Kannamma Cooks

Collection of Tamil Nadu Recipes , Tamil Cuisine, Kongunad Recipes. Easy Vegetarian and Non Vegetarian dishes with step by step pictures.

  • Home
  • Recipes
  • Kongunadu Recipes
  • KC Videos
  • Contact
  • Buy Online

search the site

SEARCH Categories

Sri Lankan Chicken Curry

March 24, 2019 by Suguna Vinodh 17 Comments

Jump to Recipe·Print Recipe

Srilankan-chicken-curry-with-homemade-curry-powder-recipe-12
Recipe for traditional Sri Lankan chicken curry. Made with homemade curry masala powder. The curry goes well with rotti, rice and hoppers. Recipe with step by step pictures.

Here is a recipe for traditional Sri Lankan style chicken curry that I learnt from Chef Palitha Dewage during my trip to the beautiful nation in 2017. This dish is very robust, spicy and goes very well with hoppers, string hoppers and even rice.

Sri Lankan style Curry powder is used for this recipe. If you can get hold of it in a place where you live, use it. I made my own curry powder recipe from scratch and here it is!!!

First lets make a homemade curry powder for this recipe. Heat a heavy pan on low flame. Add in all the ingredients listed under curry powder. Just a couple of things. Don’t go over board with fenugreek seeds. Too much will make the curry bitter. Regarding what kind of rice to use, it really does not matter. Just use whatever rice you have on hand. Parboiled, raw rice, basmati, whatever…..It will work!!!
Slowly roast all the ingredients till the spices turn fragrant and the mustard seeds slowly starts to pop here and there. The rice would have slightly turned brown.
Srilankan-chicken-curry-with-homemade-curry-powder-recipe-3

Set aside everything on a plate to cool. Transfer the cooled ingredients to a mixie. Grind to a smooth powder. Set aside.
Srilankan-chicken-curry-with-homemade-curry-powder-recipe-4

Marinate the chicken with the marination ingredients. Set aside for 30 minutes. Make sure that the pieces are small. If using chicken legs, make some gashes so the masalas can permeate well.
Srilankan-chicken-curry-with-homemade-curry-powder-recipe-2

Heat coconut oil in a pan and add in the cinnamon and cardamom.
If you can get hold of the Sri Lankan cinnamon, use that. I used my last lot of Sri Lankan cinnamon that is remaining from my last trip. I store all my spices in the freezer so it stays fresh for a long time without turning rancid or losing its potency. Most of the Cinnamon we use here in India is actually cassia. Ceylon Cinnamon quills will resemble a tightly rolled cigar once dried. Cassia tends to be a dark brown-red color with thicker sticks and a rougher texture than Ceylon cinnamon. One of the primary differences between cinnamon and cassia is the coumarin content.
Srilankan-chicken-curry-with-homemade-curry-powder-recipe-5

Add in the curry leaves, green chillies and sliced onions. Saute for a few minutes.
Srilankan-chicken-curry-with-homemade-curry-powder-recipe-6

Add in the red chiili powder, black pepper powder, turmeric powder and the ground curry masala powder. Add all of the curry masala powder. Saute for a couple of minutes. Let the masalas get roasted well. The aromas from the pan should now waft the kitchen.
Srilankan-chicken-curry-with-homemade-curry-powder-recipe-7

Add in the ginger garlic paste. saute for a minute.
A note on ginger garlic paste – I ground a whole pod of garlic along with two inch piece of ginger with little water. I added half of it for the marinade and the other half while making the curry
Srilankan-chicken-curry-with-homemade-curry-powder-recipe-8

Add in the marinated chicken, lemon grass and pandan leaves to the pan. Mix well to combine. Let the chicken cook for five minutes. Keep sauteing.
Pandan Leaves – Pandan leaves is also called as rambai ilai in Tamil and is usually available in coastal areas. The plant can be easily grown in a balcony garden of the apartment. If you cannot get fresh lemon grass, you can substitute dried lemon grass. Lemon grass is easily available online in amazon.
Srilankan-chicken-curry-with-homemade-curry-powder-recipe-10

Add in the coconut milk. Add in a cup of water. Add in the remaining salt.

