Colombo

This famous Sri Lankan curry is made with a combination of crab meat, lime juice, milk or coconut milk, curry leaves, grated coconut, ginger, shallots, garlic, cinnamon, turmeric, fenugreek seeds, and red chili peppers. The curry is cooked until the crabs are fully cooked and the gravy develops a... Read more

Kukul mas is a traditional chicken curry originating from Colombo. This creamy and lightly spiced curry is usually made with a combination of chicken breast that's cut into pieces, onions, ginger, garlic, turmeric, garam masala, chili powder, coconut milk, tomatoes, oil, and salt. The onions are ... Read more

Kottu is one of the national dishes of Sri Lanka, a favorite among locals and tourists throughout the country. It employs crucial elements of national Sri Lankan cuisine: roti flatbread, aromatic spices, crispy vegetables, and tasty meat. Each kottu is prepared individually on a hot grid... Read more

Pongal is a rice pudding that is usually eaten during special or ceremonial occasions in Southern India and Sri Lanka. It is usually cooked in a clay pot over an open fire. Milk and water are boiled first, and according to Tamil beliefs, if the liquid spills over the pot it will bring good luck a... Read more

This simple combination of rice and coconut milk is a staple dish throughout Sri Lanka. The rice is cooked in milk, and the mix is then left to set in a shallow plate. The dish is traditionally cut into square or diamond shapes, and the pieces are usually topped with spicy lunumiris chil... Read more

Kokis is a Sri Lankan dessert with Dutch origins, consisting of a batter made with coconut milk, eggs, and rice flour. The batter is coated around decorative molds and deep-fried in coconut oil until it develops a crispy texture. Kokis can be consumed as an appetizer, snack, or a dessert, and it ... Read more

Considered the national dish of the country, Sri Lankan rice and curry consists of steaming hot, fluffy rice (samba or kakulu varieties) that is served with a variety of side dishes commonly called curries. There are typically at least three (ideally five) different curries served along with the ... Read more

This spicy and sour seafood stew is one of the signature dishes of the Jaffna region in Sri Lanka. It combines tamarind-based broth with seafood such as cuttlefish, prawns, crayfish, crabs, as well as different types of fish. Apart from seafood, the dish also incorporates various spices and veget... Read more

Lamprais is a complex Sri Lankan dish usually consisting of stock-cooked short-grained rice, three meat curry (beef, pork, and lamb), wambatu moju (eggplant pickle), seeni sambol (onion relish), blanchan (shrimp paste), frikadeller meatballs, eggplant and ash plantain curry, while the common addi... Read more

Appam is a popular Indian bowl-shaped pancake made from a batter of rice and coconut milk. Typically consumed for breakfast or dinner, appam is most popular in Tamil Nadu, Sri Lanka, and Kerala, where it is culturally linked to the Syrian Christians called the Nasranis, who bake appam on a stone.... Read more

Kuzhambu is a traditional dish gravy that consists of a variety of dals (urad dal, toor dal), tamarind, and (optionally) vegetables. The dish is typically served as an accompaniment to rice. In Tamil cuisine, there are hundreds of kuzhambu varieties, and they all include a base of dals, tamarind,... Read more

Ven Pongal is a savory Tamil dish made with rice and moong dal (yellow split lentils). The name "ven" in Tamil means white, referring to the dish's light-colored appearance, while "pongal" means to boil over, symbolizing prosperity and abundance. Ven pongal has a soft, creamy, and slightly mushy ... Read more

In its basic form, this traditional Sri Lankan dessert combines toasted rice flour, sugar syrup, ground cashew nuts, and spices such as cardamom or cloves, while some versions replace sugar with treacle (molasses) and cashews with mung beans or other types of nuts. The mixture is spread into pans... Read more

Lunumiris is a flavorful Sri Lankan staple that is traditionally served as a condiment accompanying egg hoppers, a typical breakfast dish. In Sinhala language, lunu means onions, while miris means chili, referring to the two ingredients used to make this spicy ... Read more

