Rice and Curry

The Sri Lankan plate — rice ringed by several small curries.

Ingredients

• 2 cups Rice
• 600 g Chicken
• 400 ml Coconut milk
• 3 tbsp Curry powder
• 1 tbsp Chili powder
• 2 Onions
• 5 cloves Garlic
• 1 tbsp Ginger
• 15 Curry leaves
• 1 Pandan leaf
• 1 Cinnamon stick
• 1 stalk Lemongrass
• 2 tsp Salt

Method

1. Temper the aromatics — Fry the onion, curry leaves, pandan, cinnamon and lemongrass in oil until fragrant — this tempering is the backbone of Sri Lankan cooking.
2. Add the spices — Stir in the garlic, ginger, curry powder and chili and cook 2 minutes.
3. Add the chicken — Turn the chicken through the spices until coated.
4. Add coconut milk — Pour in the thin coconut milk first and simmer 25 minutes, adding the thick milk at the end.
5. Cook the rice — Steam the rice separately until fluffy.
6. Rice and Curry is ready — Serve the rice in the centre with the curry and small side dishes around it.

More Sri Lanka recipes

• Kottu Roti
• Hoppers