Hey hey! I unintentionally went MIA last week but for a valid reason: vacay with my madre to Sri Lanka. Despite it being a mere 2- hour flight away, it was my first trip out there…and definitely not my last. What an amazing place!
We stayed 2 days at the spa & beach resort Vivanta by Taj in Bentota which was an ideal start to the trip: total relaxation by the pool, walks by the beach, a bit of sightseeing, and plenty of delicious food.
I can’t even begin to rave about the staff- so warm & helpful! A few highlights include:
- A trip to the Kande Vihare temple which houses Sri Lanka’s tallest statue of Gautam Buddha
- A day trip further down south to Galle
Galle Cricket Club
- Ayurveda garden tour
- Moonstone mining tour
We spent the next 3 days in Colombo. Although not as developed, it felt like a much quainter (and cleaner) version of Mumbai.
Fortunately a few of my relatives have lived there for years so we were in good hands in terms of where to go & what to eat…obvs the important bits of any trip ;)! With the abundance of freshly caught seafood, I was more than down to embrace eating locally.
Refresh Restaurant, Hikkaduwa
Don’t even get me started on the sweeter-than-sugar pineapple!
As a lover of all things coconut, I very much enjoyed the local cuisine including coconut-based fish curries, king coconut water & coconut-infused rice (i.e. rice cooked in coconut milk). Another favourite were the egg hoppers at the breakfast buffet with a side of coconut chutney. These are basically hollow crepes with an egg cooked in the center. The batter is made from feremented rice flour & coconut milk. Although it’s slightly different from my usual smoothie/oatmeal breakfasts, when in Rome Sri Lanka…
Speaking of coconut, I stocked up with plenty of goodies: cold-pressed coconut oil, coconut butter & coconut flour. I’ve never cooked with coconut flour so if you have any tips/recipes, please share.
Although I didn’t get a chance to visit any of Sri Lanka’s tea plantations this trip, I drank enough tea to compensate. Jasmine tea, roasted almond tea, rose tea with vanilla, blueberry & pomegranate…you name it! Dilmah knows what’s up:
Dilmah t-Lounge
Even though it was only 5 days and flew by like most vacays, those 5 days in Sri Lanka definitely did the trick. Back to reality & I don’t even mind :)!
Where was the last place you visited?
Have you ever cooked with coconut flour? If so, please share some recipes!
Khushboo – you visited my home town!!!! YAY!!! Even though I wasn’t there I am so so excited you spent 5 days there!!! It IS a gorgeous country!!! Did y’all get a chance to go to Kandy? Visit the elephant “farm”? See Sigiriya? It’s been too too long since I went back home!
I am so so glad you got to try egg hoppers – my mom makes some fantastic ones – she even has a little hopper pan!!! I have experimented with coconut flour a tad – http://runninsrilankan.com/2014/04/20/cauliflower-crust-hors-doeuvres/ but I use cconut milk in A LOT f curries and coconut milk powder in these http://runninsrilankan.com/2014/07/21/almond-coconut-bark/ -Again – I am jumping up and down here reading your recap!!!
Ahh it really was so wonderful, Shashi…I had a blast :)! Unfortunately I didn’t get a chance to visit Kandy this time but I definitely will next time round! You’re so lucky your mom makes great hoppers- eat one for me next time!
Oh wow, this food sounds right up my alley! I’m eating coconut rice as we speak 🙂 Dilmah tea used to be my favourite in Australia, but I haven’t found it in the UK.
Mmm coconut rice- I need to make some this week. Did you boil the rice in the coconut milk, or add the milk towards the end?
Here is my recipe…. haha 😉
http://www.tesco.com/groceries/product/details/?id=271326154
Hahah mannn I don’t know if I can handle such a complicated recipe 😉
Wow that’s so cool – my best friend is there at the moment and I’ve heard amazing things about the taj – I actually wanted to get married there 🙂 tips with the coconut flour is that it’s super tricky it absorbs liquids a lot. One of my favourite dishes is coconut rice with grilled coconut and lime chicken – in think I need to make a trip to Sri Lanka xx
Haha Sri Lanka is definitely now on my list of potential wedding venues ;)! Thanks for the coconut flour tip- very helpful! And that dish sounds unreal…if you have a recipe, please share!