A note on coconut milk
I made homemade coconut milk. I ground half of a small coconut with water and made three extracts and added it to the curry. I had about 2 cups of coconut milk (thin+thick milk). If using canned coconut milk, use 1 cup of milk and 1 cup of water. Here is the link to make homemade coconut milk.

Coconut Milk Recipe, Homemade Coconut Milk From Scratch


Srilankan-chicken-curry-with-homemade-curry-powder-recipe-10

Now close the pan with a lid and lower the flame. Let it simmer for 45 minutes on a low flame. Cooking on a low flame is key to develop the flavors.
Srilankan-chicken-curry-with-homemade-curry-powder-recipe-11

Sri Lankan chicken curry is ready.
Srilankan-chicken-curry-with-homemade-curry-powder-recipe-13

Print
clock clock iconcutlery cutlery iconflag flag iconfolder folder iconinstagram instagram iconpinterest pinterest iconfacebook facebook iconprint print iconsquares squares iconheart heart iconheart solid heart solid icon
Srilankan-chicken-curry-with-homemade-curry-powder-recipe-1

Sri Lankan Chicken Curry


★★★★★

5 from 6 reviews

  • Author: Kannamma - Suguna Vinodh
  • Total Time: 1 hour 10 mins
  • Yield: 4 servings 1x
Print Recipe
Pin Recipe

Description

Recipe for traditional Sri Lankan chicken curry. Made with homemade curry masala powder. The curry goes well with rotti, rice and hoppers. Recipe with step by step pictures.


Ingredients

Scale

For the curry masala

  • 1 teaspoon coriander seeds
  • 1 teaspoon cumin seeds
  • 1 teaspoon black pepper
  • 1 teaspoon rice (any variety will work)
  • 1/2 teaspoon mustard seeds
  • 1 clove
  • 1 cardamom
  • 1 teaspoon fennel
  • 1/4 teaspoon fenugreek seeds
  • 2 sprigs curry leaves

For the marination

  • 500 grams chicken on bone
  • 1/2 teaspoon turmeric powder
  • 1 teaspoon coriander powder
  • 1 teaspoon red chilli powder (kashmiri variety)
  • 1 teaspoon black pepper powder
  • 1 tablespoon vinegar
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 2 teaspoon ginger garlic paste
  • 1 tablespoon coconut oil

Other ingredients

  • 2 tablespoon coconut oil
  • 2 cardamom
  • 1 inch cinnamon sticks
  • 3 curry leaf sprigs
  • 3 green chillies
  • 1 onion, chopped (preferably red onions)
  • 1 teaspoon red chilli powder
  • 1 teaspoon black pepper powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon turmeric powder
  • 2 teaspoon ginger garlic paste
  • 1 stalk lemon grass
  • 1 pandan leaf (rambai ilai)
  • coconut milk from half of a coconut (see notes)
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt

Instructions

  1. Heat a heavy pan on a low flame. Add in all the ingredients listed under curry powder. Slowly roast all the ingredients till the spices turn fragrant and the mustard seeds slowly starts to pop here and there. The rice would have slightly turned brown. Set aside everything on a plate to cool. Grind to a smooth powder. Set aside.
  2. Marinate the chicken with the marination ingredients. Set aside for 30 minutes. Make sure that the pieces are small. If using chicken legs, make some gashes so the masalas can permeate well.
  3. Heat coconut oil in a pan and add in the cinnamon and cardamom.
  4. Add in the curry leaves, green chillies and sliced onions. Saute for a few minutes.
  5. Add in the red chiili powder, black pepper powder, turmeric powder and the ground curry masala powder. Add all of the curry masala powder. Saute for a couple of minutes. Let the masalas get roasted well. The aromas from the pan should now waft the kitchen.
  6. Add in the ginger garlic paste. saute for a minute.
  7. Add in the marinated chicken, lemon grass and pandan leaves to the pan. Mix well to combine. Let the chicken cook for five minutes. Keep sauteing.
  8. Add in the coconut milk. Add in a cup of water. Add in the remaining salt.
  9. Now close the pan with a lid and lower the flame. Let it simmer for 45 minutes on a low flame. Cooking on a low flame is key to develop the flavors.
  10. Sri Lankan chicken curry is ready.

