Mum's God given gift of culinary creativity has fostered in me a deep appreciation of palatable sensations. She has the ultimate spice cupboard, most of which she grinds herself. I love the fragrance of the spices as they are being heated and then combined...I love the first few minutes of every Ceylonese dish we make -  those delectable moments just after the naked onions, garlic and ginger lie waiting in anticipation of delights which soon will caress them, browned slightly golden as we start to tease them with delicate sprinklings of the chili powder, cardamon, fennel, cumin seeds...that wonderful, strong, exotic, chili powder, curry powder fusion when the frying pan is hot hot, the onions have turned bright red and we are ready to roar...

Its kind of like that moment - when you're in the plane, and you're waiting...and the plane is speeding up, the engines are firing, its running fast, the world behind is disappearing....Its that take off anticipation - that deep inside excitement, that heat, that freedom speed, that climactic intensity just before...

Hot!!