The most popular Sri Lankan dishes include rice and curries. Without a doubt, Sri Lankan cuisine centers on rice and curries, which everybody enjoys two or three times daily. Although it seems boring from a foreigner’s viewpoint, it isn’t boring at all. The dishes are extremely flavorful and rich in aroma, you’ll feel to try them more and more.
As a tropical island with an abundance of many kinds of vegetables, the meals contain varieties of vegan curries. It is usually comprised of rice with 3 to 4 vegan curries. Local people usually prepare steamed white rice, but fragrant savory rice dishes are readily available to taste in Sri Lanka. There are many popular side dishes, you’re going to love them.
Sri Lankan side dishes
Usually, Sri Lankan rice goes along well with meat or fish choice. Seafood also plays a significant role in the cuisine, fresh or preserved fish usually adds to the meal. You’ll find fresh seafood like prawns, crabs, oysters, squids, and lobsters, which are the best on offer in the world. Most Sri Lankans prefer Chicken as their preferred meat choice, but beef, mutton or pork curries also add variability to the meal.
Spices in Sri Lankan Food
Herbs and spices add to give a nice flavor and aroma to the curries. Curry powder, chili powder, and turmeric powder add to give an appealing taste to the curries. In addition to that, Garlic, Ginger, Onion, Cinnamon, Cardomom, Cloves, and Curry leaves are also added to the required amount. The combination of all these spices gives the authentic taste of Sri Lankan Food.
Ingredients of Sri Lankan Food
Coconut is one of the main ingredients in Sri Lankan cuisine. Coconuts are readily available in the country and it uses to make the curry mild and creamy. Although many foreigners imagine Sri Lankan food is too spicy, the truth is they are delicious with a nice aroma and flavor.
Most Sri Lankans mix and eat rice & curries by hand. Foreigners may use a spoon to taste rice and curries since they are inexperienced in mixing food by hand. If you don’t tolerate spices, you can order less spicy curries. You’ll find vegetable curries are very delicious and you can discover new flavors.
You can try some other tasty authentic Sri Lankan food like Roti, hoppers, and string hoppers, which are not spicy. Sri Lankan cuisine is becoming more popular among travelers and it has been listed in no 1 place on BBC’s 15 Food trends for 2019.
Here we have summarized the best 10 delicious food that you must try during your visit to Sri Lanka. There are many more food choices, but the following list contains the most delicious food according to our choice. We shared these foods with our foreign friends during our stay abroad and they enjoyed them a lot. Try these delicacies in Sri Lanka and we hope you’ll enjoy them too!
1. Chicken Curry
One of the most popular Sri Lankan dishes is spicy chicken curry. Sri Lankans cook chicken by adding a lot of spices including chili powder, pepper powder, roasted and unroasted curry powder. The combination of these spices gives a nice flavor. garlic, ginger, as well as cardamom, cloves, cinnamon add for a nice aroma. Chicken curry usually prepared without adding any coconut milk.
This is a mouth-watering dish with a heavenly taste for spicy food lovers. It goes along well with any main course and it is a must-try, although a little spicy. If you like beef, pork, or mutton curries, they are also available in limited restaurants. Meat curries prepare with a lot of spices and they have a nice aroma and flavor which gives a good taste for spicy food lovers.
2. Fish Curry
Fish curry is one of the main popular Sri Lankan dishes in a typical meal. Local people cook Fish curry in many ways. The spicy fish curry prepares by adding a lot of chilies, pepper powder, and garcinia (Goraka) to have a spicy taste.
Fish Ambul Thiyal is another type of fish curry. Tuna Fish cooks in a special mixture of spices that includes Goraka paste to make the Ambul Thial. This spice mixture helps to preserve fish, so this fish curry remains at room temperature even for a week, and it will not spoil.
Fish curries can be prepared in many other ways and all of them are delicious and taste good. Don’t forget to taste a cooked piece of fish during your Sri Lankan tour.
3. Seafood
Fresh seafood like prawns, crabs, oysters, squids, and lobsters are a major part of Sri Lankan cuisine. Seafood is one of the most popular Sri Lankan dishes and its taste is absolutely great. You can find it anywhere in the country, mostly in beach hotels and restaurants in Sri Lanka.
Numerous vendors sell freshly caught fish right on the beach. The most popular ones are Tiger prawns, Red snappers, crabs, lobsters, etc. Beachside restaurants offer freshly caught seafood, which you’ll find tastier than anywhere in the world.
4. Dhal Curry
The Dhal Curry is one of the most popular Sri Lankan dishes and a staple dish of Sri Lankan cuisine. It is one of the most widespread curries in Sri Lanka. Dhal (lentils) cooks with spices and adds coconut milk to make a creamy and mild curry.
This is an excellent dish that goes well with anything, from rice, string hoppers, bread, or Roti. Dhal Curry has a nice taste and even kids can enjoy it because it isn’t spicy and they love it.
5. Pol Sambol
Pol Sambol is one of the must-try food, while you are in Sri Lanka. It prepares by mixing grated fresh coconut with chili powder, salt, onions, and lime juice. This is one of the delicious Sri Lankan dishes that goes well with any main course.
It serves with rice, string hoppers, bread, or Roti. It has a nice spicy flavor and the taste is so good. Pol Sambol is one of the most common and popular food in Sri Lankan households for breakfast, lunch, or dinner.
6. Plain Hoppers
Hoppers or Appa are iconic food of Sri Lanka that includes in the dinner menu. Hoppers make by a fermented batter of rice flour, coconut milk with a splash of yeast. The hoppers are cooked in small rounded pans, so it is thick and soft on the bottom, and thin and crunchy around the edges.
Plain hoppers are not spicy at all and give a milky and crispy taste. Anybody can enjoy it including kids, they will surely love it. Hoppers serve with the Chili paste and if you love the spicy taste, it will be tastier to try hoppers with them.
7. Egg Hoppers
Egg Hoppers are a heavenly meal for food lovers. It is the same as plain hoppers, but an egg adds to the middle of the hopper. Pinch of black pepper powder and salt added for more taste. You may order it without pepper powder for your kids, and they will enjoy this yummy and delicious food a lot.
8. String Hoppers
String Hoppers also a good choice instead of rice. It served along with some curries, including Chicken Curry, Dhal curry, or Egg Curry with Pol Sambol. You need some gravy to mix string hoppers and it will be delicious food to taste.
9. Kottu Roti
Kottu Roti is an extremely popular and delicious Sri Lankan food for dinner. It composes of shredded pieces of thin dough and a choice of meat and vegetable ingredients.
Many types of Kottu are available and you can select whatever you like; Vegetable Kottu, Chicken Kottu, Beef Kottu, Egg Kottu, or Cheese Kottu. Kottu Roti serves along with a spicy curry. If you don’t tolerate spices, just enjoy Kottu without the curry.
10. Coconut Roti
Coconut Roti uses mostly in the dinner menu, but it is available in the daytime too. Flour and freshly grated coconut mix and make a dough to make coconut roti. It serves with dhal curry, mushroom curry, or chili paste. Along with the chili paste, this is delicious and yummy food for those who like the spicy taste.
We hope you’ll love these tasty dishes while food touring Sri Lanka. If you are traveling with family, select the nonspicy food choices for kids. Surely they will enjoy it. There are many more delicacies in Sri Lanka, including different kinds of savory rice, vegan curries, side dishes, snacks, and desserts you must try during your stay. We will update them in the next posts. Have a nice meal and enjoy it!
Text by Magnificent Sri Lanka, Images by Migrationology, Pixabay, Wikimedia Commons, Copyrights reserved by original authors.
