One of the greatest misconceptions about Sri Lankan curry is that it is very hot and spicy. The other misconception is that it is a subset of Indian curries.
Both accounts are wrong!
Sri Lankan food, like the people of the land, is unique. There may be resemblance to the food in neighboring countries for after all Sri Lanka was the busy hub for traders, travelers, pilgrims, explorers and even conquerors of the ancient world. During these visits - welcomed or otherwise - wares and ways were exchanged and became localized. The result is an amazing array of dishes ranging from mild white and yellow curries, fiery hot red curries, fiendishly spicy and aromatic brown and black curries. The choice does not end here. There’s an equal variety of sambols, mallums, fry-ups, devils, pickles, chutneys and mojus. The culinary palette of Sri Lanka certainly defies the size of the Island.
This is not surprising for Sri Lankans are a most hospitable nation and are always open to new experiences. Sri Lankans have the knack to make any experience a truly a Sri Lankan experience. For the culinary field, this is a breeze as this sun-drenched tropical island produces not only a wide variety, but also the best of tropical fruits, vegetables, tubers, nuts, herbs, spices, fish and meat.
Most of the vegetables and tubers are cooked as mild yellow and sometimes white curries (Do read our article ‘Sri Lankan Curries Explored’). The fish dishes are also cooked mostly as either mild yellow curries or as hot red curries - this depends a lot on the type of fish. Meat dishes tend to be the spicy and sometimes hot, brown and black curries. Of course, these are just a simple generalization and are not absolute rules for there are many exceptions.
A dish may be mild or hot or spicy, but it is never served alone. Especially the main meals are rice-oriented and are always accompanied with a mild dish and a hot or spicy dish; one curry thick and dry and the other thin and runny; an uncooked dish like a sambol or one quickly tossed in high heat like a mallum; and a fry-up, a devil, a chutney, a pickle or a moju or a couple or all of these.
The art of enjoying a Sri Lankan meal is to mix all these dishes with rice and gather about a tablespoon or so with your fingertips. These little ‘rice balls’ (or ‘rice mouths’ as the locals say) thus release a multitude of flavors that pique and tease every taste-bud in the mouth. You can make these ‘balls’ as mild or as hot or as spicy as you prefer by the proportions of the respective dishes you mix to make the ‘rice ball’.
True Sri Lankan cooking is devoid of artificial flavors or colors, animal fats or oils, or sauces and so retains the earthen flavors and the nutrient value of the ingredients. Therefore, you may well feel full and even overfed, but not bloated or that oily aftertaste that takes the pleasure of the meal away.
The long-term benefits of Sri Lankan food are many. A typical Sri Lankan meal consist more vegetable dishes than fish or meat dishes. Most vegetables are organic produce and often home-grown. These are cooked with minimum possible time so that the nutrient content is preserved. To this, a host of spices and herbs are added for flavor, which in turn also brings many health-wise benefits.
