Just Launched: Plates of Goodness, a vegan recipe book that gives back to rural communities

Plates of Goodness; A fundraising, plant-based recipe book featuring 100 recipes from across the Village Heartbeat Empowerment Programmes of the Foundation of Goodness featuring recipes from Australia-based Sri Lankan Chefs, launched at The Doing Good Ball, sponsored and led by OYOB Property Groupl, on the 24th of July at the Crown Melbourne.

Over the past 24 years, The Foundation of Goodness Sri Lanka has helped to uplift and empower rural communities by providing education, sports, skills development and social welfare initiatives to underserved villages across the island. In 2022 alone, they helped empower 307,957 beneficiaries through a network of Village Heartbeat Empowerment Centres placed in some of the most remote locations across the island. Today, this little island nation grapples with an unprecedented economic crisis which has led to a severe food crisis in the country. Recent surveys show that the average Sri Lankan household is cutting their children’s food intake while parents are skipping meals to feed their children. It was also reported that a staggering 9/10 households said they cannot guarantee nutritious food for their children. That’s why, Australia which has always had close bonds with Sri Lanka, on and off the cricket field, is stepping up to help.

The Plates of Goodness Cookbook is a unique fund-raising plant-based recipe book from Sri Lanka, which brings together 100 traditional recipes, passed down through generations and lovingly selected for you by the beneficiaries of the Foundation of Goodness Village Heartbeat Empowerment Centres from rural villages in Jaffna at the northernmost tip of the island to Seenigama in the South.

The Plates of Goodness initiative was created to help people not just taste Sri Lankan food but also experience how the meals are cooked, to understand, and learn about the spices and produce that go into making these plates of delicious goodness. Visitors get to man the cooking station and learn to cook traditional village rice & curry, assisted by the women of the Empowerment Centre. This program has helped countless beneficiaries. Here are a few of the women behind the Plates of Goodness and some of the recipes in this book.

What maked this recipe book truly special are the featured plant-based recipes from Australia-based Sri Lankan chefs, Peter Kuruvita and Gayan Pieris, amongst others. Peter Kuruvita, Executive Chef at Noosa’s Alba by Kuruvita, provided family recipes including his Beetroot Curry, Karavila Sambal, and Kiri Hodi. Gayan Pieris, Executive Chef at the Mornington Peninsula’s Many Little Dining & Bar, provided Young Jackfruit Ambula, while his Sous Chef, Shehan Silva, provided his recipe for Breadfruit Curry. Melbourne’s Lucy Liu also jumped in to support the venture with a recipe from Sous Chef, Pavinda Wickramasinghe for his Cassava Leaf Sambal, and Brisbane’s founder of Colombo Foodies, Udeshika Suradasa, gave her recipe for Mustard Pumpkin Curry.

This stunning 400-page coffee table recipe book includes a myriad of wonderful photography and information about where to stay and visit. It is a one-stop-guide to getting out and about in Sri Lanka.

All proceeds from the sales of the recipe book will go directly to the communities that provided the 100 recipes through the Foundation of Goodness Village Heartbeat Empowerment Centres. These Centres have been integral in empowering Sri Lankan villages by providing not just empowerment and humanitarian programmes, but also essential projects such as providing dry rations and groceries to food insecure families who have not been able to access their daily meals during the ongoing economic crisis.

Speaking about the fundraiser, Foundation of Goodness Founder Kushil Gunasekera said, “The people of Sri Lanka are facing unprecedented challenges, and our humanitarian mission has always been sensitive to the needs of the rural disadvantaged communities. We are grateful for the worldwide support we receive, and Australia being foremost among them in joining our relief efforts.”