Street Icon · Chopped & Stir-Fried

Kottu Roti

Name: Kottu Roti recipe
Prep time: 20 min
Cook time: 20 min
Total time: 40 min
Yield: 2–3 servings
Ingredients: 4 plain parathas or godamba roti (ready-made flaky parathas work well), cut into thin strips; 2 tablespoons oil; 1 onion, sliced, 2 garlic cloves, minced, 1 teaspoon grated ginger, 2 green chillies, sliced, a few curry leaves; 1 carrot, grated, a handful of shredded cabbage, 1 leek or spring onion, sliced; 2 eggs; 200 g cooked chicken, shredded (optional); 1 teaspoon curry powder (Sri Lankan roasted if you have it), 1 teaspoon chilli powder, ½ teaspoon turmeric, salt, black pepper; ½–¾ cup (120–180 ml) warm chicken or vegetable curry sauce or gravy; if you have none, simmer 1 teaspoon curry powder, ½ teaspoon chilli powder, 1 chopped tomato and 150 ml stock for 8 minutes

Photo: Chamal N / Wikimedia Commons · CC BY-SA 3.0

You'll hear kottu before you see it — vendors chop the roti with two flat blades in a rhythm so distinctive it's basically street music.

Shredded godamba roti (a flaky flatbread) is chopped and stir-fried on a flat griddle with egg, vegetables, and a choice of chicken, beef, or cheese, all doused in curry sauce. It's sold from open-fronted stalls across the island, usually late into the night.

Why it's made this way: Kottu began as a practical way to use up leftover roti — the bread is chopped fine so it soaks up curry and cooks fast, making it perfect for busy roadside stalls that need to turn out cheap, filling food quickly.

What is Kottu Roti?

Kottu roti, often just called kottu, is a Sri Lankan street dish of flatbread (godamba roti, a thin, stretched, layered bread) chopped into pieces and stir-fried on a hot griddle with egg, vegetables, spices and a choice of chicken, beef or cheese, all moistened with curry sauce. The name comes from the Tamil and Sinhala word for chopping.

You can hear it before you see it: cooks chop the roti on the griddle with two metal blades in a loud, rhythmic clatter that draws customers in, especially late at night.

How to make chicken kottu

Serves 2–3 · prep 20 min · cook 20 min

Ingredients

4 plain parathas or godamba roti (ready-made flaky parathas work well), cut into thin strips
2 tablespoons oil
1 onion, sliced, 2 garlic cloves, minced, 1 teaspoon grated ginger, 2 green chillies, sliced, a few curry leaves
1 carrot, grated, a handful of shredded cabbage, 1 leek or spring onion, sliced
2 eggs
200 g cooked chicken, shredded (optional)
1 teaspoon curry powder (Sri Lankan roasted if you have it), 1 teaspoon chilli powder, ½ teaspoon turmeric, salt, black pepper
½–¾ cup (120–180 ml) warm chicken or vegetable curry sauce or gravy; if you have none, simmer 1 teaspoon curry powder, ½ teaspoon chilli powder, 1 chopped tomato and 150 ml stock for 8 minutes

Method

Cut the parathas into thin strips and set aside. If they are cold from the fridge, warm them briefly so they are not stiff.
Heat the oil in a large wide pan or wok. Fry the onion, garlic, ginger, chillies and curry leaves for 2–3 minutes until fragrant.
Add the carrot, cabbage and leek and stir-fry for 2–3 minutes. Add the spices and salt and stir.
Push the vegetables to one side, crack the eggs into the pan and scramble them, then mix them into the vegetables. Add the chicken, if using.
Add the roti strips and pour in half the curry sauce. Using two metal spatulas, chop and mix everything together on the heat for 3–4 minutes, adding more sauce until the roti is coated and soft but not soggy.
Taste, adjust the salt and pepper, and serve hot, often with extra curry sauce on the side.

Tips

Shred the roti thinly so it soaks up the sauce.
Add the sauce gradually. Too much makes it soggy; too little leaves it dry.
Two spatulas and a hot pan give the classic chopped texture and a little char.
Use leftover roti or paratha: kottu is commonly said to have begun as a way to use up leftover bread.