Ruwini JayawaRdana

With many research support-ing the benefits of ‘going vegetarian’ these days,

more people have incorporated this aspect into their lifestyle. More vege-tarian outlets have mushroomed in the city and more functions are being held which include a wide range of vegan eatables in their menus. Be it a party, a cozy get together or even a memorable event like a wedding there is more demand for vegetarian dishes today.

If you have been toying with the idea of including a vegetarian menu for your function then this talk with Chef Dr. T Publis Silva is just the thing to become inspired to make a simple, healthy, affordable yet yummy and unique selection. “There is a lot of demand for vegetarian menus. We have catered to many such events in the past and are pre-paring new dishes to be included in the menus for upcoming functions,” Mount Lavinia Hotel’s Master Chef Dr T Publis Silva says.

People are drawn to vegetarianism by all sorts of motives. One reason is that it makes a healthier diet. Plant-based foods are full of health-giving fiber. Research has unveiled that vegetarians are 40 percent less likely to develop cancer than meat eaters. Heart and blood-vessel diseases, dia-betes and of course obesity are pre-ventable for 95 percent of us if we follow a healthy vegetarian diet cou-

pled with exercise, and stress man-agement. “Though it is a common assumption that a vegetarian menu costs less, it is actually more expen-sive. The prices differ according to the selection of items. We are under the impression that if a dish does not include meat or seafood it lacks nutrients essential for a healthy diet. We think that vegetables do not pos-sess these nutrients.

This is a false belief because ingre-dients like cereals which include dhal, green gram and chickpeas have all these nutrients and more. We can boil, crush and prepare them accord-ing to the way we prepare meat dish-es.

We can fry Thai Eggplants (Thalana Batu) and make it into an Ambula with cashew, red onions and green chillies or capsi-cum. Cut tender okra diagonally, sprinkle them with salt, chili power and chickpea flour, leave it to marinate for about 15 minutes and deep fry. Mix them with fried peanuts and curry leaves and keep it as a separate dish in the main menu or make it into a devil.

The problem arises on whether the dish is prepared in a manner which

these nutrients are safeguarded. If we are preparing a bean curry it should resemble, taste and smell like one because each vegetable has its own unique colour, smell and flavour,” he said. According to Dr. Silva mind control is important in food prepara-tion. A sound mind filled with good thoughts is essential for the cuisine. “We have a lot of ingredients which can be included in eatables but we do not recognize their value. One such example is our Green Jack Fruit curry (Polas). We need to prepare these dishes in a manner in which they resemble meat in outer look so that the guests will realize that it is Green Jack curry only once they have tasted it,” he explained.

Other ingredients which he high-lighted on were plantain flowers, jack

stalk, the tender portion of the banana stem and mushrooms. There are a variety of mushrooms available in Sri Lanka. These are ideal to be included in a vegetarian menu for any type of function.

We always prepare vegetables in the same manner like cutting them into chunks or small pieces and pre-paring them as a curry or a fried dish,” he said adding that it is impor-tant to include a balanced variety in any menu.

Queried if the scrumptious taste of dishes derives from adding a lot of oil while preparing the dish he said that a little oil needs to be added to certain dishes. “For example a chick-pea, cowpea or green gram dishes look good only if you add a few drops of oil. Oil helps the digestions pro-cess.

Many people are fearful of oil, sugar and flour today. We need to include a certain amount of these ingredients in our menu each day or it will affect our health. Some people do not consume avocado because they think it will heighten their cho-lesterol level. Avocado possesses healthy cholesterol,” Dr. Silva stressed.

Eggplants, beans, potatoes and car-rots are some of the commonly found vegetables in wedding menus. How-

ever Sri Lanka has more than 360 different kinds of vegetables which can be included in our meals. Speak-ing about the sweet treats that fol-lows a main meal Dr. Silva said that gelatin which is found in jellies and puddings is a 99 percent animal based product. He advised to include Moss Jelly which includes natural agar in the seaweed to set the des-sert.

Endemic fruits

“We have 76 endemic fruits which can be used to prepare any kind of dessert. Use ripe Jack Fruit to make Mousse. It is more delicious, nutri-tious and smells heavenly than choco-late mousse,” he noted.

Another suggestion he makes it to make Rose Apple, Lovi, Uguressa and Ceylon Olive pickle. Guests who rarely get the opportunity to eat these in the suburbs will be delighted by this rare treat. He said that he had even served areca nut flowers at func-tions. “Hindus include a lot of cheese in their dishes. We too can follow this lead. Food has become glo-balized. We should be able to prepare cottage cheese at home using our own methods,” he expressed.

According to Dr. Silva the main barrier in introducing these ingredi-

ents to the menu is in the mindset of the people He notes that this atti-tudes needs to be changed. This should be done from school level by introducing cookery as a separate subject into the school syllabus.

Dr. Silva will be launching a book which introduces the preparation of various types of salads using endem-ic vegetables and fruits to readers in April. “Eggplant, okra and bitter gourd too can be prepared as salads. These are very healthy as well as a feast for the eyes. Some believe that thinly chopped bitter gourd deep fried in oil and mixed with sliced onions, green chillies and tomatoes is a salad but no it is a Sambol,” he said.

