How to Take Your Hens Party to Sri Lanka

Okay, so maybe hauling your entire Hens Party to Sri Lanka is a bit impractical, especially if the wedding is in dear Australia Fair. There are ways you can bring the exotic country to you and the bride-to-be. Maybe The bride and/or groom has Sri Lankan ancestry, maybe they’re off to the sunny island on their honeymoon, or maybe you’re just looking for something different.

Another perfectly good excuse for planning a hens party with a Sri Lankan theme is simply because of the country’s cuisine. Apart from the bride-to-be, the grub at any party is always the guest of honour, right? With the island nation nestled below the southern coast of India, there are naturally some similar elements, but it has a character all its own. The ubiquitous hopper, for example, while reminiscent of the Keralan dosa, has its own character. We’ve come up with a few ideas to help inspire you to plan a hens night the bride will never forget. 

DIY hopper buffet

The hopper is a simple food that is cheap, quick and easy to whip up, and uniquely Sri Lankan. It adapts well to whatever you want to throw into it, meaning you can tailor the buffet to suit any budget. Whip up the batter and then leave on the stove top with the oven on or the place where you normally prove bread, and you’ve got four hours to prepare the fillings and get yourself dolled up for the party.

The basic recipe consists of rice flour and coconut milk. The end product is a cross between a pancake and a tortilla and is shaped like a delicate, lacy basket that takes on the shape of the hopper pan in which it is cooked. Don’t have a hopper pan? Any small wok will do, provided it has sloping sides. 

Generally consumed mainly at breakfast time or in the evening, the dish makes superb party food because of its versatility and the fact you can eat it with one hand, freeing the other hand for offering tips to the, ahem, live entertainment. This video featuring Australia’s own top chef, Peter Kuruvita, fresh from a trip to Sri Lanka, shows you how to prepare hoppers. Ohla, on Pinterest, also offers some handy tips.

Typical fillings for the delicacy are eggs, cheese, omelettes, and even chocolate chips. One of the most popular toppings is sambal, a pasty concoction consisting mainly of different varieties of chilis and combined with shrimp paste, garlic, ginger, onions, and lime juice.

Sri Lankan restaurants

If you and your mates don’t fancy cooking on the night, why not pile everyone into a pre-booked limo or party bus and head off to one of Australia’s many Sri Lankan restaurants, such as:

• La Kandy in Wooloongabba. 
• Elephant Corridor in Melbourne
• Hopper Kade in Sydney
• Peter Kurvita’s Noosa Beach House

Engage a hens night party planner

If you’re looking for someone who can help you organize a truly memorable hens party while taking the hard labour and leg work off your hands, then a professional party organizer like Chefin is just the ticket. They’ll help you hire your own chef to cater your meal at home, book a fabulous Sri Lankan restaurant, or may help you arrange a night on a 40-metre super yacht like the Infinity Pacific. 

Your party planner will help you book the venue, take care of the decorations and even the transportation. What more glamorous way can there be to make the night extra-special than to take a stretch limo to the restaurant and then on to the clubs, bringing you safely back home. Nobody draws the short straw of becoming the Designated Driver.

Whether you’re aiming for a DIY night at home, a night out at a restaurant or letting your private chef take over the kitchen at a completely off-the-wall venue, a Sri Lankan theme will lend an air of the avant garde.