My motherland! So proud! Glad you enjoyed the island
You come from an awesome place, Saadiya!
yummmmm the hoppers with egg sound awesome and the coconut rice!!!
Hami- you would’ve loved both :)!
Wow it looks gorgeous there!
I’ve had very little luck with cooking/baking with coconut flour – everything always comes out dry and crumbly! So I don’t really use it much. 😛
Haha part of me thinks it’s going to be sitting in my pantry for a while 😉
last place i visited was Austin/San Antonio and i cant wait to go back. i have never used coconut flour either so im excited to see what you will come up with.
I’ve never visited Texas but I would love to some day soon 🙂
What an awesome experience. I miss traveling. I haven’t really done it for awhile and with the Hubby back in school, it’ll be a few more years before we jet all over again. Le sigh. I guess I shall live vicariously through you.
Oh boy, you bet I am going to be taking extra pictures next time on your behalf ;)!
You lucky girl!! Looks like an amazing trip. And I’m so happy you got to spend some quality time with your mom – so fun!
The last place I visited was Atlanta…haha. But I am going back to London in December! You wouldn’t happen to be around then would you??!
Ah man, I think I’ll next be in London over summer 2015…hopefully our dates will FINALLY coincide!
Hi Khushboo
Your post about Sri Lanka is so timely – I have just booked a week in January and these tips are surely going to be very helpful ! Thank you so much for sharing.
So glad to hear that Rukhsana! Where about are you visiting in Sri Lanka?
Colombo one night, 2 nights in Nuwara Eliyah, 2 nights in Galle including a rainforest trek and our last day in Colombo 🙂
Sounds wonderful- would love to hear how the rainforest trek is after your trip 🙂
You will LOVE using coconut flour- all my cookie dough breakfast recipes use it as do alot of my oatmeal ones- they add such a cake batter like texture!
I have many Sri Lankan friends but never thought to consider it a vacation option- I’d go for the seafood alone….
You would go nuts over the seafood variety…unreal!
Coconut flour is tricky to bake with because it’s SO much more absorbent than regular flour, so you really have to tinker around with the amount of liquid you add to prevent things from either being too dry or too gloopy. I actually love using coconut flour in mug cakes, oatmeal, smoothies, and no-bake treats. It’s great to add a spoonful or two to anything you want to have a more battery texture!
This is so helpful, Amanda- thank you. I love the idea of adding it to a smoothie- definitely going to try it out next time. I’ve heard that coconut flour tends to have a bitter taste- does it affect the smoothie’s overall taste?
Oh my gosh! What a fantastic trip! (your absence from the blog world excused 😉 ) how awesome it must be to live so close to paradise, that you can just hop on a plane and be there in less than 3 hours. (I want all that food) My last exotic vacation was probably puerto rico… (bc FL doesn’t count)
Haha why thank you for the pardon :)! And er hello- Florida definitely does count…jealous of your tripS- Puerto Rico must have been like paradise!
The last place I visited…. Utah – ugh. It was not majestic AT ALL – like your amazing trip! Seriously, envious of your get away!!!! AND YOUR COCONUTTY PRODUCTS!!
Hahah any place with a Whole Foods & Trader Joes definitely counts as majestic 😉
Trip looks so fun. I love coconut too. I haven’t baked with coconut flour, but I want to. Last place I visited was Greece, so long ago. I’m due for a vaca.
Greece must have been lovely! Any trips on the horizon?
WOW, just wow. I want to go!! I loveee me some coconut flour.
Do you have any recipes using coconut flour on your blawg?
Oh my goodness that looks like a wonderful trip!!!
And YES to coconut flour! I have a little coconut flour donut recipe on the blog if you want it 🙂
Would love to check it out- please share the link!
Oh I would LOVE to visit Sri Lanka one day. It looks so beautiful!!
And that crepe with the egg – brilliant.
On my last WIAW post there is the link to my oatmeal berry breakfast bake made with coconut flour. It’s the perfect recipe if you ask me 🙂
Definitely checking it out…especially as strawberry season should be starting up soon over here :)!
Hello Khushboo
Warm greetings from Coconut Miracle!!
So you loved my homeland…please visit again and do get in touch when you do.
I am so delighted that you purchased my coconut products bar the butter!! sob
Here’s a link to a mountain of recipes
http://empoweredsustenance.com/coconut-flour-recipes/
Enjoy…
Wishing you all that’s healthy
Shani