[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":429},["ShallowReactive",2],{"recipe:sri-lankan-chicken-curry":3,"recipe:country:sri-lanka":224},{"slug":4,"title":5,"nativeName":6,"pronunciation":7,"countrySlug":8,"region":9,"emoji":10,"summary":11,"intro":12,"story":13,"whyThis":14,"tips":19,"substitutions":26,"variations":39,"serveWith":49,"storage":52,"faq":53,"equipment":69,"baseServings":73,"prepMinutes":74,"cookMinutes":75,"difficulty":76,"course":77,"diet":79,"mainIngredients":82,"ingredients":87,"instructions":175,"nutrition":204,"images":210,"keywords":214,"publishedAt":222,"updatedAt":222,"authorSlug":223},"sri-lankan-chicken-curry","Kukul Mas Curry (Sri Lankan Roasted-Spice Chicken Curry)","කුකුල් මස් කරි","KOO-kool mas KUH-ree","sri-lanka","Island-wide","🍗","The chicken curry Sri Lankans cook on a Tuesday: bone-in thighs simmered in dark roasted curry powder, pandan, lemongrass and coconut milk until the gravy runs deep brown.","Kukul mas curry is the weekday chicken curry of Sri Lankan home kitchens, and the thing that makes it taste unmistakably Sri Lankan happens before the chicken is even touched: the spices are dry-roasted in a pan until they turn the colour of strong coffee and smell of toast, cocoa and warm bark. That roasting flips the whole flavour profile. Where an Indian curry powder tastes bright and floral, roasted Sri Lankan curry powder tastes toasted, smoky and slightly bitter in the good way, and the coconut milk poured in at the end rounds it into something dark, glossy and savoury rather than sweet. Bone-in thighs and drumsticks give the gravy body; pandan leaf and lemongrass thread a green, tea-like perfume through it. It is a one-pot curry, it needs no marinating time, and it tastes better the next day.","Sri Lankan cooks divide their spice blends into two camps and the division explains most of the island's food. Unroasted curry powder — thuna paha in its simplest form, coriander, cumin and fennel — goes into vegetable and fish curries where you want the flavour to stay pale and fresh. Roasted curry powder, the same seeds taken to a deep brown in a dry pan along with cinnamon, cloves, cardamom and dried curry leaves, goes into meat. Kukul mas curry belongs firmly to the second camp, and the darkness of the finished gravy is a direct readout of how brave the cook was at the roasting pan. Sri Lankan households commonly roast a batch of powder at a time, and the smell of it filling a kitchen is one of those domestic signals that something substantial is being cooked.\n\nThe aromatics are the other half of the island's signature. Pandan leaf — rampe — and lemongrass go into the pot in long bruised pieces, along with fresh curry leaves stripped off the stem, and all three are fished out or eaten around at the table rather than chewed. This trio is close to unique to Sri Lanka in South Asian cooking: cross the strait to Tamil Nadu and the curry leaves stay but the pandan and the roasted powder largely disappear. Add the Maldive fish that many households stir in for depth, the goraka used further south, and the habit of finishing with thick coconut milk pressed from freshly scraped coconut, and you have a curry that is related to Indian cooking without being a version of it.