Sri Lankan potato curry, something that we as Sri Lankans love to have with our rice and curry. The best thing about potato curry is, it’s not spicy, it’s just a creamy potato that anyone and everyone can enjoy. It’s only in Sri Lanka that we love to mix carbs with carbs hahahhaha.
Potato curry is something I grew up back home on a daily basis. I still can’t understand how I managed to stay slim back home, eating so much potato and rice and now if I eat rice for all meals, I will literally have to be living in the gym.
What can you have with Sri Lankan potato curry
Is Sri Lankan potato curry spicy
No, it’s not, well this is one curry you can happily eat as a non-spicy mild curry and in Sri Lankan cuisine that’s hard to come by hahahhaha
Do we need to peel potatoes?
No, you don’t need to peel the potatoes for boiling.
The reason why the potatoes are boiled with the skin on them is to keep the integrity of the potato by not boiling it too much and preserving its starch inside. you can however peel and cut the potatoes and cook, which will be quicker to boil but the potatoes taste better when boiled with the skin on.
What Kind of potatoes to use?
You can use any kind of potatoes as it is curry. Red, brown and dirt potatoes anything is fine. But do not use baby potatoes or expensive potatoes, as this is a curry we don’t need expensive varieties of potatoes.
What kind of coconut milk is used for Sri Lankan potato curry
Now I get this question often if coconut cream can be used. Generally, we never use coconut cream in Sri Lankan cooking, we only use coconut milk. I use the desiccated coconut powder that is found in Sri Lankan grocery stores, but you can buy tinned coconut milk in any retail store in Australia.
We also classify coconut milk as thin and thick coconut milk. That’s because when you traditionally make coconut milk at home with real coconuts the final squeezing of the coconut milk is not creamy as the first squeeze then we call it thin coconut milk. And usually at home, we would start with thin coconut milk and finish off with thick coconut milk. But here since I use powdered coconut milk, I start with water and finish with coconut milk.
Where to buy Sri Lankan spices
For all my foreign readers, I do get this question often But Sri Lankan spices are not something that is freely available in grocery stores unless you go to a Sri Lankan grocery store. But I know a few online places that sell really good Sri Lankan spices, I have tagged their website below
Araliya, Lord and lion.
The only two Sri Lankan spices used in this curry is turmeric and dill seeds. Tumeric you can purchase from anywhere but I highly recommend buying a Sri Lankan turmeric powder, as we are known to have the best turmeric. Dill seeds, this is something only Sri Lankan stores will have.
How to store Sri Lankan potato curry
You can store it in the fridge. I don’t recommend freezing it as the potato texture becomes quite spongy but saying that I have frozen my curries before but it is not the best of quality. you can store it for up to 5 days in the fridge
How to Reheat Sri Lankan potato curry
You can microwave it or heat it up in a pan until heated through
Step by step guide on how to make Sri Lankan potato curry
Equipment
- Pan
Ingredients
- 500 g Potato Skin on
- 2 Tablespoon Oil Canola, Vegetable, Olive
- 10 Curry Leaves
- 1/2 Pandan leaf Optional
- 2-3 Cardomom pods
- 1/4 Cinnamon stick
- 2 Chillies Green or red
- 1/2 tsp Dill seeds
- 2 cloves Garlic Chopped
- 1 Onion Sliced
- 1 tsp Turmeric powder
- 1 tsp Mustard seeds
- 2 1/2 cup Coconut Milk
- To taste Salt
Instructions
- Firstly boil the potatoes with the skin on in a saucepan until tender, but not too tender This will take approximately 35-40 minutes depending on the size of the potatoes Make sure the potatoes are not too tender, if not it will turn into mash in the curry
- Once the potatoes are parboiled, take off the skin and cut them into quarters
- In a separate pan, add oil, onion, garlic, chilli and saute until soft
- Then add the mustard seeds, dill seeds, cardamom pods, cinnamon sticks, curry leaves, pandan leaves, saute for about 1 minute, then add the potatoes and quickly add the coconut milk.
- Add turmeric, salt and cook for about 10 -15 minutes, until the gravy has absorbed into the potatoes and the potatoes are cooked and the curry has thickened
- Off the fire, adjust seasoning and enjoy