Food

10 Best Delicious Food to Taste in Sri Lanka

Tasty Sri Lankan food mainly centers on rice and curries, where everybody enjoys it two or three times daily. Although it seems boring from a foreign viewpoint, it isn’t boring at all. It is usually comprised of rice with 3 to 4 curries. Local people usually prepare steamed white rice, but fragrant savory rice dishes are readily available to taste in Sri Lanka.

Different kinds of tasty vegetable curries serve along with the rice. As a tropical island with an abundance of many kinds of vegetables, the meals contain varieties of vegan curries. It goes along with a few vegetable curries and 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 than anywhere 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.

Major Ingredients of 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 add to the required amount. The combination of all these spices gives the authentic taste 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.

You can try some other tasty authentic Sri Lankan food like coconut roti, hoppers, 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 delicacies which 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 in 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 curries in Sri Lanka 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 is 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 dish in Sri Lanka. 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 curries in the typical Sri Lankan 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 made 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 taste good. Therefore, 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.  These seafood are delicious and their taste is great. You can find it anywhere near beach areas 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 staple curries 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 an iconic, tasty Sri Lankan food to try. It is prepared by mixing grated fresh coconut with chili powder, salt, onions, and lime juice. This one is delicious food that goes well with any main course and 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 commonly prepared food in Sri Lankan households including breakfast, lunch, or dinner. 

6. Plain Hoppers

Hoppers or Appa are iconic foods of Sri Lanka which are included in the breakfast or dinner menu. Hoppers are made by a fermented batter of rice flour, and 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. A pinch of black pepper powder and salt is added for more taste. You may order it without pepper powder for your kids, and they will enjoy this yummy food a lot.

8. String Hoppers

String Hoppers are a good choice instead of rice. It is served along with some curries, so you can select the best option you liked. Usually, Chicken Curry, Dhal curry, or Egg Curry with Pol Sambol is a good combination. 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 Sri Lankan dinner food. 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 is a tasty Sri Lankan food considered as a dinner food item, but it is available in the daytime too. Flour and freshly grated coconut mix and make a dough to make Coconut Roti and it is served with 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 and delicious dishes while food touring Sri Lanka. If you are traveling with family, select the non-spicy 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. We will update you about these must-try foods in Sri Lanka 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.