The Oxymoronic Biriyani that got me completely wasted!

An Oxymoronic Biriyani??? What on earth is that? That’s the first thing which crossed my mind when we were invited for lunch the other day to sample this mysterious dish. Even though I wondered for many days what kind of concoction this would be nothing came to mind till the day we stepped into M&Ms house and lunch was served. When it suddenly dawned on me that this was the happy conclusion to a conversation which took place many moons ago…

To appreciate this conversation fully we need to go back in time to the jungle…

It was a night of absolute splendor. We were in the middle of the jungle enjoying our drinks listening to the crackling of the camp fire and enjoying the warm glow of a Wesak full moon creating weird shadows and silhouettes which were eerie and beautiful at the same time. I was after my second drink and I told everyone wistfully that how my dream was to eat a pork biriyani and how virtually impossible that is because the best biriyani is made by those of the Muslim faith.. What was unveiled to us in all its glory was indeed (Cue in fanfare music) a pork biriyani!

How sweet was that M (the wife of M and the female half of M&M) had remembered my wish and decided to make it come true a couple of months later.

The Biriyani was amazingly tasty. Not only was it filled with thick juicy, succulent pieces of pork. But it also had some Nai Miris added to it giving it a different dimension in flavor. It was also served with some delicious accompaniments which included Lingus curry as well as pineapple curry and of course the Minchy Sambol. What a feast it was and I was full after whacking two full plates of this rich Biriyani. The fact that I had drunk three glasses of wine before lunch and also downed a portion of chocolate biscuit pudding - which was generously laced with brandy -  as dessert did not help either.

I crawled home and got onto my couch and fell asleep like a log and woke up only after six. To call it waking up is an understatement because even though I opened my eyes I felt like I had been run over by a car. I was lifeless and it felt like I have drunk two bottles of tequila all by myself. Oh my goodness I was hung over by eating. In Sinhalese there is a word for it. It is called “Ismuruthawa”  which means the feeling of absolute lack of control which over comes you after consuming a heavy meal. Specially a meal which has lots of fat and sugar in it. Apparently the body utilizes all its resources (Blood) to digest the food which in turn leaves you motionless and lethargic.

Sadly there is a downside to all this uncontrollable gluttony I missed a wedding of a very close friend of mine.  What a shame. The food could have waited to be eaten another day unlike the wedding which couldn’t. I do hope I am forgiven.