Kottu Roti
Kottu Roti is a fast, fiery stir-fry of shredded flatbread, egg, and vegetables bound together with fragrant curry spices. The finished dish is savory, slightly smoky, and wonderfully textured, with tender roti, soft egg, and crisp-edged vegetables in every bite.
Ingredients
Kottu base
- 4 pieces (about 240 g)godamba roti or plain cooked roti, stacked and shredded into thin strips
- 2 largeeggs
- 80 gleek, thinly sliced
- 60 gcarrot, finely julienned
- 1green chilli, thinly sliced
- 8 leavescurry leaves
- 1 tbsp (15 ml)coconut oil
- 1/4 tspfine salt
- 1/4 tspblack pepper
Quick curry gravy
- 120 mlwater
- 1 1/2 tspSri Lankan curry powder
- 1/4 tspturmeric powder
- 1/4 tspchilli powder
- 1 tspsoy sauce
To finish
- 1 tsplime juice
Instructions
- 1
Stack the roti and slice them into very thin strips, about 1 cm wide. Thinly slice the leek and chilli, and julienne the carrot. Beat the eggs with the salt and black pepper until smooth so they cook quickly and coat the roti evenly.
- 2
In a small bowl, stir together the water, curry powder, turmeric, chilli powder, and soy sauce to make a light gravy. Mixing it first prevents dry spices from clumping in the pan.
- 3
Heat a wide frying pan or wok over high heat until very hot. Add the coconut oil, then the curry leaves, leek, carrot, and green chilli. Stir-fry for 2 minutes, just until the leek softens slightly and the carrot loses its raw edge but still has some bite.
- 4
Push the vegetables to one side of the pan and pour in the beaten eggs. Scramble for 30-45 seconds until softly set, then mix them through the vegetables. Keeping the eggs slightly soft at this stage stops them becoming rubbery later.
- 5
Add the shredded roti and pour the curry gravy over it. Stir-fry and toss vigorously for 3-4 minutes, breaking up any clumps so every strip absorbs some gravy. Cook until the roti is hot, lightly softened, and stained golden, but not soggy; if the pan looks dry before the roti is heated through, sprinkle in 1-2 teaspoons of water.
- 6
Turn off the heat, drizzle over the lime juice, toss once more, and serve immediately while steaming hot. Kottu is best eaten straight from the pan, when the edges are still slightly chewy and the center is moist.
Nutrition per serving
Notes
- •For a true street-food texture, use day-old roti; fresh roti can be a little too soft and may turn pasty.
- •A large, very hot pan is important: overcrowding causes the roti to steam instead of fry.
- •If you want it spicier, add an extra green chilli or a pinch more chilli powder to the gravy.
- •Serve with extra curry gravy, seeni sambol, or a simple lime wedge on the side.
Background
Kottu roti is one of Sri Lanka's most beloved street foods, traditionally made by chopping up flatbread on a hot griddle with vegetables, eggs, meat, and curry. It became popular as an economical and satisfying meal, and the rhythmic clatter of metal blades chopping the roti is now iconic in Sri Lankan towns and cities.
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