Add more salt if required.Cook for a few more minutes until the coconut milk is absorbed.

2. Dhal Curry

Sri Lankan Dhal Curry (mild spicy)

Dhal Curry is a common Sri Lankan curry, made using split red lentils or masoor dhal rinsed and boiled until soft. Fresh ingredients including onions and fresh green chillies are sautéed and mixed with tempered spices like mustard seeds, turmeric and curry leaves. All ingredients are finally combined with a cup of coconut milk for a rich creamy flavor.

There are many different ways to cook Dhal Curry in Sri Lankan style. Below recipes will sure inspire you. Select your best Sri Lankan dhal recipe and start cooking it. It is super easy!

Sri Lankan dhal curry with green chili

Ingredients: (for 3-4 servings)

1 cup dhal (masoor dhal/parippu)
½ medium sized onion sliced
4-5 green chili sliced
1 sprig curry leaves
1inch piece pandan leaf/(rampa)
¼ tsp turmeric powder
1 tsp raw curry powder
1 tsp fenugreek seeds
Piece of cinnamon
Salt to taste
1/2 cup thick coconut milk
1/2 cup thin coconut milk

Method

Wash dhal properly few times and place in a cooking pot.
Add all the spices mentioned under ingredients list together with, onion, chilli,rampa & curry leaves.
Mix all & add thin coconut milk. Cover & cook in medium flame till dhal is cooked well.
Once dhal is cooked add thick coconut milk. Mix well.
Adjust salt to taste.
Simmer for another 1 minute till the curry becomes thick enough as you want.
It is ready to serve with rice or bread.

Sri Lankan dry dhal curry (parippu curry)

Serve & enjoy!

3. Sri Lankan Chicken Curry

Kukul Mas Curry or chicken curry is one of the easy  to make Sri Lankan recipes with spices like fennel seeds, cinnamon, cloves and cardamom tempered in hot oil before combining with chicken and spices like curry leaves, lemon grass, and a puree of tomato, chilli, curry and turmeric powders. Adding coconut milk enriches the curry base and finally stewing for an hour or so.

Although there are different ways to cook Sri Lankan chicken curry, I suggest below recipe if you are a beginner.

Ingredients: (for 2-3 servings)

150g Chicken

1 tomato sliced

1 onion sliced

1 tspn Ginger Garlic paste

1-2 red chilies

1-2 tsp chili powder

1 tbs Raw curry powder

¼ tsp turmeric powder

1-2 cloves

1-2 cardamom pods

1 tsp mustard seeds

1 tsp fenugreek seeds

Piece of cinnamon stick

Curry leaves

Piece of a pandan leaf (rampe)

1 inch Piece of lemon grass

2-3 tbspn cooking Oil

Salt to taste

Method

Wash and cut chicken into pieces.Mix all the spices mentioned above with chicken and Keep aside to marinate (or refrigerate for about 30 minutes)

Heat about 2-3 tbspn oil in a pan.

When it is hot, add mustard seeds.

When it is popping out, add onion.

Once onion are tender, add Ginger garlic paste,red chili, ,curry leaves, rampa ,lemon grass accordingly.

Mix well and sauté for about 1 minute.

Then add marinated chicken and mix well. Allow to fry well.

Then add tomato into this and sauté till tomato cooked well.(becomes like a sauce/paste).Once tomato is well coated with chicken,add ½ cup of water,Cover & cook in low flame for 15 minutes.

Adjust salt to taste.

Serve & Enjoy!!!

4. Pol Sambola

Pol Sambol or fresh coconut relish recipe is the easiest among the lot of Sri Lankan recipes. With ingredients including finely grated coconut, red onion, Maldive fish, dried whole chillies, lime juice and salt, added together and finely ground before serving Pol Sambol makes it a spicy and hot dish which goes well with plain rice, bread or any type of roti. It is really easy to make. Try it and experience the different tastes of Sri Lankan food!

Ingredients

1 cup grated fresh coconut

4 dry red chili

5-6 red onions

Salt as per taste

1 tbspn lime juice

Method

Remove skin of red onions.

Wash and remove the ends of dried chili.

Grind red chili and red onions into a fine paste.

Add salt and grind again.

Then add fresh grated coconut and grind well.

Finally remove the ground coconut into a bowl & add lime juice.

Mix well. Adjust salt if needed.

It is ready to serve.

5. Kiri Hodi

Known as Kiri hodi or white curry this is one of the easiest recipes to try from Sri Lankan cuisine. However although it is easy to cook you also need to pay attention from the beginning to the end of process to keep your dish of kiri hodi looks appealing and inviting!

Ingredients: (for 3-4 servings)
1 Medium sized tomato
½ medium sized onion sliced
2-3 green chilies sliced
1 sprig curry leaves
¼ tsp turmeric powder
1/2 tsp fenugreek seeds
1 inch Piece of cinnamon
Salt to taste
1 cup thick coconut milk
1/2 cup thin coconut milk
1-2 tspn lime juice
1 tbspn Maldive Fish (optional)

Method

Wash and dice tomato into pieces.

In a pan, add all the spices together with, tomato, onion, green chili & curry leaves.

Add maldive fish too if you use.

Mix all & add thin coconut milk. 

Cook in low flame till onions are tender. Stir time to time.

When onions and tomatoes are cooked, add thick coconut milk.

Stir continuously till coconut milk starts boiling. Cook in a very low flame.

Adjust salt to taste. When coconut milk starts to boil, remove the pan from the stove. Add lime juice. Continuously stir for another few minutes till the curry cools down. This will avoid any lumps of coconut milk.

It is ready to serve.

6. Kola Sambola

A Sri Lankan meal is not completed if there is no addition from edible greens. Such greens are eaten as raw or as cooked. A raw green salad prepared in Sri Lankan way is called as ‘kola sambola’ and there are plenty of leaves which you can use in such a salad. One of the popular Sri Lankan kola sambolaya is ‘Gotu Kola Sambola’.It is really easy to prepare. You will only need few ingredients and the raw salad is ready in few minutes.

Gotu Kola Sambola recipe.

Ingredients (for 2-3 servings)

Handful of  Gotu kola (Centella asiatica)

½ cup fresh grated coconut

2-3 small red onion/shallots sliced

2 green chili sliced

Salt to taste

1 tbspn lime juice

Method

Wash and clean Gotu kola. If gotu kola are with roots; clean the roots well and wash away thoroughly for any sand. Slice Gotu kola into very thin pieces. When it is thinner, sambola will be tastier.

Slice onion and green chili.

In a bowl, mix sliced gotukola,fresh coconut, onion, green chili and salt together with lime juice.

Gotukola sambola is ready to serve.

Arugula Sambola (Arugula Salad)

Above are some the basic and easy Sri Lankan food for anyone who loves to try different cuisines. Hope you will enjoy your time cooking!

Have you tried Sri Lankan recipes before?