YUM!!!! I have made a few recipes in this book and every single one of them were fantastic. I appreciated having traditional stories told throughout and enjoyed knowing about the food I was preparing.

A beautiful book from a cuisine that I'm not familiar with, Sri Lankan which does have some ties to cuisines elsewhere in the South Asian diaspora. I have a number of recipes that I've bookmarked for trying.

A gorgeous and mouthwatering cookbook filled with Sri Lankan recipes! I loved the variety of recipes, stories, and beautiful photographs. This would make a wonderful addition to the library of any home chef!

Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for providing this ARC. All thoughts are my own.

Honestly I had no idea about Sri Lankan food. This cookbook was amazing. Full of flavorful ingredients. I can’t wait to try them all.

Gorgeous book, stunning recipes, I will be purchasing a copy for my personal cookbook collection. The pictures are beautiful, the entire book is lovely. I love curries, and the ones featured in this book have me giddy. The fried green plantain curry and the green mango curries are stand outs. This book is a keeper.

This was so deliciously informative and mouth-watering. I am so excited to have this book on display at my library's branch and recommend it to everyone. I found Shanmugalingam's writing extremely engaging and the photos were very effective. Loved it!

Most foodies love to read about new foods, and since Sri Lanka is not somewhere most of us have visited, Rambutan: Recipes from Sri Lanka will definitely be of interest. Not only is Sri Lanka an exotic country, but the food served there is also exotic and amazing.

This excellent cookbook is beautiful enough to be a coffee table book, but the recipes are appealing and most foodies and cooks will want to prepare several of the dishes. The author, Cynthia Shanmugalingam, has included chapters on ingredients, the customs, and culture of Sri Lanka, as well as amazing photographs that will make everyone not only want to sample the food, but also to travel there and witness this great country first hand.

There are recipes here that will appeal to almost everyone, and every dish is pictured, which will make everyone’s mouth water. The recipes are easy-to-follow, although many are quite involved, and many will require a trip to a good Asian or Indian market. The results will be worth it, though. The book is heavy on curry recipes, which will delight most curry lovers as well as those who are adventurous. While ingredients and amounts are in metric, there are conversion tables, which are very helpful.

Anyone who wants to expand their love of food, will want to try cooking from this cookbook, and try some new dishes.

Special thanks to NetGalley for supplying a review copy of this book.

Rambutan - Recipes from Sri Lanka is a gorgeous peek into Sri Lankan food and culture from author Cynthia Shanmugalingam. Her voice is incredibly down to earth and does an excellent job of bringing Sri Lankan food to life for the reader.

The book is broken out into the following sections:
Introduction: basics of Sri Lankan food and essential ingredients (very different from other cookbooks!)
Vegetables & Fruit: lots of curry options here
Fish, Seafood, & Meat
Cool, Raw, & Pickled Dishes: coconut!
Rice, Roti, Hoppers, & Dosas
Drinking Snacks & Shorteats: Portable Snacks
Drinks & Sweets

I appreciate that the Index includes a list of vegan and vegetarian recipes in the book. Overall, this book is like none other and deserves a spot on every shelf. It will make you a more educated cook and eater.

Thank you to Netgalley and Bloomsbury USA for the ARC - Rambutan is out now!

Exploring these recipes is like a gift from author Cynthia Shanmugalingam. From biryani to crunchy potatoes and desserts, her love of her island's cuisine is presented well. Worth the read.

I was so excited to hear about this book and have the opportunity to read a review copy. Like the author, I'm also Sri Lankan Tamil so the cookbook had special meaning and appeal (my family loved the mention of Hotel Nippon and it's mutton rolls--a favorite treat of my parents when they were young). There's a good variety of recipes from Tamil and Sinhalese cuisine as well as some European influenced dishes which really reflects Sri Lanka. I haven't had a chance to try making anything yet but I definitely plan to. The stories about the author's family, Tamil culture and about Sri Lanka and the war in particular added value to the cookbook. The only downside is that the cookbook is written for British cooks. While ingredients can be easily measured with a kitchen scale, it will be a pain to convert the cooking temperatures for American cooks. Perhaps the finished copy will have a conversion chart.

I think readers who are interested in South Asian cooking will be interested in this book. I've ordered a copy for my library and also plan to purchase copies as gifts for family members.

A wonderful introduction to Sira Larkin food.Delicious sounding recipes that seem something I can accomplish.A mix of food and memories really enjoyed reading about their lives and customs.#netgalley #rambutan

I am a big fan of Asian food in general, and especially curries--so jumped at the chance to read/review this one. It was a fascinating read and jumpstart into Sri Lanka and its history, whether culinary or otherwise--not to mention how it differs from its close neighbor, India.

