Sri Lankan chopped flatbread stir-fried with vegetables, egg and meat on a griddle — the island's most popular street food.
Kottu roti is Sri Lanka's greatest street food and one of the most hypnotically satisfying dishes to watch being prepared — leftover roti bread is chopped on a smoking hot griddle with metal blades that produce a rhythmic clanging sound audible from a block away, stir-fried with vegetables, eggs, curry, and choice of meat. The result is a mess of soft, slightly crispy roti pieces drenched in sauce. It is Sri Lanka's most-ordered takeaway food and the quintessential late-night eating.
Serves 2
Cut roti into strips about 3–4cm wide, then cut again into roughly 3cm pieces. Set aside.
Heat a large flat pan or griddle on very high heat. Add oil.
Add curry leaves — they will spit. Add onion, green chillies and carrot. Fry 3 minutes over high heat.
Add roti pieces and meat. Mix everything together vigorously, pressing and chopping with spatulas or the edge of a spoon — this is the kottu technique.
Push everything to one side. Crack eggs into the cleared space and scramble briefly, then fold into the roti mixture. Add soy sauce, curry sauce or gravy, and cabbage. Continue mixing vigorously for 2–3 minutes. Season with salt and pepper. Serve immediately.
High heat is essential — every step must be cooked at full heat.
Leftover curry sauce is the authentic secret ingredient — even a tablespoon dramatically improves the flavour.
Work fast with two spatulas — the chopping motion that gives kottu its texture is part of the technique.
Cheese kottu adds a generous amount of grated processed cheese in the final minute — popular and indulgent.
Egg-only kottu (no meat) is the classic vegetarian version.
Cannot be stored — kottu roti must be eaten immediately.
Kottu roti was popularised in Sri Lanka in the 1970s by Tamil street cooks in the Eastern Province, who used day-old roti to reduce waste. The distinctive clanging sound of the metal blades on the griddle became part of Sri Lanka's urban soundscape. The dish spread across the island and is now found in Sri Lankan restaurants worldwide.
Godamba roti — a thin, slightly chewy Sri Lankan flatbread — is traditional. Regular chapati or paratha are good substitutes. Thicker flatbreads also work but give slightly different texture.
Per serving · 2 servings total
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