Sri Lankan cuisine is mostly based on rice and curry, which is the country’s staple diet. But Sri Lankan cuisine is not all about rice and curry. It may be true that Sri Lankans like rice more than most other nationalities. Although rice for lunch is a must in Sri Lanka, lots of people prefer some other food items for dinner. With so many ethnicities living on this small island, there are many varieties of dinner food items are available.
Dinner is an important meal in the local food scene, and people like to taste something special than usual rice. Many Sri Lankans used to cook some yummy dinner and share this special meal with the family in the evening. Nowadays, people are busy and they prefer to buy takeaway food or eat out at dinner. In any way, having an extremely delicious dinner with different condiments makes mealtime more enjoyable.
Here we are going to share the details of the most popular dinner food items in Sri Lanka. Try this delicious dinner food in Sri Lanka and we hope you’ll enjoy them.
1. Kottu
Kottu Roti considers one of the most popular dinner food items in Sri Lanka. It is a favorite delicacy among both adults and kids throughout the country. Kottu is a delicious combination of pieces of kottu or roti flatbread, crispy vegetables, tasty meat, and aromatic spices. Kottu makers use two metal blades to cut and mix kottu roti. The sound of the blades hitting the grill is a common sound in street food corners in the evening.
Kottu prepares on a hot griddle. Preparation of Kottu needs quite an experienced hand. The process starts with frying spices such as ginger, garlic to release their aromas. Then it is mixed with carrots, leeks, or other vegetables. The pieces of sliced roti and cooked meat add on top and mix well.
The meat in kottu can select according to personal choice. You can select either chicken or beef. If you are a vegetarian, you can order vegetable kottu, without meat. There are cheese kottu and egg kottu also available. As you can see, kottu is a versatile dinner food item suit for everyone. Tasting some delicious kottu for your dinner is a wonderful thing not to miss in Sri Lanka.
2. Pittu
Although Pittu used for breakfast earlier, it has become a popular dinner food item now. Pittu is a combination of rice flour and grated coconut. You can use either red or white rice flour to make pittu. Some people use steamed wheat flour for making pittu too. Pittu looks beautiful on the dinner table, with its unique cylindrical shape.
Pittu making process is quite simple, but you need a special tool, pittu maker. It is a tube-like apparatus with a steamer. The process of making pittu starts by mixing coconut with the rice flour and forming small granules. It should mix well to form a crumbled texture. Then the mixture placed in the cylinder tube of the pittu steamer. It should steam for about half an hour. Finally, take out the delicious pittu from the tube.
You can taste this wonderful dinner food item with coconut milk, chili paste, and any spicy meat, fish, or vegetable curry. Sri Lankans love this beautiful and delicious dinner food, which can prepare from such simple ingredients.
3. Hoppers
Now that’s something to really celebrate dinner time. It is hoppers, one of the most favorite dinner food items in Sri Lanka. Made of wheat or rice flour, hoppers shape like a bowl with a soft center and thin crispy edges. Varieties of hoppers are available, but egg hoppers are the top delicacy not to miss in Sri Lanka.
Egg hopper makes by adding an egg to the soft center of the hopper. It cooks lightly and takes out while it’s a bit runny. According to our choice, egg hoppers are the tastiest dinner food item to find in Sri Lanka. There are many roadside hopper shops and they start making hoppers after 4 or 5 pm in the evening.
4. String Hoppers
Although you may think the string hoppers are some kind of hopper, the two are totally different. As the name suggests, string hoppers look like small rounds of strings. It can prepare using rice flour or steamed wheat flour. According to our choice, string hoppers made with wheat flour are more delicious.
It isn’t difficult to prepare string hoppers at home, but you need a string hopper maker and small round trays. The dough is a simple mixture of flour, water, and a pinch of salt. Thin strings of dough squeeze into small trays to create flat rounds of string hoppers. It needs to steam for around 15-20 mins and then served with curries.
String hoppers usually eat with a delicious coconut gravy call as Kiri hodi, or dhal, potato or egg curry, and spicy coconut sambal. These combinations are so good and you’ll feel that it gives a heavenly taste.
5. Coconut Roti
Roti or Sri Lankan flatbread comes in many varieties. It makes with the addition of scraped coconut called pol roti or coconut roti. It uses mostly as a dinner food item, but it is available in the daytime too. Wheat flour mix with freshly grated coconut to make the dough. Then it flattens to make small round-shaped rotis. It serves with mushroom curry or spicy chili paste. This is delicious and yummy dinner food in Sri Lanka.
6. Paratha
Paratha is an original Indian food, but popular food in Sri Lanka. It is a multi-layered roti that melts in your mouth. Parthas are delightful stretchy, oily pancakes, available for both dinner and daytime too. Egg paratha is made by adding an egg to it. Egg paratha is so yummy and packed with the nutrients of eggs. You can pair it with some spicy meat curries bringing the experience to a whole new level.
7. Thosai
Thosai is the Sri Lankan name for Indian dosa. Although this dish is a favorite among the Tamil community, you can find it anywhere on the island. It is a pancake made from a smooth batter and cooked in a hot griddle. Thosai is usually served with a vegetable gravy called sambaru and spicy coconut sambol. This is a delicious combination to try for your dinner in Sri Lanka.
8. Chapati
Although chapati originated in India, it is widely popular in Sri Lanka. This Indian flatbread is so easy to prepare at home. You need only whole wheat flour called atta flour and some oil to make the dough. Then flatten it with a rolling fin and burn both sides in the heated chapati pan.
Chapati making is a just simple process and you can serve the warm chapatis with some delicious curry. It can pair with almost every vegan curry like dhal or potato curry. And also, it goes well with meat curries like chicken or beef. There are ready-made chapatis available in supermarkets. You can buy them and just heat to make delicious chapati for your dinner.
This is one of the delightful dinner foods with a perfect dose of taste and health. It makes with very little amount of oil, therefore considered as a healthy food. Since whole wheat flour is used, it is high in nutrition. It is good for even people who are following a low-fat diet.
9. Naan
Naan is an Indian-style flatbread, a popular dinner food among Sri Lankans. It is totally different from other types of Rotis or flatbreads. Naan is so soft like bread and full of lovely bubbles. It is very delicious because it cooks in a special clay oven.
Naan is difficult to prepare at home without this special oven. Therefore, Sri Lankans use to buy them from takeaway shops or eat out at restaurants. You’ll find that Garlic naan is more delicious than plain naan bread. Enjoy Naan with butter chicken and it is one of the best dinner food items you’ll find in the country.
10. Noodles
Certainly, noodles is a famous dinner food in Sri Lanka. Sri Lankan noodles are different than Chinese noodles or Japanese ramen dishes. There isn’t any soup in the noodles dish. It almost looks similar to fried rice, with tempered vegetables. Noodles are a healthy and tasty dinner food option, a favorite among both kids and adults. It can pair with spicy meat or fish curry to make a scrumptious and tasty dinner.
These Sri Lankan dinner food items are unique and delightful, and you cannot find such a taste anywhere in the world. We hope you’ll love these delicious dinner foods while food touring in Sri Lanka. If you are traveling with family, select the less spicy food choices for kids. Surely, they will enjoy it. Have a nice dinner and enjoy it!
Text by Magnificent Sri Lanka and images from Wikimedia Commons, Twitter, Facebook, Maggi, and Amazon. All copyrights are reserved by the original authors.