Americans will need to to a bit of "translation," both from metric to imperial and Celsius to Fahrenheit--the latter an odd omission, given that the book includes Celsius, fan Celsius, and gas already (what's one more, at that point?). However, much of the ingredients list is just a matter of tablespoons/teaspoons (though I could also go into how even those differ from country to country, LOL, but I won't).

There is a bit of language, at times, and some of the stories are more "interestingly" casual--but many are literally LOL-funny, too. It's a unique mix. I did enjoy the author's sense of humor, and got a good chuckle out of her dry wit.

I can't say I'm in a huge rush to try _many_ recipes, simply due to their time-consuming nature, but I will say the book is a mother lode for Sri Lankan cooking, with beautiful photography (of both dishes and locations). It's got a lot going for it, with just a couple hiccups.

3.5 stars, rounded up to 4.

I received an eARC of the book from the publisher via NetGalley. All opinions are my own.

Interesting stories and recipes on Sri Lankan cooking. This is the first cookbook that I have come across on Sri Lankan cooking and I had been unfamiliar with this type of cuisine. I truly enjoyed the stories and learning more of the delicious looking recipes and food!

Rambutan is unique in that you learn a little about the history of Sri Lanka, a little bit about the author and her family, and you learn a lot about Sri Lankan cuisine. I really enjoyed this book because the author, Cynthia Shanmugalingam, is vey warm and personal. She uses the personal as a vehicle to give the reader greater insight into the influences (which are ample) of the food of Sri Lanka and the recipes contained in the book. As an example, we find out she never had the opportunity to meet one of her grandfathers but includes a recipe for whisking an egg in hot coffee that the said grandfather used to love. While I wasn't brave enough to try this recipe, I enjoyed the story of connecting with family, even someone one never had the chance to meet in-person.

Additionally, the photography was outstanding. Most of the photography is high-level, professional photography. Bright photos to highlight the vibrant dishes and the beautiful land of Sri Lanka, but even the older photos offer a window into the author's life. It takes courage for an author to share such personal stories and photos from when they were children, but it really helps the reader feel a connection with the author, as if they are eating at the same table as the author's family. Many of the photos are candid, too, so it doesn't feel like the smiles are forced and done on command because of a photo shoot.

I think readers will also appreciate the variety, as well as the quality of the recipes. On a personal level, I can't wait to try the milk toffee recipe. I've gone through a number of appetizers, side dishes and main courses, but there are drinks and desserts here, too. I just had the turmeric and coconut milk fish curry last night. It was a delicious blend of creamy (coconut milk) and acidic (lime & tamarind) that complimented the aromatic spices of the curry and the taste of the fish. There are plenty of other recipes where the author finds that perfect flavor combination. In terms of variety, there are a ton of vegetarian-friendly recipes, as well as plenty of meat dishes for the carnivores. As one might expect for a cookbook covering an island-nation, there is a robust collection of seafood.

I highly recommend Rambutan, a collection of about 80 recipes with a wide variety of dishes, but the most unique element is getting pieces of Sri Lanka's history, culinary influences and memoir from the author. I love her story of finding a better life in Coventry, England but still feeling the pull of Sri Lanka, and even more specifically her family, in her heart. It's a book you can both sit down to read and keep with bookmark tabs in the kitchen.

I so enjoyed reading this book - half cookbook and half memoir, it was a well written and enticing book. The lay out is beautiful and readers that may not wish to cook will have plenty to keep them interested. Her stories are heartwarming, her recipes easy to follow, with substance and grace, and I will be purchasing this for my shelf. Thank you.

This is such a unique and special cookbook that is part memoir, part cookbook and part Sri Lankan history, very interesting and filled with beautiful photos. Many of the recipes and ingredients were completely new to me and I learned so much from this author who explains everything in easy to understand language. I highly suggest this book to anyone interested in Sri Lankan cuisine. Thank you NetGalley, Bloomsbury USA and the author for this eARC in exchange for my honest review. This cookbook is available for purchase on October 11, 2022.

Disclaimer: Received this as an advance reader copy via Netgalley and Bloomsbury Publishing (Thank you!!!)

I give this book 2.5 stars, but since whole stars are the only option here on Netgalley I rounded down because I really can't recommend it as a book someone should purchase. The design of the book is nice and I did appreciate all the color photos, both the candid ones sprinkled throughout and the ones of the finished dishes. The recipes themselves tend to be a bit complicated and are better suited for cooks with some cooking experience.