With May, the month of weddings coming up, his advice to couples who are on the process choosing their wedding menu is to discuss with the head chef of the hotel. “Food takes center stage at such events. Frequent mistakes that couples make are choosing the menu according to their tastes. They need to think about the likenesses of those who are being invited for the event. At times the guests mostly comprise those who are beyond 40 years. They have vari-ous health issues which does not ena-ble them to consume oily and sugary food.

Even foods like cuttlefish, crab and prawns have to be avoided. Yet the couple looks at aspects from their angle and wants to include all these items in their menu,” he opined.

dEmi HEwamanna

The golden sandy beach stretch of Bentota will be full of live spirit and action in the waters and shore as the people of the Bentota town get ready for the biggest fest the sec-ond year around – Bentota Beach Fest 2013.

Making it an annual event starting from last year, the event has opened doors to all beach/water sports lovers to join in the fun filled games and competitions the Hawk Eyes together with Bentota Sports Club and Sunshine Water & Sports Club have planned out for today and tomorrow.

This year, they are making it bigger than the first one and have got many responses from not just the townspeo-ple but also the tourists who have come down for the spring break. Speaking at the press conference Nazeer said that this event is being held mainly to promote water/beach sports in the Southern region, to promote tourism in the region and to make it an annual event for the whole family to enjoy in a safe environment and for people of all ages to have fun.

The main behind the water sports Thushal told the Daily News that they are organizing a Jet Ski drag race for the first time with a 130 or below horsepower. There will be around 30 particpants and through the races they will choose the final 10 to do one drag race. There will also be an wind surfing race in a open category where any surfer, be it light weight or heavy weight can participate and they will choose the best from that category.

Plans are also being made for a one man canoe race in

the sea – which will make it a challenging and also a much more fun race.

Other sports event to look out for are Beach football, volleyball, rugby, kabadi along with a Para Motor show and also a 2 mile sea swim open to everyone. Children will also not be bored as they have prepared a Kids play area with a safety around.

The nights won’t be complete without some hot heart pumping music from Corrine, Ronnie Leitch, Ginger, Shanika, Nadi, Amal Perera, Lahiru, Supriya, Susil Fer-nando and Raveendra with Flashback. To the guys who prefer the western and little bit of techno and house in their soul have nothing to worry as Sun FM brings down the spin masters Tom Boxers & MOrena, Sunrise Inc, DJ Lil-B along with the Sun FM DJs and of course drum beaters Naadro.

To make this event a sure success a team of sponsors from leading industries in the country joined in to help them. They are non other than Sri Lanka Telecom, Mobi-tel, Cargills, SriLankan Airlines, FPA, Mobitel, bentota Beruwela Hoteliers Association together with the media team – ANCL, Sun FM, Hiru Tv and radio.

Sure this is an event you would not want to miss and it’s a perfect excuse to get out on the weekend and have some good fun with friends and family.

With the resumption of fights from Colombo to London Gatwick on

April 15, British Airways Colom-bo opened their new office at Hayleys PLC last week, complete with lighting of the traditional oil lamp and the ceremonial boiling of milk followed by religious observances.

Hayleys Chairman and CEO Mohan Pandithage officially opened the office and addressing the gathering he said, “this is a proud day for Hayleys and me personally. The team will work tirelessly to ensure BA is posi-tioned strongly in the market”.

Staff and officials from Hayleys were present at the opening along with BA Line Trainer Tina Mehta.

British Airways will resume with three weekly flights from Colombo to London Gatwick via Male operating B777 aircraft.

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Printed and Published by The Associated Newspapers of Ceylon Ltd., at No. 35, D.R.Wijewardene Mawatha, Colombo 10, on Friday, March 22, 2013

British Airways back to baseThe Organizing committee and the sponsors at the head table. Pictures by nissanka wijeratne

Jayantha Tilekeratne from Sri Lanka Telecom handing over

the sponsorship

isuru dissanayaka with the mobitel sponsorship

d dias from Cargills handing over the sponsorship to the

Organizing Committee Chairman

Pradeep Corera from SriLankan airlines handing

over their sponsorship

madu from Family Planning association

handing over their sponsorship

Ranjith Edirisinghe with the Coco Cola Sponsorship

yamuna Rathnayake

Rashita Fernando

dr. Panna Gooneratne

inus Jeganathan, dr. Hilmy nizam and Shiraan Fernando

Panjan navarathnam and Hussen Esufallymurtaza Esufally

and Portia Jayamaha Shiromi masakorala

A grand dinner was set for the people of Hemas last week at the Water’s Edge, Baatt-aramulla. These are some of the guests who attended the dinner and fellowship. Pictures by Sulochana Gamage

Hemas get together

Bentota Beach Fest 2013

Making special days healthier and greener

Hayleys Chairman & CEO mohan Pandithage and Gerard Victoria giving the first customer a R Sathiyanathan a token

media personnel waiting the for ceremony to begin

Hayleys aviation director/Gm Gerard Victoria, Leisure and aviation Head Johan wijesinghe and Tina mehta

British airways Gm Ruha Jasinghe and Hayleys Tours director/Gm amith Sumanapala. Pictures by Roshan Pitipana