Meet Niro
Niro’s journey with cooking began in an Australian immigration detention centre. “I lost six years of my life in this small space.”
After his first three years of being confined to a small room and served ‘vegetables with sauce’, Niro and about thirty other Sri Lankan refugees successfully advocated to cook for themselves once a day. Together they tested recipes and taught each other how to make traditional Sri Lankan food that reminded them of home.
“After I was released I had a chance to keep cooking my traditional food with Tamil Feast. Four of us who met in Detention would cook and share our food with 60-80 guests every week.”
Unfortunately, the Tamil Feast (a social enterprise run by CERES Community Environment Park in Melbourne) has since permanently closed due to COVID-19. Niro is now taking his cooking on the road via his mobile market stall ‘Tuka Tuka KothuRoti Man’.
“My dream for the future is to keep making my favourite dish, Kothuroti. If no one stopped me I would eat Kothuroti three times a day.”
Niro’s Recipes
Register to host your Feast to access all of Niro's recipesYou will receive the full recipe booklet in your Host Kit and will also get a link to the recipes in your registration confirmation email.
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About Niro’s Recipes
Despite learning to cook inside a prison, Niro has perfected the art of Sri Lankan street food. His signature dish, Kothu Roti, is a triathlon of flaky roti, fragrant curry and chopped vegetables bought together on a hot plate with heavy iron blades. Asked if he has any advice for those aspiring to make his recipes, Niro said, “Even if you follow the recipes you won’t be able to make it exactly like me. But if you follow your tongue you can make it unique to you.”