Kottu

Kottu is one of the national dishes of Sri Lanka, a favorite among locals and tourists throughout the country. It employs crucial elements of national Sri Lankan cuisine: roti flatbread, aromatic spices, crispy vegetables, and tasty meat.

Each kottu is prepared individually on a hot griddle. The process starts with spices such as ginger, garlic, pandan leaves, curry, chili, cardamom, and cinnamon, which are shortly fried to release all their intense aromas. The spices are topped and mixed with carrots, scallions, leeks, or other vegetables, while pieces of sliced roti are added on top.

Traditionally, kottu is topped with eggs which are used to hold the ingredients together, and most varieties of the dish also employ meat, usually generously seasoned slices of beef or chicken. When all ingredients are placed on a flat sizzling griddle, traditional long metal utensils are used to slice (and incorporate) them into kottu.

In the process, the metal appliances make loud sounds, which are recognized as a universal music that can be heard every evening on Sri Lankan streets.