Notes

A note on ginger garlic paste.
I ground a whole pod of garlic along with two inch piece of ginger with little water. I added half of it for the marinade and the other half while making the curry
A note on coconut milk
I made homemade coconut milk. I ground half of a small coconut with water and made three extracts and added it to the curry. I had about 2 cups of coconut milk (thin+thick milk). If using canned coconut milk, use 1 cup of milk and 1 cup of water.
Here is the link to make homemade coconut milk.

Coconut Milk Recipe, Homemade Coconut Milk From Scratch

  • Prep Time: 10 mins
  • Cook Time: 1 hour
  • Category: Curry
  • Cuisine: Sri Lankan

Did you make this recipe?

Tag @kannammacooks on Instagram and hashtag it #kannammacooks

 

← Previous Post Finding Culinary Inspiration In The Woods
Next Post → Urulai Kurma for idli and dosa, Potato Kurma Recipe

Suguna Vinodh

I'm Suguna Vinodh aka Kannamma. I love south Indian food and I am passionate about baking. My Favorite things include my Wusthof knife, Coffee, Ilayaraja, Tamil and beaches. I love Jacques Pepin and Julia Child.

Connect With Me : FacebookInstagramTwitter

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Recipe rating ★☆ ★☆ ★☆ ★☆ ★☆

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Comments

  1. Cynthia Gomez says

    October 11, 2020 at 8:54 am

    Hi Suguna,

    This recipe is delicious. I have been searching left, right and centre for a recipe that resembles my mother’s chicken curry recipe and am so happy I finally found something! Thank-you for sharing.

    I used my own curry masala rather than the one you provided and initially made the gravy too spicy. Luckily, I was able to salvage it by adding more coconut milk. Just out of curiousity approximately how many tablespoons does your curry masala equate to?

    Reply
    • Suguna Vinodh says

      October 12, 2020 at 1:23 pm

      Thank you! Roughly about 2-3 tablespoon

      Reply
  2. Kawalpreet says

    June 16, 2020 at 5:50 pm

    Hello suguna Thank you for wonderful Recipe. I am punjabi Indian and my husband is srilankan. He always ask me to make this recipe for him. He also praise about this recipe i front of his friends and family. Thanks heaps. I love this recipe

    ★★★★★

    Reply
    • Suguna Vinodh says

      June 17, 2020 at 12:33 am

      Thank you so much. It means a lot to me 🙂

      Reply
  3. Sharmela says

    June 7, 2020 at 4:16 pm

    Hi Suguna. Tried this recipe. Couldn’t lay my hands on the pandan and lemongrass, but came out well. The aroma was amazing.

    Thanks.
    Sharmela

    ★★★★★

    Reply
    • Suguna Vinodh says

      June 7, 2020 at 4:43 pm

      Thank you!

      Reply
  4. Visiit says

    June 27, 2019 at 5:49 pm

    Its sounds great really an amazing dish to try and i’m gonna try this.

    ★★★★★

    Reply
  5. Rati says

    June 23, 2019 at 12:35 am

    Hi Suguna,

    This Sri Lankan Chicken Curry recipe was really fantastic. I tried the recipe with the exact measurements you’ve posted and it came out great! Thank You!

    ★★★★★

    Reply
    • Suguna Vinodh says

      June 25, 2019 at 2:03 am

      Thank you

      Reply
  6. maria.K says

    May 31, 2019 at 2:10 pm

    hi, is there any substtiute for pandan leaf? pl help.thanks.
    its a small amount used but will it matter if i dont use it?

    Reply
    • Suguna Vinodh says

      May 31, 2019 at 2:19 pm

      Hi Maria, You can just omit it if you don’t have it but it does have a very unique taste.

