5 Delicious Sri Lankan Food Recipes

A tropical island perched on the Indian Ocean, Sri Lanka is home to a rich gastronomic culture.

Sri Lankan cuisine is a special blend of love, diversity and aroma with an abundance of scrumptious relishes.

Lanka’s all time main meal consists of rice and curry. Coconut is widely used in many of the dishes.

Anyway, what better way to explore a cuisine than by actually trying it!

Here we are, five of the most loved Sri Lankan food delights!

Sri Lankan Raw Mango Curry

Raw Mango Curry is a delicious sweet and spicy side dish served with rice. It find a special place on the table during special occasions.

Ingredients:

• 3 (Matured) Raw Mango
• 1 cup Coconut milk (preferably thick)
• 1 Onions (big) diced
• 1 Cardamom crushed
• 1 or 2 Cloves
• 1 piece of Cinnamon
• 2 or 3 Green chilli sliced
• 2 tsp Chilli powder
• 1 tsp Turmeric powder
• 2 to 3 tbs Sugar
• 5 to 10 Curry leaves (optional)
• 1 tbs Cooking oil
• 1 cup Water
• Salt to taste

Method:

1. Peel and cut the mangoes into chunks.
2. Heat pan with oil.
3. Add cloves, cardamom, and cinnamon, diced onions, green chillies and curry leaves. Fry until golden brown.
4. Add chilli powder, turmeric and mango chunks and saute.
5. Add a cup of water and cook for 15 to 20 minutes.
6. When the mangoes are cooked and tender, add the sugar and mix well.
7. Lastly add the coconut milk and let it boil for some time. You can add a pinch of salt.
8. Serve warm with any kind of rice preparation.

Tip: Mangoes can be cooked with the skin. It was peeled as it can be irritable to some people.

Sri Lankan Hot Fish Curry

This is a Lankan Fish curry soaked in a gravy of whole spices such as cloves and cinnamon, balanced with a dash of thick coconut milk.

Ingredients:

• 500 g Fish chunks  (any big fish of your choice)
• 1 to 2 tsp Chilli powder
• 1 tsp Turmeric powder
• 1 tsp Curry powder
• 1 Cardamom crushed
• 1 Clove
• A small piece of Cinnamon
• 1 to 2 tbs Oil
• 1 and 2 Onions finely diced
• 2 to 3 Tomatoes (tomato paste can be used instead)
• 3 Green chillies slit into halves
• Tamarind pulp made of 5 to 10 tamarind and warm water
• 10 Curry leaves
• 1 cup Coconut milk (Thick)
• ½ cup water
• Salt to taste

Method:

1. Mix chilli powder, turmeric powder, curry powder and tamarind pulp together.
2. Heat oil on a pan.
3. Fry cloves, cardamom, and cinnamon.
4. Saute onions, green chilli, and curry leaves until golden brown.
5. Add tomatoes and ½ a cup of water. Bring to a boil.
6. Slide in the fish chunks.
7. Pour in the milk and add salt to taste.
8. Hot fish curry can be served with rice, string hoppers, any kind of rotis or parathas.

Tip: Fresh Curry leaves are a great addition to fish curry, and can be found in supermarkets and Asian food centres.

Sri Lankan Yellow Rice

Ingredients:

• 1 kg Rice
• 3 Onions Diced
• 3 to 4 tbs Ghee or butter
• 1 tsp Turmeric powder
• 10 to 12 Curry leaves
• 1 ½ cups Coconut thick milk
• 1 stick Cinnamon
• 2 Cloves
• 2 Cardamoms

Method:

1. Wash the rice and drain it.
2. Heat pan with ghee.
3. Stir fry Cardamom, Cloves, Cinnamon, curry leaves and onions.
4. Add salt and turmeric and  pour a cup of water.
5. Add coconut milk and cook
6. Garnish with cashew and sultanas.

Tip: Use small grain polished samba rice instead of Basmati rice.

Sri Lankan Brinjal (Aubergine) Curry

Eggplant/Aubergine/Brinjal curry is a timeless Sri Lankan dish. Over the time, lot of variants are created out of this purple vegetable.

Ingredients:

• 3 Brinjals
• 1 tsp Turmeric powder
• 1 tbs Sugar
• 1 Cardamom
• 2 Cloves
• 1 piece Cinnamon
• 1 tbs Cumin powder
• 3  Cloves of Garlic
• 1 tbs Ginger garlic paste
• 2 Onions diced
• 2 Green Chilli
• ½ cup Coconut milk
• A pinch of Mustard seeds
• 1 Tomato
• 1 tsp Vinegar
• 10 Curry leaves
• Oil
• Salt

Method:

1. Cut the brinjals into thin strips.
2. Soak them in water mixed with salt and turmeric.
3. Deep fry the strips until golden brown. Drain excess oil.
4. Make a paste of powdered cumin, mixing ginger, tomato, garlic and mustard seeds.
5. Heat the oil in a wok and fry the cardamom, cloves, cinnamon, diced onion and green chillies.
6. Add brinjal strips, vinegar, sugar and salt and stir fry for 2 minutes.

Tip: Before deep frying the brinjals, squeeze out the excess water.

Sri Lankan Jackfruit Stir Fry (Kos Mallung)

Jackfruit is very popular in Sri Lanka and is an integral part of Sri Lankan diet. Quite a few kitchen delights can be twisted from this wonder fruit.

Ingredients:

• 250 g Young jackfruit cleaned and sliced into medium strips
• 1 tsp Turmeric powder
• ½ cup Scraped coconut
• 1 tbs Mustard paste
• 1 Onion diced
• 1 Cardamom 1
• 1 Clove
• 1 piece of Cinnamon
• 3 cloves Garlic chopped
• 2 Green Chilli slit
• Salt
• 10 Curry leaves
• 1 tsp Oil

Method:

1. Boil the jackfruit in turmeric powder infused salt water.
2. Heat oil and sauté cardamom, cinnamon, cloves, chopped garlic, onions, green chillies and curry leaves.
3. Add the jack fruit and stir well (water can be added sparingly).
4. Allow it to cook for about 5 minutes.
5. Add scraped coconut and serve.

Tip: Jackfruit stir fry is uniquely Sri Lankan and can be served hot with rice and even can be eaten as the main dish.

Easy to cook and luscious to taste, we at DESIblitz are ecstatic to bring you the top five dishes from Sri Lanka. Happy Cooking!