Sayonara, Sri Lanka!

I had hoped to spend $20usd/day while in Sri Lanka. In the end, 3 "luxury days", some shopping, along with taxi costs to and from the airport it brought it up to $30/day. Definitely not bad for having beautiful, perfect days in paradise. I've used one razor, a small travel bottle of conditioner and have only ruined one shirt since my arrival. I wash my underwear in the sink and have only done "laundry" once, washing a few dirty items in my sink with Dr.Bronners Lavender soap and hot water from my kettle. I've read three books and only have had 4 coffees in the past 30 days. I have eaten rice and curry every single day, and aside from having pasta one night here at Asanka, I have not eaten anything other than local food. I feel healthy and happy and on the right path, and I'm super excited about the next leg of this journey....

Cailin Callahan

www.cailincallahan.blogspot.com

Errands.

Yesterday Stu, John and myself headed into neighboring Weligama to run errands. We each did what we had to do, then enjoyed the BEST JUICES EVER @ AVM Bakery. I had the papaya, orange, lime and mint juice and it was epic. They don't use anything but fruit, one of the rare gems that doesn't load up your juice with sugar. We had a great "family" dinner last night, and it was made even better by John serenading us with his beautiful voice and some original songs.

Fish Market Photos

More fish market photos, with a few flies....

Ama's Roast Chicken

Ama's Roast Chicken 

-1/2 chicken 

-stab repeatedly with fork

-cut slits into the meat

-4 cloves of garlic, diced

-3 tablespoons of mustard cream

-2 tablespoons soy sauce

-generous teaspoon of salt

-1/2 teaspoon black pepper

Mix up into a paste/marinade. Stuff the slits with marinade and tuck it under the skin. 45minutes in the oven on 350. 

Cailin Callahan

www.cailincallahan.blogspot.com

Rice + Curry : Dal

Rice + Curry : Dal

I'm not sure how to spell dal...I have seen it spelled dal, dhal, and Dahl. Who knows. Anywho, it's damn delicious and is by far my favorite Sri Lankan dish. I have it for breakfast with coconut roti, and it's always a part of our rice and curry dinner. So good so good. 

First of all you need Split Red Lentils. About 2 cups of them is enough for 2-4people. Soak the lentils, washing them of any impurities. 

Drizzle a bit of vegetable oil (or coconut oil) to a pot. Add your (rinsed and drained) lentils to the pot, adding curry leaves, diced red onion, 1 tsp mustard cream, 1 tablespoon turmeric, 2 tablespoons curry powder. 

NOW: you're adding 2-3 cups of "2nd" coconut milk. There are 3 stages to the coconut milk, one being the thickest, 3 being the most watered down version. To simplify this recipe your "2nd coconut milk" will just be some watered down coconut milk...2 parts of the milk, 1 part water. 

Bring the pot to a boil, allowing it to boil for a few minutes before adding in one cup of "1st coconut milk" (so just the pure coconut milk). Allow it to come to a boil again and then simmer for about 30minutes. 

Right before serving the dal you hear up a large skillet, or another pot, and drizzle in oil. Add diced garlic, diced red onion, curry leaves, salt and cinnamon. Cook it for a few minutes like this, allowing all of the flavors to come together. Add crushed chili peppers to your liking and then add your lentils (dal). Again, simmer for a few minutes to allow the flavors to come together. 

Just some info about dal:

Dal has an exceptional nutritional profile. It provides an excellent source of protein for the Indian subcontinent, particularly for those adopting vegetarian diets or diets which do not contain much meat. Dal is typically around 25% protein by weight, giving it a comparable protein content to meats. Dal is also high in carbohydrates whilst being virtually fat-free. Dal is also rich in the B vitamins thiamine and folic acid, as well as several minerals, notably iron and zinc.

Cailin Callahan

www.cailincallahan.blogspot.com

Rice + Curry : String Beans

Rice and Curry : String Beans

First rinse and then Slice string beans on a slight diagonal. Set aside. Add vegetable oil (or coconut oil) to a skillet. To the skillet add diced garlic, and once that's cooked a bit add diced red onion and let these both cook down for a few minutes. Add curry leaves, Ceylon cinnamon, 2 cardamom pods, tablespoon of turmeric powder, tablespoon of curry powder, tablespoon of mustard cream, and a bit of salt. The curry powder that Ama uses is a dark brown, and mustard cream is a British thing that is used all over the place here in Sri Lanka. It's just a mixture of spicy brown mustard and margarine, something that you could easily substitute at home. 

