Sri Lanka has several nicknames, including the Teardrop of India and the Pearl of the Indian Ocean. However, the Island of Rice and Curry may be a more fair description of the beautiful country. Sri Lankan cookery produces an array of wonderful meals by liberally utilizing indigenous fruits such as coconut and jackfruit, seafood, and an arsenal of spices. Here are a few that you should not miss.

Sour fish curry (Fish ambul thiyal)

As one would anticipate from an Indian Ocean island, seafood plays a prominent role in Sri Lankan cuisine. Sour fish curry (Fish ambul thiyal) is one of the most popular of the numerous fish curries available.

The fish, which is usually something large and substantial like tuna, is sliced into cubes and sauteed in a spice mixture that includes black pepper, cinnamon, turmeric, garlic, pandan leaves, and curry leaves. The dried goraka, a tiny fruit that gives the fish its sour flavor, is perhaps the most crucial component.

Ambul thiyal is a dry curry recipe, which means that all of the ingredients are boiled in a minimal amount of water until the liquid diminishes. This allows the spice mixture to coat each fish cube individually. It originated in southern Sri Lanka and is now available throughout the country in curry restaurants. It is best served with rice.

Kottu (Kottu roti)

Over the din of a Sri Lankan market’s traffic and bustle, you’ll likely hear the clanking of metal on metal and know kottu isn’t far away. Kottu is Sri Lanka’s hamburger, and it’s everyone’s go-to fast meal when they’re desiring something nice and fatty. It’s similar to fried rice, but instead of rice, it’s prepared with godamba roti (a flat, crispy bread).

The roti is often fried in the morning, placed into stacks, and served as ordered. When you submit an order, the kottu chef will fry and slice the roti with the items you pick. The end result is a wonderful combination of salty fried dough bits, delicately seasoned, and extremely comforting. Kottu is served with a hot curry sauce that you can use as a dip or pour over your entire plate.

Some of the best kottu chefs write their own songs, singing while rhythmically clanking their spatulas and knives against the metal frying surface, slicing the roti with each clank.

Chicken curry

Chicken curry is a popular household food in Sri Lanka since it is simple to prepare. There are numerous varieties based on geography and taste preferences.

Before combining chicken with spices such as chili powder, curry powder, turmeric, pandan leaves, lemongrass, and curry leaves, spices such as fennel seeds, cardamom, cloves, and cinnamon sticks are tempered in heated oil.

The rich basis of the curry gravy is enhanced by the addition of coconut milk. A tomato puree is frequently added in recipes. The chicken is cooked for about an hour to infuse the essence of the spices into the meat. When eaten with hot rice and roti, it is most delightful.

Dhal curry (Parippu)

Parippu, or dhal curry, is the most frequent curry in Sri Lankan cuisine, and is a must-have in any restaurant or home. Masoor dhal (split red lentils) is washed and then cooked till tender. In a separate pan, onions, tomatoes, and fresh green chilies are sauteed and blended with tempered spices such as cumin seeds, turmeric, fenugreek, mustard seeds, and curry leaves.

To give the dhal a rich flavor and creamy texture, all of the ingredients are mixed and frequently thickened with a dash of fresh coconut milk. It goes with everything, but it’s especially good as a dipping gravy for a hot flatbread or paratha.

Lamprais

Sri Lanka has been impacted by a wide range of cultures, the most visible of which is the Dutch Burgher group. Lamprais, which combines the Dutch words for “lump” and “rice,” is a steamed combination of pork, rice, and sambol chili sauce wrapped in a banana leaf package. The rice is cooked in a meat stock infused with cardamom, clove, and cinnamon, which is frequently a variety of different meats like beef, hog, or lamb.

A scoop of rice, the mixed meat curry, two frikkadels (Dutch-style beef balls), blachan (shrimp paste), and a starch or vegetable, frequently ash plantain or brinjals, are placed in the center of a banana leaf.

The package is steamed after being folded into a parcel. Because lamprais is a Burgher contribution to Sri Lankan cuisine, the meat is typically served with sweet spices such as clove and cinnamon to replicate the flavor preferred by the Dutch Burgher community.

Original recipes called for beef, hog, and lamb, but modern lamprais packets frequently include chicken and eggs.

Hoppers & String hoppers

Hoppers

Hoppers are the Sri Lankan equivalent of pancakes. The batter is a somewhat fermented mixture of rice flour, coconut milk, sometimes coconut water, and a bit of sugar.

In a tiny pan, a ladle of batter is fried and twirled around to smooth it out. Hoppers can be sweet or savory, but egg hoppers are a local favorite. An egg is smashed into the bowl-shaped pancake to make the Sri Lankan equivalent of a “egg in the hole.”

String hoppers

String hoppers are created from a considerably thicker dough than hoppers, which is prepared from a fluid batter. The dough is heated after being pushed through a string hopper maker, similar to a pasta press.

String hoppers are typically served for breakfast or dinner with curries.

Eggplant pickle (Wambatu Moju)

Wambatu moju is an exceptionally tasty candied eggplant (brinjals) pickle that is typically served with rice and curries.

The eggplant, which is typically purple-skinned, long and slender, is chopped into bite-sized wedges and deep fried, giving it a crispy texture with a soft and velvety interior. Then caramelize with a spoon of sugar, vinegar, red onions, green chilies, mustard seeds, chili powder, and a dash of turmeric powder until it’s practically black in color.

When you take a mouthful, the soft and juicy texture of the eggplant should melt in your lips – the somewhat sweet, sour, and salty contrast is spectacular.

Milk rice (Kiri bath)

Milk rice is a type of rice that is cooked with thick coconut milk and is commonly offered on special or significant occasions such as Sinhalese New Year. There are several varieties of milk rice, but the standard method begins with boiling a pot of rice.

Add coconut milk and a bit of salt just before the rice is done cooking. The coconut milk adds creaminess and richness to the rice, as well as a sticky texture. When the rice is done cooking, it is cut into wedges and served like cake slices.

Milk rice can be eaten with a variety of Sri Lankan foods, either sweetened with jaggery or salty with chili sauce or curry. One of the most typical garnishes for milk rice is lunu miris, a sambol chili sauce made from red chilies, onions, lemon juice, salt, and occasionally dry Maldive fish, all crushed into a paste using a stone mortar and pestle.

Coconut relish (Pol sambol)

In a country where the coconut is revered, there is one Sri Lankan side dish that does it justice.

Pol sambol, also known as fresh coconut relish, is a straightforward combination of finely grated coconut, red onions, dried whole chilies or chili powder, lime juice, salt, and Maldive fish (if available). The components are diced or ground before being combined in a mixing dish.

In Sri Lanka, pol sambol is used as a garnish or as a side dish for everything. It’s delicious with rice and curries, pol roti (coconut roti), a hot paratha, string hoppers, or simply scooped up with pieces of bread. There is no better garnish in the world if you like coconut.

Baby Jackfruit curry

Jackfruit is taken at various stages of ripeness, ranging from very ripe and delicious to green and starchy. Polos is a type of Sri Lankan curry made with young green jackfruit.

Cut the fruit into bite-sized pieces and simmer until soft. Then cooked with onions, garlic, ginger, and spices such as mustard seeds, turmeric, chili powder, roasted curry powder, pandan leaves, and curry leaf sprigs. Finally, add the coconut milk and boil to reduce most of the liquid, leaving all of the delicious flavors within the jackfruit cubes.

The texture of jackfruit is starchy, similar to that of cassava or potato. Polos is a common dish found in most Sri Lankan curry houses.