Our Pick of Best Sri Lankan Food

Sri Lankan food packs in a lot of oomph for a country of its size! The food reflects the richness of the land and the sea and the availability of fresh ingredients. Fish, sea food, vegetables, lentils, rice, bread make for a wholesome and delicious meal. Use of fresh coconut is widespread and adds the tropical vibe to the dishes. And like most tropical countries, Sri-Lanka has its own love affair with street food, and boasts of a good selection of golden and crispy goodies!!

Here are the top 12 dishes we have tried and loved during our trip to Sri Lanka. This list is our pick of best Sri Lankan food to try.

1. Sri Lankan Rice and Curry: 

Undoubtedly the national dish of Sri Lanka and widely consumed across the length and breadth of the country, the Sri Lankan rice and curry dish is is nutritious and wholesome. White plain rice takes centre-stage, with an array of vegetable, chicken, fish curries surrounding it. Some poppadum and sambal add the necessary crunch and punch!

Sri Lankan Rice and Curry

2. Egg Roll: 

This popular and spicy street food of Sri Lanka is made with fish flakes (tuna mainly), mashed potatoes and a quarter of a boiled egg. All of the ingredients are wrapped in a thin pancake, rolled in bread-crumbs and deep fried till crispy and golden. We tried this at quite a few places in Sri Lanka, but the one from the restaurant ‘A Minute by Tuktuk’ in Galle fort area won hands down.

Sri Lankan Egg Rolls

3. Mutton Roll: 

Similar to egg roll, this is also a very famous street food of Sri Lanka. Made with minced mutton (goat meat) in a spicy potato mash, then wrapped in a thin pancake, rolled in bread -crumbs and deep fried till crispy and golden. Best enjoyed when served hot.

Mutton Rolls

4. Fish Patties:

These deep fried parcels are popular street food favourites. The spicy filling of mashed potato and fish wrapped in a flaky outer crust is best enjoyed when served hot. Tuna, Mackerel, Salmon are commonly used in fish patties.

Sri Lankan Fish Patties

5. Sea Food Platter: 

Being surrounded by ocean also means bountiful sea food! A good selection of fish is available-in addition to lobsters, prawns, squids, mussels crabs etc. A typical platter is a combination of a selection of these either grilled or deep fried in a batter. Fresh ingredients and simple cooking always keeps the taste of the sea alive and goes a long way in creating a delectable platter.

Sea Food Platter

6. Sri Lankan Shrimp Curry:

Shrimps are cooked in a curry made from ingredients like chopped onions, chilli, ginger, garlic, tomato and a mixture of spices including turmeric, cumin, curry powder and coconut milk. The richness and the depth of flavour in the curry comes from the shrimp heads which are first cooked along with the spices before the other ingredients are added in. Usually served with rice, but the version we ate was accompanied with Paan - Sri Lankan bread. 

Sri Lankan Shrimp Curry

7. Egg Kottu:

Kottu or Kottu roti is a popular street food in Sri Lanka which is eaten throughout the day. The main ingredient of this dish is Sri Lankan godamba roti (fried flat bread made from thin dough). The godamba roti is shredded or chopped into small pieces and fried with spices and vegetables like spring onions, onions, carrot, green beans, cabbage. Egg or small pieces of chicken can be added to make egg kottu or chicken kottu.

Egg Kottu

8. Sri Lankan Chicken Curry (kukul mas curry):

This is a traditional coconut milk based chicken curry part of Sinhalese cuisine. The chicken is slow cooked in clay pot which gives the earthy flavour to the dish and adding depth to the flavour. Served hot with plain rice.

Sri Lankan Chicken Curry (Kukul Mas Curry)

9. Sri Lankan Daal (Parippu):

This is the staple dish in Sri Lankan cuisine and eaten with rice, roti or paratha. The red lentils are cooked with a mix of spices like turmeric, cumin, chilli powder and a splash of coconut milk and pandan leaves. The level of spiciness varies from place to place.

10. Yellow Rice (Kaha Bath):

Yellow rice or Kaha Bath is widely consumed throughout Sri Lanka. The speciality of this rice dish is the rich aroma and flavour that comes from the use of whole spices like cinnamon stick, cloves and cardamom and the use of pandan leaves. Kaha bath is eaten with parippu and all types of vegetarian, fish and chicken curry.

Sri Lankan Daal Curry (Parippu) and Yellow Rice (Kaha Bath)

11. Coconut Roti (Pol Roti):

Pol roti is a popular street food and breakfast dish which is eaten with Parippu (daal/lentils) and onion/chilli sambal. These rustic yet soft and fluffy flat breads are made flour grated coconut, onion and green chilli.

