KurryPinch Perfects Contemporary Sri Lankan

(Gerry Furth-Sides) One of the most vibrant, universally appealing and beloved cuisines, Sri Lankan food is still relatively undiscovered. KurryPinch Restaurant in Tarzana proved this. So the owner and chef have a mission to introduce it to the Tarzana area. They have a fine head start already. And what is not to love about the freshest coconut, cinnamon, seafood and the influence of the visiting French, Italian traders whose chefs left their imprint.

The multi-layered, rich cuisine of this island just south of India undulates with layers of ingredients, both native and non-native ingredients brought by international trade. There are Indian dishes like classic samosas, rice and curries. A dazzling array of fish and seafood is found only in island cuisine.

There are the finer touches, such as sweet caramelized onion relishes, bitter melon, spicy scraped coconut and desserts sweetened by palm sugar. Cooks in Sri Lanka add fascinating and often fun new versions to classic dishes from the north, such as transforming noodles into pancake forms and pancakes into bowls.

Dr. Minaxi Kamath and her family were so taken with Sri Lankan food, mostly in New York eateries that they decided to open a place in Los Angeles. They enlisted another devotee of the cuisine, Chef Shaheen Ghazaly.

It was a match made in heaven. Chef has an extensive background in the culinary world with a wealth of experience on his dad’ cruise alone. He was raising learning the freshest variety of spices from his grandfather. His own six-year-old son keeps him on his toes and already knows the best olive oils and experiments with the chef on different dishes.

Dr. Minaxi Kamath and Chef Shaheen Ghazaly opened Kurrypinch, a take out and catering company in the heart of the valley, just before the pandemic in 2019. It became so busy with with so many requests for dine-in that they opened a dine-in restaurant on Ventura Boulevard in Tarzana with double the space. The earthy colors and decor are as rich and wam as the food itself.

The list for the cuisine’s popularity is long and enduring. Kurrypinch is the perfect example, starting with  an array of homegrown spices, local fruits and vegetables plus traditional recipes, and time-tested cooking methods.

In his own words, Chef Shaheen’s goal is to “offer an authentic culinary experience, home-cooked in our traditional style but served in a modern setting.

Sri Lanka, once known as Ceylon by the British or Taprobane by the ancient Greeks, has a history that dates back to 500 BC. Fondly called the Pearl of the Indian Ocean, Sri Lanka has been visited and inhabited by people from many cultures. The Dutch, Portuguese, English, Arabs, Malays, and Indians all left their culinary mark on Sri Lanka’s indigenous society.

KurryPinch founder, Kamath adds an important note, “and we believe that our most potent secret ingredient is the love that goes into everything we do. This pinch of love makes all the difference in finding the perfect harmony between taste, ambiance, and service.

KurryPinch, 19347 Ventura Blvd, Tarzana, CA 91356    818-201-6674, //www.kurrypinch.com)