Pick of Jaffna flavours
February 10, 2020
IT’S been 2 years since the first Jaffna Food Festival to
commemorate its 10th anniversary and A Li Yaa is planning the second
Jaffna Food Festival – Culinary Journey to Yalpanam
(the original name for Jaffna).
To be held over three days from February 17 to 19, the festival
menu promises to be as tantalising as the first.The first was such a success that customers kept asking if there’s
another one, says its marketing manager Janaka Ranjana, adding that “again,
there will a spread of over 50 dishes, with new items we want to introduce to
our customers”.
Executive chef Siva Suppaiya is
feeling upbeat and excited. He and guest chef Dr. Parvathy Kanthasamy have been putting their
heads together to create the new dishes.
 |
| Dr Parvathy using the batu giling to make Mint Sambal and introducing the new dishes for the festival |
Originally
from Yalpanam, Parvathy is a linguistc professor who now resides in Canada but
visits her restaurateur son regularly in Kuala Lumpur. In fact, she is the
brains behind the kitchen at A Li Yaa, so you can expect family favourites
liberally punctuating the menu.
 |
| Mint Sambal, prepared using the batu giling |
I watch as
she demonstrates making Mint Sambal the old fashioned way, with a batu giling. Though she's been cooking since she was a young girl, Parvathy's
not a stickler for going by the book. “I love experimenting and I do incorporate
new ingredients into old recipes such as rosemary, thyme, mint and coriander
which are not traditional Sri Lankan ingredients,” she says, throwing a bunch
of chopped mint and peeled garlic on the batu giling.
 |
| Beetroot Varai |
She then
makes Beetroot Varai, sauteeing julienned beets and sliced onions with spices
and curry leaves. The end result? A refreshing side salad dish with all the
health benefits of beetroot.
 |
| Aracha Kulambo, mild curry using swordfish |
These and
Aracha Kulambo, a mildly tangy swordfish curry, are new items for the event. The
fish curry is excellent with string hoppers.
 |
| Gottu Kolla is a healthy, refreshing side salad using pennyworth as the main ingredient |
I try Gottu
Kolla, a salad made with shredded vallarai (pennyworth) and grated coconut. It
is both nutritional
and refreshing with a minty flavour. Finely chopped shallot, green chilli and a
dash of lime juice add another level to the taste.
 |
| Jaffna Eggplant Sambal |
Oh, I just love the Jaffna-style Eggplant
Sambal! The thin slivers of eggplant are deepfried and tossed with caramelised
onion, chilli, tomato and curry leaves. Perfect on its own with a swig of beer
or a sip of wine.
 |
| Fish Cutlets are bursting with aroma and flavour |
Fish cutlets are served piping hot,
with the exterior deepfried to a crisp and a golden hue. Be careful of escaping
steam when you take the first bite. Forget the chilli dip provided. The flaked fish
filling, with onion and chilli, is flavoursome and spicy enough to stand on its
own.
A Li Yaa offers rice, roti, appam,
puttu and string hoppers to go with the curries.String hoppers are great with mutton
paal poriyal, which is slow cooked in a well-balanced combination of spices.
Tender and scrumptious.
Have roti with Fish Sothi, cooked in
coconut milk with lemongrass, garlic, shallots and curry leaves.
That’s
not all you will find on the table for the Jaffna Festival. Vegetarian
options are on the list too and I’m looking forward to Jaffna
Crab Curry, cooked in a sauce as exciting as it is dark and guaranteed to be finger
licking good. Janaka says there will be both Sri Lankan Mud Crab and Blue Swimmer Crab on the buffet spread.
I’ll be saving tummy space for Sweet
Appam as dessert. A Li Yaa’s sweet appam has a fluffy, moist heart from the
generous lashing of coconut cream in the centre. The edges are perfectly crisp
and the centre is dotted with sprinkles of brown sugar.
 |
| A Li Yaa's Sweet Appam is a customer favourite |
As I fold the soft centre
over the crisp edge and pop it into the mouth with a sigh of satisfaction, Parvarthy watches me with a hint of amusement. “We usually peel off a bit of the crisp
edge and use it to scoop up the soft centre,” she says.
48 Jalan
Medan Setia 2
Bukit
Damansara,
Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
Telephone
+6012-444 1310
Opening Hours
Daily. Noon to 11pm
Promotion
Jaffna Food Festival - Culinary Journey to Yalpanam
February 17-19
Lunch: Noon-2.30pm
Dinner: 6pm-8pm and 8.30pm to 10.30pm
Price
RM148++ per person
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