Joanna James
The cuisine in Sri Lanka is an example of the array of influences from the Dutch and British along with recipes passed down through the centuries of Sri Lanka citizens. Whether it is dessert of main courses, Sri Lanka will certainly leave to stuffed to the brim!
A favoured companion to many meals, it is rare for more than a few days to pass without some dhal being served in its curried or tempered form. With a rich flavour, it is a favourite among many dinners to help reduce the dryness of the carbohydrate heavy meals. When blended together with some roasted spices and mixed together with some coconut milk, you are in for a treat that will be hard to forget. Simple but delicious, whether you are in at the regular street shop or at the Deniyaya Hotels you cannot go wrong with some Dhal curry.
While one might strictly consider this street food, it would be a huge misgiving if anyone were to state that they have not spent a late night digging into this medley of vegetables, meat and chopped up paratha. Into the mix, you will find thrown in a curry sauce, egg, chilli flakes, curd or cheese to create a multitude of flavours in the world of Kottu Roti. This is a very popular dish amongst those who are spending a night out at the bar or at a club as it helps soak up any excess alcohol and leaves you reenergized.
Ideally prepared in an earthen clay pot, this curry is finished as a boiling curry containing soft chunks of chicken that are drenched in the brilliantly red curry sauce. This dish is an amalgamation of a handful of spices and thickened with some coconut milk. If you have some warm roasted bread with you, it would be advised that you dip a chunk of that bread into the sauce to savour the vivid flavours within the curry. The fall off the bone soft meat combines with the curry sauce to create a mind-boggling flavour and texture profile that will leave you gasping for air to soothe the spiciness while diving in for another bite.
This dish comes in two varieties, either in the string hopper variety or in the plain hopper variety. While placed in the same family, they have distinctly different methods of preparation and flavour. With the plain hopper being a crusty and crispy pancake with a fluffy core and the string hopper being a netting of flour strings interlaced together creating a dough mesh. Delicious in their own rights, these dishes are made to shine when eaten together with any accompanying side dishes.
The definition of this dish that is simple but packs a heavy punch. Pol Sambol is a mixture of shredded coconut, chilli powder, salt, onion and lime! It is the humble side dish that is present whether you are eating rice, bread, hoppers or any other form of carbohydrate you can think of. Each family has a unique twist to it so you can always adjust it to suit your taste buds because no matter where you go pol sambol is always going to be accessible to take you back to a little piece of the flavour paradise that is Sri Lanka cuisine. It may be hard to believe but even in the middle of the rainforest, you are going to find pol sambol being served, if you do not believe us just visit The Rainforest Ecolodge-Sinharaja Official Site and find out for yourself!
A true believer that the pen is a mighty weapon, ventures into reaching the minds of every reader with the earnest hope of leaving an indelible stream of thought.
A travel writer who has a pas...
