
Though Sri Lankan cuisine bears similarities to South Indian cuisine, it is nevertheless distinct in its own right. Sri Lanka’s cuisine culture has evolved into diverse curry recipes and delectable dishes due to years of colonialism and influence from other nations.
Sri Lankans like spices, they adore food that bursts with flavor, and many of them prefer deep-fried, delectable treats. Your tongue will smile with delight no matter what you eat in Sri Lanka. Coconuts and fish are two of the most essential, ingredients as it is a tropical island. Fish is cooked in curries, and coconut is a common component in this cuisine.
Sri Lankans eat a lot of rice and curries, but they also eat a lot of bread, roti-type flatbreads, and loaves of bread.
Take a paratha and settle down for a look at these 20 Sri Lankan dishes you shouldn’t miss!
1. Asmi
It is a delicacy made with rice flour and milk. Cinnamon leaves are used to flavor coconut milk to give it a pleasant aroma. Before frying, dip it in treacle syrup. In the evening, enjoy this delicious snack meal with your family and friends while chatting.
2. Gotu Kola Mallum Sambola — Coconut Shredded Greens
This Sri Lankan dish is similar to a nutritious green salad made with chopped green veggies, common spices, coconut, chili, onion, and Umbalakada fish. In the afternoon, serve this green leafy and spicy veggie salad with some piping hot white rice.
3. Polos — A Spicy Jackfruit Dish
Small chunks of jackfruit are combined with the roasted spices after they have been dry roasted. In a pan, heat mustard seed oil, then add garlic, onion, curry leaves. The addition of lemongrass, and cinnamon after sauteing them, gives a beautiful fragrance to this dish. The jackfruit chunks are then combined with the sauce and poured over the coconut mixture. After that, it’s cooked for an hour.
4. Parippu — Lentil Curry
Are you up for a delectable Sri Lankan curry? Use boiling red lentils in this mouthwatering Sri Lankan dish. Cook curry leaves, onion, spices, and garlic together in heated oil until the curry becomes yellow. Simple steamed rice will taste divine with this delicious and creamy daal or parippu curry.
5. Eggplant Pickle (Wambatu Moju)
Sri Lankan food is a flavorful side dish made by chopping eggplant wedges into wedges and deep-frying them for a crisp texture. Then add sugar, vinegar, green chilies, red onions, and mustard seeds to caramelize.
6. A Saporous Fish Dish: Fish Ambul Thiyal
When it comes to preparation, this is one of the simplest Sri Lankan cuisine dishes. Fish is chopped into cubes and cooked in a fragrant spice mixture and cooked until a small amount of water has evaporated. Enjoy a rush of flavors within your tongue with this delectable Fish Thiyal.
7. Sri Lankan Hamburger (Kottu)
Kottu is a famous Sri Lankan dish made with godamba roti, a flat, crispy bread. The roti is deep-fried and diced before being mixed with veggies and spices. Serve this with a fiery curry sauce. Whether this reminds you of pasta, give it a try to see if it also tastes like spaghetti.
8. Kukul Mas Curry – A Delightful Dish
Cook the spices in oil before being combined with coconut milk and tomato puree. After that, the chicken pieces are put into the thick gravy and cooked for a bit. Rice and toast are the most delicate accompaniments. In Colombo, this is a famous Sri Lankan dish. For the most incredible flavor, serve this delicious chicken curry with simple rice.
9. Lamprais – Sambal Chili Sauce Marinated Meat
Spice this dish with rice. To steam, meat, rice, and sambal chili sauce are wrapped in banana leaves. This technique imparts a distinct banana leaf flavor to the meal, enhancing its flavor. Cook the rice in beef stock and then serve this on a banana leaf with the meat curry.

10. Sri Lankan Egg Hoppers
Make the batter with a fermented mixture of rice flour, coconut milk, and a pinch of sugar. In a small wok, the batter is fried and stirred to smooth it out. The bowl-shaped pancake is topped with an egg and garnished with chilies, lunu miris, onions, lemon juice, and salt.
11. Kiribath
Kiribath is a Sri Lankan meal that is served on special occasions. The rice is cooked with coconut milk and a sprinkle of salt after it has been boiled. The mixture is permitted to harden until it has reached a sticky consistency. After that, it is sliced. Kiribath is frequently served with lunu miris, a traditional chili sauce.

12. South Asian Fruit: Wood Apple
Wood apple, a delectable Southeast Asian fruit, is a renowned Sri Lankan delicacy. Wood apple juice, a thick smoothie, is another unusual and popular method to consume it. The fruit is blended with jaggery or sugar and water to make it. This smoothie has a fantastic sweet and sour flavor.

13. Curry And Rice
It is Sri Lanka’s national dish if there were to be one. Curry with rice. A traditional Sri Lankan rice and curry dish consisting of cooked, fluffy rice and three different side dishes, many of which are curries. One is generally meat or fish, but you may also choose completely vegetarian options. Serve with Sambol, pennywort salad (gotu kola sambol), and fried poppadoms (typically Kerala-style papad) on the side.
14. String Hoppers
Sri Lankan hoppers or appa are identical to Indian appam but are lighter and crispier. They are prepared of rice mix flavored with coconut milk and are bowl-shaped. The bottom is light and airy, while the sides are crunchy. Hoppers can be eaten for breakfast, supper, or even lunch.
15. Pol Sambol
This is a dish that you cannot miss when in Sri Lanka. The ever-present Pol Sambol. Pol Sambol is a spicy relish prepared with freshly grated coconut, dried red chilies, shallots, and some other ingredients. Serve it with hoppers or parathas for breakfast.

16. Pittu
Pittu from Sri Lanka is comparable to puttu from Kerala. Pittu comprised crushed rice and grated coconut cooked with each other in a cylindrical shell and served for breakfast. Serve Pittu deliciously with heated coconut milk, pol sambol, and meat or veggie curry.

17. Chinese Roll
All types of fillings (meat and vegetables) are enveloped in a rice flour crepe, which is then battered, breaded, and deep-fried. These come in a variety of flavors, including egg, fish, chicken, and vegetarians.
18. Watalappan
Watalappan is a custard dessert prepared with coconut milk, jaggery, eggs, and spices like cardamom and nutmeg from Sri Lanka. Watalappan, also regarded as the most famous Sri Lankan dessert, is thought to have originated in Malaysia. It is now an integral part of the lives and festivities of the Muslim population in Sri Lanka.
19. Aluwa
Aluwa is a flat biscuit consisting of roasted rice flour, sugar, crushed cashews, and cardamom.
20.Lavariya
Lavariya is a wrapped dumpling that is popular among locals and is a typical Sri Lankan delicacy. Caramelized coconut wrapped in string hoppers is the basic concept.
It can be eaten for breakfast, snack, or even as a dessert after a meal will suffice.