Coconut Roti (Pol Roti) and Parippu

12. Egg Hoppers (Appa):

Appa is a popular and iconic breakfast dish from Sri Lanka. The hopper a thin pancake made from a thin batter of rice flower and coconut milk and cooked in a special small but deep round bottom pan. Once poured, the pan is rotated to spread batter into a uniform thin layer. An egg is then cracked inside the hopper. The resulting dish is basket shaped pancake with crispy edges but soft inside and lightly cooked egg yolk resting inside. The egg hoppers and best enjoyed with chilli and onion sambal.

Egg Hoppers (Appa) and Sambol

Journey to Wonderland - Bali, Indonesia

The one factor that puts Bali in a completely different league for us personally is the fact that this is a predominantly Hindu island. Born and raised in India we have witnessed various colours of ‘Hinduism’ but ‘Balinese Hinduism’ is unique. This made it extremely fascinating for us, to see the same fabric but with a beautifully different appearance.The numerous stone temples dotted across the lush green landscape, the fresh and moist tropical air, give Bali its unique ‘mystic’ feel. It is almost like going into a trance!

Ulun Danu Beratan Temple

The Balinese are a very religious and community centred people. At the heart of this is the village, the centre of which is dominated by temples (puras). Village members take part in the various elaborate rituals which require a significant amount of social organization. Balinese homes are built on special architectural principals which ensure harmony of the objects with the cosmos. There are temples in the compounds of homes as well and these can be more elaborate in royal residences (puris). The Balinese experience is a heady concoction of amazing landscape and religious rituals and rich culture. There is an undercurrent of animism (spirit life) and ancestor worship in Balinese culture and shrines and temples are erected and offerings made to appease them. Guardian statues wrapped in poleng clothes can often been seen in Balinese temple forecourts.

One of the many stone sculpture found in all Balinese temples

The airport is like none other! You know you have arrived at a special place. The exhaustion of seeing ‘clean sleek’ modern architecture soon wears off as you enter this paradise with rustic temples adorned with sculptures of Gods and Goddesses and their ‘vahanas’ (vehicles- yes Hindu Gods and Goddesses have their transport taken care of!).

At a traditional Balinese Hindu temple

At a traditional Balinese Hindu temple

Bali is one among the 6000 inhabited islands of Indonesia. In a largely Islamic country, Bali has remained predominantly Hindu. In fact, Hinduism had a strong presence across Southeast Asia a thousand years ago. This was due to the existence of the ancient spice routes which not only helped transfer of goods but also acted as a melting pot of ideas, literature and culture. Indonesia like other regions of Southeast Asia adopted many aspects that are typical of ‘Hinduism’ but with the expansion of Islam in the east, this changed. Bali however was outside of the trade route of Muslim states and therefore managed to remain a Hindu island. Also, the expulsion of high profile religious and literary figures, who then took refuge in Bali helped in the rejuvenation of Hinduism in Bali. There are also other theories if you wish to dive deeper!

A traditional Balinese house

During our stay in Bali we felt a strong sense of pride in the Balinese people about their culture, religion and way of life. Because we could so easily relate to most of their way of like, it was like homecoming for us - but discovering there is a room in our home that we never visited! Now standing in there - it all looks so familiar though you are seeing it for the first time!

Rice terrace - a typical countryside landscape of the island of Bali

A traditional temple procession in Bali

10 Experiences You Should Not Miss While In Jordan

Jordan ticks a lot of boxes - breath-taking landscape, delicious food, interesting history and architecture. However it is the experiences that we take back with us that makes a place special for years to come. So here is our pick of the 10 best .....

Treasury during Petra by Night

1. Petra by night: The most fascinating experience one can have while visiting Jordan. Available only 3 days a week (Monday, Wednesday and Thursday) you need to plan the trip to Petra accordingly. The ticket for this is not included in the Jordan pass or in normal day tickets to Petra. This needs to be bought separately from the ticket office at visitor centre on the same day. The event starts at 8:30 pm in the evening and runs for over an hour. As the event takes place at the footstep of Petra Treasury, a long walk to and from the Treasury makes the entire experience last over 2 hours. We recommend buying the ticket from the visitor centre during the day. If you want to get the best view (first 3 rows), then arrive a bit early at the gate of Petra. 7.00 to 7:30 pm is good time as this when people are allowed to go in. For more details on Petra by Night please visit our post here. Tips for photography enthusiasts – arrive early, set up your tripod and adjust the setting of your camera before the event starts.

