The Okra Girl

24/09/2026

Excellent Jaffna style prawn curry at ISSO ISSO in Canary Wharf. Just the spicy fuel and good vibes I needed before a long day tomorrow. This is my first post after an year and a half of silence. This place deserves to be seen. Will be definitely coming back with friends. They don't skimp on spices. The gravy was very authentic.

06/02/2025

17/01/2025

Red rice, parippu, romanesque broccoli stir fried with pumpkin seeds, hedgehog mushrooms.

13/01/2025

Romanesque broccoli cross section slice sautéed in garlic served with some guacamole and toasted pumpkin seeds.

Easy and delicious meal.

Have not had much energy these days. I am feeling the pressure of the job search which has extended to way longer than I expected and I am struggling to find a flat to rent. There are days I just want to leave Europe for good and go home to Sri Lanka, but, there's my boyfriend and It will still be stressful relocating with my cat. I would need my own place, as the dogs will destroy her. Need to keep fighting 💪🏾 Find a job. Find a flat. Apply for Citizenship.

08/01/2025

Super delicious and healthy banana bread with oats, almond butter, flaxseed and other seeds ground, raisins and some egg and spelt flour to bind everything. Baked two. One for my aunt. This tastes so good as I used කෝලිකුට්ටු banana. No need for any added sweetener.
Had it with some naughty Spanish hot chocolate (Valor of course 😋) this morning.

27/12/2024

Made a delicious bûche de Noël following the recipe of Michelin star French chef Raymond Blanc. I could not get chestnuts nor candied chestnut, so I used pecans instead. The recipe requires 200 g nuts to 240 butter for the rum based buttercream. I might use less nuts next time to make it easier to decorate. The sponge came out just perfect this time (swipe for pics), and was super delicious infused with rum and then the rum infused buttercream.

23/12/2024

Baked this Christopsomo (Greek Christmas bread) and the house smells wonderful, filled with the aroma of anis. The bread contains walnuts and mahleb which add to the christmassy feel. Maybe I should have let it rise a bit more before ovening it but it was way fluffier than what I made two years ago.

Thank you for inviting me to participate in the

It's been a tough time as I relocated back to London and I am staying temporarily in a place that belongs to family until I find a job. I don't have my equipment nor am I putting up any decorations this year. Made do with the morning light!
Grateful to have a place to stay, but I miss having my own place. All my things are in storage except for some basic items of clothing and my climbing gear. Fingers crossed 🤞🏾 for a good job in 2025!

07/12/2024

One of the many Sri Lankan breakfasts. Boiled blackeyed peas (!කව්පි) with fresh grated coconut.

05/12/2024

Sita seems to approve. She likes to smell everything I eat or drink. Before you ask, no she doesn't get food which is unsuitable or toxic to cats. Rice, carrot in coconut milk and Sri Lankan spices, mukunuwenna omelette, stir fried Brussels sprouts and beyond meat vegetarian patty. Brussels sprouts is so delicious stir fried with some garlic and chilli flakes. Have you tried?