      Reply
  7. Brett says

    May 18, 2019 at 4:12 am

    This is the real deal, everything made fresh including the curry powder and the cocont milk!

    Looks delicious, great job on the dish and this post.

    ★★★★★

    Reply
  8. VANDY MADIREDDY says

    May 17, 2019 at 10:39 pm

    Hi,

    I love your recipe even before I’m cooking. I can’t wait to try it. One question, I do not have lemon grass. Is there another good substitute for it? If not, can I skip it without it affecting the taste?

    ★★★★★

    Reply
    • Suguna Vinodh says

      May 18, 2019 at 12:21 pm

      Hi Vandy,
      You can skip the lemon grass if you dont have it. Its ok.

      Reply
  9. Vee says

    April 5, 2019 at 12:21 pm

    What is a good substitute for vinegar or does white wine vinegar work?

    Reply
    • Suguna Vinodh says

      April 5, 2019 at 1:52 pm

      Yes. it will work.

      Reply
  10. Saranya rajesh says

    March 24, 2019 at 7:20 am

    Hi suguna we love your recipes…😋
    Please give a recipe of srilankan style maravalli kilangu curry. Thanks

    Reply

Download our App today!!!

Android app
iOS app

HEY! NICE TO MEET YOU HERE!

I’m Suguna, a former financial analyst, now a full-time food blogger. Welcome to my space. I share recipes gathered from my friends and family here. I am passionate about South Indian food. I crazy love knives. A sharp knife is a girls best friend. Hope you like the recipes here. Happy Cooking. Read more.....

Categories

  • Air Fryer Recipes (18)
  • All Day Breakfast (32)
  • Appetizers / Tea Time snacks (104)
  • Asian Flavors (48)
  • Baking (53)
  • Barbecue (3)
  • Basics (13)
  • Biryani (28)
  • Bread / Buns / Quiche (19)
  • Brownies/Blondies (2)
  • Cakes / Pastries / Tart (18)
  • Chettinad Recipes (36)
  • Chicken Recipes (61)
  • Combo Meals (3)
  • Cookies / Biscuits (10)
  • Dal/lentil Recipes (81)
  • Dips, Salsa, and Sauces (6)
  • Dumpling / Kozhukattai / idiyappam Recipes (19)
  • Egg Dishes (34)
  • Equipment (1)
  • Fish / Seafood Recipes (48)
  • Gluten Free (16)
  • Healthy Meals (20)
  • Healthy zero oil snacks (2)
  • Home Improvement (1)
  • Home Remedy (5)
  • Hong Kong Life (3)
  • Idli-Dosa-Paniyaram varieties (52)
  • Indian Recipes (574)
  • Italian-Continental (19)
  • Juices / Mocktail (5)
  • Kitchen How to's (13)
  • Kongunadu Recipes (103)
  • Kurma Dishes (50)
  • Lunch Box Ideas (33)
  • Masala Powder/Chutney Powder/Pastes (18)
  • Middle Eastern Recipes (4)
  • Millet Recipes (19)
  • Misc (53)
  • Movie/Celebrity Inspired Recipes (4)
  • Muffins (5)
  • Mutton Recipes (29)
  • Non Veg Recipes (129)
  • North Indian Gravies (19)
  • OPOS / Easy Cooking / 10 minutes cooking (24)
  • Pachadi Recipes (1)
  • Parotta (3)
  • Pickles (4)
  • Poriyal – Stir-fry (64)
  • Rasam Varieties (17)
  • Recipes (751)
  • Research work (2)
  • Rice Dishes (49)
  • Roti / Chapati / Paratha (18)
  • Salad (3)
  • Sandwiches & Burgers (11)
  • Soups and Broth (23)
  • South Indian Chutney (66)
  • South Indian Kulambu / Sambar (59)
  • Sweets and Desserts (48)
  • Tea / Coffee (8)
  • Tips and Tricks (5)
  • Travel (3)
  • upma / kali (5)
  • Whole Grain Vegan Recipes (23)

Archives

(c) Copyright 2022 Kannamma Cooks | Privacy Policy | Hosting and Customization by Best Hosting And Design