmother’s perfect Biriyani recipe without a tiniest mistake. Our Brother’s complimentary words are the best evidence for it. My sincere gratitude and appreciation for India for gifting us such salivating and richly delicious dish and for my dear Grandmother for teaching me how to cook this biriyani as “Buriyani” in our own special Sri Lankan way!