Malu Miris Maluwa
Sri Lankan Malu Miris Curry (Banana Pepper Curry)
Sri Lankan malu miris curry is big, mild banana peppers sliced and simmered with onion, garlic, mustard, turmeric and coconut milk into a quick savoury curry. The name translates as 'fish chilli', but there is no fish here and the peppers are much gentler than they look. Some people call it banana pepper curry. Either way, it is a fast everyday vegetable dish that brings gentle heat and proper flavour to a plate of rice and curry.
Mild banana peppers in a quick tempered coconut gravy: a fast, flavour-packed vegetable curry that really does more than you expect.
- Total time
- 30 min
- 10 min prep · 20 min cook
- Serves
- 4 people
- Difficulty
- Beginner
- Spice level
- Medium
- Country help
- USA · UK · AU · CA substitutes included
CeylonCooking
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Sri Lankan Malu Miris Curry (Malu Miris Maluwa)
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Nutrition
Estimated values, per serving.
About This Dish
Malu miris are those long, pale green peppers you see in big piles at every Sri Lankan market. They're bigger and milder than the fierce little kochchi chillies, closer to a banana pepper or a big Anaheim. The name translates as 'fish chilli', which sounds dramatic and confuses plenty of first timers, but it has nothing to do with fish and it's not especially hot. These peppers are mild and slightly sweet, perfect for cooking whole or sliced into a curry.
Malu miris curry is the kind of quick, thrifty vegetable dish a Sri Lankan kitchen turns out without thinking. Slice the peppers and temper them with onion, garlic, curry leaves and mustard seeds, then loosen everything with coconut milk into a light savoury gravy. It comes together in minutes, costs almost nothing, and brings a gentle rounded heat and a fresh green flavour to the plate. There is a drier tempered version too, malu miris thel dala, cooked without coconut milk for a deeper, charred result.
What makes this curry work is the contrast between soft, mellow peppers and the sharp little hits of mustard and curry leaf running through the coconut gravy. It's mild enough to sit gently on the plate, but has enough flavour to hold its own. It's the sort of unshowy vegetable curry that quietly becomes a regular. Add a slit kochchi or a few chilli flakes if you want more fire.
What Is Malu Miris?
Malu miris are large, pale green and mild, similar to banana peppers or a big Anaheim chilli. The name translates as 'fish chilli', but they contain no fish and bring only a gentle warmth, far milder than the small fiery kochchi chillies used in sambols. They're long, smooth and slightly sweet, grown all over Sri Lanka and used as a vegetable, not a hot spice.
Because they're so mild, you can be generous with them, whole or sliced, in a way you never could with a hot chilli. If you can't find malu miris, banana peppers, Anaheim chillies, or even sliced green capsicum with a slit green chilli for a little heat all work well. You want a soft, mellow pepper that carries the curry, not one that sets your mouth on fire.
What It Should Taste Like
Soft, mellow peppers in a light creamy coconut gravy, lifted by nutty popped mustard and fragrant curry leaves. Gently warm, fresh and savoury.
Ingredients
This recipe makes 4 servings. Change the number and every amount below updates with it. Substitutes for hard-to-find items are in the sidebar.
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- Malu miris (banana peppers)sliced, or whole and slit250 g
- Onionsliced1
- Garlicsliced2 cloves
- Green chillislit, optional for heat1
- Curry leaves1 sprig
- Mustard seeds½ tsp
- Ground turmeric½ tsp
- Chilli powderoptional½ tsp
- Maldive fish flakesoptional1 tsp
- Thick coconut milk¾ cup
- Oil1 tbsp
- Saltto taste
Method
Follow these 4 steps. Each one explains not just what to do, but why it matters.
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- 01
Prep the Peppers
Slice the malu miris into rounds or thick strips. Remove the seeds if you want a milder curry.
Malu miris are mild to start with, so most of their gentle heat and a little bitterness sit in the seeds and the white pith. Leave them in and you get a slightly warmer, more peppery curry. Take them out and it stays very mild and a touch sweeter. Slice them thick so they keep some bite and don't collapse into the gravy.
