Finding the Elusive Black Curry

I went to Sri Lanka for a few reasons, but among them was to find the elusive black curry. Not terribly many people had heard about it, but I don't think the Sinhala people think about it is unusual or unique, since most of them have never left their island home. Nonetheless, there is no menu item in any restaurant that I saw called "black curry." I only knew about it because Tony Bourdain was traveling around Sri Lanka with some Sri Lankan culinary expert and he claimed that black curry was unique to Sri Lanka. As far as I can tell it doesn't exist in South India, and that's about as close as you can get to Sri Lanka. I also know (believe through the miracle of television) that is exists because I watched everyone's favorite straight-talking jet-setting ex-chef eating it.

So off I go to find it, and Colombo offers no solutions. I can't find it in Colombo, so I figure I'll keep looking and I'll look when I get to Kandy. Again, I ask plenty of people where to find it and none seems to know. So on sunday evening I set out on foot to look for whatever might come my way. A few minutes down the road a man catches up to me and says he works at the Hotel Suisse where I was staying. Everyone was talking about me because of my height and my facial hair. He then asks me if I'd been drinking. Lame! I told him I'd had some Arrack and he smiles, I ask him if he has a favorite type and he says "I don't drink, I'm a Muslim." Somehow, just like in India it is important to announce one's religion early and often. Oh well, now he thinks I'm a horrible person and I'm easily duped because my judgment is unsound. But I decide to let him talk for a few minutes. He tries to sell me on "Sri Lankan branded" clothing, which is to say original Ralph Laurens and Tommy Hilfigers, etc which are made in Sri Lanka. But since they are made locally, they retail for $12 instead of $75. I tried to tell him I wasn't interested in brand name clothing, but in finding this curry instead. He insists he can show me this curry and that I should also see the brand-name clothing as well.

He takes me to the locals-only market. This is not the place for tourists. I was the only non-Sinhalese, non-Tamil present. Well, I see at this spice shop a bunch of premixed curries. One small rack of them happens to be black. So I ask about that one, and say I'd been looking for it. The guy tells me something like $3.50 and I gladly fork it over. I think I definitely over-paid for it because the muslim guy knew where he was going to take me next. At that time, however, I noticed a tatoo on his hand. Coupled with his exceptionally horrific oral hygiene I decided this man was not to be trusted. It's not that I'm against Muslims, or tatooed persons, or people with bad hygiene (well maybe a little against bad hygiene), but as they say, "People who live in Glass Houses shouldn't throw stones." I didn't tell him that I know tatoos are forbidden at least as much as drinking and he'd mildly scolded me for said activity. So he takes me to a shop and his buddy starts showing me a bunch of shirts which of course I have no interest in. I make myself a difficult customer and leave the shop having not bought anything. Hey, I got what I came for, black curry. Sadly, I had to buy it in powdered form and haven't been able to cook with it, but I'll find out how to do so soon enough.