Sri Lanka, also known as ‘The Pearl of Indian Ocean’, is emerging as an Asian tourist hotspot with its exclusive combination of World Heritage sites and history, rich culture, extensive tropical forests with wildlife, pristine beaches and extremely friendly people.
When we think of Sri Lankan food, the first thing that would probably come to our mind is rice and curry with coconut flavors. But there’s much more in store for you - Sri Lankans have a variety of dishes with amazing blend of spices and the local fruits and vegetables. Their signature delicacies range from differently cooked rice to spiced meat and an array of desserts.
For travelers, it's like a grand feast to satiate all the senses!
Here are 10 dishes that would leave your taste buds craving for some more - and make sure to complete your trip only after trying all these!
1. Fish Ambul Thiyal (Fish Curry)
This can be called the signature dish of Sri Lanka, and the specialty of this preparation is that it’ll last for a week in room temperature! The main ingredient is a special type of tamarind called ‘goraka’, which gives the fish curry a unique sour taste to tantalize your taste buds. Apart from goraka, there’s a blend of other spices including black pepper, turmeric, garlic, cinnamon, and curry leaves.
This sour fish curry is usually cooked in a clay pot and served with ‘kiribath’ (a specially cooked rice).
2. Kiribath
This is a special type of rice which is mostly cooked during occasions and for welcoming guests. The rice is cooked with thick creamy coconut milk and it has a slightly creamy taste. After the cooking process, the rice is cooled and cut into wedges and served like pieces of cake with rich fish or meat curry.
3. Lamprais
Originating from the Dutch word which literally translates to ‘a packet of food’, this was introduced by the Burgher community of the European colonial masters in Sri Lanka. This is basically a meal consisting of boiled eggs, frikkadels (Dutch-style beef balls), belachan (a shrimp paste), eggplants, meat curry, rice and sambol (desiccated coconut cooked with chilis and onions) - and all these wrapped in a banana leaf and steamed.
I guess this already sounds exciting to you!
4. Hoppers (appam) and String Hoppers (idiyappam)
These are eaten at any time of the day - for breakfast, dinner or even as an evening snack! Appams are more like flaky pancakes made with a batter of rice powder and coconut milk. This is a famous dish in many of the Southeast Asian nations, but the one you’ll get in Sri Lanka is slightly different from elsewhere, as it is often made with eggs and extra chili powder, to give it a spicy twist! Idiyappam is made from rice noodles - which are curled like a ball and flattened when served.
5. Ambul Polos (Green Jackfruit Curry)
Sri Lankans love their vegetables as much as they prefer meat! Jackfruit is one of their favorites, and it is consumed in different stages of ripeness - from very ripe and sweet to green and starchy. They cut the raw jackfruit in chunks, and it's boiled till it becomes soft. It is then cooked with onions, garlic, ginger and spices like mustard seeds, turmeric, chili powder, roasted curry leaves and coconut milk.
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