Tip: No gloves needed. Malu miris are mild and gentle on the hands, unlike hot chillies.
- 02
Temper the Aromatics
Heat the oil and add the mustard seeds. When they pop, add the onion, garlic, curry leaves and green chilli and fry until soft.
Tempering, starting with mustard seeds popping in hot oil, is the backbone of so many Sri Lankan vegetable dishes, and it's what gives this curry its character. The popped mustard adds a nutty, slightly sharp note, the curry leaves perfume the oil, and the softened onion brings sweetness. Get this base right and the rest is easy.
Tip: Wait for the mustard seeds to actually pop and crackle before adding the onion. That's when they release their flavour.
- 03
Add the Peppers and Spices
Stir in the malu miris, turmeric, chilli powder and Maldive fish if you're using it, and fry for 3-4 minutes until the peppers soften slightly.
Frying the sliced peppers with the spices for a few minutes before any liquid goes in lets them take on colour, lose their raw edge, and get coated in the toasted turmeric and chilli. You want them softening but still holding their shape, with a little char here and there for depth. The optional Maldive fish adds a savoury background note.
Tip: For the drier tempered version (malu miris thel dala), skip the coconut milk and just cook the peppers down with the spices until soft and a little charred.
- 04
Simmer in Coconut Milk
Pour in the thick coconut milk, add salt, and simmer gently for 5 minutes until the peppers are tender and the gravy is creamy. Don't boil it hard.
The coconut milk turns the dish into a mild, creamy curry, so add it near the end and keep the heat gentle to stop it splitting. A few minutes is enough for the peppers to finish softening and the flavours to come together into a light, savoury gravy. Taste for salt at the end, once the coconut has mellowed everything.
Tip: Keep it loose and creamy rather than reducing it to a paste. This curry is meant to have a little gravy to spoon over rice.
Common Mistakes to Avoid
- Treating malu miris like a hot chilli and using too few. They're mild, so use them generously.
- Adding the coconut milk too early or boiling it hard splits the gravy.
- Overcooking the peppers to mush. They should stay tender with a little bite.
- Not popping the mustard seeds first, so you miss their nutty flavour.
Serving Ideas
- As a gentle vegetable curry on a rice and curry plate.
- With rice and a fiery sambol for a sweet-and-hot contrast.
- Alongside dhal and a dry-fried fish for a simple, balanced meal.
Building a whole plate around it? Start from our vegetarian rice and curry menu, which sets out what to cook alongside it and in what order.
Storage and Make-Ahead
Keeps 2 to 3 days in the fridge. Reheat gently without boiling so the coconut gravy doesn't split. The peppers soften further on standing. It doesn't freeze especially well.
Two Ways to Cook It
Slice the peppers, temper onion and mustard seeds, fry the peppers with turmeric, then loosen with tinned coconut milk and simmer briefly. A genuinely quick, forgiving curry.
Use fresh malu miris and freshly pressed coconut milk, add a little Maldive fish and a slit kochchi for depth and heat, and finish in a clay pot for a rounder, more fragrant gravy.
Lighter and Healthier Version
Malu miris curry is already a light, vegetable-forward dish. A few tweaks make it even lighter while keeping its gentle, savoury character.
Naturally Vegan
Made without the optional Maldive fish, this curry is entirely plant-based, built on peppers, aromatics and coconut milk.
Lighten the Coconut
Use light coconut milk or thin it with water for a lighter gravy. The tempered aromatics carry plenty of flavour.
Try the Dry Tempered Version
Skip the coconut milk altogether and make malu miris thel dala, the peppers simply tempered with mustard, onion and curry leaves, for a lower-fat, more intense dish.
Big on Vegetables
Peppers are low in calories and high in vitamin C, so this is a properly nourishing vegetable curry to add to the plate.
Frequently Asked Questions
Malu miris are those big, pale green, mild peppers, closer to banana peppers or a large Anaheim. The name means 'fish chilli', which throws people off, because there is no fish in them and the heat is gentle, nowhere near those tiny, fiery kochchi chillies you use in sambols.
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