He received his culinary training from his mother and younger sister, who still keep an eye on things to make sure he is staying true to their recipes, including several types of curries, dal, sambal, poppadoms and spiced rice.

BBC: Foodie paradise in Sri Lanka's hill country

Meals also usually include malum, a salad of chopped leafy greens and coconut, crispy poppadoms (a large circular piece of thin, spiced bread), dal (a type of lentil stew), coconut sambal (a spicy condiment), home-made chutney and of course, fragrant steamed rice.

BBC: Foodie paradise in Sri Lanka's hill country