Chicken Kottu Roti (The Unofficial Sri Lankan National Dish)

Kottu Roti is quite a modern invention. It was most likely was invented by someone who had a little leftover godamba roti (A very thin bread) and curry. The authentic way of making Kottu is to pulverize the ingredients with two blunt metal cleavers on an iron tray over a hot gas burner. The action and racket it creates may be the origin of the word "Kottu". The racket may also be a way of announcing Kottu Roti to potential customers. Most places go as far as the person who orders can request the song he wants the Kottu maker to play. But generally the taste is the smae if you mix the ingredients in a pan less the racket.

Kottu is a complete meal on its own and is one of the most famous street foods in Sri Lanka. It may have evolved as the poor-man's dish, but has reached a level where it is now served even in 5-star restaurants. The type of Kottu depends on what curry you put in it. If you don't put any curry it is generally a Egg Kottu, and if you don't put any egg, it is a Vegetable Kottu. It takes some time to prepare, but the ultimate product is worth the while.

Chicken Curry

Ingredients
500-600g Chicken (6cm cubes)
2-3 cloves of Garlic, chopped
½ a Red Onion, chopped
½ cm of Ginger, finely chopped
½ tsp Mustard
¼ tsp Fenugreek
4-5 Curry leaves
2 pods of Cardamom, 3 Cloves, 1x2cm piece of Cinnamon
1 tsp Chilli powder (more or less depending on how spicy you want it)
1 tsp Curry powder
½ tsp Tamarind paste (more or less depending on how sour you want it) – if no tamarind you can use a large Tomato chopped
Salt to taste
1-2 tsp of Vegetable oil
1 cup Water

Method

• Put the oil into a pot
• When oil is hot put in mustard seeds and let them start popping
• Put in fenugreek, curry leaves, cardamom, cloves and cinnamon and let it fry.
• Next put in the garlic, ginger and onions
• When onions are opaque, put in curry powder and chilli powder and mix well
• Put in the chicken and mix well until the chicken starts to cook outside
• Dissolve the tamarind paste in the water and add salt to it to balance salt and sourness
• Add the water to the chicken and mix well
• Simmer covered in slow heat for about 30 min, occasionally stirring till gravy (sauce) thickens and chicken in cooked

Godamba Roti

Ingredients
600g of white Wheat Flour
3 tsp Sugar
2 tsp Salt (or to taste)
Water
Vegetable oil

Method

• Mix flour, sugar and salt
• Add water and kneed for about 10-15 mins (The mixture should be very elastic and much wetter than a normal bread dough)
• Create 3cm diameter balls of dough
• Put about ½ cm of oil into a flat dish (a Pirex dish of a height more than 3cm would do)
• Apply oil around the balls or dough and place inside the dish
• Cover with Clingfilm and leave in a warm place for 1-2hrs
• Oil a flat surface and flatten the balls of dough till they are nearly transparent
• Heat a frying pan and place the flattened Roti in it
• Flatten another ball of dough and place it on top of the previous Roti in the pan, then flip them both over so that the second Roti is now underneath (The Roti is cooked when they start to have a few brown patches)
• Repeat this flattening, placing on to and flipping process till you finish all the Roti

Kottu

Ingredients
2 medium Carrots, chopped
½ stalk Leeks, chopped
2 cloves of Garlic, chopped
½ Red Onion, chopped
4 eggs
1 tbs Vegetable oil
2 tbs Soy Sauce
Salt to taste

Chopped Roti (1x3cm)
Curried Chicken torn into small pieces

Method

• Heat a pot that could hold all the ingredients, and when really hot ad the oil
• Add Garlic and Onions
• Next add the Carrots and Leeks (Do not let the vegetables overcook – taste better when crunchy)
• Then add the eggs and mix well
• Next add the Soy sauce and Salt to taste
• Add the Chicken and mix well
• Next add the Roti and mix
• If needed the Gravy (Sauce of the Chicken curry) can be added to this and mixed ELSE it can be added when eating

Miris Malu (Chilli Fish)

"Miris Malu", which would translate directly to "Chilli fish" is a spicy hot fish curry.

Ingredients: Fish (preferably sea fish or red fish), chopped onions, garlic and green chili, goraka (Malabar tamarind), turmeric, chilli powder, pepper, mustard seed, fenugreek seed, curry leaves, rampa, cinnamon, oil and salt.

Method: Cut the fish into chunks of about 1 1/2 - 2 inches and mix with salt and turmeric. Add some oil into a saucepan and when hot add the mustard seeds. When the mustard seeds start popping add onions, garlic, fenugreek seed, cinnamon, curry leaves and rampa. When lightly fried add goraka (be careful when you add, since too much and your curry could get really sour), green chilli, chilli powder, pepper. Add water to the amount you think you need gravy (sauce). Add slat to taste. Add the fish and let it cook well with the saucepan covered.

Note:

• If you only have delicate fish, create the gravy or sauce and when done, just drop the fish in for a few minutes.

Black Chicken Curry

Chicken curry can be prepared in many ways. Here is "black chicken curry" (Nop the chicken you are going to curry need not be black). It is spicy and full of aroma. The black (dark brown rather) colour is created because of the roasted curry powder used.

Ingredients: Chicken, chopped onions and garlic, tomato, ginger, tamarind, chili, roasted curry powder, curry leaves, mustard seed, oil and salt.

Method: Cut the chicken into pieces. Add some oil to a saucepan and add mustard seed and curry leaves. When the mustard seeds start to pop, add chili powder and curry powder and let it fry for a few seconds (Keep the exhaust fan On or your windows open). Add the onions, garlic, tomato and ginger. Dissolve the tamarind in about 1/2 a cup of water and add it to the mix (do not add to much tamarind since it could make the curry very sour). Add water to make the amount of gravy you like. Add salt and check if the taste is according to your preference. Next add about 1/2 cup water for the chicken to cook in. Add the chicken to the gravy and allow to cook with the lid covered.

Note:

The chicken can be replaced with beef, mutton or lamb. Fish too can be cooked the same way but then "Goraka" (Malabar Tamarind) is used instead of tamarind.