\n\nAt a Sri Lankan table this curry is rarely the whole meal. It arrives as one bowl among several — rice in the middle, a dhal, a green mallum, a fried something, and pol sambol on the side — and people build each mouthful themselves, taking a little of everything with the fingers of the right hand. Making it at home for four people with rice and one sambol on the side is a perfectly honest version of that, and the leftovers reheat into a better curry than they were on day one, once the roasted spice has had a night to settle into the meat.",[15,16,17,18],"Roasts the spices from scratch in five minutes, which is the single step that separates Sri Lankan curry from generic curry-powder chicken.","Bone-in chicken and a two-stage coconut milk addition give a gravy with real body instead of a thin, split sauce.","Tells you exactly what colour and smell to chase at the roasting pan, so the darkness is deliberate rather than accidental.","Honest substitutions for pandan, Maldive fish and goraka, with what each one actually contributes if you do find it.",[20,21,22,23,24,25],"Roast the whole spices before grinding, not after — pre-ground powder scorches in seconds and turns acrid rather than toasty.","Pull the roasting pan off the heat while the seeds are still one shade lighter than you want; residual pan heat keeps darkening them.","Use bone-in thighs and drumsticks. Breast meat goes stringy in the 30 minutes this gravy needs to come together.","Add the thick coconut milk only at the end and keep it below a boil — a rolling boil makes it curdle into grainy specks.","If the gravy tastes flat rather than dull, it usually wants salt and a squeeze of lime, not more chile.","Bruise the lemongrass and pandan with the back of a knife before they go in so they actually release their perfume.",[27,31,35],{"original":28,"swap":29,"note":30},"Pandan leaf (rampe)","Omit, or add 2 kaffir lime leaves for a different but complementary perfume","Frozen pandan is sold at most Southeast Asian and Sri Lankan grocers and freezes indefinitely. Without it the curry is still very good, just less floral around the edges.",{"original":32,"swap":33,"note":34},"Home-roasted curry powder","Shop-bought Sri Lankan roasted curry powder (labelled \"roasted\" or \"thuna paha roasted\")","A genuine time-saver and widely available. Avoid generic yellow \"madras\" curry powder, which is unroasted and will make an entirely different, paler curry.",{"original":36,"swap":37,"note":38},"Maldive fish flakes","1 tsp fish sauce, or omit for a vegetarian-friendly gravy base","Maldive fish is cured, smoked, rock-hard tuna and adds a savoury depth rather than a fishy taste. Plenty of home cooks leave it out of chicken curry entirely.",[40,43,46],{"name":41,"description":42},"Kukul mas maalu (dry-style)","Cook the curry uncovered for the last 10 minutes so the gravy reduces and clings to the chicken. This is the version packed into lunch parcels, where a loose gravy would soak the rice to mush.",{"name":44,"description":45},"Jaffna-style with a sharper edge","Swap some of the roasted powder for Jaffna curry powder, which is heavier on chile and fenugreek, and finish with tamarind instead of lime for a more assertive northern Tamil profile.",{"name":47,"description":48},"Potato in the pot","Add chunked potato with the thin coconut milk. It is a common household stretch that soaks up the roasted spice and makes the curry feed six instead of four.",[50,51],"Steamed white rice, pol sambol, a green mallum and papadum — the standard Sri Lankan rice-and-curry spread.","Godhamba roti or plain flatbread, for tearing and dragging through the gravy.","Refrigerate for up to 3 days in a covered container; the roasted spice deepens overnight and day two is genuinely better than day one. Reheat gently over low heat with a splash of water, stopping before it boils so the coconut milk stays smooth. It freezes for 2 months, though the gravy may look separated on thawing — a slow reheat and a good stir brings it back together. Do not leave it at room temperature for hours: unlike the sour southern curries, this