If you know me at all, you know my love for food beats everything else and my love for rice is even greater. How can one not love rice? Rice is a staple carbohydrate in Sri Lankan cuisine, usually accompanied by vegetable curries and spicy meat dishes. The past few weeks have made me achingly long for home, even if the home I once knew is currently in shambles. This article is an ode to the flavors of Sri Lanka, the fragrant aromas of toasted spices and the restaurant Lunu Mirisa, my heart’s abode.

I was first introduced to this hole-in-the-wall restaurant my freshman spring, when some senior friends suggested I try their indiappa (or string hoppers) and crab curry upon hearing me complain about my Sri Lankan food cravings. I’ve been going there every month since. At 20 AED a meal, this is an opportunity I can never pass up.

Sri Lankan food is a hundred textures and flavors singing in unison. Every mouthful is a party of spice and umami goodness, often eaten with your hands. I’ve been told that Sri Lankan food has so many things going on at once and, contrary to popular belief, the flavors are quite different to other dishes from the South Asian subcontinent. Most dishes are cooked in coconut milk, with hints of cinnamon, pandan and curry leaves.

Rice and curry is a lunchtime staple, where the “curry” part can include tempered vegetables, fresh mallum(shredded leaves with coconut), sambol (grated coconut and chilli), fried papadams and a meat dish. Without the meat, Sri Lankan rice and curry is entirely vegan. A rice packet at Lunu Mirisa (pictured below) costs only 12 AED and will leave your tummy feeling content.

Photo Courtesy of Zainab Hamid.

Lunu Mirisa is situated in Khalidiya, which is some distance away from Saadiyat. It takes about an hour to get there by bus, but you can take the 170 to Hamdan and then the number 40 to Khalidiya. It is a tiny space and is therefore often overlooked, but the food and service are unmatched. It has become a safe space for me over the past year, reminding me of home and the food that I grew up with. The staff are extremely helpful and amiable and will not hesitate to accommodate whatever food preferences you have.

From Lunu Mirisa’s menu, I recommend the crab curry, with gravy that is literally liquid gold and can be scooped up using roast paan (bread) or roti, nasi goreng (a Sri Lankan version of the Malaysian rice dish), kiri aappa (milk hoppers – sweet laced rice flour crêpes) and hot butter cuttlefish (you’re not ready for this one). You can’t really go wrong with their menu, but I would not get the kotthu (stir fried chopped roti) because, even though it is delicious, it isn’t the best version I’ve tried.

In conversation with the owner of the restaurant, he told me that the shop was his wife’s passion project, because she wanted to do something with all the time she had on her hands as a housewife. He also told me that, while 90 percent of the customers are Sri Lankan, they also occasionally get customers from Australia, China and the South Asian subcontinent. I have also taken friends from other countries to this restaurant and they have all loved it (I promise I did not threaten them for a positive response).

There are so many things that I love and miss about home and food is certainly one of them. There really is nothing like Sri Lankan cuisine; it is one of those things you won’t know until you try it out yourself. We are known for our tea, coconut and cinnamon, but there are many more underrated flavors and spices that also deserve attention. My heart aches for the state of my country at this moment, but writing about all the things I love about home gives me some solace and reminds me that we have so much to offer and are better than what our leaders have reduced us to.