I found the organization of the book to be a bit puzzling at times and wondered why some important elements of recipes were explained later in book instead of up front, before presenting the recipes they are used in. For example, shredding coconut and dessicated coconut are referenced in several recipes but the explanation for both isn't provided until almost halfway through book, or how the explanation for tempering is presented after it appears in the first two recipes of the book.

Except for the dessert and drink recipes, the majority of recipes call for fresh curry leaves, and the author tells us in the beginning of the book that the fresh curry leaves in the recipes are basically irreplaceable and dried curry leaves are not a good substitute. So if you don't have access to fresh curry leaves, making most of the recipes as written will be a challenge.

While it was interesting to learn a bit more about Sri Lankin food, I found the author's voice to be off-putting and at at times immature. She writes with a very familiar and relaxed tone, which isn't a bad thing but when sharing her personal stories, at times, she came across as callus or unkind. When she tells the story of her grandmother in the head note for the Chicken White Sodhi Curry, instead of thinking it to be heartwarming it made me dislike the author intensely.

I do feel that she missed the opportunity to tell her stories in a more meaningful way, like in her father's story in which she tells us how it took him 40 years to be sucessful, overcoming poverty and dealing with racism. Powerful stuff but then she pivots and the story becomes a boo-hoo for the author because daddy wasn't supportive of her wanting to be a cook. I almost wish she just stuck to recipes without the stories or waited to write this cookbook because it might have been a better book with a bit more maturity.

This cookbook is a rare find. I can honestly say this is the first Sri Lankan cookbook I have come across. And I'm glad I did. Cynthia Shanmugalingam does an excellent job of introducing readers to Sri Lankan cuisine and culture. This is not your typical Indian fare, this is specifically Sri Lankan style cooking and reflects it's unique qualities. There is much to learn from this book. It is also very authentic. The food looks wonderful. The pictures are beautiful. There is a good variety of curries, but you will also find roti options as well as desserts. I must repeat, because this is worthy of note, that this is a very authentic cookbook. As a result, there are lengthy ingredient lists with a number of specialty items that would require shopping at a specialty store for most North American readers. So if you are looking for "Americanized" versions of such recipes that you can make from common pantry ingredients, this is probably not the book for you. You will need quite a variety of spices, fresh curry leaves, fresh coconut, and the list goes on. But for those of you who are interested in authentic Sri Lankan food, look no further. This is a very well done book that I'm sure you will enjoy.

I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed are entirely my own.

This is a gorgeous cookbook, and Ms. Shanmugalingam goes into incredible detail in explaining the building blocks of Sri Lankan cooking and how to make these recipes. I will freely admit to being a bit intimidated by some of these recipes, as they require specialty ingredients I'm not easily able to get access to, or instructions that indicate some of these recipes will take a longer, more intense time, However, I definitely want to try them out in the near future. Definitely one of the cookbooks to pick up this fall.

Two things, if you like coconut milk and have access to fresh curry leaves (likely at a local Indian grocer), you need this cookbook; secondly, even if you do not like coconut milk and can’t get curry leaves to save your life, you probably still need this cookbook. Go ahead and get it because even if you only read it it’s still worth the money.

Cynthia Shanmugalingam’s Rambutan is gorgeous. The photography is luscious. The writing is warm, funny, heartbreaking, and evocative. I can smell the spices and chiles through my ereader screen. I know it’s a cliché to say, but this is a love letter to Sri Lanka, it’s food and people. It’s a love that celebrates that despite everything, Sri Lanka is still here. This cookbook comes with content warnings.

In introducing the world to Sri Lankan food, Shanmugalingam brings in elements of memoir and history. She is the child of Sri Lankans who emigrated to the UK years before she was born. She has that insider/outsider view of her parents’ home culture and cuisine that I’m sure other 2nd and 3rd generations of diaspora would recognize.

Shanmugalingam asserts that Sri Lankan cuisine is one of the most underrated in the world. After reading this, I know I would like to know more. There are a lot of recipes in here that I can’t try because my digestive system and coconut milk don’t get along, but I have latched on to a few recipes that I can eat and I am dying to try (ok, more than a few):

all of the spice blends
Tempered crunchy fried potatoes with turmeric
Shrimp and seafood kool stew
a bunch of sambols (especially the seeni sambol)
Cardamom fried chicken
Potato and leek spicy stuffed roti
Lemongrass and lime soda
I am so excited about this cookbook.

CW: civil war and it’s impacts, violence, state sanctioned violence, acts of genocide described, torture and threats of rape, refugees, references to child abuse, neglect, child labor, child soldiers, illness, death, grief.

I received this as an advance reader copy from Bloomsbury and NetGalley. My opinions are my own, freely and honestly given.