What to EAT in COLOMBO - Sri Lanka’s Best Street Food!

A delightful Sri Lankan street food that is loved by young and old alike, hoppers is a temptingly tasty meal that can be bought from any street-side food stall in the country. This beloved street food is a tasteful coming together of rice flour, coconut milk, sugar, along with yeast and coconut milk-infused rice. The pale looking batter is then swirled into a hopper pan on medium heat to get the crispy cover of this food. Later on, an egg can be added into the midst of it, which breathes life into the famous egg hopper. It is recommended that you eat it with a side garnish of Lunu Miris to increase the flavour of this dish. Or you can even sprinkle it with a choice of meat or fish gravy which would make your taste buds dance with pure happiness.

Kottu is a rather popular street food that can be easily bought from many restaurants and small roadside eateries in Sri Lanka. The natives of the country have a humongous liking toward this dish as it includes a mesmerising combo of delectable tastes that comes from the variety of ingredients incorporated in it. You can place an order for a kottu of your choice – may it be vegetable kottu, egg kottu, or even cheese kottu – and sit patiently in a corner for the magic to happen. Listen as the ingredients are whipped on to a large hot plate and pounded to a rhythmic beat using two iron blades. This ensures that the myriad of ingredients and spices used are mixed well and present you with a mouth-watering meal that brims with flavour.

During your stay at one of the many 5 star hotels in Colombo the likes of Residence by Uga Escapes, make time to head out with an expert guide to experience this palatable food in its most authentic form. Egg Roti is a simple combination of dough and egg, which is moulded into an appetising egg-stuffed pouch by the skilled cooks of the country. Although not many ingredients are included in this, the taste is unrivalled by any other street food you'd come across. However, the deliciousness is a result of a selection of curries offered along with this dish. From unmeasured gravy boats that contain the immaculate creaminess of meat, fish, and even dhal curry, you'd be provided with an array of curries to make egg roti as flavoursome as you'd like.

Even though milk rice can be ordered from street-side eateries, it is a luscious dish that goes way back in Sri Lanka. It is cooked to celebrate special days, auspicious events, and even national festivals of the country such as the Sinhala and Tamil New Year. Milk Rice, or Kiribath, as the natives call it, is a simply delightful blend of rice with creamy coconut milk. Although the tradition says that you should garnish it with Lunu Miris, you can make use of any other gravy that you like to make this dish full of flavour! Chicken or fish gravy works well with this toothsome combination to bring one unparalleled dining experience.

You don't eat one string hopper – instead, it is tasty bunches of string hoppers that you should eat with a rich gravy that suits your taste. Rice flour and coconut milk are combined until it gets the required thickness, after which the resulting dough is taken out as long strands of noodles by pressing through a special tool. As they come out, these strands of dough are folded over into nest-like shapes on to individual holders which can be steamed afterwards. It is best served hot with any sambol, curry, or stew upon request.