Ceylon cinnamon is traditionally harvested from a tree that is native to Sri Lanka, formerly known as Ceylon, hence the botanical name of this health-beneficial spice. This cinnamon type is sweeter and more delicate than cinnamon cassia, the other main type of cinnamon. It has a... Read more

Meekiri is a creamy Sri Lankan curd made from filtered buffalo milk that is heated and stirred until it is slightly thickened and reduced. While it cools, thickening and souring agents such as previously made curd, tamarind pulp, or natural microbes are added. The final result is a cream... Read more

Curry leaves are leaves of the curry tree, which is native to India and Sri Lanka. The leaves are dark green in color, shiny, and aromatic, releasing a unique, nutty aroma when fried in oil. They are a staple of South Indian cuisine, used in the same way as bay leaves are used i... Read more

Samba is a traditional rice variety. The grain is short and ovular, hard, and less fluffy than other varieties when cooked. The flavor is slightly sweet and reminiscent of corn. The rice is available in two varieties, white and red. Samba has a higher content of sucrose than Nadu rice, but it's m... Read more

Wood apple is the tropical fruit of a tree with rough bark and sharp spines that’s native to India and Sri Lanka. The fruits are egg-shaped or round, with a hard and thick rind that must be crushed with a hammer or a stone in order to get to the pulp. The pulp is mealy, with an astringent, ... Read more

Elephant apple is the fruit of an evergreen tree that’s native from India and Sri Lanka to Southeast Asia, and then to Vietnam and southwestern China. The fruit is globose in shape and it’s formed as an aggregate of 15 carpels that overlap. Each carpel contains five seeds that are emb... Read more

Brinjal moju, also known as wambat moju, is a Sri Lankan eggplant pickle that is mainly enjoyed as a side dish. The star ingredient is sliced fried eggplant that is mixed with fried onions, green chili peppers, and a combination of tamarind water or vinegar and spices such as cinnamon, turmeric, ... Read more

Thriving in shallow seawaters and lagoons along Sri Lanka’s coastline, edible crab species are found in abundance, and they’ve always been an integral part of the country’s traditional cuisine. Among the most appreciated edible species of crabs are the mud crab (Scylla serra... Read more

Suwandel is a traditional rice variety of Oryza sativa. This white rice has a unique aroma and a milky flavor. It also has more vitamins than other rice varieties, along with high amounts of fat, carbohydrates, and micronutrients. The name is derived from the word suwandha, mean... Read more

Kekulu or kakulu is a traditional rice variety. This rice is the same grain as Nadu rice, but it's never preboiled nor parboiled before the milling process. Most kekulu is white or red rice, but there is also brown kekulu, which is considered to be one of the most nutritious rice varieties in the... Read more

Mawa, also known as khoya, is a dairy product widely used in Indian and South Asian cuisine. It's made by simmering full-fat milk in a wide, shallow pan for an extended period, allowing the liquid to evaporate. The milk is continuously stirred to prevent sticking and burning unt... Read more

Kuruluthuda is a unique type of rice originating from Sri Lanka. This red rice variety is cultivated for up to five or six months before harvest time and it's rich in fiber and proteins. Five to six tons of Kuruluthuda rice are produced monthly, but the yield depends on seasonality and harvesting... Read more

Ceylon tea is a name given to tea produced in Sri Lanka. Ceylon is the former name for Sri Lanka that is still used in the tea trade. The tea gardens are spread throughout the island, and the favorable climate allows an all-year harvest. Most production is oriented towards black tea, and... Read more

Ceylon arrack is a spirit that is produced from palm toddy—the fermented juice of the coconut palm that is extracted from palm flowers. The toddy sap is fermented naturally, and it is then distilled in pot or column stills before it is aged in wood. The result is a strong, golden-c... Read more

Arrack is a generic term used for a variety of distilled spirits that are often unrelated and can be made from different ingredients. They are found throughout East Indies—predominantly India, Sri Lanka, Indonesia, and the Philippines. The two dominant varieties include Ceylon arra... Read more