Sri Lankan Food Guide: 12 Dishes to Try (and How to Order Them)

Sri Lankan food is built on rice, coconut, spice and plenty of variety. If you are new to it, or just want to order with more confidence, here are twelve dishes worth trying and what to expect from each.

Everyday staples

• Rice and curry: the classic meal. Rice comes with several curries (often dhal, a vegetable or two, and fish, chicken or egg), plus sambols and papadam. The number of curries and the portion size vary, so ask what is included.
• Kottu: chopped godamba roti stir-fried on a hot griddle with vegetables, egg and your choice of meat or cheese. It is loud to cook, filling to eat and usually shared or eaten as a full meal.
• Hoppers (appa): bowl-shaped pancakes with crisp edges and a soft centre, made from fermented rice flour and coconut milk. Order an egg hopper to get a cooked egg in the middle, and try them with lunu miris or pol sambol.
• String hoppers (idiyappam): steamed nests of rice-flour noodles, often eaten at breakfast or dinner with dhal, a curry and a sambol.
• Kiribath: rice cooked in coconut milk and cut into diamonds. It is a traditional dish for mornings and special occasions, usually served with lunu miris.

Dishes with a story

• Lamprais: rice cooked in stock, served with meat, a frikkadel (meatball) and sambol, then wrapped in a banana leaf and baked. It comes from the Dutch Burgher community.
• Ambul thiyal: a dry, sour fish curry made with goraka, strongly associated with the south. Expect a tart, peppery flavour.
• Jaffna crab curry: a rich, spicy crab curry from the north. It can be messy, so expect to use your hands.
• Devilled dishes (chicken, prawns, cuttlefish): stir-fried in a sweet, sour and spicy sauce with onions and capsicum. Popular as a side dish or a snack to share.

Snacks and sweets

• Short eats: small savoury snacks such as cutlets, patties, rolls and vadai, sold at bakeries and tea shops. They are good for a quick bite between meals.
• Watalappan: a steamed custard made with coconut milk, jaggery and spices such as cardamom and nutmeg.
• Curd and treacle: creamy buffalo-milk curd served with sweet treacle made from the kithul palm.

Sambols on the side

A sambol is a fresh, strongly flavoured side. Pol sambol (grated coconut with chilli, onion, lime and salt) and lunu miris (a chilli and onion paste) go with hoppers, kiribath and rice. They are often the hottest thing on the table, so taste a little first.

How to order with confidence

• Ask about spice. Sri Lankan food can be hot, and most kitchens can make a dish milder if you ask.
• Say if you eat vegetarian, vegan or halal. Many places can adjust, but it is best to ask before you order.
• Share. Order a few dishes for the table so you can taste more.
• Check the portion and the price on the menu first, especially for seafood, which is often priced by weight.

Find a place to try them

Menus differ from one restaurant to the next. On TableTalk you can browse restaurants and look at their menus and prices before you go, so you know what to expect.