Kothu roti the Sri Lanka recepie

Origins:
Kothu roti is a truly indigenous 
dish, said to be the brainchild of 
Sri Lanka’s peasant population 
as cheap, fast and filling food. It 
remains unclear exactly which 
region produced the first kothu 
roti but it is agreed that it dates 
only to the 1970s. The name 
translates as ‘chopped roti’ and 
the main seasoning of Jaffna 
curry is a Sri Lankan blend 
comprising over 10 different 
spices, including cinnamon, 
which is a defining feature of Sri 
Lankan curry dishes.

The cooking of this fiery jumble of chopped Gothamba roti, 
a fried flatbread, mixed with a meat or vegetable stew spiced 
with Jaffna curry powder makes wonderful streetside viewing.

Ingredients:

Lamb Curry
1 tbs vegetable oil
1 medium onion, peeled and 
chopped
3 cloves of garlic, peeled and 
crushed
1 green chilli, chopped
500g (1lb) stewing lamb, diced
1 tbs curry powder
½ tsp cumin seeds
1 tbs garam masala
Water

Gothamba roti

225g (8oz) self-raising flour
1 tsp salt
1 tbs vegetable oil
About ½ cup (125mL) water
Oil for brushing and frying

Kothu Roti
1 tbs vegetable oil
1 medium onion, peeled and 
chopped
½ tsp mustard seeds
½ tsp cumin seeds
Handful of curry leaves
1 green chilli, chopped
2 eggs, beaten

Method

1.Make the curry. Heat the oil in a pan and fry the onion, garlic and chilli until the onions are soft but not brown. Add the lamb and brown. Add the spices and cook for 3 minutes. Cover with water and simmer until the lamb is tender. (at least an hour). 

2.To make the roti dough, combine all the 
ingredients (apart from the extra oil) until the mixture starts to come away from the sides of the bowl. Turn out the mixture and knead until soft, adding flour or water to get a smooth, but not sticky, dough. Rest for half an hour. 

3.Divide the dough into six balls, then roll out each to a thickness of 2–3mm (⅛in). Take one and brush a little oil on the bottom third and fold towards the middle. Repeat with the top third. Turn 90 degrees clockwise and repeat with the bottom and top thirds. Repeat for each roti. Heat the oil in a pan and flatten each roti with a rolling pin. Fry each on one side until the top puffs up and the bottom is blistered. Turn over and repeat. Cook the rest of the rotis. 

4.To make the kothu roti, heat the oil in 
a pan and fry the onion, mustard seeds, 
cumin seeds, curry leaves and chilli for a few minutes. Set the mixture to one side of the 
pan and scramble the eggs in the other half. 

5.Slice the rotis into strips, add to the pan 
with the lamb curry and stir-fry to blend and heat. Serve immediately

Enjoy!