Now toss the string beans into the skillet with this mixture of herbs and spices. Dice one tomato and throw into the skillet, along with half a cup (up to a full cup if you'd like) of coconut milk. Put a lid on top and let the string beans cook until tender. 

Cailin Callahan

www.cailincallahan.blogspot.com

Rice + Curry : Potatoes

Rice + Curry : Potatoes

This is enough for 4 people. 

-3 pounds of potatoes (Yukon gold), peeled and diced so they are bite sized. Boil til cooked in salt water. 

- 4 cloves diced garlic

- one small diced red onion

- a few sticks of CEYLON cinnamon

- small handful of curry leaves

- 2 cardamom pods (broken open)

- 1 tablespoon turmeric powder

- 1tsp to 1tbsp of crushed chili

- salt 

Start with a hot skillet, drizzle a generous bit of vegetable oil or coconut oil, and then add all of the seasonings. Ama INSISTS that you always begin with the garlic, let it fry for a bit...add the onion, let it fry for a bit...and THEN add everything else. When all of the ingredients have married then add the potatoes, toss, let them cook a bit and then voila, done. 

Cailin Callahan

www.cailincallahan.blogspot.com

Coconut Roti

Coconut Roti

This recipe is enough for 4 rotis (so 2 people)....

Ingredients:

-One coconut, shredded (2 cups)

-Flour (2 cups)

-Salt (1 tablespoon)

-About 1/2 cup water

-3 or so tablespoons of vegetable oil

(*to make a healthier version of this you could use less flour and sub more shredded coconut, along with possibly using a healthier flour alternative like almond flour. Also, sub coconut oil instead of the vegetable oil)

Mix the shredded coconut, flour and salt in a bowl. Begin to add water, bit by bit...add some water, mix, add some water, mix, etc. Once you have a dough ball you're going to start to work in your oil, again- bit by bit. Ama was very specific about not using your fingertips to knead the dough when you're adding the oil, she insisted upon using the palm of your hand.   On a slightly greased hard surface break your dough ball into four equal bits, rolling each one out and flattening them as you go into little coconut roti "discs". These rotis are super dense so you want to be sure that you're not making them too thick. Throw into a hot cast iron skillet or tortilla pan and cook on each side so that it's golden and a bit charred (you don't really need to add oil to the skillet considering that there's already oil in the roti). 

These coconut rotis are meant to be enjoyed with dal, or with some spicy Sambal. Enjoy. 

Cailin Callahan
www.cailincallahan.blogspot.com

Ama's Kitchen.

Mama made dinner for 22 people last night, using just her four burner stovetop and her little oven. I had the pleasure of following her around in her kitchen all afternoon, taking notes and learning how to make a few things. She begins her prep, with help from her older sister "Acka", and full on cooking begins by 4pm for our 7:30 dinnertime. It's a lot of hard work and love that goes into our meals, and you can certainly taste that!

2013 (round 2)

I'm losing enthusiasm about writing the blogs because with this spotty Internet connection and my dodgy iPhone, blogs that I have spent loads of time creating are being deleted, delayed, misplaced or posted twice. I'm a bit OCD, so the lack of organization drives me insane- and it's disheartening to type away my intimate experiences on the little iPhone keypad only to have them lost or deleted. Alas, my whining (or "win-jing" as the Aussies call it) is done.

I can't manage to type up all that I had for the original "2013" blog that I'd sent off that didn't post, but here are the pictures from our New Years Eve. We spent it at home @ asankas, we ate a huge meal, drank a few cocktails and set off a few fireworks before retiring to bed at 11pm. It was a great evening with great people.

Midigama Yoga.

Yesterday started out with me making Stu follow me around as I did yoga poses all over Midigama. Many of you, my friends and family and travel partners, have been subjected to this job-- and I want to thank each and every one of you. It's totally obnoxious, I know. But they make for an amazing yoga album for all of my travels. If you're on Facebook, take a second to "like" my Satya Yoga with Cailin Callahan page. Namaste and Bahomastutee!

Midigama Yoga.