A morning walk after sunrise in the desert of Wadi Rum

2. Sunrise walk in the Desert of Wadi Rum: Experiencing the enchanting lunar landscape of Wadi Rum is on every traveller’s list while visiting Jordan. For us the most magical moment while in Wadi Rum was the morning walk just after the sun rise. Almost every desert camp in Wadi Rum will offer sunrise tour as one of the paid activity. We will highly recommend the sunrise tour as the view of sun rising over the desert landscape is breath taking. Try not to take the vehicle to return back to the camp from sunrise point – talk a walk instead and you will find how the colour of the sandstones and desert changes with the rays of the rising sun, the cool breeze makes this all the more pleasant.

Bedouin Delicacy Zerb

3. Bedouin Delicacy ‘Zerb’: Ok this is one of the many mouth-watering cuisines- what makes it special is not only the rustic feel but the entire process of its creation- baked in the ground in a hold sealed with sand. The long and laborious process of preparing this dish in slow heat results in a dish bursting with flavours and aroma. Try this dish while in the central south part of the country anywhere from Petra to Wadi Rum. For more details on Zerb and other Jordanian cuisines please visit our post here.

Mosaic of Umm er-Rasas

4. Mosaic of Umm er-Rasas: This Roman ruin site which houses many beautiful mosaics is often overlooked by most travellers. The ruins of Umm er-Rasas is situated south on Madaba and is almost an hour’s drive out of the capital Amman. Among many mosaics the most significant one is on the floor of St. Stephen's Church which can be viewed from the raised platform. When we visited this place on our way back to Annam from Wadi Rum, we found this place completely to ourselves. For more details on the ruins of Umm er-Rasas please visit or Jordan travel diary here.

Alleyway of souq of Al-Salt

Fresh vegetable market in souq of Al-Salt

5. Souq of Al-Salt: Al-Salt, a small town located north of Amman and almost an hour’s drive out of Annam is not one of the most talked about places in Jordan along tourists and travellers. A small town with hardly any traveller footprint has a souq which is worth a visit. On the either side of small alleyway through the souq there are shops selling everything from spices, to fresh vegetables, to other food items to every day household items. We spent over an hour walking through the souq, sampling the fresh local food and buying little artefacts. The thing here is the feel - almost like a place that is still snugged in the old warmth and refusing to run with the modern world. For more details on our story about visiting Al-Salt please read our post here.

Freshly made falafel of Madaba

6. Falafal Wrap in Madaba: Falafal is one of the most widely eaten snacks throughout the Middle East including Jordan. Though there are Falafels everywhere but the undisputed king was a small corner shop at Madaba. While driving to Madaba our driver and guide Hussam told us ‘I will take you to the best falafel place in Madan and you will enjoy it’’ and man was he right! The small shop in an alleyway located at stone’s throw from the main gate of the St George's church. There isn’t any specific name but asking anyone on the street near the church for the ‘falafel shop’ should help you locate this unassuming place crowded with locals and the rule of thumb- if the locals love it- it must be doing something right!. For more details on the Falafal shop of Madaba and for many other food we sampled while in Jordan please read more about our write-up on Jordanian food here.

Unforgettable experience of floating on the Dead Sea

7. Floating on the Dead Sea at sunrise: Most travellers go for a day trip to Dead Sea due to its close proximity to the capital city of Amman. We will highly recommend an overnight stay in any of the resorts located by the shore of the Dead Sea. The best time to enjoy floating on the Dead Sea is ether just before sunset or just after sunrise. We tried both options and found the early morning experience much for pleasant because of the cooler temperature of early morning and less humidity. Read more about our Dead Sea experience here.

The 360 degree view from top of Ajloun Castle

8. View from top of Ajloun Castle: The view of the north of the country from the top of Ajloun Castle is truly breath-taking and reveals its true importance as a strategic location. The 360 degree view of the country, Syria to the north and the Jordan valley to the south makes this place one to remember as it gives you the sense of proximity to some of the places (Nazareth, Jerusalem, West Bank etc.) that most of us have only read about.

The royal collection of King Hussein

9. Royal automobile museum in Amman: The royal automobile museum in Annam houses the huge personal collection of motor vehicles of King Hussein. A visit to this museum reveals King Hussein’s passion of classic motor vehicles. From limited addition Rolls-Royces to Ferrari to Cadillacs this is a nice place to get a bit of the feel of the royalty before you start your exploration of the country. Spending couple of hours visiting this museum while in Amman is well worth it if you like motors and history.

10. Mosaic workshop: Jordan is Famous for its mosaic work and there is no better place than visiting a mosaic workshop to see this traditional craftsmanship still being nurtured in Jordan. There are many mosaic workshops in Jordan and we visited one near the town of Madaba. These workshops are also the best places to buy an authentic souvenir to take back home. The money you spend goes back directly to the community, which is always a winner!