one has no acid preservation working for it.",[54,57,60,63,66],{"question":55,"answer":56},"What makes Sri Lankan curry different from Indian curry?","The biggest difference is roasted curry powder. Sri Lankan meat curries use coriander, cumin, fennel, cinnamon, cloves and cardamom dry-roasted to a deep brown before grinding, which gives a dark, toasted, almost smoky gravy. Sri Lankan cooking also leans on ingredients that are rare in India: pandan leaf, lemongrass, goraka and generous amounts of fresh coconut milk.",{"question":58,"answer":59},"Can I use plain curry powder from the supermarket?","You can, but the result will be a different dish. Standard yellow curry powder is unroasted and turmeric-forward, so the curry comes out pale and mild rather than dark and toasty. If you cannot roast your own, look for a blend explicitly labelled Sri Lankan roasted curry powder at a South Asian grocer or online.",{"question":61,"answer":62},"Why did my coconut milk curdle?","Coconut milk splits when it is boiled hard, especially after the thick portion goes in. Keep the pot at a lazy simmer once the thick coconut milk is added, stir it in off the direct heat if your burner runs hot, and never cover and forget it at a rolling boil. A split gravy still tastes fine but looks grainy.",{"question":64,"answer":65},"Is this curry very spicy?","As written it is moderately hot — warm and rounded rather than searing. Sri Lankan home versions are usually hotter, since chile powder is measured by tablespoon rather than teaspoon in many kitchens. Adjust the chile powder up or down freely; the roasted spice, coconut and aromatics carry the flavour regardless of heat level.",{"question":67,"answer":68},"Can I make it with boneless chicken?","Yes, but shorten the simmer to about 15 minutes and expect a thinner gravy, since bones and skin are what give this curry its body. If you use boneless thighs, compensate by reducing the thin coconut milk a little longer before the chicken goes in.",[70,71,72],"Heavy-based pot or clay chatti with a lid","Small dry frying pan for roasting spices","Spice grinder or mortar and pestle",4,20,45,"easy",[78],"main",[80,81],"gluten-free","dairy-free",[83,84,85,86],"chicken","coconut-milk","curry-leaves","cinnamon",[88,94,98,102,106,109,111,115,118,122,125,128,131,134,137,142,145,148,151,154,157,159,163,167,170],{"ref":89,"qty":90,"unit":91,"name":92,"group":93},"coriander-seed",2,"tbsp","coriander seed","For the roasted curry powder",{"ref":95,"qty":96,"unit":91,"name":97,"group":93},"cumin",1,"cumin seed",{"ref":99,"qty":90,"unit":100,"name":101,"group":93},"fennel-seed","tsp","fennel seed",{"ref":103,"qty":104,"unit":100,"name":105,"group":93},"fenugreek",0.5,"fenugreek seed",{"ref":86,"qty":96,"unit":107,"name":108,"group":93},"piece","Ceylon cinnamon quill, 5 cm, broken up",{"ref":110,"qty":73,"unit":107,"name":110,"group":93},"cloves",{"ref":112,"qty":113,"unit":107,"name":114,"group":93},"cardamom",3,"green cardamom pods, cracked",{"ref":85,"qty":116,"unit":107,"name":117,"group":93},10,"curry leaves, for roasting with the spices",{"ref":83,"qty":96,"unit":119,"name":120,"group":121},"kg","bone-in chicken thighs and drumsticks, skin removed","For the curry",{"ref":123,"qty":96,"unit":100,"name":124,"group":121},"turmeric","ground turmeric",{"ref":126,"qty":90,"unit":100,"name":127,"group":121},"chili-flakes","Kashmiri-style chile powder, or to taste",{"qty":129,"unit":100,"name":130,"group":121},1.5,"fine salt",{"ref":132,"qty":90,"unit":91,"name":133,"group":121},"coconut","coconut oil",{"ref":135,"qty":96,"unit":107,"name":136,"group":121},"onion","large red onion, thinly