The Best Curries You Should Try In Sri Lanka

Sri Lanka’s national dish is unmistakeably rice and curry. Rice and curry doesn’t simply include one type of curry, but several kinds. This meal is a great big platter made up of rice and at least three different curries around it placed near the rice. Rice and curry dishes are customarily eaten by hand, an art easy to master after a couple of tries.

Sri Lankan chicken curry

Chicken curry is one of the most loved and easy to find curries on the island. Cooked with roasted curry powers, curry leaves, plenty of chilli and some lemongrass to boot, Sri Lankan chicken curry is a must-have when choosing curries for a rice and curry spread.

Fish curry

Classic Sri Lankan fish curry is similar to chicken curry with the greatest difference being that it’s quite a bit juicier due to the addition of coconut milk. It’s best to use a firm fish, like tuna, yet it’s also quite common to make it using mackerel.

Jackfruit curry

For vegetarians, young jackfruit curry is the best – and tastiest – option. Cooked with plenty of spices, like cumin and turmeric, jackfruit can either be chopped up into cubes or into thin strips resembling pulled chicken or pork. To make it juicy, add coconut milk and let it simmer for a few minutes.

Dhal curry

Dhal curry is almost as important as rice in every Sri Lankan home. Creamy dhal curry is cooked with turmeric and fenugreek, among other spices, to create a delicious homey flavour. Dhal curry is made with orange split lentils that have been washed three times before cooking to soften them to create a delicious soup-like dish.

Beetroot curry

Along with usual chicken and fish curries, or dhal curry, there is one particular vegetable-based curry. Even though it isn’t the most common, it really is quite spectacular. The beetroot is cut into thin slices and cooked in the usual delicate spices of vegetable curries. The special flavour of beetroot curry is crunchy, sweet and spicy all at once and you literally cannot eat just one bite.

Potato curry

Another homey curry – and one that is usually enjoyed for breakfast as a companion to string hoppers – is the potato curry. Delightfully creamy with firm potato chunks and bits of onion, this curry is best eaten with a spoon!

Since you are here, we would like to share our vision for the future of travel - and the direction Culture Trip is moving in.

Culture Trip launched in 2011 with a simple yet passionate mission: to inspire people to go beyond their boundaries and experience what makes a place, its people and its culture special and meaningful — and this is still in our DNA today. We are proud that, for more than a decade, millions like you have trusted our award-winning recommendations by people who deeply understand what makes certain places and communities so special.

Increasingly we believe the world needs more meaningful, real-life connections between curious travellers keen to explore the world in a more responsible way. That is why we have intensively curated a collection of premium small-group trips as an invitation to meet and connect with new, like-minded people for once-in-a-lifetime experiences in three categories: Culture Trips, Rail Trips and Private Trips. Our Trips are suitable for both solo travelers, couples and friends who want to explore the world together.

Culture Trips are deeply immersive 5 to 16 days itineraries, that combine authentic local experiences, exciting activities and 4-5* accommodation to look forward to at the end of each day. Our Rail Trips are our most planet-friendly itineraries that invite you to take the scenic route, relax whilst getting under the skin of a destination. Our Private Trips are fully tailored itineraries, curated by our Travel Experts specifically for you, your friends or your family.

We know that many of you worry about the environmental impact of travel and are looking for ways of expanding horizons in ways that do minimal harm - and may even bring benefits. We are committed to go as far as possible in curating our trips with care for the planet. That is why all of our trips are flightless in destination, fully carbon offset - and we have ambitious plans to be net zero in the very near future.