If you have been to Sri Lanka, I believe you have tried many of the street food dishes sold on the street in many parts of the country. In this section, I chose a popular street food dish that I really liked, and which can be prepared at home from ingredients in any part of the world.
Most Sri Lankan food is infused with many wonderful spices and fresh ingredients. Sri Lankans love street food and eat hot, spicy foods.
I adapted the recipe for Chicken Kottu, for people on all meridians who want to taste Ceylon cuisine.
Chicken Kottu
I adapted the recipe for people on all meridians who want to taste Ceylon cuisine.
INGREDIENTS for Kottu
2 tbsp oil (coconut or canola)
1 tbsp garlic, finely chopped
1 tsp ginger, finely chopped
Few curry Leaves, optional
50 g carrots, shredded
50 g leeks, thinly sliced
50 g cabbage, shredded
1 small onion, sliced
2 green chilies, cut
2 fresh red chilies, cut
2 tomatoes, chopped (optional)
1-2 tbsp chilli flakes/powder (optional)
Salt & Pepper to taste
2 eggs
1 large Spoon chicken meat from chicken curry (5-6 small pieces)
300 g Roti Canai, chopped (or your choice of bread/roti)
Chicken curry, – to mix and serve, as needed
INSTRUCTIONS HOW TO MAKE KOTTU
In a large wok or frying pan, heat the oil over medium-high heat.
Add garlic, ginger, and curry leaves. Sauté for one minute. Do not let them burn.
Add eggs and all the vegetables.
And stir-fry for a few minutes until vegetables are slightly cooked.
Cover the pan with a lid for about 2 minutes as it helps vegetables to cook faster.
Add tomato and mix with other vegetables.
Add chicken pieces and mix together
Add salt, pepper, and chili powder/chili flakes and mix well.
When all are almost cooked, add the shredded roti. Mix well.
Add the chicken gravy and mix until the shredded roti is completely coated with the vegetable/egg mix and curry gravy.
Chicken Kottu is ready.
Serve hot with chicken curry or gravy.
NOTE: If you want to prepare this Sri Lankan recipe for Kottu with some other meat, keep in mind the cooking time.
Prawns – 1-minute cook
Chicken – 4 min
Cuttlefish – 5-6 min
You can see the details of the preparation in this video.
As you have noticed, you will need Sri Lankan bread – Roti, for this dish. Below I bring you this recipe.
Sri Lankan bread – Roti
You can make different types of fast food combinations from roti bread. There is egg roti (with eggs), meat, vegetables, etc.
Also, you can prepare curry roti in a roll, as in this video.
INGRIDIENTS for Roti
2 cups bread flour, or all-purpose flour, spooned and leveled
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon melted butter (optional)
2/3 cup warm water
1/4 cup butter, for frying, or more as necessary
INSTRUCTIONS
Make the dough
Use a fork to whisk together 2 cups of bread flour and 1 teaspoon salt in a large bowl or stand mixer. (I prefer kosher salt, but table salt is fine.)
Add 1 tablespoon of melted butter and mix it in with the fork until the flour is crumbly. Make sure to break up any big chunks.
Add 2/3 cup warm water. Mix it with the fork until the dough pulls together. At this point, I start using the dough hook attachment on my stand mixer, but you can also turn the dough onto a lightly floured surface.
Knead until smooth and elastic, about 8 minutes. Scrape down any dough that sticks to the side, but it should quickly form itself into a ball.
Rest the dough. When you are done kneading, shape it into a ball. Leave it in the bowl, cover it with a tea towel, and let it rest for 20-45 minutes. The longer you rest the dough, the softer and more pliable your roti will be, and the easier it will be to roll out. (It will not rise at all, so don’t expect it to look different after the rest period. This isn’t a yeast recipe.)
Roll out the dough. Prepare a work surface with a light dusting of flour. Divide the dough into six equal parts. Use your fingers to pinch each piece into a smooth ball.
Take one ball and pat it on a disk with your fingers. Use a rolling pin to roll the dough into a rough circle about 8-9 inches. It should be rolled out very thin.
If you want to roll all the dough out at once before frying, stack the sheets, each separated with a square of parchment paper, so they don’t stick together.
Cook the Roti
Set a cast iron skillet, griddle, or large frying pan over medium-high heat. Let it preheat for at least a couple of minutes, so it’s very hot.
Add a teaspoon of butter to the pan and swirl to coat the bottom. Transfer the very thin sheet of roti dough to the pan. Wait about 6 or 7 seconds, then use your fingers or a spatula to flip the roti over.
You may need to add more butter; if there is not enough, the roti will not be soft. It will cook in 30 to 50 seconds. Adjust the heat as necessary, so the roti cooks quickly (under a minute) but does not burn.
You will know it is done when light brown spots appear on the side that is cooking. The top should have a few bubbles. Flip the roti back to the original side (using more butter if necessary) just until the brown spots appear, another 20-30 seconds.
You can watch the preparation process for Roti in this YouTube video
Read more about Sri Lanka on our Traveler page. Sri Lanka—A Southeast Asian Country with a Rich History
