Sri Lankan food offers a vivid array of flavor combinations . The central feature of Sri Lankan cuisine is boiled or steamed rice, served with a curry of fish or chicken , along with other curries made with vegetables, lentils, or fruits.
Dishes are accompanied by pickled fruits or vegetables, chutneys, and sambols. Coconut sambol is especially common, a paste of ground coconut mixed with chili peppers, dried Maldive fish, and lime juice.
Chicken Curry is the most common type of curry eaten in Srilanka
There are plenty of slow cook versions and quick versions of this chicken curry that you could find online with a google search. These recipes mostly employ ONE POT method of adding all the ingredients into one pot at the same time and then cooking all the way through.
This is an easy recipe that is also truly authentic!
This recipe is mirisata / spicy style (A chicken curry made without coconut milk, so can be spicier, and lighter.)
kirata /milky ( A chicken curry made with coconut milk, and can be less spicy, richer in taste because of the creamy coconut milk component. )
Roasted Homemade curry powder is one of the main highlight of this recipe.
Chicken Curry Recipe:
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| Sri lankan chicken curry |
INGREDIENTS
- Onions 1 large
- Tomato 2 medium size
- Ginger garlic paste 1 tsp
- Roasted curry powder 2 Tbsp ( recipe given below )
- Red chilli powder 2 tsp ( Kashmiri chilli )
- Green chilli 2 nos slit
- Cinnamon stick 1 now
- Brown sugar 1 tsp
- Salt as required
- Curry leaves 6 to 7
- Chicken 500 gram
- Coconut oil 2 Tbsp
METHOD
- Wash,clean and cut the chicken , marinate the chicken with 1 Tbsp red chilli powder, 1/2 tsp turmeric powder ,1 tbsp Roasted curry powder ,1 tbsp vinegar and salt and keep aside for min 20 mins
- Add the coconut oil in to a large saucepan and heat the oil over medium heat.
- Add onion, garlic & ginger paste to the heated oil and cook until softened.
- Add Roasted curry powder, chili powder, cinnamon, curry leaves and mix to combine.
- Cook for a few minutes until you start to smell the spices.
- Add the chicken, green chili, salt, tomatoes, and mix well and cook for 5 mins.
- Now add in required water & Cook for 5 minutes without the lid on medium high heat. Stir frequently to make sure the chicken or the spices don’t burn.
- Then Lower the heat, and let it simmer with the lid closed, for 15 – 20 minutes, stirring occasionally
- Finally you can add 1 tsp sugar and cook for another 5 mins so that the masala is balanced out.
- Turn off the heat and let the chicken cool down slightly.
- Best Served with Roti, Rice & Hoppers.
Homemade Roasted Curry Powder:
4 Tbsp Coriander 
3 Tbsp Cumin
2 Tbsp Black Peppercorns and 2 tbsp Uncooked Rice
1 Tbsp Black Mustard
3 Cloves
2 Green Cardamom Seeds (seeds from the pods)
1 tsp Fennel Seeds (heaped)
1 large stick cinnamon
Curry leaves
Dry red chilies 8 nos ( optional )
Pandan leaves
Method:
- Place the rice on a dry non stick pan. Heat over medium heat until the rice starts to turn light brown.
- Add the rest of the spices and pan roast for a further 3 - 5 minutes until the spices start to brown, toast and become aromatic. Keep moving the pan to prevent the spices from burning.
- Remove from the heat and let the spices cool down.
- Once the spices cool down - use a spice grinder (or a mortar and pestle) to grind the spice mix into a powder in batches and mix well. Store in an air tight container.
Notes:
- You can replace the 1/2 cup water with coconut milk . If you’re not adding coconut milk, this chicken curry will be spicier. The coconut milk softens the heat.
- The sugar is added to balance out the spices
- If you want the curry to have a thicker gravy, you can reduce the amount of liquid by half.