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Not too long ago, Farwin, a food blogger and writer/photographer behind the blog, Love and other Spices got in touch with me wishing to introduce Sri Lankan cuisine to Rasa Malaysia readers. I was thrilled as I have never been to Srilanka and would love to learn more about the food and its culture. Farwin is a Sri Lankan currently residing in UAE with her family and Love and other Spices is about the traditional food she grew up eating. For this guest post, Love and other Spices shares her Koththu Roti recipe with us. Please welcome Farwin and let’s celebrate the inclusion of Sri Lankan food on Rasa Malaysia!
When I recently stumbled upon Bee’s site, being a Sri Lankan I was so delighted to find many names I was familiar with like Sambal and Roti. Did you know that “Rasa” means taste in the Sri Lankan local Sinhalese language? Thanks to Bee for letting me share in her space, to introduce Sri Lankan food to her readers. Sri Lankan food is a mix of many Asian cuisines, influenced by the migrant South Indians and Malay workers and also from the colonial influences by the English, Dutch and the Portuguese.
The first dish that sprang to my mind is Koththu roti, a popular street food which can be found in every nook and corner in Sri Lanka. Koththu literally means “chop.” It’s a mix of shredded roti, meat, curry and vegetables. Koththu is blended together on a flat iron skillet using two metal blades with wooden handles. The clashing of the metal blades with the iron skillet creates a distinctive musical sound and the aroma of freshly cooked Koththu is enough to draw a passerby to stop and indulge in this flavorful dish.
The roti used in this dish is same as the famous Malaysian “Roti Canai” and the South Indian “Parotta.” The traditional way of cooking this is very cumbersome and requires the dough to be dunked in oil. But I’m giving an easy recipe with less oil for you to try. You can also buy the premade Roti Canai or Parotta in Asian stores if it’s accessible, or even use flour tortillas and skip the part of making the roti.
(Click Page 2 for the Koththu Roti Recipe)
Pages: 1 2
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I assume that capsicum has meaning for you but not here in the US. It must mean peppers. I would think it’s hot peppers. Is that right? Or is it sweet peppers?
It’s bell peppers:the sweet variety,Angela.
It looks so good. I will give it try later.
It’s sweet peppers,Angela.
Thank you.
I personally love all types of pancakes. I’m used to the Roti Paratha. I can’t wait to try this version.
Sri lankan cuisine is absolutely delicious. Even if it has a lot in common with the cuisine around Tamilnadu, it’s still fair to say they have their own cuisine. I used to eat this treat a lot in Sydney, as we had this little south indian “roti boy” as we called him prepare it. Thank you, thank you, thank you!! Finally I got this recipe.
Thank you for introducing Sri Lankan cuisine! What a beautiful and flavorful street food!
Thank you for introducing Sri Lankan cuisine! What a beautiful and flavorful street food!
Definitely making this one this week!
It is like “KATA KUT”, a very popular street food in Pakistan. “Kata Kut” is a slang Urdu word that means “chop”. Usually chicken meat, liver and heart or Lamb’s kidney, heart, brain, liver are choped along with tomatoes, green chillies and other spices, the same way as in “Koththu Roti”, you have indicated.The musical sound and the exotic smell goes far and wide. What a similarity!
I spent many years post-Tsunami in Sri Lanka oversee several international children and women development projects in Galle, Southern Province of Sri Lanka. Those amazing hole in the wall tea houses along Galle Road open 24/7, vendors selling hoppers, koththu Roti, not to mention those spicy maldives dry fish and coconut sambal! The Koththu roti technique so similar to Teppanyaki. The part I enjoy the most is watching the hawkers ‘musical performance’ of chopping roti on big cast iron hot plate! All those fond memories! :-) I look forward for more of Sri Lankan cooking on your amazing blog!