Muslim Quarter Specialty · Spiced Rice
Buriyani
📷 Closely related photo — Photo: Syced / Wikimedia Commons · CC0
Long-running family stalls near the Batticaloa bus stand sell it late into the night, and locals will name the exact shop, not just the dish, when they say they're heading out for buriyani.
Basmati rice is layered and slow-cooked with chicken, mutton or beef, whole spices and fried onions into a fragrant, saffron-streaked biryani, dished out at Muslim-owned eateries and roadside stalls across Batticaloa and the wider Eastern Province, usually with a boiled egg and a side of sambol.
Why it's made this way: Batticaloa's substantial Moor (Muslim) community brought South Asian biryani traditions to the island's east coast, where it has since become one of the district's defining restaurant dishes.
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