Sri Lankan Chicken Curry
Roasted-spice coconut curry with a deep, smoky heat distinct from Indian curries.
Meat
How this varies: For a more traditional deep-sour profile (especially favored in southern coastal Sri Lankan households), goraka (dried gamboge) replaces tamarind — it's more common in fish curries but shows up in chicken curry too in some regional kitchens, giving a sharper, more astringent sourness than tamarind's fruitier tang.
Ingredients
- 800g chicken, bone-in pieces
- 2 tbsp Sri Lankan roasted curry powder (dark-roasted rice and spice blend)
- 1 tsp unroasted curry powder or chili powder, optional (for extra heat/color)
- 1 tsp turmeric
- 1 onion, chopped
- 3 cloves garlic, 1 tbsp ginger, minced
- 2 green chilies, split
- 1 sprig curry leaves
- 1 piece pandan leaf (rampe), knotted
- 1 stalk lemongrass, bruised
- 1 cinnamon stick
- 3-4 green cardamom pods, lightly crushed
- 400ml coconut milk, thin/second extraction (or coconut milk diluted with water)
- 100ml coconut milk, thick/first extraction (undiluted)
- 1 tbsp tamarind paste (or 2-3 pieces goraka, soaked, for a more traditional sour note)
- 2 tbsp oil
- Salt, to taste
Steps
- Heat oil, fry onion, garlic, ginger, curry leaves, pandan leaf, lemongrass, cinnamon, and cardamom until fragrant.
- Add chicken, turmeric, and curry powder(s), stirring to coat well.
- Cook 5 minutes until chicken is lightly browned and spices are toasted onto the meat.
- Add green chilies, tamarind (or goraka), and the thin coconut milk; simmer covered 20 minutes, until chicken is nearly cooked through.
- Stir in the thick coconut milk, simmer uncovered on low heat 5-10 minutes — do not boil hard, just heat through and let the sauce reduce slightly — until chicken is tender and the sauce is glossy.
- Adjust salt; discard pandan leaf and lemongrass stalk before serving.
- Serve with steamed rice.