sliced",{"ref":138,"qty":139,"unit":140,"name":141,"group":121},"garlic",5,"clove","garlic, crushed",{"ref":143,"qty":90,"unit":100,"name":144,"group":121},"ginger","ginger, finely grated",{"ref":146,"qty":96,"unit":107,"name":147,"group":121},"lemongrass","lemongrass stalk, bruised and cut in two",{"qty":96,"unit":107,"name":149,"optional":150,"group":121},"pandan leaf (rampe), 10 cm, knotted",true,{"ref":85,"qty":152,"unit":107,"name":153,"group":121},15,"fresh curry leaves",{"ref":155,"qty":96,"unit":107,"name":156,"group":121},"tomato","ripe tomato, chopped",{"qty":96,"unit":91,"name":36,"optional":150,"note":158,"group":121},"or 1 tsp fish sauce",{"ref":84,"qty":160,"unit":161,"name":162,"group":121},250,"ml","thin coconut milk (or full-fat coconut milk let down with an equal volume of water)",{"ref":84,"qty":164,"unit":161,"name":165,"group":166},200,"thick full-fat coconut milk","To finish",{"ref":168,"qty":104,"unit":107,"name":169,"group":166},"lime","lime, juiced",{"ref":171,"qty":172,"unit":173,"name":174,"group":166},"black-pepper",null,"to taste","freshly ground black pepper",[176,181,184,188,193,197,201],{"title":177,"text":178,"timerSeconds":179,"tip":180},"Roast the spices","Put the coriander, cumin, fennel, fenugreek, cinnamon, cloves, cardamom and the 10 curry leaves in a dry frying pan over medium-low heat. Stir constantly for 5–7 minutes until the coriander turns the colour of milk chocolate and the kitchen smells of toast and cocoa rather than raw seed. Tip immediately onto a cold plate.",400,"The moment you catch a faint burnt-coffee edge, you have gone one shade too far. Pull it early — the pan keeps working.",{"title":182,"text":183},"Grind and season the chicken","Grind the cooled spices to a coarse powder in a spice grinder or mortar. Toss {qty:chicken} of chicken pieces in a bowl with the turmeric, chile powder, salt and two-thirds of the roasted powder until every piece is coated dull brown. Leave it while you prepare the aromatics.",{"title":185,"text":186,"timerSeconds":187},"Soften the aromatics","Heat the coconut oil in a heavy pot over medium heat. Add the onion, garlic, ginger, lemongrass, pandan and the fresh curry leaves. Fry for 6–8 minutes, until the curry leaves stop crackling, the onion is soft and translucent at the edges, and the mixture smells sweet rather than raw.",420,{"title":189,"text":190,"timerSeconds":191,"tip":192},"Sear the spiced chicken","Turn the heat to medium-high and add the coated chicken in one layer. Turn the pieces for 5 minutes until the spice paste darkens and grips the meat and the bottom of the pot starts to build a brown film. Stir in the tomato and Maldive fish and let the tomato collapse.",300,"That brown film is flavour, not burning. The thin coconut milk in the next step will lift it straight off the base.",{"title":194,"text":195,"timerSeconds":196},"Simmer in thin coconut milk","Pour in the thin coconut milk, scrape the base clean with a wooden spoon, and bring to a gentle simmer. Cover and cook for 25 minutes, turning the chicken once, until the meat pulls easily from the bone and the gravy has darkened to a deep russet brown.",1500,{"title":198,"text":199,"timerSeconds":191,"tip":200},"Finish with thick coconut milk","Uncover, stir in the thick coconut milk and the last of the roasted curry powder, and let it barely tremble for 5 minutes — small bubbles at the rim only, never a boil. The gravy should thicken enough to coat the back of a spoon and turn glossy.","If it boils hard here the coconut milk will split into grainy flecks. Drop the heat the moment you see it move.",{"title":202,"text":203},"Season and rest","Take the pot off the heat, squeeze in the lime juice and grind over black