SPICY AND DELICIOUS FOOD IN SRI LANKA

Sri Lanka is a tropical island country facing India across the sea in the Indian Ocean. Therefore, the food culture of Sri Lanka is more or less influenced by India. However, compared to Indian cuisine, Sri Lankan cuisine has a unique appeal. This article will give you a better understanding of the must-try foods when visiting Sri Lanka. Remember that Sri Lankan food is healthier compared to Indian food.

Sri Lankan food has a sharp taste, with lots of spicy aromas. Most people in Sri Lanka eat rice as their staple food. They prefer coconut milk and pepper, chilies which are indispensable spices in almost all dishes.

Sri Lankans only grab food with right hands and rarely use utensils. The left hand is generally not used for eating or passing things, as the left hand is considered dirty by the locals.

If you eat curry rice, take the sauce or soup with your hands and pour it on the rice. But if you're not used to it, you can also ask for dishes. Usually, two bowls of water are placed in front of each person before eating, clean water for clean hands, and cold boiled water for drinking.

There are four types of restaurants in Sri Lanka .hotels, tourist accommodations with their own restaurants, city restaurants, and bakeries. It should be noted that places with the word "hotel" in Sri Lanka are actually tea shops and do not offer accommodation.

Despite being a religious country, Sri Lanka has relaxed alcohol requirements. It is not difficult for tourists to find alcohol. It should be noted, however, that not all stores sell alcohol on the full moon day of every month.

Traveling to Sri Lanka? So enjoy the unique food culture of this country. We will recommend some dishes that you must enjoy.

Rice and curry is the main dish in Sri Lanka - it is a combination of many dishes

Rice and Curry is the traditional staple dish in Sri Lanka. It's eaten everywhere, usually twice a day by almost everyone. When you see “Rice and Curry” in Sri Lanka, it refers to several small plates of curry yummies varying from chicken and fish to vegetarian dishes like dal, garlic curry, aubergine curry, pumpkin curry, green bean curry. always served with rice and a few small plates of pickled vegetables.

What struck us the most is the sheer variety of different curry dishes available in Sri Lanka such as jackfruit curry, beetroot curry, pumpkin, pineapple curry…all of them extremely tasty! Rice and Curry is also the most popular traditional Sri Lankan wedding food, in particular meat-based curries.

There is no uniform way of making any of these curries. Recipes differ depending on where you are in the country and the ingredients available to you. Therefore, each one tastes different, just like a Nepalese daal bhat or an Indian thali.

Curry is generally spicy in local restaurants, but dishes from high-end hotels and restaurants frequented by foreigners are milder. Each restaurant has different side dishes, so visitors with special requirements should best ask in advance. The curry rice in the hotel may be much more expensive than the curry rice in the street restaurant.

Sri lankan  deviled prawns dishes

As we already mentioned, Sri Lanka is an island, which means seafood lovers will be in heaven here! 'Yaksha' refers to the spicy dishes of Sri Lankan cuisine. Anything with 'demon' in the title means you're in for a fiery meal! The recipe for deviled shrimp varies depending on where you try it. Tastes may vary accordingly. But there is a base of prawns, tomatoes, chillies and turmeric

When visiting Sri Lanka, you can learn to make deviled prawns yourself. As you already know, you can buy the world's best spices in Sri Lanka. Your guide will take you to the spice gardens.

One thing you will notice is that Sri Lankan prawns are rarely de-shelled before cooking. In fact, many Sri Lankans eat them with their backs up!

Fish Ambul Thiyal - Sour fish curry

Sour fish curry may not sound like the most delicious dish, but trust us, it really is! And Sour Fish Curry is exactly Fish Sour Thiel; A food that originated in Sri Lanka as a method of preserving fish without the need for refrigeration. Now it's not really sour, but one of the main ingredients is dried goraka, a tamarind-like fruit that gives the dish a crunchy, slightly sour taste.

Other ingredients in Fish Sour Thiel are diced fish (obviously!), usually fried in a mix of spices including tuna, black pepper, cinnamon, turmeric, garlic, curry powder, and dry corn.

The fish is a thick coating of the spice mixture known as dry curry, which is soaked in other ingredients with a little water until no liquid remains. But it's not too dry, the fish is very tasty with sour thial rice. So definitely try it. You will never forget.

Eggplant Moju – Wambatu Moju

Eggplant Moju is a must-see dish at Sri Lankan festivals. It has a sweet taste as it is caramelized. But this dish goes very well with rice. Eggplant moju is basically a pickled eggplant that is often served as a side dish with other food items. It is made by deep frying eggplant slices and then caramelizing the slices with sugar, vinegar, red onion, green chillies, mustard seeds and turmeric.

This dish absolutely melts in your mouth when you try some, combining sweet, sour and salty tastes in a sensational dance of flavor. Yes, we're almost waxing poetic just thinking about a plateful of wambatu moju! Obviously, you will encounter regional variations on the recipe, but it's almost guaranteed to be mouth-watering wherever you go.

Sri lankan Achcharau

It's a simple and simply delicious dish - Sri Lankan pickles! Well, technically, it's a mix of pickled vegetables.

This is a long lasting dish made by adding onions, green chillies, raw papaya, carrots, vinegar, mustard. They can be used as a side dish or as a flavoring in other dishes. Very tasty. Addictive taste. These are also used in many festive occasions.

Achcharu is a pickle that has it's roots in Malaysia, as it was brought to the country by the Malay community. The Sri Lankans embraced it with both hands and it's now so popular you are unlikely to attend a feast or wedding buffet without it. Anytime we saw some of this colorful stuff on a table we made sure to have some, as its such a yummy mix of sweet, sour and hot flavors. Recipes for achcharu differ from region to region and even from family to family, so you may try some that are slightly different but the base usually includes a pickling mix made from mustard seeds, chili powder, garlic, ginger, vinegar and sugar

Sri Lankan Dhal Curry

Parippu, or lentil curry, is a widely used curry in Sri Lankan cuisine and is a staple in any restaurant or household. Masoor dal (split red dal) is first washed and boiled until soft. It is made by mixing a number of fresh ingredients like onions, tomatoes and fresh green chillies along with cumin seeds, turmeric, fenugreek seeds, mustard seeds and curry leaves and spices.

It is usually thickened with a sprinkling of fresh coconut milk to give the lentils a rich flavor and creaminess. It goes with everything, but is perfect as a dipping sauce for fresh rotis or parathas.You can try this anywhere. A must-have dish with rice.

Gotukola Sambol – Gotukola salad

You might start thinking that Sri Lankan food is all about rice and meat, but never fear, you can find delicious green food like this too! Gotukola is a medicinal herb known in English as Asiatic pennywort and is often served as a Sri Lankan mallun or gotukola leaf salad as a side dish with rice.

Most Sri Lankan meals include a mallang dish or two as a way for the locals to get their vitamins. Mallung is mixed and there are many different types but our favorite was gotukola sambol made with gotukola, onion, chilli and coconut. Or it's a gotukola salad.

Polos Curry - Raw jackfruit Curry

Another delicious and spicy dish you can enjoy in Sri Lanka is Pollos Curry. It is a delicious curry made from small raw jackfruit. It is perfect with spices, coconut milk. More delicious. You get it as a side dish with rice. Don't forget to always enjoy the pollos curry.

There are many side dishes that you can eat with rice. They vary from place to place. Sri Lanka is very rich in food diversity. If you are visiting Sri Lanka, try those flavors yourself.