10 Dishes you must try in Sri Lanka

Kottu

Rarely aesthetically pleasing but the dish that first captivated us in Sri Lanka. Kottu is made from chopped rotti dough, vegetables, spices, and egg. Its cooked on a flat griddle and you can hear the "tap tap tap tap" of the cook chopping everything together.

There are versions using paratha or string hoppers instead of rotti and you'll find all types of meat and fish added. Whatever your personal preference, kottu is a sensational dish.

Rice & Curry

The most common food in Sri Lanka. Rice and curry seems very standard but in Sri Lanka its a constantly changing feast of colours and flavours. You'll usually get 4 or 5 curries with your rice, mostly made from vegetables with one meat or fish option.
Each vegetable, fruit, or protein is treated differently in terms of spices and preparation and each cook will have their own take. You can eat rice and curry 10 times and have wildly different experiences depending on what they have in that area and what is in season.
It is mostly eaten for lunch in Sri Lanka but many restaurants will make it for dinner too. Look out for people beside the road selling paper wrapped or boxed up rice and curry to go for a very unaesthetic but amazing value packed lunch.

Hoppers

Maybe the best breakfast food. Hoppers are pancakes made from fermented rice flour and coconut milk and shaped into little bowls. You can then add toppings, egg is the most common, or eat them with coconut sambol.

String Hoppers

A nest of steamed rice flour noodles that are often eaten for breakfast alongside sambols and curries. You'll also see them as an option for kottu in some places.

Jaffna Crab Curry

You'll find amazing crab curries all over Sri Lanka but the Jaffna version is by far the best. You will get whole steamed crabs covered in the curry gravy so make sure you look up the best way to pick crab before you eat if you're an amatuer like me.

Parippu Wade & Ulundu Wade

Two versions of lentil fritters cooked with spices that can be eaten alone or with sambol or curries.

Parippu wade are crunchy, flat fried lentils while Ulundu wade are soft and doughy donut shaped fried lentil snacks.

Hot Butter Cuttlefish/Mushrooms

A sensational Chinese/Sri Lankan fusion dish. Cuttlefish, or mushrooms, or onion rings, are battered and deep fried with a hefty helping of spices, butter, chillies, and spring onions. A perfect sharing starter or snack.

Black Pork Curry

Rich and tangy curry that is most famous in Negombo. The use of garoka, a fruit, is what gives the curry its black colour and unique tangy flavour.

Lamprais

Not found in that many places, lamprais are an adaptation of rice and curry by the Dutch Burgher community. Everything is wrapped in a banana leaf and baked to deliciousness. They aren't common so if you find them, don't miss out.

Pol Roti

Pancakes made with shredded coconut, chillies, and spring onions. Eaten at any time of day, usually with sambol or dhal. You'll find many versions that skip the chillies in case of tourists being too sensitive to the heat but the chilli versions are better.

Final Thoughts

There's so much incredible food in Sri Lanka. The depth of flavour is absolutely incredible and the variety is mind boggling. We didn't even touch on the varieties of sambol available and the various types of bread you'll see across the island. Truly a foodies dream.