Sri Lankan Mouth-Watering Street Foods
Sri Lanka is an island country situated in South Asia. It is a highly touristed country because of its many numbers of beautiful destinations, including beaches, mountains, historical sites, and much more. Besides it being very tourist attracted because of its attractive locations it is also famous for mouth-watering dishes including traditional and street food. These are highly popular among locals as well as foreigners. If you happen to visit Sri Lanka, don’t ever leave the country without trying the following foods because this is going to be one of the reasons why you would want to come back.
Kottu
Starting from the most popular, Kottu is a Lankan favorite. There is absolutely no person in Sri Lanka who has not heard about Kottu. It is also a famous party dish for dinners. A renowned phrase said by many Sri Lankans is Italy got Pizza, the USA got burgers and Sri Lanka got Kottu! Well, what is Kottu? Kottu is made out of Godhamba roti. This roti is cut into small squares and eventually mixed with vegetables such as carrots, cabbage, leaks, and much more. After that, meat, eggs, and cheese is added into it. However, if you are a vegetarian, you won’t have to worry as there is vegetable kottu. You can place your order choosing between egg kottu, cheese kottu, sea food kottu, chicken kottu, and vegetable kottu.
But the most recommended type is the cheese kottu because the cheese mixed with chicken brings a delicious flavor as it is much juicier and creamy. But this does not mean the other types of kottu are not that tasty. Of course, they are equally delicious! The moment you take a spoon full of kottu and take a bite into it, you will be awestruck by the various flavors it brings. The taste just waters your mouth even more and keeps you wanting more. The moment you finish off the entire plate of kottu, you will be full, but a couple of hours later, you’ll wish you had more. The best part about kottu is you never get tired of eating it.
Places that make Kottu are not at all hard to find. When you make kottu there’s always the sound of two blades hitting the metal board. These two blades are used to chop the Godhamba roti and mix the vegetables and meat to create a delicious flavor. If you ever happen to visit Sri Lanka, buy kottu, visit the nearest beach and eat it while watching the sunset.
Isso Wade
The next best Sri Lankan street food is Isso wade. Isso wade simply said prawn Wade is a type of Sri Lankan snack. Some of the ingredients of this dish are given away by its name, Isso (prawn). Prawns are one of the main elements of this snack. The wade is made with dhal, and the prawn is attached to the top, it is then deep-fried in oil. After that, it is served with a special sauce. It’s very spicy; some of the main ingredients of it are red Chili powder and salt. A topping of fresh onions is added on top of the sauce.
The moment you bite into this snack, it’s very crusty. And when you start munching it, you will be amazed at the different flavors it carries. It’s crusty, spicy, salty, and the taste of onions perfectly matches, which brings a unique taste.
Have this with a carbonated drink, and you will surely be satisfied. This type of snack is not hard to find, just like kottu. You can find this, especially in the Galle face beach where so many vendors sell it for very low prices. Go out during an evening to the Galle face beach, and you will be able to find Isso wade, that’s freshly made, and you can eat it warm.
Have this with a carbonated drink, and you will surely be satisfied. This type of snack is not hard to find, just like kottu. You can find this, especially in the Galle face beach where so many vendors sell it for very low prices. Go out during an evening to the Galle face beach, and you will be able to find Isso wade, that’s freshly made, and you can eat it warm.
Vegetable Roti
Amongest many other delicious street foods, the vegetable roti is one of the types you must try. This snack can be eaten either for breakfast or dinner. But it’s commonly eaten for tea time in the evening.
The vegetable roti is, of course, a vegetarian snack. To make this, the first thing you must do is make dough balls the size of tiny golf balls and then flatten it out like a pancake. It may sound very easy, but it’s quite tiring to flatten it as the consistency of the dough is very stretchy like elastic. After you flatten the dough, a filling of vegetables is made such as potatoes, curry leaves, onions, leeks, and garlic. These are mashed together and tempered with different types of spices.
After that, you must add the filling into the flattened dough. And then the mixture is covered using the flour paste itself. Once the vegetable paste is completely covered, it’s baked or heated in a pan.
Once you take a bite of this warm vegetable roti, you will realize that it is quite soft. The filling of different spices and vegetables makes it very flavorful, and the taste just bursts in your mouth. But if you are not used to eating spices, then the vegetable roti will be a bit hot but still delicious. Two of these will fill you up.
You should try this dish in the evening during tea time. Eat it warm as that’s when it tastes best. And don’t forget to have a cup of warm Sri Lankan tea with it as they make the perfect combination.
Coconut Roti
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The coconut roti is also a very famous dish in Sri Lanka. In Sinhala, you call it Pol Roti. It’s mainly eaten for breakfast by locals, and its name gives away its main ingredient, coconut. Sri Lanka has a large number of coconut trees. Therefore, coconut being the main ingredient of this roti is not surprising.
This dish is quite simple to make. Firstly, you must make the dough with water, flour coconut oil, and salt. And then the main ingredient is added, scraped coconut.
Some people even use coconut water instead of water to make the dough, which makes it extra delicious and gives much flavor to the roti. You can also add a bit of onion and green chilies into it. After that, you must flatten the mixture, and heat in a pan.
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You can eat this dish with a type of salsa called Katta sambal or Lunu Miris. The difference between these two salsas is that the first one has Maldives fish added into it, and the other one doesn’t. However, you must make both of these with onions, salt, lemon and, chili powder. It’s chopped to make a paste and eaten with warm coconut roti.
Once you take a bite of this coconut roti, the first taste you will get is of the coconut scrapes. It is not as soft as a vegetable roti, but it is equally tasty. For extra flavor, break a small piece of coconut roti and take a bit of Lunu Miris or Katta sambal into it and eat it.
But make sure not to take too much salsa as it is very spicy. This dish goes perfectly with a typical Sri Lankan ginger tea, as it is very refreshing.
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You usually come across street vendors who sell Coconut roti, especially in the upcountry of Sri Lanka, such as Nuwara Eliya and Ella. These vendors make it by the street, heating it on stone tablets, which is the traditional method to make roti. Since the weather is cold in upcountry, a warm roti with ginger tea is very comforting. If you ever visit Sri Lanka, you must try it in cold weather as they make the perfect match.
Hoppers (Appa)
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Hoppers are also a Sri Lankan favorite. It is a traditional Sri Lankan food, and people eat it for breakfast or dinner. So, what exactly is Hoppers or Appa? It’s a dish that is crunchy like thin wafers at the corners and very soft in the middle like bread. The shape is like a bowl, which makes it easy to eat as you can keep your salsa or the curry that you eat it with in the middle of it.
Hoppers are made with a type of rice flour where the dough is a watery consistency. Once you eat it, you will realize that it is very crunchy, and it tastes milky. You can eat Hoppers with chili paste, which makes it a lot like a Sri Lankan version of nachos. But if you’re a person who doesn’t like spice, you can even eat it with honey. Either way, it tastes great.
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Vendors who make hoppers are very easy to find, especially in the night time. Due to the popularity of this snack, you will be able to find a vendor at least once every 1km. It’s much easier to find them during the night time as many people eat hoppers in the night and the morning it is not so common. So, if you want to find hoppers, then you should aim the dinner time.
In conclusion, if you want to have one of the best times in Sri Lanka, food plays an important role. Every destination you visit will give you a different feel if you have a Sri Lankan snack. So grab your plane tickets to Sri Lanka and go on a tour around the country while visiting the vendors who sell these dishes and snacks, and surely, it will be a vacation to remember. And you will, without a doubt, want to revisit Sri Lanka.
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