Yesterday started out with me making Stu follow me around as I did yoga poses all over Midigama. Many of you, my friends and family and travel partners, have been subjected to this job-- and I want to thank each and every one of you. It's totally obnoxious, I know. But they make for an amazing yoga album for all of my travels. If you're on Facebook, take a second to "like" my Satya Yoga with Cailin Callahan page. Namaste and Bahomastutee!



















Cailin Callahan
www.cailincallahan.blogspot.com

2013.

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Fish and Fireworks.

After our big night out at 23 Palms, we all felt the desire to stay home @ Asankas and celebrate New Years Eve here with a cocktail or two and a delicious dinner. Oh yeah, and fireworks. Lots of loud and obnoxious fireworks, as per the boys requests.

Asanka needed to grab a few things from Weligama for dinner, Stu and I wanted to pick out our own fish, and Jimmy wanted to join in- so the four of us piled into the tuktuk and we were off. Stu even drove the tukky for a bit, which was equally funny and terrifying. We had wanted a grilled snapper for dinner, and we had to go to a few fish stalls to find what we wanted. I love how they keep the fish "fresh" here by sprinkling some water over them and rubbing them down so they 'glisten'.

Once we had collected all of our goodies from town and the boys got their noisemakers, we piled back into the tukky and headed home....

East Coast New Year.

The Internet kept crapping out on me today, so I borrowed Asankas computer to make some Skype calls. From 10am til about 10:30am my time here in Sri Lanka I was on the phone with my very favorite, very buzzed friends in Jersey as they celebrated midnights arrival of the New Year. It was great to have a perfect connection, and to be able see and send love to my darling friends. Afterwards I got to talk to my mom for a bit which was a perfect ending to a perfect morning.

A lazy afternoon and then a suuuuuuper fun few hours in the surf this evening, and I couldn't help but to think my Dad had a hand in delivering another holiday swell. God Bless, everyone.

New Year.

The beginning of a new year...

 I've never been too big on making resolutions for the upcoming year, but I always take time to reflect on the one passed. At first I felt like I didn't want to look back on this year, I just wanted to be done with it and move on. My first instinct is to say that 2012 was a shit year, my worst year, a year I'd like to forget....

Well I woke up this morning, this New Years Eve day, rolling right out of bed and right onto my mat. I did an hour or so of kundalini breath-work, some Yin, and then a nice long meditation. All of the breathing exercises got any stagnant energy in my body moving, so my meditation was a bit emotional as things came up that I have been subconsciously pushing away. Though the ultimate bliss of meditation is when you find that pure stillness and silence, sometimes it's okay to just observe your thoughts- so that's what I did. And after that meditation and time of reflection, I realized that this year has been the worst, most heart-breaking and challenging of my life, but it has truly been the greatest year of my life simultaneously. It's through the hard times that we learn our strength. It's through the challenges that we find how resourceful we are. It's through loss that you realize and appreciate how much you truly have. And it's through hardships that you realize how wonderful the people in your life really are. When Dad moved on this year, I felt like my life was over. But in a way, this year is the year that *my* life has truly begun. He gave me all the tools: the compassion, the love for adventure, the knowledge and enthusiasm to live each day to its fullest. And now I'm taking all of that and running with it, carving out a bit of time and space in this world as my own. There has been such an outpouring of love and support this year from friends, family and strangers...all around the world. I have been nurtured by friends in mountains of colorado, the redwoods of Big Sur, and in the yoga studio back home. I have crossfitted and surfed and laughed and shared meals with some of the finest folks around. I have grown this year from a young girl into a woman. I'm not sure when it happened, but I don't feel like the same person I was just a few months ago. I think that true growth often happens by overcoming pain, by meeting it head on....and coming out the other side. So, now as I lay in my little room in Sri Lanka, under the fan with music playing through my iPod- I'm definitely shedding some tears for my loss, but I'm also grateful for all of the good times--- and there were so very very many. Thank you to everyone who has loved me and filled me up on days when I was empty-- there are so many of you, and I count my blessings. 2012 was an alright year, but 2013 is going to be even better...I can feel it in my bones. 

"The end is the beginning of all things, suppressed and hidden, awaiting to be released through the rhythm of pain and pleasure." -krishnamaturi

Cailin Callahan

www.cailincallahan.blogspot.com