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Sri Lankan Chicken Kottu Roti Recipe | Street Food Favorite
| Category | Cuisine | Servings | Total time | Spice level | Kids friendly |
| Main Course | Sri Lankan | 2 adult | 20 minutes | 🌶️🌶️🌶️ | ❌ |
The Soul of Kottu Roti
Kottu or Kottu roti, a popular Sri Lankan street food, a delicious stir fry of chopped roti, vegetables, and spices, often accompanied by chicken, Beef, or eggs
Sri Lankan Chicken Kottu Roti
Kottu roti is Sri Lanka’s most iconic street food.
It is a dish that feeds both the body and the spirit.
The dish is made by finely chopping godamba roti. It is then stir-fried with chicken, eggs, leeks, curry leaves, and Sri Lankan spices.
Kottu is known not only for its flavour, but also for its sound.
The rhythmic clang-clang of metal blades hitting a hot griddle is a familiar part of Sri Lankan nights.
A Dish Full of Flavour
This authentic Sri Lankan chicken kottu recipe has a deep, savoury taste.
It carries rich spice flavours without using coconut.
The texture is soft and layered, with slightly crisp edges.
The heat level can range from moderate to strong.
However, it stays well balanced with salt, umami, and a small pinch of sugar, just like street-style kottu.
A Reflection of Sri Lankan Culture
Kottu roti reflects Sri Lanka’s multicultural food culture.
It is enjoyed across Sinhala, Tamil, Muslim, and Burgher communities.
People usually eat kottu for dinner or late at night.
It is often served straight from the griddle and eaten with a spoon.
Simple, Honest, and Comforting
Kottu roti is more than a dish.
It is bold, comforting, and deeply rooted in everyday life.
This is Sri Lankan kottu at its most authentic.
Ingredients
Method
- 2 tbsp vegetable oil
- 2 large eggs
- 1 medium onion, thinly sliced
- 1 cup leeks, thinly sliced
- 1 cup carrot, thinly sliced
- 1 cup cabbage, thinly sliced
- 2 green chillies, thinly sliced
- 1 tbsp ginger‑garlic paste
- 8-10 curry leaves
- 1 inch pandan leaf
- 1 small pinch sugar
- Salt, to taste
- 1-2 tbsp light soy sauce
- 4 godamba roti or wheat roti
(or frozen paratha, flaky flatbread or wichi roti) - 250 g chicken, cooked and finely chopped
(best flavour when lightly fried) - 2 tbsp chicken curry gravy
½ tsp Turmeric Powder Add To Cart
½ tsp Chilli Flakes Add To Cart
½ tsp Pepper Powder Add To Cart
- Stack the roti, slice into thin strips, then chop into small squares. Set aside.
- Heat the oil in a large frying pan or flat griddle over medium‑high heat.
- Crack in the eggs and scramble lightly in the oil and Immediately add the curry leaves and pandan leaf, stirring them through the egg as it cooks.
- Add the onion, leeks, carrot, cabbage and green chillies, and stir‑fry together for 3-4 minutes until softened.
- Stir in the ginger garlic paste and cook for 30 seconds until fragrant.
- Add the turmeric, chilli flakes, black pepper, sugar and salt, mixing well so everything is evenly coated.
- Add the chicken, soy sauce and curry gravy, and stir fry for 1-2 minutes.
- Add the chopped roti and, using spatulas, chop and toss continuously for 3-5 minutes until evenly mixed and lightly crisp.
- Remove from the heat and garnish with a small handful of finely chopped fresh vegetables for balance and freshness.
- Serve immediately while hot.
To Serve
- Extra chicken curry gravy
- Lime wedges
- A simple cucumber salad
Making It Kid Friendly
To make a milder version suitable for children:
- Omit the green chillies
- Skip the chilli flakes
- Add one extra egg
