The Michelin-starred Alia Island Restaurant & Bar in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, is on a tour of India to showcase its exclusive Sri Lankan cuisine in collaboration with Chef Shiva Supaiah. The festivities culminated at the Ritz Carlton, Bengaluru at the Sheraton Hyderabad Hotel.
Chef Shiva hails from the tea plantations of Nuwara Eliya in Sri Lanka and developed a passion for cooking at a very young age. Shiva says, “I loved helping my mother and grandmother in the kitchen. When I started hotel management, I opted to become a chef in the final year of my culinary training. After working in different hotels, I would often cook Sri Lankan cuisine and slowly that became my forte.
Chef Shiva’s expertise in Sri Lankan cuisine not only earned him recognition in the industry but also earned Alia a Michelin star. One of the signature dishes of the chef jaffna crab curry, Marked by the spice combination they use.
Talking about why Sri Lankan cuisine has its strong fan base, he says, “It is the ingredients; We use only Sri Lankan spices and rice. Plus, we rely on fresh coconut milk for the flavors. At Aaliya, I have had the privilege of working with Parvathy Kanthasamy – lovingly called Amma – to develop there special menu.
Parvathy is a resident of Kanumalamunai and culinary consultants who are responsible for maintaining the authenticity and flavor profile of every Sri Lankan dish at Aaliyah.
Chef Shiva will perform Fish Cutlet, Amma’s Dal Rasam, Mutton Varuval, Iso Badam, Samboland Aaliyah’s signature vattalapamas well as Idiyappam anything else in between.
With his menu being curry-driven, Chef Shiva is looking forward to feedback from diners. “Jaffna’s food is very indigenous; There is a lot of modern influence in Colombo, so most of the dishes miss out on the authentic flavours. As I want the diners to have an authentic and wholesome food experience, I have made sure to carry all the basic ingredients like spice powders and rice. We take great pride in the use of our content.
Two-day pop-up dinner (April 28 and 29) from 7 pm to 11 pm at Zega restaurant by Sheraton Hyderabad, priced at Rs. ₹2675 (Veg) and ₹2975 (Non-Veg) ,