The switch began at the beginning of the year when more than 1,000 kitchens exploded across the country, killing at least seven people and injuring hundreds more.

But now, along with much else in the country of 22 million people, gas is either unavailable or too expensive for most.

And those who bought electric cookers were in for a rude shock when the government imposed lengthy power blackouts as it ran out of dollars to import fuel for generators.

“Fortunately, no one was there at the time. There were pieces of glass all over the floor. The glass-top stove had exploded. I will never use gas for cooking. It is not safe. We are now on firewood,” she said, despite moves to address the propane problem.

“We suffer (smoke inhalation) when cooking with firewood, but we have no choice,” Karunawathi told AFP. “It is also difficult to find firewood and it is also becoming very expensive.”

Sri Lanka used to be a middle-income country, with GDP per head comparable to the Philippines and living standards the envy of neighbouring India.

And the pain will likely continue for some time, with Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe in parliament on Tuesday saying: “We will have to face difficulties in 2023 as well.

Unofficial inflation is now second only to Zimbabwe, and the United Nations estimates about 80 percent of people skip meals because they cannot afford food.

“Earlier we had just one customer — a restaurant that had a wood-fired oven — but we now have so many, we can’t meet the demand,” Raja told AFP.

“Earlier, land owners paid us to uproot rubber trees that are no longer productive,” lumberjack Sampath Thushara told AFP in the tea-and-rubber-growing southern village of Nehinna.

Foraging for wood can also be dangerous in the snake- and insect-infested forests. Last week, a father of three died from wasp stings in central Sri Lanka and four others were hospitalised.

He has attached a small battery-powered electric fan to blow air into the barrel-shaped stove to ensure better burning, thus reducing smoke and soot associated with traditional firewood burners.

Both his stoves — which cost around $20 and $50, respectively — have become big sellers with buyers having to go on a waiting list.

“You will see many renditions of my design… other people are piggybacking (on the design),” Ismail said while making chicken satay.