WHAT TO EAT IN SRI LANKA, THE CURRY EDITION

WHEN I am travelling, I hunt down good food. Hell, I’ve cooked up enough meals for a family of six to know that when I am away from my own k...

WHEN I am travelling, I hunt down good food. Hell, I’ve cooked up enough meals for a family of six to know that when I am away from my own kitchen, to make the most of it. Two weeks in Sri Lanka and well away from my own kitchen, it’s fair to say I made the absolute most of it - so much so a little effort pre-swimsuit season wouldn’t go astray. Just sayin’.

If you’re not too fussy about how you look in a swimsuit, here’s my tips on what curry delights you should hunt down in Sri Lanka.

katiecrackernuts.blogspot.com || raw ingredients for a crab curry
katiecrackernuts.blogspot.com || crab curry made in an outdoor kitchen over fire
katiecrackernuts.blogspot.com || curry powder and turmeric are added
katiecrackernuts.blogspot.com || Sri Lankan crab curry with all the trimmings

CRAB CURRY

This is my standout, must-hunt-it-down dish. The good thing is, Sri Lanka is a small island (in comparison to Australia) and you’re never too far from the coast. Crab curries abound.

katiecrackernuts.blogspot.com || eggplants in Sri Lanka are long, thin and plentiful
katiecrackernuts.blogspot.com || ingredients ready for a Sri Lankan curry feast
katiecrackernuts.blogspot.com || banana flower, chickpea and deep fried eggplant curries accompany a Sri Lankan chicken curry

VEGETARIAN CURRIES

My personal favourites were the fried eggplant curry and a banana flower curry, but you’ll find plenty of other vegetarian options. Others I can recommend are chickpea, pumpkin and cashew nut curries. Vegetarian accompaniments are also delicious. Try bitter gourd or chilli and coconut sombol or the many varieties of dhal and pickles.

katiecrackernuts.blogspot.com || a chilli sombol is mixed by hand to accompany a Sri Lankan curry
katiecrackernuts.blogspot.com || a chilli pickle sits ready to be eaten with chilli sambol
katiecrackernuts.blogspot.com || a chilli pickle and chilli sambol with potato

SAMBOLS

One of the hardest things to get my head around in planning to recreate these curries at home is that while each dish has simple steps in preparation and cooking, you don't just eat one curry and rice. There are at least three on the plate along with pickles, flat bread and a tasty sambol, like this chilli one.

katiecrackernuts.blogspot.com || snake gourds are loaded to be trucked from Sri Lanka's wholesale market


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