Regional collection

Muslim Sri Lankan Recipes

Ceylon Moor kitchens: biryani, watalappam, fragrant ghee rice and the celebrated buriyani spice blends.

Showing 9 recipes

Seeni Sambola

Seeni Sambol

Seeni sambol, sometimes written seeni sambola or onion sambol and known in English as sweet onion relish, is slow-cooked caramelised red onion spiced with chilli, soured with tamarind and rounded out with a little jaggery. Dark, sticky and sweet-hot, it's the famous filling in seeni sambol buns and the calm, sweet contrast on a rice and curry plate. It takes patience to cook down, but a jar keeps for ages and, honestly, it only gets better as it sits.

55 minsServes 6MediumMedium

Substitutes includedVegetarian

Watalappan

Watalappam

4.9(17 reviews)

Watalappam, also spelled watalappan or wattalappam, is a steamed coconut custard sweetened with dark jaggery and spiced with cardamom, clove and nutmeg. Often called Sri Lankan jaggery custard or coconut jaggery pudding, it is the showpiece dessert of Eid and every festive table, brought by the Malay and Moor communities. Silky, deeply caramel and topped with toasted cashews, it tastes like a spiced coconut creme caramel.

60 minsServes 6MediumMild

Substitutes includedVegetarian

Kaha Bath

Sri Lankan Yellow Rice

4.7(13 reviews)

Sri Lankan yellow rice, known as kaha bath, is golden turmeric rice cooked in coconut milk with whole spices, curry leaves and pandan. This festival rice, sometimes called Sri Lankan turmeric rice or coconut milk yellow rice, is fragrant, faintly rich and far more interesting than plain rice, yet barely more effort. Serve it under a spread of curries and sambols.

35 minsServes 6BeginnerMild

Substitutes includedVegetarian

Buriyani

Sri Lankan Chicken Biryani

Sri Lankan chicken biryani, called buriyani or buryani, starts with chicken marinated in yoghurt and spices, browned, then layered with par-cooked basmati or seeru samba rice, fried onions, mint and coriander. It is sealed and finished low so the flavours meld. Richer and more aromatic than plain rice, it leans on roasted spice notes, sweet fried onions and a generous ghee base. This is the dish that crowns weddings, Ramadan and Eid tables, served with mint sambol, raita, a fiery sambol and cashews or boiled egg. That is a feast on one plate.

100 minsServes 6AdvancedMedium

Substitutes includedChicken

Mutton Biriyani

Sri Lankan Mutton Biryani

Let's get one thing settled first: Sri Lankan mutton biryani, also called mutton biriyani, is made with goat. The meat gets marinated in yoghurt and Sri Lankan spices, slow-cooked until tender, then layered with par-boiled basmati or seeru samba rice, fried onions, mint and coriander, and finished sealed on low heat. It's deeper and more robust than its chicken sibling, and this goat biryani trades quick cooking for a long, patient tenderising that pulls the meat off the bone and leaves the rice stained gold and heavy with spiced juices. It is the dish that crowns weddings, Ramadan iftars and Eid mornings, served with mint sambol, raita, a fiery acchar and ghee-fried cashews.

135 minsServes 6AdvancedMedium

Substitutes includedMeat

Beef Biriyani

Sri Lankan Beef Biryani

Sri Lankan beef biryani, known locally as beef biriyani, is beef marinated in yoghurt and spices, slow-cooked until tender, then layered with par-cooked basmati or seeru samba rice, sweet fried onions, mint and coriander, then finished sealed on low heat so every grain drinks up the spiced juices. It's richer and more robust than the chicken version, leaning on roasted spice notes, a generous ghee base and beef that falls apart at the fork. This is the biryani that crowns weddings, Ramadan and Eid tables. Serve it with raita, mint sambol, a fiery sambol and fried cashews or boiled egg, and you've got a full feast on a single plate.

120 minsServes 6AdvancedMedium

Substitutes includedMeat

Elawalu Biriyani

Sri Lankan Vegetable Biryani

Sri Lankan vegetable biryani, known locally as elawalu biriyani or simply veg biryani, is fragrant basmati or seeru samba rice layered with spiced mixed vegetables, sweet fried onions, mint and coriander, then sealed and finished on low heat so every grain drinks up the flavour. It's richer and more aromatic than plain rice. This meat-free Sri Lankan biryani leans on roasted spice notes, ghee and golden fried onions, with cashews or paneer added so it eats like a proper centrepiece rather than a side. Served with raita, mint sambol and a tangy acchar, it's a full vegetarian feast on a single plate.

80 minsServes 6MediumMedium

Substitutes includedVegetarian

Malay Achcharu

Sri Lankan Malay Pickle

Sri Lankan Malay pickle, Malay achcharu, is a sharp, sweet and fiery mixed pickle from the island's Malay community. Carrot, beans, cauliflower, shallots and green chilli get blanched, then packed into a thick paste of ground mustard, vinegar, chilli and sugar. A handful of dates or raisins gives it that sweet-sour Malay lift, the thing that sets it apart from a plainer achcharu. A jar keeps for weeks and brightens biryani, rice and curry, and lamprais.

45 minsServes 12MediumAuthentic Hot

Substitutes includedVegetarian

Large golden pineapple chunks in thick cardamom syrup served from a glass jar

Annasi Dosi

Sri Lankan Pineapple Dosi

Pineapple dosi, or annasi dosi, is a Sri Lankan candied fruit sweet: chunks of slightly under-ripe pineapple simmered slowly in a sugar syrup until they turn glossy and almost translucent, scented with roasted cardamom. It is a fixture on festive tables, especially at Eid and at weddings, and it is one of those old home-made sweets that needs only four things: pineapple, sugar, water and cardamom. Made properly it keeps for months in a jar in the fridge, so most people cook a batch ahead of the day rather than on it.

60 minsServes 12MediumMild

Substitutes includedVegetarian

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Before You Start Cooking

The technique behind this collection is in a guide to Sri Lankan spices. You may also want our biryani spice blend or ghee rice.

Other Collections

Cooking Basics Rice and Main-Meal Bases Chicken, Meat and Egg Curries Seafood Dhal, Lentils and Beans Vegetable Curries Sambols, Chutneys, Pickles and Condiments Breakfast and Dinner Foods Short Eats and Street Food Sweets, Desserts and Festive Drinks and Ceylon Tea Jaffna Southern Burgher and Colonial

Free: 5 Sri Lankan Recipes for Beginners

Dhal curry, pol sambol, yellow rice and the pantry checklist.

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