pepper. Taste and correct with salt — it should read savoury, toasty and rounded, with the heat arriving a beat after the spice. Rest 10 minutes before serving so the gravy settles and thickens slightly.",{"calories":205,"protein":206,"carbs":207,"fat":208,"fiber":113,"sodium":209,"estimated":150},520,42,12,34,900,[211],{"src":212,"alt":213},"\u002Fimages\u002Frecipes\u002Fsri-lankan-chicken-curry\u002Fhero.svg","Dark brown Sri Lankan chicken curry in a clay pot with curry leaves, pandan and a swirl of coconut milk",[215,216,217,218,219,220,221],"kukul mas curry","sri lankan chicken curry","roasted curry powder","coconut milk curry","pandan","rice and curry","sri lanka","2026-08-21","dishroute-kitchen",{"items":225,"total":116,"page":96,"limit":427,"hasMore":428},[226,251,272,295,302,323,344,364,384,405],{"slug":227,"title":228,"nativeName":229,"countrySlug":8,"region":230,"baseServings":73,"prepMinutes":231,"cookMinutes":232,"restMinutes":74,"difficulty":233,"course":234,"diet":235,"mainIngredients":237,"images":239,"keywords":243,"publishedAt":222,"updatedAt":222,"authorSlug":223},"ambul-thiyal","Ambul Thiyal (Sri Lankan Sour Fish Curry)","ඇඹුල් තියල්","Southern Province",25,30,"medium",[78],[236,80,81],"pescatarian",[238,171,85,138],"tuna",[240],{"src":241,"alt":242},"\u002Fimages\u002Frecipes\u002Fambul-thiyal\u002Fhero.svg","Dark glossy cubes of Sri Lankan sour tuna curry in a shallow clay pot with curry leaves and cinnamon",[244,245,246,247,248,249,250],"ambul thiyal","sri lankan sour fish curry","goraka","dry tuna curry","black pepper fish","southern sri lanka","fish preservation",{"slug":252,"title":253,"nativeName":254,"countrySlug":8,"region":255,"baseServings":73,"prepMinutes":231,"cookMinutes":256,"restMinutes":232,"difficulty":233,"course":257,"diet":258,"mainIngredients":259,"images":262,"keywords":266,"publishedAt":222,"updatedAt":222,"authorSlug":223},"sri-lankan-black-pork-curry","Kalu Uru Mas (Sri Lankan Black Pork Curry)","කළු ඌරු මස්","Western and southern coast",95,[78],[80,81],[260,171,85,261],"pork-shoulder","vinegar",[263],{"src":264,"alt":265},"\u002Fimages\u002Frecipes\u002Fsri-lankan-black-pork-curry\u002Fhero.svg","Near-black Sri Lankan pork curry in a clay pot, glossy cubes coated in dark gravy with curry leaves on top",[267,268,246,269,270,271,221],"kalu uru mas","sri lankan black pork curry","black curry powder","vinegar braised pork","burgher cooking",{"slug":273,"title":274,"nativeName":275,"countrySlug":8,"region":276,"baseServings":73,"prepMinutes":231,"cookMinutes":74,"difficulty":233,"course":277,"diet":279,"mainIngredients":280,"images":284,"keywords":288,"publishedAt":222,"updatedAt":222,"authorSlug":223},"kottu-roti","Kottu Roti (Sri Lankan Chopped Flatbread Stir-Fry)","කොත්තු රොටී","Colombo and the West Coast",[278],"street-food",[],[83,281,282,283,85],"eggs","cabbage","leek",[285],{"src":286,"alt":287},"\u002Fimages\u002Frecipes\u002Fkottu-roti\u002Fhero.svg","Chopped kottu roti piled on a plate, ribbons of flatbread mixed with egg, leek, carrot and shredded chicken curry",[289,290,291,292,293,294],"kottu roti","sri lankan street food","chopped roti","godhamba roti","curry stir-fry","late night food",{"slug":4,"title":5,"nativeName":6,"countrySlug":8,"region":9,"baseServings":73,"prepMinutes":74,"cookMinutes":75,"difficulty":76,"course":296,"diet":297,"mainIngredients":298,"images":299,"keywords":301,"publishedAt":222,"updatedAt":222,"authorSlug":223},[78],[80,81],[83,84,85,86],[300],{"src":212,"alt":213},[215,216,217,218,219,220,221],{"slug":303,"title":304,"nativeName":305,"countrySlug":8,"region":306,"baseServings":73,"prepMinutes":307,"cookMinutes":256,"difficulty":308,"course":309,"diet":310,"mainIngredients":311,"images":313,"keywords":317,"publishedAt":222,"updatedAt":222,"authorSlug":223},"lamprais","Lamprais (Dutch Burgher Banana Leaf Rice Parcel)","ලම්ප්‍රයිස්","Colombo and the Burgher west coast",60,"hard",[78],[],[312,260,83,84],"basmati-rice",[314],{"src":315,"alt":316},"\u002Fimages\u002Frecipes\u002Flamprais\u002Fhero.svg","An opened banana leaf parcel of Sri Lankan lamprais with ghee rice, dark meat curry, a fried frikkadel and seeni sambol",[303,318,319,320,321,322,221],"sri lankan burgher food","banana leaf rice parcel","seeni sambol","frikkadel","ghee rice",{"slug":324,"title":325,"nativeName":326,"countrySlug":8,"region":9,"baseServings":73,"prepMinutes":116,"cookMinutes":231,"difficulty":76,"course":327,"diet":328,"mainIngredients":332,"images":334,"keywords":338,"publishedAt":222,"updatedAt":222,"authorSlug":223},"sri-lankan-dhal-curry","Parippu (Sri Lankan Red Lentil Coconut Curry)","පරිප්පු",[78],[329,330,80,81,331],"vegetarian","vegan","nut-free",[333,84,85,123],"lentils",[335],{"src":336,"alt":337},"\u002Fimages\u002Frecipes\u002Fsri-lankan-dhal-curry\u002Fhero.svg","Bowl of creamy golden Sri Lankan red lentil curry topped with fried curry leaves, browned shallots and dried red chiles",[339,340,341,218,342,343],"parippu","sri lankan dhal","red lentil curry","tempering","vegan curry",{"slug":345,"title":346,"nativeName":347,"countrySlug":8,"baseServings":348,"prepMinutes":152,"cookMinutes":349,"difficulty":76,"course":350,"diet":352,"mainIngredients":353,"images":354,"keywords":358,"publishedAt":222,"updatedAt":222,"authorSlug":223},"pol-sambol","Pol Sambol (Sri Lankan Coconut Chili Relish)","පොල් සම්බෝල",6,0,[351],"side",[80,81,236],[132,126,135,168],[355],{"src":356,"alt":357},"\u002Fimages\u002Frecipes\u002Fpol-sambol\u002Fhero.svg","A mound of brick-red Sri Lankan pol sambol made from scraped coconut, chile and red onion with a lime half beside it",[359,360,361,362,363,221],"pol sambol","coconut sambol","sri lankan relish","maldive fish","chile coconut 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pancake",{"slug":385,"title":386,"nativeName":387,"countrySlug":8,"baseServings":388,"prepMinutes":231,"cookMinutes":232,"restMinutes":389,"difficulty":233,"course":390,"diet":391,"mainIngredients":392,"images":395,"keywords":399,"publishedAt":222,"updatedAt":222,"authorSlug":223},"wambatu-moju","Wambatu Moju (Sri Lankan Pickled Eggplant)","වම්බටු මෝජු",8,120,[351],[329,330,80,81],[393,394,261,135],"eggplant","mustard-seed",[396],{"src":397,"alt":398},"\u002Fimages\u002Frecipes\u002Fwambatu-moju\u002Fhero.svg","A bowl of glossy dark Sri Lankan wambatu moju, fried eggplant fingers pickled with onion wedges and whole green chiles",[400,401,402,403,404,221],"wambatu moju","sri lankan eggplant pickle","brinjal moju","sweet sour eggplant","mustard vinegar pickle",{"slug":406,"title":407,"nativeName":408,"countrySlug":8,"region":409,"baseServings":388,"prepMinutes":74,"cookMinutes":410,"restMinutes":389,"difficulty":76,"course":411,"diet":413,"mainIngredients":415,"images":417,"keywords":421,"publishedAt":222,"updatedAt":222,"authorSlug":223},"watalappan","Watalappan (Sri Lankan Coconut Jaggery Custard)","වටලප්පන්","Sri Lankan Malay and Moor communities",55,[412],"dessert",[329,80,81,414],"halal-friendly",[84,281,112,416],"cashews",[418],{"src":419,"alt":420},"\u002Fimages\u002Frecipes\u002Fwatalappan\u002Fhero.svg","A dish of dark brown Sri Lankan watalappan coconut jaggery custard topped with toasted cashew halves, one portion scooped out",[406,422,423,424,425,426,221],"sri lankan dessert","coconut custard","kithul jaggery","steamed custard","eid dessert",24,false,1787360061809]