Sri Lankan Koththu Roti (The Cheat Method)

I bet all Lankans would unanimously agree that Koththu Roti is Sri Lanka’s best loved street food of all times. And if you, like me have being living away from Sri Lanka for too long, it also probably one of those dishes that you crave badly when you think of home. Making a full-fledged koththu can be rather time consuming. You would first need to make the godamba roti, then a killer chicken curry and then chop up all the vegetables to go with it; well worth it, but not too practical on a regular basis for most of us.

While I was still in uni and was struck by a sudden craving, I came up with my cheat version which is still as delicious and comforting but with half the hassle. For starters, I used frozen paratas which I only had to fry on a griddle for 3-4 minutes which meant no dough kneading, no soaking in oil and most importantly no rolling out. Secondly, instead of making a full-fledged Sri Lankan chicken curry; which would require me to thaw, cut, marinate and cook a whole chicken, I resorted to use a roast chicken from a rotisserie (which by the way is actually cheaper!) which I can pick up on my way home after work to make a pseudo curry using lots of capsicums, onions and tomatoes. This of course is a personal choice and apart from the convenience, I also dislike waiting for chicken to thaw on work nights plus I love the taste of cooked capsicums over the semi raw type, so this method works perfectly for me. But if you have a chicken curry sitting in the fridge already, by all means use that; I would too.

Also, just to reiterate, this is a cheat version of a koththu with a lot of short cut steps used for my convenience which I hope those rushing for time would be able to appreciate. I will hopefully do a proper koththu recipe sometime soon when I have more time.

And for all those who are looking for ways to sneak in your day’s intake of vegetables into your meals or to clear up all the vegetables that’s wilting away in your fridge, this is a perfect recipe to do so too!
So without further ramblings, let’s get started and let me warn you this is going to be a picture heavy post!

Cast of characters (to serve four very hungry people)

6 Frozen Paratas (you could use ready made godamba roti if you have access to them)
1 whole Roast chicken, shredded
2-3 Capsicums, sliced
1 large Onion, sliced
A few curry leaves
2-3 green chillies and dry red chillies
2 Tomatoes, chopped
2-3 cloves of garlic, chopped
2 stalks of leeks (the green part), chopped
2 carrots, cut into strips
¼ head of Cabbage, shredded
3 Eggs
¼ cup of coconut milk
A Tbsp of chilli paste
Oil, salt, curry powder, chilli powder
1 Tbsp Ketchup (optional)
Handful of coriander leaves and cheese for garnishing (optional)

First prepare the roti by frying them over a griddle till they are cooked through. Let it cool down and cut it into long strips/ pieces using kitchen shears or a knife.

Next prepare the capsicum and chicken gravy. Heat a bit of oil in a pot, add in sliced onions, garlic, and dry red chili & curry leaves and let it cook for about 3 mins till the onions are translucent. Then add in the capsicum and after about 3 mins and let it fry for about 3 mins. Then add in the tomatoes and the green chilies.

Season it with plenty of Sri Lankan roasted curry powder, red chili powder, red chili flakes and salt.

Add to it a ¼ a cup of coconut milk (which I forgot to feature along with the ingredients) and stir well.

Next de-bone and shred the whole chicken into bite sized pieces – use a bit of the skin for added flavour but again, that is optional.

Then add in the shredded roast chicken together with some chili paste (I got mine from the local supermarket) and set it aside.

Next, scramble a few eggs with a little bit of oil and keep it aside as well. You could always add the eggs straight into the stir fry (next step) but I usually like to prepare my eggs separately to ensure it doesn’t cause everything to be soggy.
Heat another wok with a bit of oil and stir fry the chopped leeks for about 2 mins and then followed by the carrots and cabbage. Do not overcook these, just a quick stir-fry would do.

Now add in the chicken and capsicum gravy into the wok along with 3 scrambled eggs. You could check for seasoning again and adjust salt/ chilli accordingly.